Chapter 60: First Encounter (Edited)

"Hit-Girl!"

Clark has gradually gotten used to calling his comrades by different names based on their attire, as this helps avoid exposing anyone by mistake. Otherwise, calling out "Matthew" while Daredevil is dispensing justice would certainly doom the blind lawyer.

Hearing Clark's voice, Hit-Girl, who was lifting her leg high and stepping lightly, suddenly froze mid-action, her right leg hanging comically in mid-air.

Maintaining this difficult pose, she turned her head towards Clark, seated on the snowy ground, and gave an embarrassed smile, "Clark, aren't you cold?"

"Don't change the subject!"

Clark replied sternly, "Didn't I tell you not to go out casually these days, especially not as Hit-Girl?"

Hit-Girl chuckled awkwardly, lowering her suspended right foot, and turned around, trying to appear calm, "I was just out practicing my martial arts. You know, combat skills need to be practiced regularly. Otherwise, if you get rusty when it really counts, it could be lethal."

Yeah right, you slippery kid! Clark thought with a snort, his gaze falling on the katana in Mindy's hands, "Going out for practice, and you bring back a katana? Wait, that sword looks familiar. Let me see it…"

Mindy had no choice but to come forward and hand the sword to Clark.

Holding the sword, Clark felt it looked even more familiar. With a "clang," he drew the blade, revealing its mirror-like surface. Swinging it lightly, it made sounds like wind and thunder.

This was…

Murakami's katana!

Recalling the scene where Murakami used this sword to overpower the Punisher, Clark's gaze sharpened, "How did this sword end up in your hands?"

Mindy, seeing that Clark had figured everything out, honestly recounted her day's experience…

In fact, Mindy had been holding a grudge over Marcus's death and the severe losses the Avengers faced in a previous ambush. Seizing the opportunity while Clark was busy adapting to his new abilities, she attacked a base under the Hand's control.

After eliminating all the ninjas in the base, she hadn't managed to retreat before being caught by Murakami, who had arrived soon after.

Murakami planned to use Mindy as bait in a similar manner to Frank D'Amico, drawing the Avengers into a trap.

However, just as he removed Hit-Girl's wig and mask, confirming her identity with a "So it's you," and was about to gloat, an unexpected event occurred.

As the saying goes, you reap what you sow.

Just when Murakami was feeling smug, a batmobile engulfed in flames suddenly broke through the Hand's base wall, coming to a halt in front of them.

As Hit-Girl stood there in shock, a person with a flaming skull for a head stepped out of the car, staring down Murakami—who had at least a power level of 2—with just a look, and took an ancient book from him.

Before leaving, the flaming skull handed Murakami's katana to Mindy.

According to Mindy, the flaming skull felt eerily familiar to her, making her instinctively feel no fear but rather a desire to get closer.

However, she restrained this impulse and didn't speak to the flaming skull until it left.

Flaming skull, death with a stare, flaming batmobile…

Hearing these keywords, Clark almost immediately concluded that the person was the Ghost Rider, not his half-brother from the neighboring DC universe.

The Ghost Rider possesses the ability to change the appearance of his ride, wields powerful Hellfire, and has a bug-level skill called the Penance Stare, which uses Hellfire to interrogate and burn the sins of souls.

These abilities perfectly match Mindy's description.

The only question was, since when did the Ghost Rider, known for riding a motorcycle, switch to a batmobile?

Could it be that the Ghost Rider was also indulging in some teenage fantasy?

Knowing that the Ghost Rider intervened, Clark immediately thought of the "Not Beneath Me" divine skill he had activated with three million impression points.

From Murakami's fate, it seemed he was cursed with bad luck.

His plan was flawless, with Mindy indeed being the weakest link in the Avengers. However, the sudden appearance of the Ghost Rider put an end to his plans. Clark couldn't think of a more apt description than unfortunate.

Having pieced together the cause and effect, Clark still maintained a stern face, "You must not go on adventures on your own again. If it hadn't been for that flaming skull, the entire Avengers could have been doomed because of your recklessness."

Mindy quickly nodded in agreement.

Clark casually returned the katana to her, "This sword is of good quality and suits you well."

Mindy, curious, asked, "Clark, this sword does seem powerful. Do you know its origin?"

Clark was stumped; where would he know that from?

But admitting ignorance in front of Mindy seemed like losing face.

Clark was almost ready to pull his hair out in frustration.

But then, he no longer had to worry about how to answer Mindy's challenging question, as his keen hearing detected someone entering the villa's yard, even approaching their location in the backyard. Regardless of who it was, at least he wouldn't have to struggle with how to respond to Mindy's question.

Turning to look, he saw three people approaching.

The leader was a Caucasian man in a suit, looking very dapper, whom Clark didn't recognize. Following him were a white man and a black man, the white man always smiling, the black man… an egghead.

As they walked towards Clark and Mindy, the lead Caucasian man spoke first, "This sword is called Raikiri, once belonging to Tachibana Dōsetsu, a famous general during the Sengoku period in Japan. It eventually fell into the hands of Murakami, one of the five fingers of the Hand. But it seems Murakami has fallen."

Seeing the egghead, Clark guessed their affiliation, and four words flashed in his mind.

These visitors bode ill!

With a snort, Clark unceremoniously retorted, "Raikiri, huh? Why not say it's called Chidori?"

Receiving impression points from Alexander Pierce (+67), Nick Fury (+234), and Phil Coulson (+111) confirmed his suspicions.

Indeed, it was those three.