Chương 32: Control your Bioelectricity

Two more days passed before Mason finally got a response from Daredevil, who asked for a meeting. Out of all things, the blind man decided to write him a letter to tell him about it. Blind humor aside, the meeting place was unexpected, but also not so surprising with meta-knowledge. After all, Daredevil had told him to go straight to Rand Corporation. A company currently owned by Daniel Rand, secretly the Iron Fist.

Despite the heights he had reached both in martial arts and cultivation, Mason felt uniquely excited at the prospect of meeting the legendary Iron Fist. He had not been much of a fan in his past life, and frankly put, he did not care so much about Daniel Rand himself. What truly intrigued him was the massive Chi he felt even from outside the building. It was somewhat subdued, but it failed to hide from Mason's Awakened Breath.

For a singular source of Chi to be felt from so far away, it was magnitudes higher than even his own. Entering the tower that served as Rand Corporation's headquarters, although no one appeared to recognize his identity as Solis, someone appeared to have been waiting for him as he was quietly led to the top floor of the tower. There, sitting on a couch, the Iron Fist was casually sprawled, clearly waiting for him. Nearby, Mason also recognized Daredevil's Chi, waiting until they were alone to reveal himself.

But neither man gave him any attention as he hid, the two staring at each other with similar gazes. They weighed each other, and only when they were done did Daniel chuckle, straightening and giving a formal martial greeting, "It is an honor to meet you, great warrior." Mason returned the greeting, "The honor is mine, Iron Fist." Standing before him amplified everything Mason had felt before, and even led him to new discoveries.

Daniel's Chi certainly was grand and imposing, even giving Mason the faint illusion that a red, coiled dragon floated in Daniel's chest. But because it was so powerful, it was unrestrained, the Iron Fist's body barely managing to hold in such a great power. If perfectly mastered, this kind of power could stand against the mightiest, and perhaps even give one a chance against something like the Hulk. Maybe even more. That power was not perfectly mastered, though, far from it.

If Daniel's Chi was this unstable when he was not using it, Mason could only imagine what it would be like once unleashed. It was a wonder he had not yet exploded. Still, that did not lessen Mason's respect for the man, especially since he was the one seeking help. Finally turning to look at the third presence in the room, Mason gave him a downward nod.

"Daredevil. Any news on the Hand situation?" The Man Without Fear nodded back, both greeting and affirming, "I did some digging in the past couple of days, talked with… friends. I can confirm that the Hand is working together with a man known as the Kingpin. On the surface, he is the CEO of Fisk Industries, but in the shadows he is a brutal and ruthless crime lord. Either of them would be a deadly force to contend with, not to mention the two being together."

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

"What about the Russians?"

"The Maggia. They are the largest criminal organization in the city today. They are split into several families, each powerful enough to rival Fisk on their own. They were approached by Fisk and the Hand to place a contract on your head, but they fell out for some reason. I heard whispers about traitors, but I can't say anything for certain. So they're not working with the Hand, but I don't know if I would call them allies either."

"And do you know why they placed a kill order on me specifically?" This time, it was Daniel who answered, showing two fingers.

"The only thing we are certain of is that the order comes directly from the Hand, not Fisk. We found two possible reasons: One, your mysterious master. Two, your prowess in martial arts. Awakening Masters are extremely rare, even in K'un-Lun, and those who reached the second stage even less so, so they might perceive you as a danger."

Mason crossed his arms, not really buying either of their theories, and retorted, "Lady Bullseye had no idea we shared the same master before I told her, and I doubt a millennia-old assassin order would employ so many means to kill a master who did not even know of their existence beforehand. They must have another reason." Daniel sighed, not contradicting him.

"Yeah, and that's what's worrying us. It would be much easier if we knew why they acted the way they did. They're always up to something, but it makes it all the more nefarious when they do seemingly nonsensical things. Even more troubling if you don't know why yourself."

"Be that as it may, whether I know why they're hunting me or not, my response remains the same: crush them." Daniel gave a hollow laugh, speaking with pity, "It would have already been done if it were that easy. The cell in New York is only one among countless. Even if you eradicated them to the last man, they could fill the ranks back in a short time. The only shot would be taking down their headquarters in Japan, and its location is unknown."

Mason shrugged, "Maybe, but it would still take them time to rebuild that kind of operation here. It's not like they exist in a vacuum. Now that they are so powerful, the resistance they face from other big weights in the underworld is muted, and even then, they still fought the Maggia. If we destroyed the local branch, though?" Daredevil stood ramrod straight, as if he were expecting a fight to break out at any moment.

"He's got a point. If their local branch were to be destroyed, it would create a breathing room. With their resources, they would undoubtedly manage to step back into the city, but it would take them years. Of course, that's assuming we can destroy them in the first place." This made Mason grin.

"Only one way to know that, isn't there?" Daredevil stood still as ever, his Chi unperturbed. Danny, however, cautioned, "Going a little fast there. Believe me, I want the Hand gone, but we can't just throw ourselves at them. They might have Awakening Masters in the city, and if they don't, they will send them, especially if they are intent on killing you. Fisk is no small matter either, as he has competent men, and a squad armed with automatic rifles can be much deadlier than even a master."

Mason did not refute that, since he knew it to be true. Although a single gunman would not represent much danger to Mason since he could read their intentions ahead of time, he could only do that for one of them at a time. If there were more, he would have to rely on his regular senses. Those were sharp, but when faced with a gun, a single mistake meant a great injury, if not a fatal one. Mason might be somewhat more resistant to small calibers than the normal person; he would still die if shot enough times.

He said, "That's not what I'm proposing either. But I also don't have the time for long-term tactics. They are gunning for me, and the longer this goes on, the more danger my family and I will be in. That's why I intend to deal strategic damage to their operations. I know it's dangerous, and I'm not asking you to participate. I approached you for information more than support, although I'll take it if you can offer it." Daniel scoffed with a roll of his eyes, like he had no choice in the matter.

"I would shame the countless Iron Fists who came before me and K'un-Lun as a whole if I cowered while you fought for your life. I will help you to the best of my ability, both as Daniel Rand and as the Iron Fist." Daredevil stared at Daniel, his visage ever so still, but Mason thought he detected a flicker of amusement as the man followed up, "I can't say I'm motivated by generational shame, but I've already been fighting them for a while.

Even if I refused, the only difference would be that we would fight them separately, so as long as you don't come up with suicidal plans, count me in too." And like that, Solis, Iron Fist, and Daredevil allied together.