Chapter 90

The next day, Damian woke up earlier than usual.

He had arranged to review the armor project with the scientist in charge, so he got dressed and took a quick look at his daughters' before leaving.

Damian reappeared at the laboratory where the scientist in charge of the project was waiting for him.

"My lord," said the scientist, greeting him.

"Tell me how everything is going," Damian said, nodding in greeting.

"We have selected 100 people to be genetically enhanced. The top 10 of these 100 will be the first to wear the armor," the scientist said.

"What is the success rate of the genetic enhancement?" Damian asked, a little curious.

"Don't worry, my lord. The success rate is 100%. The difference is how well they adapt to the process. That will determine how strong they will be," explained the scientist.

"I see. Where are the soldiers, and when will they start the process?" Damian asked.

"The soldiers are training. We are particularly concerned about their mentality. The body is easy to improve, but the mind is not. We dug even deeper and created a large room where we will improve the 100 and train them with the armor," said the scientist.

"How much have we excavated already?" Damian asked with an ironic smile. They have been expanding the underground laboratory every year, and he no longer knows exactly how big it is.

"There are about 5 floors, counting the first floor where the energy source is," said the scientist.

"Very well. Take me to the soldiers," said Damian, nodding.

"Yes, please follow me," said the scientist, leading Damian.

They arrived at an elevator that went down to the fifth floor. Damian entered with the scientist, and they arrived at a large area that still had some construction zones.

Damian could see the soldiers training in the distance. Some were fighting, others were running, and others were lifting weights.

They both moved closer, and Damian could see everyone. There were all kinds of ethnicities among the soldiers, but that was to be expected considering the kind of country Madripoor was.

As Damian scanned over all the soldiers, one caught his attention. Partly because he was the only one who looked at Damian for more than a moment, but mostly because of his appearance.

"Who's he?" Damian asked, gesturing towards the man.

The scientist by his side looked in that direction before starting to search for the person on his tablet.

"Frank Castle, 28 years old, been living in Madripoor for about 5 years," the scientist said.

"Tell me his story," Damian said with curiosity. Although he didn't know much about Punisher, he definitely knew he shouldn't be here. He wondered if this situation was one of the first signs of how the world changes with his presence.

...

Frank Castle was one of the best soldiers during his time of service. At the age of 18, he enlisted, and by 23, he was the best soldier under the command of Ray Schoonover.

Frank had a great skill for combat, so Colonel Ray held him in high regard and saw him as his best weapon.

Frank's life was relatively normal for a soldier of his caliber until he met a woman named Maria.

Their connection was instant, and within just three months, she had become pregnant, and they had decided to marry.

Colonel Ray was upset when he found out, fearing that his best tool would soften or no longer want to work under his command.

So, in secret, Colonel Ray had Frank's pregnant wife kidnapped and sold to Madripoor.

Ray's plan was simple: he knew that Madripoor was a place to make easy money by selling people, but at the same time, it wasn't cruel to those people and put them to work for the country.

All he had to do was trick Frank into continuing to work for him with the promise that they would get the money to free his wife. By explaining that his wife wouldn't be living in poor conditions, Frank would surely accept to keep working with him.

Ray's plan was decent, and it might have worked with anyone else, but Frank was different. He was an impulsive person with a desire to do things himself.

After three days without being able to communicate with his pregnant wife, Frank was quite distressed, so he asked for permission to go home for a few days.

Colonel Ray, knowing what had happened, generously permitted him.

Frank arrived at his home and saw that it was disheveled with clear signs of a struggle.

Seeing this situation, Frank could not help but feel horror wash over him as he imagined his wife's possible fate.

Clearing his mind, he began to gather information. At that moment, Frank was an unstoppable machine searching for any trace of his wife.

Frank earned quite well, so his house was in a decent neighborhood with security cameras. After reviewing the cameras, Frank saw clearly how two men entered his house and took his wife.

Frank felt his blood boil as he saw them take his pregnant wife. Thanks to the kidnappers intentionally leaving clues, it was very easy for Frank to track them to the docks.

After several days of investigating, he had an idea of where they had taken his wife. During these days, he completely ignored the calls from his superiors, knowing that it could cause him problems, but at that moment, he couldn't care less.

Colonel Ray also didn't send anyone to look for him, only calling him symbolically. He wanted Frank to discover where his wife was so that when he faced a giant like Madripoor, he wouldn't have any other option but to ask for help.

After many setbacks, Frank finally confirmed the location where they had taken his wife. The kidnappers were somewhat known in the area, and calculating the time since they set sail, they shouldn't be in Madripoor yet.

After confirming everything, Frank couldn't help but lean his back against the wall before falling to the ground with a defeated sigh.

