C90: 2 Reports
In the antique store tucked in Hell's Kitchen, Li Ran glanced at the twin legend updates glowing faintly on his data panel, his brows twitching ever so slightly.
"What is it?"
Jessica Jones, leaning against the counter with a bottle of Wild Turkey, caught the shift in his expression and asked casually.
"Nothing."
Lowering his head to mask the fleeting surprise on his face, Li Ran calmly folded the *Daily Bugle* in his hands and turned to look at her.
Since entering the store, Jessica had been drinking like she owned the place — as if his antique shop doubled as Josie's Bar.
Jessica lazily shifted her gaze back to the newspaper, her eyes locking on a front-page exposé: *Wilson Fisk, prominent New York business magnate and covert crime lord, indicted on federal charges including racketeering, conspiracy, and organized violence. FBI confirms sweeping raids across Fisk-owned properties.*
Jessica's lips tightened. She knew more than the article dared to publish.
Most of the damning evidence against Fisk came directly from the traitorous hands of Madame Gao — the last known leader of the Hand. The same Gao who had once allied with both the Fire Cloud Evil God and Fisk, but ultimately betrayed them both.
Jessica didn't believe Madame Gao acted from conscience — there was always a deeper game but Matt had accepted the evidence. And with that, Daredevil had leveraged the intel to topple the Kingpin of Crime, forcing him into the judicial system he'd long corrupted.
She shook off the tangle of thoughts.
With the Fire Cloud Evil God destroyed and the Hand effectively shattered, the Defenders had drifted apart. Matt Murdock returned to Nelson & Murdock by day, still donning the red suit by night. Luke Cage was back in Harlem, managing Pop's Barber Shop and keeping peace in his neighborhood.
Danny Rand, determined to pursue the mystery hinted at by the Evil God's final words, had proposed investigating together. Jessica refused. After so much darkness, she needed distance — time to drink, reflect, and pretend she wasn't broken.
"Sorry."
Jessica's voice cut through the silence in the shop.
"Hm?"
Li Ran looked at her, pretending not to know what she meant.
"I meant Wesley. Because of that Chinatown mess... he's gone."
"For the Brotherhood of Assassins, death isn't an end. Wesley knew the risks. His sacrifice protected the city and fulfilled his Creed."
Li Ran's words rang steady, but Jessica's expression didn't soften. She took another pull from the bottle — whiskey harsh enough to burn, but not enough to dull the ache.
"Maybe... I'm just not cut out for this superhero crap," she muttered.
Then, as if testing something buried, she turned to him. "If — and I mean *if* — I needed the Brotherhood's help again someday… would you show up?"
Another favor? More legend points? Of course he would.
But Li Ran kept his expression neutral. "The Brotherhood acts not out of obligation, but belief. Wesley fought because he *chose* to. If you're standing against true darkness like the Hand — then we'll be there."
\[Fame from Jessica Jones +200]
Jessica's eyes shifted. The words mattered more than she let on.
"Don't worry. There won't *be* a next time."
"Let's hope not."
"No — *hope*, yes."
Gripping the bottle like a lifeline, she locked eyes with Li Ran. Her voice, firm this time, wasn't a promise to him but to herself.
"The more you swear that, the more the universe tests you," Li Ran said dryly.
Jessica didn't answer. She pushed open the shop door, walked out into the Hell's Kitchen dusk.
Li Ran, still seated, casually flipped to the back page of the *Daily Bugle*. A headline dominated the space:
**Tony Stark Missing in Afghanistan: Stark Industries CEO Disappears Following Attack on Military Convoy**
According to the report, Tony Stark — the tech genius behind Stark Industries and the U.S. military's top weapons contractor — vanished during a demonstration of the new Jericho missile system. His convoy was ambushed by Ten Rings insurgents. With no signal or intel, the Department of Defense had dispatched elite units for a high-priority rescue op.
Obadiah Stane, the company's second-in-command, held a press conference projecting optimism. But anonymous sources within Stark Industries and SHIELD warned: the likelihood of survival was "statistically insignificant."
Was this the birth of Iron Man?
Li Ran skimmed the lengthy writeup. For all its words, the story was simple to him: **Iron Man is coming.**
And that meant he had to act — fast.
Turning inward, he summoned the system's data panel.
**\[Legend]: 23457**
Over twenty-three thousand points — the highest he'd ever accumulated.
Not bad, for a shadow behind the curtain.
Li Ran grinned. With this much fame, he could trade for two **\[Bronze Treasure Chests]**, each containing a C-rank avatar. The Fire Cloud Evil God alone had shown how devastating high-tier character cards could be for racking up legendary status.
But timing was everything.
Each powerful avatar drew attention, and with only two concurrent avatars allowed, he had to use them wisely. His recent deployment of Ip Man during the Chinatown battle was a calculated risk.
Now, with Stark's transformation imminent, the Avengers' world would rapidly expand. The supernatural, the cosmic, and the catastrophic would collide in New York — aliens, gods, multiverse incursions, and more.
And S.H.I.E.L.D. had already noticed.
The damage in Chinatown hadn't gone unseen. Not with Maria Hill's satellites overhead and Phil Coulson's boots on the ground.
Nick Fury may have tolerated anomalies before, but not anymore.
SHIELD, despite future Hydra infiltrations, remained the most advanced intelligence agency on Earth. Between their surveillance drones, helicarriers, and experimental tech, they were already close.
And that… was a problem.
Li Ran's actions had been flagged.
He'd stirred too many ripples in the timeline.
And Nick Fury always hated ripples.
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