Anthony looked like an honest man.
John instantly realized something was wrong—these guys were here for zero-dollar shopping!
He immediately grabbed a chair from the corridor and threw it at the entrance, blocking the doorway.
The thugs who burst through the door were like zombies, pushing the ones in front, causing those in front to trip over the chair and the half-broken door, screaming as they were trampled by those behind them.
With that done, John grabbed a long-handled umbrella and swung it at them!
"Grab something! They're here to rob us!" John shouted at Anthony, while also searching for something handy to use.
By the time he grabbed another small stool, the thugs had already squeezed inside, and only then did Anthony react!
"Damn it!"
A baseball bat swung at Anthony, and if it hit his head, it would at least be a concussion!
Bang!
The bat hit the stool instead, and John kicked the leading thug back with a solid front kick, then quickly pulled Anthony back.
Leo had already run off, cursing, "Damn it, not many people are home right now, hold them off!"
It was 4:30 PM, most of the men had gone out to look for work, and many of the women were also out!
The apartment entrance had a small rectangular area where coats or umbrellas were usually placed, along with a table where Ricaldo had placed two flower pots.
John pulled Anthony over, picked up a flower pot, and smashed it outwards.
Anthony followed suit, throwing the other flower pot. The thug at the front was stunned by the blow, while those behind kept pushing, creating chaos reminiscent of a "one-man defense."
But this feeling only lasted a moment before a curly-haired thug with a steel pipe charged in and collided directly with Anthony, the two of them wrestling on the floor!
John wanted to help, but more and more thugs were pouring in. The good news was that not all of them were armed; the bad news was they seemed insane!
John's burly frame allowed him to block two thugs trying to rush inside, one of whom even tried to persuade John to move aside!
"Get out of the way! We're just taking stuff! Watch out for your life!"
John erupted in rage, "You little punk, this is my home! This is my home! You should be the one getting out of here!"
The commotion caught the attention of the other residents in the apartment building, and Leo's message prompted them to hastily reinforce their doors!
A few thugs managed to slip past, undeterred by the number of people in the building.
Because his experience told him that most people were cowards, he could confidently march in, steal their phones, wallets... They wouldn't even resist!
Thank the gangs!
Bang!
Suddenly, a large umbrella pole from apartment 201 jabbed out—one of those big ones vendors use. The thug smacked right into it, turning around just in time to see a fierce Russian woman wielding a frying pan swinging it at him!
The crisp sound of the impact added rhythm to the chaos as the residents took a stand—
Ricaldo's booming voice echoed through the building, "This is our home! You're the ones who need to get out!"
As he shouted, he hurled another flower pot towards the thugs climbing the stairs!
The scene descended into complete disorder, and some of the thugs participating in their first zero-dollar shopping began to panic! Why wasn't it like the veterans said?
Weren't they supposed to smash everything, then watch as people screamed, cried, and stood by helplessly while they made off with their loot?
Bang!
A gunshot shattered the chaos, and everyone froze, looking towards the door—
A dreadlocked thug, his head bleeding profusely, stood there with a gun, covering his head and glaring angrily—holding a handgun!
"Damn it, I said we're just here to steal! Are you trying to die?"
The dreadlocked thug aimed his gun at John—
Time seemed to stop. This wasn't the first time John had a gun pointed at him, but he wasn't the kind of person who could stay calm in the face of a firearm.
He still remembered his first time being forced into a crime—exactly like this, with a gun pointed at his head, telling him what to do, what would happen if he failed.
At that time, he was terrified.
Click!
The next moment, everyone saw the thug holding the gun suddenly fly back, his waist seemingly dislocated!
The person who intervened was wearing a black bandana over their eyes, with clothes entirely in black, making them completely unrecognizable!
Leo sighed in relief upon seeing this—
Thank goodness, in this world, he had muscle too.
Otherwise, he really would have had to risk his life—Sandevistan might solve the problem, but it would also take his life.
The whole building froze, and even the thugs, who had been emboldened by their leader's gunfire, were stunned.
"You—you—you—my waist—"
The dreadlocked thug on the ground couldn't even speak properly, unable to stand up, writhing on the floor like a paraplegic.
Leo immediately picked up a brick and smashed it down.
Crash!
The brick knocked the thug out cold. Leo barely glanced at the now-Daredevil Matt before shouting at the thugs:
"Sit down and wait to be tied up by our people. If you don't cooperate—we'll beat you to death!"
One thug tried to run, but Anthony, who had just gotten free of his opponent, grabbed him by the ankle.
