Chapter 14: The Ice Demon, The Frozen Triad

Hell's Kitchen—a place of chaos and crime, where heroes face evil head-on. Yet, tonight, Mrs. Gao felt something different. The Ice Demon had arrived, and the bodies of her triad members piled up like mountains. Hundreds of triad members had already been slain, and if this continued, her entire organization would be wiped out.

But what unnerved Mrs. Gao most was that the Ice Demon—Ethan Hayes—wasn't even using his ice powers offensively. He was simply killing them with guns and fists, his cold abilities reserved only for defense. The precision was terrifying. Every bullet Ethan fired hit its mark, and he was using the triad's own weapons against them.

In the span of five minutes, Ethan stood up, still and composed. Around him, the surviving members of the triad aimed their guns at him, their faces drenched in fear and sweat. Hasty footsteps echoed in the hall as Mrs. Gao's phone rang. Reluctantly, she answered it.

"Mrs. Gao, hold him there. My men are already on the way," came a heavy, commanding voice on the other end. It was Jin Bin.

Mrs. Gao's face darkened, but she knew better than to argue with Jin Bin, the kingpin of the underworld. "I don't need your help, Mr. Jin Bin," she replied sharply.

"No, you do. Hell's Kitchen can't descend into chaos—at least, not yet. So be cooperative," Jin Bin's indifferent voice replied before the line went dead. His will was absolute; there was no room for disobedience.

Ethan overheard the entire conversation. A small, mocking smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. Jin Bin? The underworld emperor himself had taken notice. Ethan had stirred up quite the storm tonight, and with so many dead, it was no surprise that all of New York would be in shock by morning.

Initially, Ethan had only planned to cause a gang war, but as he continued his rampage, the system prompted him:

[You create chaos, killing a gang member. The fear at the moment of death forms 8000 desire points.]

[You create chaos, killing a gang member. The fear forms 6000 desire points.]

[You create chaos, evoking fear and anger in gang members. The desire points formed are 600.]

The notifications kept coming, and his desire points soared. Over 1.6 million points had accumulated from the sheer terror he had instilled in the triads and the residents of Hell's Kitchen. It was clear that fear was the key to becoming stronger. Ethan realized that by instilling fear, he could create a powerful symbol, something that would send shivers down people's spines at the mere sight of him.

I have to keep pushing, he thought. The Marvel Universe was filled with unimaginable threats—Thanos, the Celestials—two towering mountains that haunted Ethan's thoughts. To survive and thrive, he needed to become stronger, and killing off these criminal residues was his way to prepare for the future.

"I've brought the men you wanted," Mrs. Gao said, her voice trembling slightly as she gestured toward two black men escorted into the room by Jordan, a white triad lieutenant.

Ethan glanced at his watch. "Ten seconds late."

Without hesitation, Ethan pulled the revolver from his waist and shot Jordan in the head. The man's expression was one of shock and rage as he crumpled to the ground, blood pooling beneath him. His body fell like a puppet with its strings cut.

"You…" Mrs. Gao's eyes flared with anger, but she held back. "Ten seconds, and you kill one of my best men? You're being unreasonable, Your Excellency."

Ethan sneered. "What's one more? I've already killed hundreds of your men. What I hate most is people being late."

Mrs. Gao clenched her fists, struggling to maintain her composure. She was old, but she wasn't foolish. She could sense the sheer power of the Ice Demon standing before her.

"Take them and go, as promised. Leave Zhonghua Building immediately," Mrs. Gao urged. Her only thought now was to rid herself of this monster before more chaos ensued.

The sounds of distant sirens echoed through Hell's Kitchen. Police were coming, likely called by concerned citizens who had no idea that the triads had been the true threat.

"It seems someone called the cops for you," Ethan said softly. "I wonder if they would have helped had they known you were selling drugs to their children. Or trafficking those children?"

As he spoke, the temperature around them dropped sharply. Frost spread from Ethan's feet, crawling across the floor, up the walls, and out into the streets. Mrs. Gao's face paled, and the gangsters began to panic.

"Your Excellency, please, calm down!" Mrs. Gao pleaded.

Suddenly, a gunshot rang out. A sniper had taken a shot at Ethan, but his body had already turned to mist. The bullet passed through his head harmlessly, shattering into icy fragments as it hit the ground.

"Tell Jin Bin he owes me for this," Ethan said coldly, as if the shot had been nothing more than a minor inconvenience.

Frost spread rapidly now, freezing everything in its path. Mrs. Gao barely managed to escape, jumping through a window as her men scrambled to flee.

Fear overtook them. "Ice Demon!" they screamed. "Run!"

The ice mist, now almost alive, stretched out like claws, engulfing and freezing anyone in its reach. In just a minute, the entire triad group in the Zhonghua Building had been turned into ice sculptures—expressions of terror etched permanently onto their frozen faces.

Ethan stood over the two black men, his original targets. "You cost me a lot of time," he said coldly. "But it was worth it."

The frost-covered streets of Hell's Kitchen were eerily silent, save for the distant hum of police sirens. As Ethan walked back to the van, he smiled. The Ice Demon had made his mark, and tonight, Hell's Kitchen would never forget it.

Mrs. Gao, hidden in the shadows, watched in fear as her subordinates were frozen solid. For the first time in decades, she felt powerless. The Ice Demon had spared her life, but she knew he would return. And next time, he wouldn't be so merciful.

Hell's Kitchen had met its winter, and the demon who brought it wasn't done yet.

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