After what seemed like a long time, Frank opened his eyes full of determination and killer intent as he looked at the photo of the kidnappers' ship that he had obtained.

Several days ago, Frank had heard his colleagues talking about Madripoor, saying that one can recover people as long as they paid the price. Frank knew he didn't have enough money, so he could only rely on his killing skills.

Frank returned home before searching for his secret stash of cash and weapons. He then went to a hospital to secretly steal an oxygen tank.

Knowing that his weapons had no papers and he couldn't bring them on a plane, and going by boat would take too long, had to find another way, Frank wasn't sure of the condition of his pregnant wife and couldn't fully believe the rumors about Madripoor.

It was almost dark when Frank took a taxi to the airport and snuck onto the runway wearing a green camouflage suit. He took advantage of the darkness and crawled toward the beginning of the runway before pulling out his phone.

He called the airline to inquire about flights to Madripoor and learned that a plane was leaving in two hours.

Frank waited for almost two hours before calling the airline again, pretending to want to buy a ticket. This time, he was told that the plane was on the runway and about to take off.

When Frank saw the slow-moving plane heading straight ahead, he knew it was his plane, so he waited for it to turn before stopping to check the final preparations before takeoff.

Frank took a deep breath before running and climbing up the plane's wheels, tying himself to them before holding on tight.

The plane began to accelerate before lifting off and retracting the wheels.

Frank stayed in the wheel well, he knew it would get cold and there would not be enough oxygen as the plane climbed higher.

That's why he came prepared, wearing several coats and a blanket before putting on an oxygen mask.

Frank knew it would be a long flight, so he lay down and tried to sleep.

Frank slept and woke several times during the trip, even with the coats on his body it was quite cold, and he occasionally took a few swigs of the whiskey he carried in his pack to keep warm.

After many hours, Frank felt the plane begin to descend. He couldn't help but sigh with relief. It was finally over. It had been torture to constantly wake up from the cold.

As the plane descended, the temperature and oxygen increased. After several minutes, the plane lowered its wheels while still descending.

Frank could see the sea as the plane descended. The beginning of the runway was very close to the sea.

The plane began to decelerate before touching down, and Frank was jolted quite a bit at the moment of landing.

After several seconds, the plane began to slow down, and Frank, considering the speed acceptable, threw his bag before throwing himself, hugging his head, and rolling.

Frank rolled and bounced several times before coming to a stop.

Frank sighed as he lay on the grass. It had been really painful, but fortunately, he didn't seem to have anything broken.

Frank got up with some effort, limping slightly to his bag before heading to the beach. He could consider his infiltration into Madripoor a success.

However, without Frank knowing it, a green-haired woman had already detected him.

Frank arrived at the beach before taking off his coats that had helped cushion the blow. He looked at his body and saw several red areas that would surely turn purple soon.

He quickly ate something before walking towards the city. He had the advantage that the traffickers had not yet arrived. He only had to wait patiently at the docks. As soon as he saw his wife, he would kill the traffickers before escaping on his boat.

Frank arrived in the city and paid for a hotel near the dock. There were still several days until they arrived, so he dedicated himself to recovering from the landing blows and preparing to rescue his wife.

It probably wouldn't be peaceful, and it's possible that he could die, but he definitely wouldn't allow his wife and unborn child to be bought as slaves.

And so the days passed as Frank spent all day at the dock watching every person who passed by.

Unbeknownst to him, Frank was being observed by Ophelia.

Ophelia was curious about what Frank was planning, so as soon as she got off the plane, she sent her familiar to follow him.

After seeing him go to the dock every day for surveillance, she assumed that he was waiting for someone who had been kidnapped.

Ophelia couldn't help but feel some admiration for the man - he was the first person to arrive before the victim.

And after finding out he came from New York, she was quite impressed. So many hours of travel in a cramped space with only blankets and an oxygen tank are not something anyone can do.

Frank waited ten days before he could find his target. He looked at the picture in his hand and compared it to the ship approaching the dock before he began to prepare.

The ship stopped about 100 meters from the dock because there was no space, and they could only wait for a moment for space to open up.

Frank saw that it was not going to happen soon, so he carefully entered the water, making sure no one saw him, before starting to swim carefully towards the kidnappers' ship.

After several minutes of swimming carefully so as not to attract attention, he managed to reach under the ship before taking his weapons out of his bag and boarding the ship.

It wasn't a big ship - it was just big enough to cross the ocean.

As Frank walked stealthily through the ship, alert to any enemies, a seagull circled in the sky, watching him.

Ophelia, seeing that something was finally going to happen, started paying attention as she headed toward the boat.

