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Chapter 21 – A Deal for the Future
🕑 Added 2025-03-02 17:15:06 +0000 UTCJack sat comfortably, still sipping his tea, as if he hadn't just dismantled an underground empire and forced its leader into submission. The atmosphere in the room had changed. Where there was tension before, now there was determination.
Jack exhaled, setting his cup down. Then, he grinned. "Alright, listen up. From now on, you're going to do your absolute best at making my territory thrive."
The subordinates stiffened, glancing at each other. Jack's golden eyes gleamed with amusement. "And in return?" He spread his arms. "I'll give you all of Hell's Kitchen."
Silence.
Then—a sharp intake of breath. Even Madame Gao, with all her years of experience, looked visibly shocked. "…All of it?" she repeated slowly.
Jack nodded lazily. "Yep. Every street. Every block. All under you."
Alessa furrowed her brows, suspicious. "What's the catch?"
Jack grinned wider. "Simple. The more the territory thrives, the more money you make."
Madame Gao narrowed her eyes, studying him carefully.
Jack leaned back, crossing his arms. "Back in my old life, I was a gangster too, you know."
That caught everyone's attention.
Jack chuckled. "People didn't just fear us. They thanked us. They paid us—not out of fear, but out of gratitude." His fingers tapped against the wooden table. "We protected them. Made their businesses grow. We cleaned up our own streets, because that meant more money for us." His eyes glinted. "And guess what? People wanted to pay us, because life was just better under us."
Madame Gao's expression slowly shifted. She had heard many philosophies on power before. Most were built on fear, violence, and control.
But this? This was different.
Jack smirked. "Now, I only did it on a small scale. But you?"
He gestured at her. "You have an entire network of people at your disposal. Imagine what you could do with all of Hell's Kitchen under you."
Madame Gao's eyes gleamed. She wasn't stupid. She saw it now. With this method—her wealth would not just grow. It would multiply.
Jack grinned knowingly. "I can see that greedy little spark in your eye."
Madame Gao chuckled, bowing her head slightly. "You are wise, Sage."
Alessa, however, crossed her arms. "And if this doesn't work?"
Jack tilted his head. "Then we try something else. We're criminals, sweetheart. Adaptation is what we do."
Alessa narrowed her eyes—but she didn't argue.
Jack stretched, yawning. "Alright, now that that's settled—"
Madame Gao exhaled. Then—she made a decision. A gamble. She had already sworn loyalty. And if she truly was Jack's right hand, then there was no longer a need for deception.
So—she spoke. "Truthfully, Sage… I came to New York for something more than power."
Jack raised a brow. "Oh?"
Madame Gao's voice lowered slightly. "I was sent here… to find a Dragon Bone."
Jack froze.
For the first time since the conversation started, his casual demeanor vanished. A Dragon Bone? Jack leaned forward, his golden eyes narrowing. "…You're just telling me this now?"
Madame Gao offered a small, almost wry smile. "I am your right hand now, Sage. I will not hide anything from you."
Jack studied her for a moment. Then—he leaned back, exhaling through his nose. "Huh."
A beat of silence.
Then, Jack shrugged. "I already felt some weird energy underground. I just didn't know it was a Dragon Bone."
Madame Gao's entire body went rigid. The subordinates around her tensed. "What?"
Jack blinked. "What? You thought I didn't notice? Pfft." He waved a hand lazily. "It's there. Buried somewhere deep. I can sense it."
Alessa took a sharp breath. "You… already knew?"
Jack grinned. "I know a lot of things. But I wasn't exactly looking for a big-ass dragon bone when I got here."
Madame Gao leaned forward. Her voice was quieter, careful. "Sage… can you tell me where it is?"
Jack stretched his arms. Then—he stood up. "Later."
Madame Gao blinked. "…Later?"
Jack grinned. "You don't need it right now, do you?"
Madame Gao exhaled. Then, slowly—she smiled. "As you command, Sage."
Her subordinates exchanged glances, stunned.
Jack patted his stomach. "Alright, we're done for now."
He grabbed the map from the table. Then—he turned back toward Madame Gao. "Oh, one more thing."
Madame Gao tilted her head. "Yes?"
Jack grinned. "Get me a house."
Madame Gao blinked. "…A house?"
Jack nodded. "Yeah. So I can rest."
He twirled his fingers. "And so you can give me reports once in a while."
Madame Gao's lips curled into a smile. She bowed deeply. "Consider it done, Sage."
The rest of the subordinates followed suit, bowing.
Jack grinned. "Good talk, people. Good talk." Then—he turned, walking toward the exit. His steps were light, almost bouncing.
And as he stepped out into the open air—He began to sing. "When the sun shines, we shine together~" His voice echoed down the underground hallways. "Told you I'll be here forever~"
Alessa rubbed her temple, already regretting every life choice that led her to this moment. Madame Gao, however, simply chuckled, shaking her head. The storm in New York had just begun.
And Jack? Jack was at the center of it.
