Wanda In Black Silk Stockings, Ch 27.1

"You are Mr. Hode!!!"

Gwen was stunned. In that moment, she finally understood why she had felt that the mysterious person seemed so familiar. The person before her was indeed Mr. Hode, which is why he said he would teach her. "So he's Mr. Hode, no wonder he has been so calm."

Gwen thought to herself as she watched Hode's figure. If it's Mr. Hode... then victory is certainly assured. The realization that she had tried to persuade Mr. Hode not to act impulsively made her ears burn with embarrassment.

No, wait! Hode should be the one blushing! Despite having known his identity all along, he never revealed it. He had even pretended to be aloof, and she felt deceived!

"Hode Fernandez?"

Kingpin frowned deeply upon seeing Hode, his facial muscles tensing. "If I remember correctly, you are a member of the Stark Group's board!" He was somewhat familiar with such high-level information, knowing that board members are either wealthy or influential.

"Hmm, I suppose I do hold such a title," Hode nodded, grinning. "Of course, you can also call me the Brave Mountaineer, the Iron Man Triathlon Champion, or the Philanthropy Master, among other titles." After acquiring shares in the Stark Group, he did indeed have that title, although he had never attended such meetings.

"Mr. Hode, I don't think we need to escalate this any further…" Kingpin surprisingly took a step back. He understood that if he killed someone from the Stark Group, it would bring trouble down on him. The identities and statuses of these people would certainly lead to serious repercussions. Moreover, he didn't want to deal with Tony Stark and the Avengers; he didn't consider himself able to take on those monsters.

So if possible, he preferred to give up some profits in exchange for Hode's exit.

"No! Don't worry about my identity," Hode slightly shook his head, speaking with disdain. "I only want to either beat all of you here or be beaten by you!"

"Don't be too arrogant. Don't think I'm afraid of you!"

"In that case, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

Kingpin's eyes glinted with murderous intent; he was provoked for the first time. As an underground emperor, he had never been looked down upon like this. Even if he had the Avengers backing him, he wouldn't let this guy go.

Besides… as long as he could make Hode disappear, no one would ever trace it back to him!

"Come on!"

Hode, like a gentleman trained in etiquette, rolled up his pristine white sleeves and beckoned at Kingpin. His dismissive attitude caused Kingpin's muscles to twitch with rage.

"Now this is going to be interesting!"

Gwen shot a web strand and swung herself up to the roof to watch the show. While she had initially worried about Hode, upon learning his identity, she felt no concern whatsoever. Kingpin was up against a tough opponent this time, and it was no wonder he was in trouble. Mr. Hode could easily handle the lizard people.

Kingpin leaned forward into a sEbony Maw stance, his eyes intently fixed on Hode. This was his favored fighting style, and given his massive weight, sEbony Maw allowed him to effectively overpower opponents.

Hode looked at Kingpin with disdain, his hands clasped behind his back, as if he didn't take Kingpin seriously at all.

"Damn it! You're going to die!"

Kingpin seethed at Hode's arrogance.

Boom!

In an instant, the ground beneath him cracked open. He charged toward Hode, moving with such speed that he became nothing more than a blur of flesh. It was like a heavy tank barreling at full speed toward Hode. With each step he took, the floor of the warehouse trembled slightly.

"Fast," Hode nodded, acknowledging Kingpin's speed, which exceeded that of an average person. If he were up against someone normal, they wouldn't even have time to react. And given Kingpin's enormous weight, it was remarkable that he could produce such speed.

As applied force increases, so does the reaction force! To maintain agility would mean enduring greater physical stress, but Kingpin seemed to be unfazed.

But... that only applied to others.

In front of himself, Kingpin was nothing to worry about; Hode wouldn't even have to work up a sweat. When Kingpin barreled toward him, Hode suddenly sidestepped just in time. Kingpin barely brushed past him.

"I didn't expect your reflexes to be quite this fast!"

Kingpin halted and turned to look at Hode. He realized that only a few centimeters separated them; had he been a little closer, he would have collided with Hode. At that speed, even a slight nudge would feel like being hit by a freight truck.