After a few seconds, she arrived just in time to see Frank covering the mouth of one of the kidnappers before slitting his throat.

Carefully throwing the body into the sea to avoid making noise, he went down to the rooms to begin carefully searching for his wife.

He didn't want to make any noise and alert them.

Ophelia followed Frank stealthily.

Frank walked down to the rooms before smiling slightly when he saw a closed door from outside.

He carefully opened the door to find his wife lying bored in bed, reading a book.

Apparently, she had not realized he had entered or had ignored him, thinking they were her kidnappers.

"Darling," said Frank, his voice trembling.

Maria turned around incredulously upon hearing her husband's voice.

Upon seeing that it was really Frank, Maria stood up and ran to his arms while tears filled her eyes.

"Relax, darling, I will get you out of here," Frank said, comforting his wife.

"Listen to me, I will go out and take care of the other people, close your door, and don't open it until I tell you," Frank said, looking at his wife seriously.

Maria nodded with fear in her eyes, knowing there was no other option.

Frank nodded before sneaking into the next room. He opened his eyes with some surprise before looking coldly at the two men who had not realized his presence.

They were the ones who took his wife from their home.

Frank aimed his gun and pulled the trigger.

At that moment, a strong kick knocked his gun out of his hands.

Frank quickly pulled out a knife before stabbing in the direction of the kick, only to be stopped by a hand holding his wrist.

Frank looked incredulously at a green-haired woman who stopped his hand as if it were nothing.

"Calm down, kid, I'm not against you," Ophelia said with a slight smile before letting go of his hand.

Frank immediately put distance between Ophelia, creating a triangle between the two men and Ophelia.

The two men who were alerted by the noise looked at Ophelia with fear. Although Frank did not recognize her, they clearly knew who she was.

They did not even dare to draw their weapons. Surely, they were surrounded by ships and soldiers ready to eliminate them if they resisted.

"Who are you?" Frank asked, putting his hand alertly on his back where he had another weapon.

"You infiltrated my house, and you don't even know who I am?" Ophelia said, looking at him wordlessly.

"I could say I'm the one who runs this country, but that's not important," said Ophelia with a slight smile as her eyes shone in an intimidating red.

"You see, you piqued my curiosity with the way you infiltrated the country. Then I could tell you were waiting for someone who was kidnapped. You're good," said Ophelia, nodding in satisfaction.

"Join Madripoor," said Ophelia.

"I'm sorry, I'm a US Marine," said Frank, calmly declining.

"Hm, too bad," said Ophelia without insisting.

"Although something is interesting about this case. Tell me, do you usually think they only sell one person?" asked Ophelia with a playful smile.

Frank couldn't help but open his eyes in surprise at Ophelia's words as everything connected in his mind.

"You're smart too," said Ophelia, satisfied.

"That's right, the fact that they only brought your wife means they wanted her specifically. Someone ordered this," said Ophelia, looking at the two men who cowered in fear.

"Go ahead, interrogate them," said Ophelia, seeing Frank's hesitant gaze going back and forth between her and the two men.

Frank took a step towards them before they spilled everything, not because they were afraid of Frank, but because of Ophelia. They definitely didn't want to be against her.

"The job came from a drug trafficker named 'Blacksmith.' We've done some jobs for him, and while we don't know exactly what he's like, we do know he has connections to the military. We made sure to have some information just in case," said one of the men fearfully.

"Military?" murmured Frank unconsciously.

"It seems like someone wants to keep you under control. They sent your wife and made sure to treat her well. They probably expected you to ask for help instead of coming like a crazy person to rescue her," said Ophelia, laughing.

Frank wasn't stupid. He immediately thought of his superior, Colonel Ray.

Frank couldn't help but sigh. He couldn't go back to the United States.

As he knew about Ray's dirty deals, he would surely capture his wife after this escape to keep him under control or even kill them both directly.

And if it wasn't him, it means there's a drug trafficker behind him, which is unlikely since he has always served outside the country. Anyway, his wife would be in danger.

"I'll join Madripoor," said Frank, seriously looking at Ophelia.

"You'll see it's a good decision. In the future, you can even get revenge," said Ophelia, patting Frank's shoulder.

"Revenge?" murmured Frank with a gleam in his eyes. Yes, he would definitely get revenge.

"What's going to happen to us?" asked one of the kidnappers timidly.

"Give me the account where they deposited the money. I'll try to track the money to make sure who it was," said Ophelia.

"I guess you can decide what to do with them," said Ophelia, looking at Frank.

"When you're done here, go to the palace and ask for me. I'll help you with the paperwork," said Ophelia, leaving the room before disappearing.

Frank only looked at the kidnappers who returned his nervous gaze.

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