Why do you clean a room?
If one applied this line of thinking to the behavior of the Hand, their numerous suspicious actions became understandable. Their efforts to control drugs and crack down on gangs weren't part of some world-shaking conspiracy—or rather, they weren't directly related to one.
To use the cleaning analogy: previously, Peter and the Defenders assumed the Hand was cleaning the room to make space for their own belongings. Now, it seemed the Hand might be cleaning the room simply because it was dirty.
"It looks like you've thought of something?"
"The Hand's goal is to summon a... well, a demon or an evil god or something. It possesses the power to corrupt people, so the Hand needs to create the right environment for it. Which is to say, the better the environment in New York, the more comfortable it is for him to corrupt it..."
Peter found it hard to keep a straight face as he spoke. The possibility existed, but compared to his previous guesses, it wasn't much different. Thinking this far, Peter suddenly felt a sense of relief. Even though the direction Felicia had provided bordered on the absurd, it was precisely that absurdity that allowed him to let out a long breath.
Since the reason for their actions could be so ridiculous, why focus so much on these anomalies? In fact, these anomalies might even be smoke screens laid by the opposition. Therefore, the correct course of action was to set these doubts aside. Instead of agonizing over the Hand's ultimate purpose, it was better to simply capture their high-ranking leadership.
"So, do you have any thoughts on where the Hand might be?"
"No. Where do they usually operate?"
"It used to be Hell's Kitchen, but their sweeping range is getting larger. Aside from some of Kingpin's old subordinates hiding inside the Fisk Treasury—having gone straight and quit the life—hardly anyone else has survived; those who did have fled. We were puzzled before as to why they started with Hell's Kitchen, but looking at it now..."
Perhaps they were just cleaning the most troublesome spot first.
"If that's the case, now that Hell's Kitchen is mostly handled, shouldn't they be heading to Harlem? Is that how it works?"
It made sense. Aside from Hell's Kitchen, Harlem, as the most concentrated Black neighborhood in Manhattan, would likely be the area subjected to the most severe "cleansing." Peter agreed with this viewpoint and immediately prepared to depart. Felicia stood up, looking at him with a touch of curiosity.
"Do you even know which gang organizations are in Harlem?"
"Well, actually, I don't. But I bet someone does."
Meanwhile, at Avengers Tower, in the Mansion Prison.
Although Ultron's program had been destroyed by Pym, the materials from the Ultron sentries had been kept. Controlled by a much more secure Jarvis, they now managed the prison's security system. On this day, Herman Schultz—also known as Shocker—who was reading a book in his cell, saw an Ultron robot approach him. Spider-Man's voice crackled from the machine's chassis.
"Hey, Herman. How've you been lately?"
"Not bad, Spider-Man. Honestly, prison might be a good place for me. I've got food and clothes, I don't have to worry about rent, and I can read in peace without getting hacked to death by local gangs for trying to be an educated man..." Herman spoke, likely guessing Spider-Man was there for a reason. "What's up? You actually have time for small talk?"
"Of course not. Do you have any gang brothers in Harlem? Preferably those with a supply of enhancers?"
Herman became instantly wary. "You're not planning on making me snitch on them, are you? I'm warning you, if they found out, my mother and my brother—"
The Ultron robot projected a series of headshots in front of him. Herman recognized several of the faces.
"I know you're in a tough spot, which is why I didn't come to you until I'd done my own investigation. Listen, a group calling themselves the Hand has entered New York. They're slaughtering the original gangs, especially the drug dealers. Hell's Kitchen has been quietly purged by them, and Harlem is likely next."
"Look, I don't like those gang members either, okay? But the Hand is even worse. They aren't killing to maintain public order. I need your help to tell me who their next target might be."
Looking at the headshots, Herman remained silent for a long time. He had no affection for the thugs in Harlem. He often thought that if he had come from a better background, he wouldn't have encountered such trouble. After a moment of silence, he sighed.
"Fine. But I'm not intimately familiar with them all. I can tell you some of the more discreet... uh, exchange locations for the enhancers and one or two of the big shots who aren't dead yet. But as for who their boss is behind the scenes, I have no idea."
"Thanks, Herman."
Having received his answer, Peter disconnected the call and looked at Felicia. "I've got things to do, so—"
"Are you planning on calling some heroine to accompany you against those immortal ninjas?"
"—No, I wasn't planning on calling anyone."
"Then since I'm bored, how about I go with you?"
Peter looked at Felicia with some hesitation, but the latter simply shrugged and leaped off the building. Peter let out a sigh of relief, watching the direction she went.
Oh, she was heading toward Harlem.
"I actually expected that in a timeline where Black Cat wasn't a villain, her personality would be much better. Seems I thought too much."
Peter sighed helplessly and took a leap, immediately racing toward Harlem as well. He quickly caught up with Black Cat and asked in confusion, "Why do you want to get involved in this?"
"Do you want the truth or a lie?"
"The truth?"
"I'd hate for my dance partner to suddenly run off in the middle of a song; that would be quite embarrassing for me." Felicia gave an answer that Peter suspected wasn't the truth, but he continued to follow her, swinging through the air. The two soon arrived near one of the locations Herman had mentioned, but Felicia took one look at the surroundings and couldn't help but sigh.
"It looks like your informant's intel is a bit outdated."
"Yeah, definitely."
The reason they said this wasn't because Peter and Felicia saw corpses, but because they saw Wolverine, Logan, accompanied by Shadowcat, Kitty Pryde, walking right into a building nearby.
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