Chapter Seventeen: Lady Gao

“This is not the time to discuss such matters. Since things have already happened, what we must do now is minimize our losses, mend the fold before it’s too late, and, above all, ensure that S.H.I.E.L.D. never becomes aware of our existence.”

An elderly woman, stooped with age, leaned on her cane and spoke each word with deliberate clarity. Her features marked her as unmistakably East Asian—her back hunched, her narrow, triangular eyes set in a face as wrinkled and weathered as old tree bark, exuding an aura of indescribable antiquity.

“When did you learn to speak English?”

The white-haired old man stared at her in astonishment, as if her command of the language were a phenomenon in itself.

“I have always known it,” she replied coolly. “And right now, discussing my grasp of English is far from our priority, wouldn’t you say? Fisk has caused quite a commotion—we must… Who’s there?!”

As the old woman spoke unhurriedly, her expression suddenly changed. From her stooped frame burst forth a terrifying energy. She raised her hand, and an invisible force swept across the rooftop in an instant.

Inside the room, Gu Zhongyan’s expression shifted. He uttered a sharp command, “Scatter!”

Unseen by any eye, the guardian spirit concealed atop the rooftop vanished without a trace, leaving not the slightest evidence behind.

With a thunderous crash, the stone tiles shattered as if struck by an iron hammer, splintering into fragments that scattered in all directions.

The old woman’s abrupt transformation stunned the white-haired man yet again. Before he could process what had happened, the other East Asian man among them moved like the wind—rushing toward the spot the woman had attacked.

Crouched among the broken stones, the middle-aged man examined the area carefully before shaking his head. “Nothing unusual.”

At his words, the old woman frowned slightly. Just moments before, she had sensed someone watching from that very spot—her strike had been an instinctive reaction.

She had suspected a camera or some such device, yet nothing remained.

“Really? Was it merely my imagination?” she murmured to herself.

Perhaps the situation with Fisk had left her overly tense, prone to seeing threats where none existed.

“You? And you? What… what just happened?” The white-haired man pointed at them both, his mouth agape as if he could swallow a pair of apples. The shocks of the evening had clearly overwhelmed him.

First, Fisk and Vladimir had ignited open conflict, turning Hell’s Kitchen upside down and promising dire consequences. Then, the woman he’d always known to speak only Chinese revealed a command of English—and that strike just now, wasn’t it legendary kung fu?

To shatter a stone slab from such a distance—what would happen if that blow landed on a person?

Had he not witnessed it himself, he would never have believed that the frail old woman before him was capable of such things.

And then there was Nobu Yoshioka—not as terrifying as the old woman, perhaps, but the speed with which he rushed to check the area was beyond any ordinary man.

At that moment, Leland Owlsley realized how little he truly knew about the partners he’d worked with for so long.

Seeing Leland’s astonishment, the old woman let the windblown, fragile look return to her countenance as she spoke slowly.

“All right, Leland, none of this concerns our partnership, nor is it something you should concern yourself with.”

“What matters now is Fisk and Vladimir. Under no circumstances can we allow S.H.I.E.L.D. to find out about tonight.”

“Contact the media and police on our payroll—steer the story toward gang warfare over territory. I’ll cover the costs. Remember: suppress this at all costs. Do you understand?”

Meeting her calm, narrow-eyed gaze, Leland sobered instantly. He understood clearly—this was an order, not a negotiation.

Already deeply wary of her, tonight’s events had only heightened his fear. Defiance was out of the question.

“I understand, Madame Gao. I’ll do everything I can to push this as a turf war. The police will handle it.”

She nodded. “Thank you. You’ve worked hard. You may go now. I have things to discuss with Nobu.”

Leland, sensing his cue, turned and departed without another word.

Only after Leland had fully left did Madame Gao speak again.

“We have little time. The matter of Black Sky cannot be delayed any longer. We must complete our plan before Fisk loses control.”

“Yes, I understand,” Nobu nodded, though a trace of hesitation lingered on his face. “It’s just—the Pure Soul Society has been pressing us hard lately.”

At the mention of the Pure Soul Society, Madame Gao’s face darkened, but she quickly regained composure.

“Pay them no mind. At any cost, bring Black Sky to us as soon as possible.”

“And keep a close watch on Fisk. I do not wish for tonight’s events to be repeated. If necessary, you know what must be done.”

“Hai, understood!”

Nobu snapped his legs together and bowed his head with determination.

But leaving aside Madame Gao and Nobu’s arrangements on the rooftop, in a modest apartment somewhere in Hell’s Kitchen, Gu Zhongyan sat on his bed, his breathing erratic, still shaken.

He had not expected Madame Gao to perceive the presence of his guardian spirit. Since crossing into this world, this was the first time anyone had sensed it.

He knew a bit about Madame Gao. She was over four centuries old, one of the elders of the mystical city of K’un-Lun in the Marvel universe.

Yes, Marvel’s world had its own K’un-Lun, though compared to the legendary paradise in Chinese myth, Marvel’s version was far less exalted.

In Marvel, K’un-Lun is a dimensional city perched high in the Himalayas, built by aliens who crashed to Earth, appearing once every ten years.

There, they practiced a unique art called “Chi.” Madame Gao and four other elders, through forbidden means, acquired immortality by manipulating Chi.

Falling to darkness, the five elders broke from K’un-Lun and founded the Hand, becoming its five Fingers—its supreme leaders.

Madame Gao might look like a decrepit old woman who could be toppled by the slightest breeze, but the power of Chi—akin to the inner energy of martial arts novels—granted her strength vastly beyond her appearance.

As one of Daredevil’s main adversaries, Madame Gao, in Gu Zhongyan’s memory, was only a bit stronger than Matt Murdock, but not overwhelmingly so.

Now, though, he realized he had underestimated her—and the power of Chi.

Indeed, the Marvel universe was immeasurably deep and perilous. Threats could emerge from any forgotten corner.

Perhaps his recent string of easy victories with the guardian spirit had made him overconfident. Madame Gao’s appearance was a timely warning: without overwhelming power, one must never overreach.