…
Jack stepped out of the unsuspecting house, stretching his arms as the fresh New York air greeted him. He took a deep breath, exhaled contently, and cracked his neck.
"Ahh. Freedom."
Then, he glanced around, taking in his surroundings. The city was alive, bustling, filled with its usual mix of traffic, street vendors, and people minding their own business.
Jack grinned. "Alright. Time to be a tourist."
With a bounce in his step, he started walking. Not teleporting. Not jumping over rooftops. Just walking. Because for the first time in a long time—He wasn't rushing anywhere.
He drifted through the streets, taking in the sights, occasionally stopping by to admire store displays, random street performers, and even a particularly aggressive pigeon fight over a french fry.
Then—he felt it. A strange energy. It wasn't just random mystical energy floating in the air. It was… familiar. Jack paused mid-step. Then—his grin widened. "Charles, huh?"
He turned toward the general direction of the energy. It was subtle. Distant. But if he focused—he could trace it. Was it coming from Xavier's Mansion?
His golden eyes gleamed with amusement. "Oh, let's make a detour, shall we?" With that, Jack changed course, whistling to himself as he made his way toward Westchester.
Meanwhile—In Germany.
Inside a sleek black luxury car, Tony Stark was drumming his fingers impatiently against the dashboard. The vehicle was stuck in a roadblock, police officers checking cars one by one.
Tony sighed, leaning his head back. "I swear, if this is another protest about electric cars ruining 'real engines,' I might just fund an anti-protest protest."
Pepper Potts, seated beside him, rolled her eyes. "That's not how that works, Tony."
Before Tony could retort, a uniformed officer approached the car.
Tony rolled down the window. "Lemme guess. You need my autograph?"
The officer gave him an unimpressed look. "No, Mr. Stark. There was a heist half an hour ago."
Tony raised an eyebrow. "A heist?"
The officer nodded. "A group of robbers stole a 100-million-dollar painting from the Maltese Museum. The getaway vehicle is a red SUV."
Tony gestured vaguely. "Uh-huh. And do I look like I drive an SUV?"
The officer sighed. "We are inspecting all vehicles in the area, just in case. Thank you for your patience."
Tony leaned back, waving dismissively. "Yeah, yeah. No problem. Are we done?"
The officer gave a curt nod. "Yes, Mr. Stark. You're free to go."
Tony smirked. "Great. Love what you've done with the country. Big fan of the pretzels."
Just as he was about to roll the window back up—A commotion erupted behind them. Loud honking. Screaming. The sound of tires screeching against asphalt.
Tony glanced at the side mirror. A red SUV was barreling through the roadblock, heading straight for them.
Pepper's eyes widened. "Tony—"
But Tony was already moving. He reached into a sleek, high-tech suitcase on the floor and pulled out a metallic gauntlet—the Mark IV repulsor glove.
Before anyone could react—He aimed.
Boom!
A repulsor blast shot forward, hitting the SUV's front left tire. The tire exploded, the vehicle swerving violently before crashing into a police barricade. The doors burst open, and five masked robbers jumped out, brandishing rifles. Tony sighed. "And here I thought this was gonna be a quiet trip."
Gunfire erupted.
Tony raised his repulsor, firing another quick blast—hitting one of the robbers square in the chest. The man flew backward, slamming into a parked car.
Another robber turned, aiming at Tony—But before he could fire, a police officer tackled him from the side.
The remaining three opened fire wildly. Tony ducked behind his car door, peeking out. "Okay, fine, I'll do all the work."
He fired twice more—One robber dropped. Another got hit in the leg, collapsing onto the pavement, screaming. The last one tried to make a break for it, running toward the red SUV.
Tony grinned. "Oh no you don't."
He sprinted forward, sliding across the hood of a police car like a damn action hero, and fired a low-power repulsor shot.
It hit the man's back, sending him face-first into the asphalt. The scene went still. Officers moved in, securing the criminals.
Tony stretched his arms. "You're welcome, Germany."
A nearby officer cautiously approached. "Mr. Stark… that was highly illegal."
Tony ignored him, walking toward the red SUV. He yanked open the trunk—Inside—a large, ornate painting.
Tony turned to the officer. "Lemme guess. This is the stolen painting?"
The officer nodded. "Yes. Thank you for your help, Mr. Stark."
Tony grinned. "Yeah, yeah, I know, I'm great."
Then—the officer's expression changed. "But you still need to come with us to the station."
Tony's smile froze. "What."
The officer shrugged. "Paperwork. Standard procedure."
Tony blinked. "Yeah, no thanks. I'll let my German lawyer handle that."
The officer raised a brow. "You have a lawyer in Germany?"
Tony slipped on his sunglasses, smirking. "Buddy, I can have satellites for every person on Earth if I want to. Having a lawyer isn't that crazy."
Then—he turned back to Pepper. "Are we late for the meeting?"
Pepper sighed. "Tony. This is your signature move."
Tony grinned. "What can I say? I like to make an entrance."
With that, they got back in the car.
