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At the same time, Caine and Marcus arrived in the slums where the Mexican gangs were headquartered.
It was Marcus's first time in the area. As he looked around, he was visibly shaken by the scene before him.
The dilapidated buildings looked like they could collapse at any moment, and the heaps of garbage emitted a stench so foul it was almost suffocating.
Staring at the bleak surroundings, Marcus couldn't help but mutter,"This place is hopelessā¦ I thought Hell's Kitchen was bad enough."
"I didn't expect somewhere worse than Hell's Kitchen to actually exist."
Though blind, Caine could sense the decay and despair through his Observation Haki. His voice was low but firm:
"Don't forget, this is still part of Hell's Kitchen. And we're here to wipe out the rot at its core."
Marcus immediately understood. Their target was the man who ruled over this slumāGust Alvarez.
Gust didn't just control the local economy; he kept the residents under his thumb through drug trafficking and brutal violence.
"No time to feel sorry. Looks like they're expecting us," Caine said grimly.
He could feel itāmore and more armed men were converging on their position. Every footstep, every breath, every clink of weapons echoed clearly in his heightened senses.
Among them, one figure stood outāa powerful presence at the center. This wasn't some street thug.
This was a high-level operative. Most likely the foreign asset Gust had recruited, the one leading the S.H.I.E.L.D. Rapid Response Special Forces.
There was no way a drug-dealing gang could have acquired someone like that on its own.
Without warning, gunfire erupted from the shadows.
Bullets screamed through the night air, breaking the silence with deadly intensity. Hidden snipers and gunmen rained bullets down on Caine and Marcus.
Caine instinctively raised his hand, ready to unleash the power of the gravity fruit and crush the shooters.
But then his Observation Haki detected somethingāpeople. Innocent homeless individuals, cowering in the dark corners of buildings, wrapped in filthy rags, terrified and powerless.
His heart faltered.
He couldn't bring himself to risk hurting them. Lowering his hand, he activated his Haki again and dodged the hail of bullets, sprinting straight toward the shooters with terrifying precision.
Meanwhile, Marcus darted for cover. Relying on his impeccable marksmanship, he fired carefully aimed shots to disrupt enemy formations and buy time.
Soon, they neutralized the first wave of attackers.
But before they could even catch their breath, another flood of gangsters surged toward them like an unstoppable tide.
At the center of it all, Gust Alvarez watched the chaos unfold on a surveillance monitor, sneering.
"This Alex Ray is out of his goddamn mindā¦ sending only two people into my territory?"
"I want them both dead and buried. Send everyone! I'll pay $100 million for each of their heads!"
His subordinates, intoxicated by the enormous bounty, charged out with frenzied roars like animals pumped full of adrenaline.
Meanwhile, Crossbonesācommander of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Rapid Response Special Forcesāglanced at the screen, unimpressed.
"Mr. Gust, it's just two guys. You really need our team to hold your hand?"
The same Gust who had been arrogant seconds earlier instantly switched to a groveling tone:
"Mr. Crossbones, I'm only taking precautions. If you ensure my safety tonight, I'll personally recommend a $1 billion donation to your unit tomorrow!"
Crossbones scoffed, "Then you'd better get that $1 billion ready," before turning away with disinterest.
Gust forced a smile, though deep down he was seething. If not for Crossbones' strength, he would've fed the man to the dogs long ago.
Back on the battlefield, Marcus was being overwhelmed. Despite his skill, he was just a manāmortal, tired, and cornered.
But both he and Caine refused to give in. Relying on sheer grit, nimbleness, and their synergy in battle, they held the enemy at bay.
Caine realized this couldn't go on.
"This isn't working. Hold the line."
"I'm going for the leader. You handle the rest."
Before Marcus could reply, Caine bent his knees and launched himself into the air using his gravity powers, gliding over the battlefield like a phantom toward the enemy's center.
"Shift, I'm just a regular guy here!" Marcus shouted in frustration as he faced another wave of enemies alone.
Caine sliced through the chaos like lightning, landing in an open plaza at the heart of the slum.
Though his eyes couldn't see, his Observation Haki locked in on Gust's position like a hawk eyeing prey.
The elite forces stationed nearby immediately raised their weapons. These weren't regular gruntsāthey were specialists, trained and enhanced by S.H.I.E.L.D. tech to combat superhuman threats. They knew who Caine was and what he could do.
As bullets zipped toward him, Caine slammed his hands down. The earth respondedāmassive stones surged from the ground, swirling into a protective wall around him like a tornado of debris.
He landed softly, then strode forward and said coldly:
"Pleasure to meet you. I'm CaineāAlex Ray's man. I came to ask you to die."
Gust, watching the screen from a distance, panicked.
"Kill him! Crossbones, protect me!" he shouted before bolting for the reinforced safehouse.
Caine prepared to finish him off.
But Crossbones stepped in without hesitationātwo gunshots followed by a brutal punch to Caine's chest.
Though Crossbones had no powers, he was no amateur. Trained by Taskmaster, he had bested even Captain America in combat more than once. He was deadly, precise, and relentless.
Meanwhile, Marcus was still holding on by the skin of his teeth.
He fired, ducked, reloaded, fired againāover and over. But the enemy never seemed to run out.
Despair began to creep in.
"Fuck, is anyone gonna help me?!"
"I heard you needed help, man."
Marcus spun around. Nothing but darkness.
He thought he imagined itāmaybe his mind was cracking under pressure.
Then the voice came again.
"I said, do you need help or not?"
Out of the shadows, a figure stepped forwardāa man in red tights.
Marcus's eyes widened.
"Deadpool? You changed outfits?"
The man in red looked similar to Deadpool but lacked the signature scarred face. Something was off.
Annoyed, the man pointed to his eyes.
"I'm Daredevil! I'm blind! I'm not wearing a damn eyepatch!"
Only then did Marcus realize this was real. Reinforcements had arrived.
And not a hallucination.
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Bonus Chapter - 150 Power Stones
2nd Bonus Chapter - 300 Power Stones
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š Enjoying the Story? Get Ahead Now!
Can't wait for the next twist or epic moment?
Join my Patreon and unlock 40+ advanced chaptersāread ahead of everyone else! š„
š https://www.patreon.com/UK21
Your support means the world to meāthank you so much! š
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