Chapter 18

After Qin Li finished his two phone calls, Matt skeptically asked, "Why tell Kingpin? What if he turns against you because of the Hand?"

Qin Li responded indifferently, "Kingpin is smarter than you think, Matt. He knows which side is more important—his deal with the Hand or his friendship with me."

"But they're a gang, scum who'll stop at nothing," Matt said, his tone heated.

"Yes, he is. And he's the most ruthless one. Without him, Hell's Kitchen would be even more chaotic," Qin Li said calmly. Noticing that Matt had gone quiet, Qin Li continued, "Isn't Hell's Kitchen better now? At least there's no human trafficking. Changing a hellhole doesn't happen overnight."

Matt fell silent, then spoke softly, "Maybe you're right, but what about those we couldn't save?"

Qin Li looked at Matt with a helpless expression and replied, "We've discussed this too much. Let's leave it at that."

Matt lowered his head, remaining quiet, before he turned and left the church. Qin Li watched Matt's lonely figure, feeling powerless. Yes, Qin Li had the strength to consolidate all the gangs and even wipe them out effortlessly. But he couldn't do it all at once. Once the gangs realized he was coming for them, they would use innocent people as shields or start a bloodbath, taking everyone down with them. Would people see Qin Li as a hero then? No, they'd call him a butcher who caused a massacre.

So, Qin Li didn't bother explaining more to the departing Matt. Instead, he turned to the others and said, "Let's go, let's have a bite at Old Chen's. I'll take care of things later."

Jessica led the confused Nick out first, and Frank waited for Qin Li before speaking, "Call me when it's time. I want to stick a knife into their boss's heart, twist it, and then I can sleep soundly."

Qin Li smiled and said, "No problem, Frank. They'll all get a turn in that little session. I promise they won't die during it." He patted Frank on the shoulder before heading to the Chinese restaurant across the street.

Two days passed quickly, and Qin Li grew impatient while waiting in the church. He was about to call Kingpin to get the location of the Hand and bring Frank along to deal them a deadly blow.

Just then, his phone rang. Qin Li glanced at the screen and saw that it was Fury calling, so he immediately answered.

"Father Li, it seems you were right. There's indeed a problem within S.H.I.E.L.D. The results of the investigation match what you said," Fury said, his voice grim as he looked at the files Black Widow had given him.

Qin Li's expression darkened. "If you had called a bit later, I would've already made my way over there."

"At the moment, I can't offer you help, but once you make your move, let me know, and I'll arrange for support," Fury said, his tone serious.

"Damn it. Maybe I shouldn't have told you anything. Should I use this operation to weed out your traitors in S.H.I.E.L.D.? I'm doing all the work for nothing?" Qin Li said heatedly.

"If you need any help, S.H.I.E.L.D. will assist you. After all, you don't want to waste time dealing with government red tape, do you?" Fury replied bluntly.

"Fine. You really know how to do business, Fury—just offering empty promises," Qin Li said sarcastically.

"It's just a mutually beneficial arrangement, Father Li," Fury said calmly.

"Alright, once I start the operation, I'll let you know, you sneaky businessman," Qin Li said harshly, then hung up the phone.

Fury didn't mind Qin Li's attitude; his goal had been achieved. He turned to the arriving Hill and said, "Get ready. We'll act soon. Wait for my signal."

"Understood, boss," Hill responded simply.

Qin Li called out to Frank, who was upstairs teaching his son, "Frank, get ready. Once I hear from Kingpin, we'll head out and cause trouble for the Hand."

Frank seemed relieved, first saying to Jessica, "Jessica, help teach Nick for a bit. I'll go get ready." Then he turned to Qin Li and added, "Alright, Li. Just give me a few minutes." He hurried upstairs, almost as though escaping something.

Qin Li couldn't help but laugh at Frank's frantic behavior, then dialed Kingpin's number. The phone barely rang before Kingpin answered.

"Kingpin, have you been keeping an eye on the Hand?" Qin Li asked immediately.

"Father Li, my people gained some trust through their dealings and have been monitoring them," Kingpin's deep voice came through the phone.

"Have you found their location in Hell's Kitchen? I'm getting ready to find them," Qin Li continued.

"We've located them. I'll send the details to your phone, including an estimate of their numbers. We couldn't infiltrate their base, so we don't know what's inside," Kingpin replied.

"That's fine. I just need to know where they are. The numbers don't matter," Qin Li said calmly.

"Got it. When you make your move, I'll have my people stationed outside to prevent any escape," Kingpin assured him.

"No, no, no. Leave them one survivor, just one, to deliver the message that death is coming for them," Qin Li said coldly.

"As you wish, Father Li. Is there anything else I can do on my end?" Kingpin asked.

"No, just send me their base location. Don't worry about the rest," Qin Li replied.

"Good luck with your operation, Father Li," Kingpin said politely.

"Alright, that's it for now," Qin Li said impatiently, then hung up.

He put the phone down and shouted upstairs, "Frank, how's it going? Are we ready to go?"

Just as he finished speaking, Frank appeared fully geared from the second floor, more armed than the last time they fought a gang, carrying two bags.

Qin Li looked at Frank with exasperation and said, "Frank, if someone didn't know better, they'd think you're preparing for a war. We're just doing a little cleanup, no need for all this gear."

Frank coldly responded, "This is a war. But for them, it'll be a massacre!"

Qin Li, hearing Frank's grim words and seeing his murderous aura, twitched his mouth before replying, "Alright, alright, for them, it really will be a massacre."