[Sponsored] Chapter 63: Short on Cash

[This Chapter Is Sponsored by Moneymancer! Everyone, please thank him in the comment!] (14/18)

"I don't care who you are. Get out of my house right now, or else, I will show you what the cruelest punishment in this world is."

Kingpin glanced briefly at the maid who stood respectfully aside, a trace of ferocity and confusion flickering in his eyes.

This maid had served his family for three full years, being very obedient, sensible, and perceptive. But now...

Could she be a spy planted by someone?

"It seems you have forgotten the painful memories you once had. Perhaps I should help you recall them, Mr. Fisk," the boy said with a radiant smile.

Boom!

The next moment, Kingpin's luxurious living room suddenly transformed, whirling around, and the world instantly turned pitch black, awakening him to those memories of shame labeled as "310," filled with humiliation and fear.

Indeed, in the dark sky as black as ink, a pair of enormous eyes appeared, cold and merciless.

It was as if the eye of God was watching over all beings.

"It's you... the Butcher."

Kingpin roared angrily, his fierce and brave aura sweeping around, attempting to dispel the deep-seated fear within him.

Hmm?

A voice tinged with surprise echoed in his ear, followed by the dark world suddenly shaking violently, as if the sky were collapsing and everything around was imploding. The most terrifying thing for Kingpin was feeling the world in chaos, upside down, with intense, bone-piercing pain assaulting him.

Even a man of Kingpin's will, strong as steel, was struggling to endure it.

In a daze, he seemed to be in the midst of a raging sea, with towering waves, raging storms, and the horror of thunder and winds.

He struggled helplessly in the surging waves, but facing such divine-like power, Kingpin had no capacity to struggle, only able to drift with the waves, pounded deeper into the ocean. He used all his strength to struggle back to the surface, only to be overturned by another massive wave.

Back and forth, during these struggles, he seemed to hear two voices.

"Such impressive mental strength, you even used my trap to set up a new one."

"Incredible power. I originally thought only one old man in this world could possess such mental strength, but I didn't expect another telepath to be born. I'm very interested in you, boy."

"Tell me, what will you do after I find you?"

"Perhaps I'll host you with the grandest dinner, lovely boy."

As he continued to struggle, Kingpin only faintly heard a few intermittent words like "guess," "identity," "queen," "punishment," "game."

It seemed like the two had made a game-like agreement.

Kingpin remembered these words, but ultimately he silenced in the ocean, losing all strength, unable to struggle anymore, slowly drowning in the darkness, the pressure, the crushing water corroding his lungs, the agony of suffocation, this most painful death, nearly making Kingpin lose consciousness.

Until the last moment, as he was about to die, Kingpin suddenly gasped deeply, clutching his chest and bending over with violent coughs, as if trying to vomit everything filled in his stomach and lungs.

But, he spat out nothing.

After a while, Kingpin's blurry consciousness slowly awakened, he stood straight, looking around, still in his familiar home, the familiar living room, and there was the Asian boy, still smiling and tasting the wine.

Kingpin stared at the boy, his thoughts somewhat chaotic.

But he realized that this young demon in front of him was terrifying, terrifying to the extent that he was utterly powerless to resist, just as he had been in the midst of the ocean storm, slowly suffocating in desperate struggles.

"You truly are remarkable, your willpower is far superior to many, most people facing such a scenario might turn mad or brain dead."

"But you persisted."

The boy gently set the wine glass on the bar, his expression somewhat disdainful, clearly not very fond of the so-called fine wine.

Despite the boy's praise, Kingpin felt nothing, only after his heaving chest gradually calmed did he glance towards his wife and son's room, a trace of concern flashing in his eyes, but then it turned resolute: "You can kill me, but they are innocent..."

"I know your style, Butcher, you are not one to kill indiscriminately."

Kingpin certainly knew that the handsome, sunny boy in front of him was the renowned Butcher in Queens and even across America. He was well aware of the Butcher's style, not fond of leaving his fate in the hands of a madman.

But now, he had no choice.

"I'm not interested in them, nor in you," the boy surprisingly said, although his words were a bit harsh: "Whether it's your wife, your son, or you, this so-called gang leader, I'm not interested."

"Then why seek me out? Not for revenge? Or to eradicate evil?"

Kingpin said in a low tone, his heart acknowledging the truth in these words. In his mind, the Butcher had always been a madman, a hero like Batman or Robin, dedicated to eradicating evil.

But as events unfolded and he saw the Butcher orchestrate these elaborate scenarios, Kingpin immediately realized that the man before him was not the same person he had analyzed before. This man had his own clear motives, though Kingpin was not privy to them. Delving into the secrets of someone with such unimaginable power was akin to seeking death.

He only wanted to protect his wife and son, and he was willing to pay any price for it.

"Your guess is quite accurate, but don't think too hard. The reason I sought you out is simply that I'm short on cash," the boy said matter-of-factly.

This explanation caused Kingpin to show a stunned expression.

"Short of money?"

Kingpin could hardly believe that after everything he had experienced, the death-like scenarios were just because the other party was short of money?

This realization brought a surge of complex emotions in Kingpin.

It was a mix of incredulity, anger, and grievance.

'All this because you're short of money? You could have just said so—I have plenty of it.'