Chapter Fifteen: The Time Has Come

At the entrance to the garage, Matt’s expression was complicated as he faced the handsome Chinese youth beside him. Though he knew the other could not see him, Matt’s demeanor nevertheless gave Gu Zhongyan the impression of a complicated gaze.

“What’s wrong?” Gu Zhongyan asked.

“Nothing,” Matt shook his head, listening to the turmoil still simmering inside the garage, and sighed deeply.

“I just didn’t expect it to be so easy. We barely lifted a finger and already crushed half of Vladimir’s forces.”

“If it weren’t for needing him to deal with Fisk, the Weasley Taxi Company might have become history by now.”

Thinking of the Russian gang that had nearly taken his life before, now so simply defeated by Gu Zhongyan, Matt felt unsettled.

“That’s why I say you’ve been wasting your talents,” Gu Zhongyan replied. “Matt, your fighting skills are the foundation of your war against crime, but your super hearing is your true advantage.”

“The battlefield best suited to you is the darkness. Using your combat skills as a base and fully exploiting your strengths will let you defeat your enemies much more easily.”

“The way you used to fight—rushing headlong into direct confrontations no matter the circumstances—is too dangerous and costly.”

“So, if you ask me, from now on, when you fight, you must think about how to create a battlefield that works in your favor.”

“For example, like tonight, destroying all the lights. If you’re outdoors, you could try smoke bombs or flashbangs.”

“As long as you deprive your opponents of their vision, you’ll weaken their fighting capacity by at least thirty percent, if not more.”

Matt smiled, “I thought you’d only just learned to fight and had no combat experience.”

Gu Zhongyan replied, “Not knowing how to fight doesn’t mean I don’t know how to battle. Enough about that. Vladimir suffered a heavy loss this time. If I’m right, he’ll be contacting Fisk soon. It’s time for Jessica to act.”

“Are you sure? He seemed pretty stubborn to me. He might not agree to let Fisk interfere,” Matt questioned.

Gu Zhongyan, knowing the plot well, was certain, though he couldn’t tell Matt that.

“Don’t worry. Vladimir is stubborn and tough, but he’s not stupid. Besides, no matter how hardheaded he is, he can’t ignore Anatoly’s feelings.”

“Unlike Vladimir, Anatoly doesn’t mind becoming Fisk’s vassal. With him as a buffer, Fisk and Vladimir—those two dictators—have managed to cooperate for so long.”

“This time, with the Russians suffering such heavy losses, Anatoly won’t let Vladimir keep acting on his own. For his brother’s request, Vladimir will give in.”

Matt nodded, “If that’s the case, shouldn’t Anatoly reaching out to Fisk help smooth things between them? Why do you think this will lead to a falling out?”

Gu Zhongyan smiled, “Because right now, Fisk is pursuing a woman. He won’t allow any blemish to show in front of her. Clearly, Anatoly is about to become that stain. That alone is enough to make Fisk lose his reason—and spark their conflict.”

Inside the garage, the oppressive panic gradually faded as the gunfire subsided.

A few unscathed Russians, after probing cautiously for some time, finally crawled out of the garage once they were sure Gu Zhongyan and Matt had left.

Seeing the brilliant neon lights outside, greed shone in their eyes. Those who have never endured darkness can never understand the allure of light.

Looking at his severely wounded and dead subordinates, Vladimir’s face was as grim and cold as the eternal ice beneath the Arctic glaciers.

After a moment’s hesitation, Anatoly could not hold back, “We can’t let this go on, brother. I need Fisk’s support.”

Vladimir didn’t even think. “This is my turf—”

“I know it’s your turf, but look around you. What’s left of your turf now?” Anatoly interrupted loudly.

“They left this time, but what about next time? Can you guarantee we’ll survive?”

“Business has tanked, we’ve lost more than half our men. If this keeps up, will we even have turf left? Brother, bow to Fisk. We need his strength. Now. NOW!”

Facing the unyielding Anatoly, Vladimir hesitated, then slammed a fist into the wall, silent.

Anatoly understood that Vladimir’s silence was the greatest concession he could give.

“Thank you, brother. I’ll go find Fisk now.”

With that, Anatoly eagerly set out for Fisk’s location.

Yet neither brother knew that this trip would be their death.

Just as in the plot, Anatoly burst into the restaurant, interrupting Fisk’s date—and lost his life as a result.

Wilson Fisk was not a rational man, especially when his boundaries were crossed.

For Fisk, three things in life were untouchable: his mother, his lover, and his dreams.

Anatoly’s arrival tainted his love, and naturally, he had to face Fisk’s wrath.

In a rage, Fisk slammed Anatoly’s head off with a car door.

Though he killed Anatoly in anger, Fisk had no intention of going to war with Vladimir so soon.

During this period, Matt and Gu Zhongyan’s persistent harassment of the Russian gang made them the perfect scapegoats for him.

The next day, at the Weasley Taxi Company, a sleek business car quietly pulled into the garage, its bloodstains still uncleaned.

“Looks like a lot happened here yesterday,” remarked a man in a crisp suit and glasses, the very picture of a professional.

James Wesley—Fisk’s most trusted confidant.

“What are you here for?” Vladimir asked irritably.

“My employer sent me to convey his greetings and thank you for accepting his proposal. There are a few minor details we’d like to discuss,” Wesley said, his brow furrowing in mild confusion. “Where’s your brother?”

His suspicious look betrayed nothing of the fact that he had watched Anatoly die at Fisk’s own hands the night before.

Just then, a familiar voice rang out, turning the faces of everyone in the taxi company pale.

“Where Anatoly is, Mr. Wesley, you should know better than anyone.”

The mocking tone made the Russians recall their terror from the previous night, and their faces turned ghostly white.

James’s brow tightened as well, a sense of foreboding rising in his chest. He instinctively looked toward the source of the voice.