"Poof..."
"Hahaha..."
Seeing the blonde woman's awkward expression, Gwen couldn't help but burst out laughing, still hugging Pikachu tightly.
The blonde woman looked at Alan, equally confused. "Huh?"
Alan glanced at her again.
Nice figure.
Pretty face, too.
But unfortunately, Alan didn't like "public transportation": "I was actually calling the person behind you."
The blonde woman awkwardly stepped away from the car door, repeatedly apologizing.
When she turned to look at Gwen, she was still embarrassed.
To ease the awkwardness, she noticed the Pikachu plushie in Gwen's arms.
"Your toy is so cute."
As she reached out her hand to touch it, Pikachu's two red cheeks sparked with a bit of electricity.
It murmured softly, "Pika! Pika-chu!"
Seeing the slightly annoyed Pikachu, Gwen quickly dodged and slipped into the car.
If Pikachu shocked her, the blonde would be in for a world of pain—if she survived it at all.
"Thanks, bye!"
With a slam, the car door shut.
The engine roared to life, leaving the blonde woman standing alone, bewildered in the wind.
"Just now... that doll... was it electric?"
Inside the car.
Gwen cuddled Pikachu. "Pikachu, you can't do that next time. Even though she was annoying, you can't just go around shocking people."
"Pika... Pika..."
Pikachu shook its head.
Gwen quickly looked at Alan. "Alan, does that mean Pikachu won't do it next time?"
"Did I just understand what Pikachu was saying?"
Gwen asked excitedly.
Hearing Gwen's question, Alan couldn't help but laugh as he drove. "Haha..."
"Alan, what are you laughing at?"
"Pikachu was actually saying he didn't like that woman, and if he sees her again, he'll shock her again."
Gwen's face flushed red.
Now, this was awkward.
"Gwen, sit tight. I'm going to speed up."
Alan stepped on the gas, and the R8's engine roared, delivering a strong sense of acceleration.
This feeling was completely different from flying in the Emperor's armor or swinging on Gwen's spider webs.
Countless scenes quickly zoomed past them in a blur.
"Alan, slow down. We're going to crash, we're going to crash..."
Even Gwen, who swung through New York City daily on her webs, was frightened.
Meanwhile, the Pikachu in her arms was equally excited, shouting, "Pika... Pika..."
Suddenly, the car's control system displayed a little girl on the screen.
"Master, how does the new car feel?"
"Not bad, Red Queen. Navigate to the nearest mountain road. I want to test this car's limits."
"Yes, Master."
Gwen's face instantly turned pale. "Alan, slow down!"
"Pika... Pikachu!"
"Pikachu, what are you saying now?"
...
New York Police Department
A few plainclothes detectives stood in George's office. One of them handed George a badge.
George glanced at it, his pupils narrowing slightly: "Interpol..."
And not just any Interpol officer—the rank was Inspector-level.
Why are they here?
"Commissioner George, I'd like you to assign some officers to assist us with an operation tonight."
"Operation?"
"Has an international criminal appeared in New York?" George asked, frowning.
If an international fugitive were within his jurisdiction, that would be a major issue.
And the fact that he hadn't noticed anything yet made it worse.
The middle-aged man leading the group continued, "Strictly speaking, it's not an international criminal."
Just as George was about to relax, the man's next words made his heart jump into his throat.
"It's an international crime syndicate!"
George: "???"
This was worse than dealing with a single international criminal!
"What kind of international crime syndicate?" George asked.
The inspector signaled to a female detective behind him, who handed over a file to George.
George quickly flipped through it, and the inspector added some information not included in the documents.
"Two years ago, a police station in the Middle East received a report from a girl, claiming she had been sold there."
"Later, the girl mysteriously died in the police station."
George furrowed his brows.
It was clear that this was a human trafficking case, and there were likely people in the Middle Eastern police department covering it up.
"Afterward, a somewhat conscientious detective exposed the incident, though the Middle Eastern authorities eventually suppressed it."
"But it caught Interpol's attention."
"Over the past few years, through our investigation, we've uncovered a vast human trafficking network."
"And the central hub of this trade is right here in New York."
The inspector pointed to George's desk.
After reading the file, George took a deep breath to calm himself.
"So, you've been secretly investigating in New York and are now asking for additional personnel because you've found something significant?"
Hearing this, the inspector's expression grew somewhat odd.
The female detective stepped forward and pulled out a phone. "Earlier today, we received a tip-off."
"This tip contains not only evidence of human trafficking, but also details of a deal happening tonight."
"It even includes specifics about the layout of the venue, the number of people involved, everything down to the last detail."
George looked puzzled after hearing this.
A tip this detailed?
He took the phone from the female detective and saw that the information on the upcoming deal was indeed incredibly thorough.
"Have you considered that this might be a setup? Maybe they found out about your investigation and sent this message to mislead you."
"The goal could be to lure you away, while the real transaction happens somewhere else," George analyzed based on his experience.
The female detective said, "At first, I thought the same, but the message also named the mastermind."
"That's how we knew the tip was legitimate."
"And there's a strong possibility of internal conflict."
"The mastermind?" George asked, puzzled.
The female detective swiped the phone's screen, and a face George knew all too well appeared.
Wilson Fisk, aka Kingpin.
"Yes, the underground boss of New York."
"If this were a false tip, and it involved turning in Kingpin, the sender would essentially be signing their own death warrant."
"But if it's one of Kingpin's men trying to stage a coup, then it makes sense."
George's expression grew more and more peculiar.
He suddenly had a feeling that everyone seemed to be targeting Kingpin today.
The inspector noticed George's strange expression and asked, "Commissioner George, is something wrong?"
