C 49

"It's harder to send Kingpin to jail than to kill him."

Matt's tone was flat, as he discussed Wilson Fisk, his long-time adversary. He was all too familiar with the untouchable power Fisk held over Hell's Kitchen.

Wilson Fisk, also known as Kingpin, was not just a powerful real estate mogul and energy tycoon in New York. His influence ran deeper, entangled with the criminal underworld. 

Fisk's network was vast, and nearly 40% of the country's organized crime could be traced back to him. It wasn't simply about busting a few gang members or shutting down one drug operation.

 In New York, Fisk's dominance cast a shadow over the legal system, making minor infractions futile and severe felonies hard to prosecute. He was untouchable.

"You may not know this," Matt continued, his blind eyes shielded by sunglasses, "but the Bullseye you sent to the police station will be released tonight. The police can't hold him. Despite his reputation, there's no concrete evidence linking him to his crimes. That's the strength of Kingpin's organization."

Anton's jaw tightened. "Bullseye? I caught him once, and I can catch him again," he said defiantly.

"This no-kill principle of yours," Matt noted, "wouldn't it be simpler to end them instead of sending them to jail?"

Anton shook his head. "No killing is my bottom line. But I make sure that my enemies suffer more alive than dead."

Matt nodded, though unconvinced. "Even if you bring down Fisk, someone else will just take his place. What's your plan?"

Anton smirked. "I have allies. The High Table. Once Fisk's syndicate is dismantled, they'll move into Hell's Kitchen. The High Table may be ruthless, but they operate under a strict code. With them in charge, Hell's Kitchen might be less chaotic than it is now."

Matt pondered this, wrestling with his hatred for Fisk. At last, he extended a hand to Anton. "Fine. Let's bring him down together."

Anton shook his hand, sealing the partnership with a nod. They spent the next hour discussing Kingpin's operations, with Matt sharing intelligence he'd gathered over years. 

But one piece of information shocked Anton most: the source of Kingpin's weaponry was none other than Stark Industries.

"Tony Stark's company?" Anton murmured. "That playboy billionaire wouldn't care about profits from these sales… but Stark Industries is still an arms powerhouse. It's poorly managed, and there are plenty of scumbags who'd deal with Fisk under the radar."

"Exactly," Matt confirmed. "While I haven't identified the specific insider, I'd bet it's someone high up."

Anton's mind went to one man. "Obadiah Stane, Stark Industries' CEO. He's… morally flexible, to say the least. But I'll have to dig deeper."

Matt raised a brow. "If it really is Stane, that could explain everything."

"Leave that part to me. You keep gathering evidence on Fisk. When we have enough, we'll strike."

Matt agreed, "Stay in touch."

As Anton left Hell's Kitchen, he checked his phone to find a message from Eddie and met him on the outskirts. 

Eddie greeted him with a wide grin. "I found something huge. My old colleague, Ben, has been investigating Kingpin, and the leads he has—Anton, you'll need to triple my bonus this time."

Anton smirked. "For a millionaire like you? Keep dreaming."

The Next Day

The Daily Bugle fired the first shot with a headline that would shake New York: "The Underworld Emperor: Kingpin and His Criminal Empire."

The article, crafted by Eddie and his colleagues, revealed Wilson Fisk's dual identity: the respectable businessman and philanthropist by day, and the underground king by night. 

Fisk, it detailed, was raised in Hell's Kitchen and, after his father's death, climbed the ranks of New York's underworld. 

Driven by his ambitions, Wilson joined the New York underworld, committing every imaginable crime—arson, murder, looting—relentlessly pursuing power. 

Eventually, he rose to the top of the criminal hierarchy, claiming the title of gang leader. But even this wasn't enough for him. 

The nearly unhinged Wilson, wielding his ruthless intelligence, went on to annihilate rival gangs, securing control over the underworld not only in New York but throughout the United States.

Wilson's "underworld empire" slowly evolved from a mere vision into a solid reality. With his power firmly in place, he concealed his true identity and adopted the name "Kingpin." 

By day, Wilson Fisk appeared as a successful New York entrepreneur and philanthropist; by night, he reigned as the undisputed emperor of the criminal underworld.

A truly dark twist on an inspirational story.

Readers were shocked to learn that one of the men arrested in Batman's recent raid was Bullseye, also an assassin known to be Fisk's enforcer. 

While the article offered no direct evidence of Fisk's crimes, the association with Bullseye stirred outrage. The public couldn't believe that Fisk, a respected figure in New York society, was also Kingpin.

Online, furious New Yorkers attacked the police for failing to keep Bullseye locked up. The hashtag #JusticeForNewYork began trending, with citizens demanding answers. 

George Stacy, head of the NYPD, felt the heat of public anger, gnashing his teeth at the scandal.

Across the city, in his Manhattan skyscraper, Wilson Fisk was fuming. He read the Bugle's front page, his fists clenched.

"This is how you handle things?" he hissed at his right-hand man, Wesley.

Wesley flinched, clearly intimidated. "I… I didn't think he'd actually—"

"Didn't think?" Fisk growled, his patience worn thin.

….

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