The fleeing thug fell to his knees, and John, snapping out of his daze, punched him twice in the face, his fists drawing blood.
"Ahhhhhh!"
John was terrified, so he put all his strength into the punches, shouting to vent his fear.
With their leader gone and John's fierce yell, the thugs all dropped what they were holding and shakily crouched down.
As the chaos subsided, Leo wanted to give Daredevil a thumbs up but found that he had already vanished.
Leo clapped his hands, "Alright—keep an eye on these guys, we'll wait for someone to come and deal with them."
"First of all, congratulations on your Homeowners Association successfully fending off a zero-dollar shopping."
Some time later, Matt reappeared, having changed his clothes, looking as calm as ever. If Leo hadn't known the script, he wouldn't have guessed this was the same man who had nearly paralyzed a thug with a kick moments ago.
"The real test is just beginning," Leo voiced Matt's inner thoughts.
Succeeding once didn't mean much, especially in a violent conflict like this.
To truly teach people to face injustice, there's still a long road ahead.
Matt nodded:
"You said what I was thinking—but this is indeed a big step forward. In fact, there have been several home invasions like this in the past few months. Many tenants moved out because they couldn't take it, and landlords were harassed to the point that they reluctantly accepted United Construction's terms. But you guys didn't just capture these people, you dared to call the police—this isn't the first time something like this has happened, but before, when the NYPD came, they just called both sides to the station for questioning. The result was complicated, but not one person was detained, even these thugs."
The dreadlocked thug on the floor, his face twisted in pain, growled, "Yeah, I'll get out of this, and when I come back, your people will be hiding in your homes like rabbits…"
Leo didn't even want to look at this kind of trash.
This guy thought of himself as a warrior, looking down on honest workers.
Matt didn't bother with the thug either, pulling Leo aside, "In a way, he's right. Every time the NYPD comes here, they just do that, saying there's no evidence of self-defense, always treating everything in Hell's Kitchen as gang fights. They slap both sides equally. This kind of behavior only weakens people's will to defend themselves. What are you planning to do?"
"I've got surveillance footage. They can't ignore the evidence, right?"
Matt looked at Leo in surprise, "You restored the apartment's surveillance? That's good, most of the time, the cameras in Hell's Kitchen are offline. With surveillance, and with the people caught, the NYPD will have to detain them for a few days at least."
This old apartment is probably fifty years old, with a mess of smelly wiring, and Ricaldo couldn't find anyone to fix it.
"That guy definitely doesn't have a gun license, so can we put him away?" Leo said, looking at the dreadlocked thug. "I've got footage of him firing the gun."
"That's even better—but I remember the camera…" Matt paused.
Because in his perception, the camera was originally aimed at the main door, and the spot where the thug fired shouldn't have been captured.
But now, the camera had moved on its own—it was really something, usually, that would require someone to control it.
"In any case, I've got some data too. There were two other places nearby that were robbed tonight, and I've got footage of that as well. But I pulled this data from public cameras—think it's useful? If it is, I'll give it to you to handle."
Matt adjusted his glasses, "You keep surprising me, of course, it's useful. Public safety cameras never capture what they should. I can run it through the system to make the footage legitimate. In the long run, this could help prove the existence of organized crime. You know, some people keep trying to blur these conflicts into gang fights, but with these videos, the truth will be clearer."
"That's good." Leo paused, "The hard drive's with Mr. Ricaldo."
In 2011, USB drives were common but not with large enough capacities, so a hard drive was still needed.
Mr. Ricaldo had a computer at home, which served as the central hub for the surveillance—but it was clear that Mr. Ricaldo wasn't very good with it.
Leo added, "Also, don't forget to clear the masked man's name. I believe a masked vigilante wouldn't have the best reputation, but we need this guy, especially in the court of public opinion. He must be seen in a positive light, or at least be neutral."
Matt paused while taking the hard drive: "You think he's a good person?"
"No kidding," Leo rolled his eyes, though Matt couldn't see, "I even think the NYPD should give him a medal; he's stopping crime, and I've got the proof. Helping each other is a form of bravery, and now that he's helped us, we should help him too. If we can't even defend ourselves or do the right thing, aren't we just encouraging crime?"
"Maybe… but the NYPD would never admit a masked person's acts as heroism. I'll get the hard drive. Uh… is there someone with you?"
Matt's senses picked up another person—a girl, tailing Leo?
Leo turned around to see Skye, wide-eyed and staring at him.
Skye flashed a professional smile, "Boss, you were amazing just now! Can I crash at your place?"
For some reason, Leo hadn't felt this way before, but now it seemed like this girl was latching onto him.