George raised a hand and pointed outside the office window, where the NYPD was bustling with activity.
The inspector misunderstood and furrowed his brows.
"Commissioner George, are you saying the NYPD is too busy to help us take down this human trafficking ring?"
The female detective, now a bit irritated, added, "When we asked around, we heard you were supposed to be one of the top detectives."
"And now you're afraid of Kingpin?"
To them, it seemed George knew they were planning to go after Kingpin and wanted to stay out of it to protect himself.
They had come in confident that George would support them, but now they were filled with disappointment.
Realizing they had misunderstood him, George quickly explained, "Do you know why all those people outside are here today?"
The Interpol officers were taken aback.
Why else would people come to a police station if not to file reports?
Maybe for tea with the commissioner?
The detective noticed something was off. "Why are so many people filing reports today?"
Thanks to this observation, the others realized the police station was unusually packed with people.
There weren't even enough detectives to handle it all.
George continued, "They're all here to file reports against Kingpin."
Interpol officers: "..."
"Not just at the NYPD, but other precincts and even law firms have been dealing with similar cases today."
As George spoke, he walked to the door and signaled for an officer to bring over a stack of case files.
"Look, these are all the pieces of evidence people have brought in against Kingpin."
The Interpol officers curiously flipped through the files, their expressions growing more complicated.
The evidence listed in these documents was almost at a professional level.
Any police station receiving such evidence would be able to arrest someone immediately.
Unfortunately, the target was Kingpin, who had a highly skilled legal team at his disposal.
The inspector closed the file and turned to George. "What's your take?"
"I believe, just as you suspected, Kingpin has been betrayed from within."
"And the betrayer is likely someone close to him, which is why they have so much incriminating evidence."
"They even managed to deliver this evidence to each victim."
George continued his analysis, "All the evidence is real."
"So, the human trafficking deal you're busting tonight is also likely legitimate."
The Interpol officers nodded in agreement.
They now all believed this was an internal power struggle against Kingpin.
"Tonight, I'll assign officers to assist with your operation."
"Let's go to the briefing room and organize the police deployment according to their setup."
George gathered all the documents. "I'm confident we can take down this entire criminal syndicate tonight without breaking a sweat."
...
Inside Matthew's Law Office
Matthew had already handled several cases against Kingpin today. Even with his extraordinary stamina, he was beginning to feel a bit exhausted.
The most outrageous part was that every single case had solid evidence of Kingpin's criminal activities and illegal operations.
"What's going on today?" Matthew wasn't foolish; he sensed something was off.
He even asked his female assistant to check with other law firms.
She found out that law firms all over New York were receiving similar cases against Kingpin, each one accompanied by a mountain of evidence.
Under his sunglasses, Matthew furrowed his brow, pondering, "Kingpin, who exactly have you crossed?"
It was clear that Matthew hadn't considered the possibility that Kingpin's subordinates or confidants might be staging a coup.
Based on his years of experience battling Kingpin, Matthew knew that none of Kingpin's men were capable of something like this.
This only deepened his confusion.
In all of New York, who could take on Kingpin like this?
"Could it be him... Nick Fury?"
Matthew thought of Nick Fury, the S.H.I.E.L.D. director who once tried to recruit him, but whom he had declined.
Matthew had witnessed Fury's capabilities back then.
However, Matthew was used to working alone and had no interest in joining the Avengers.
After thinking it through, Matthew could only come up with this one possibility.
Someone with the power to cover up the sky and expose so many of Kingpin's crimes—only Nick Fury could have such strength in the entire country.
As Matthew pondered why Nick Fury would do something like this, his personal phone rang.
Matthew answered, "What's the news?"
Only one person knew this number—his informant, whom he kept in the shadows as Daredevil. Whenever something stirred within the major gangs or there was an illegal deal, Matthew would become Daredevil to either stop it or take it down.
The news from the other end of the line jolted Matthew awake: "You found the location of a human trafficking deal?"
"Where?"
"Alright! I'll head over tonight."
Matthew hung up the phone immediately and crushed the SIM card.
This was how he protected his informants—destroying a SIM card after each call. The informant would then buy a new one and leave it at their usual drop-off spot, where Matthew would pick it up as Daredevil.
"Human trafficking... I've been hunting you for so long."
A fierce determination flashed across Matthew's face.
After all these years, he'd finally found the trafficking location.
Behind him, the sun was slowly setting outside the window.
On a hilltop, Alan stood with Gwen, while Pikachu was in front of them.
They all watched the setting sun together.
Gwen gently rested her head on Alan's shoulder and slowly said, "Alan, can you drive a bit slower on the way back?"
"I'm scared…"
Alan smiled and nodded. "It was my first time driving that kind of car, so I got a bit excited."
Gwen looked at Alan in disbelief, "Your first time driving that kind of car?"
"Yeah, I've never driven one that nice before."
Gwen rolled her eyes at Alan, "Next time, don't drive so fast. What if something happens…?"
"What if something happens…?"
She said, a bit of worry in her voice.
She was genuinely concerned that something might happen to Alan.
Pikachu, sensing Gwen's shift in mood, walked over to her and tugged at her arm. "Pika... Pika..."
"Alan, what's Pikachu saying?"
Alan explained, "Pikachu says not to be mad; the master will be very careful."
Seeing Pikachu's caring behavior, Gwen couldn't help but smile.
She then playfully patted Alan's shoulder, "It's all your fault, scaring me like that!"
Alan took the opportunity to hug Gwen, "Alright, alright, I promise to drive slower next time."
"Pika… Pika…"
Pikachu jumped up happily and landed between the two of them.
Gwen smiled and petted Pikachu's head.
"Pikachu… how about you come home with me later…"
...
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