Chapter 176

Three seconds after Eren's pen left the page, the Question Notebook responded.

The slightly yellowed paper revealed a line of delicate handwriting, as if an unseen hand from another dimension was answering Eren's query in real time.

"London, England—Westminster Central Hall."

…???

Looking at the answer, Eren's mind filled with question marks.

Almost instinctively, he performed a divination to verify the information.

"Is Alexander Pierce currently in London's Westminster Central Hall?"

"Is Alexander Pierce currently in…"

Seven times in a row.

The answer remained the same.

Eren exhaled in mild frustration.

Seriously?

Did Alexander Pierce have some kind of precognitive ability?

The moment Eren decided to "have a chat" with him, the man had crossed half the planet—straight to the other side of the world.

Even if Eren booked the fastest flight to London, it would take him at least half a day to get there.

And by the time he arrived, Pierce would likely be in another remote location.

I don't have time for a game of hide-and-seek.

No wonder Pierce had managed to revive a dying Hydra, infiltrate S.H.I.E.L.D., and transform it into Snake Shield.

For a spy chief to retire alive, despite the nature of his job?

That alone spoke volumes about his skill.

Forget everything else—his evasion ability was maxed out.

For now, Eren had no choice but to temporarily shelve his plans for Pierce.

Since he couldn't track down his biggest debtor…

He'd just switch targets.

Aside from the Hydra agents who had ambushed him, Kingpin's gunmen had also played a role in the attack.

If Alexander Pierce had fled too fast for him to catch, then surely Kingpin, the so-called underground emperor of New York, wouldn't have disappeared as well?

As Eren was about to write Kingpin's name in the Question Notebook…

A new line of text suddenly appeared on the yellowed pages.

"If you were going to die in three seconds, what would be the last thing you'd want to do?"

Without hesitation, Eren wrote:

"Clear my browser history."

For a moment, the Question Notebook seemed… confused.

As if it had frozen, processing his answer.

It took a while before the text faded away.

"…That's it?"

Eren raised an eyebrow.

Watching the refreshed page, he was genuinely surprised at how mild the notebook's side effects were.

No dramatic consequences?

No bizarre challenges?

How boring.

Clicking his tongue, he wasted no time.

Picking up his pen again, he wrote his next question.

"Where is Wilson Fisk—aka 'Kingpin,' New York's underground emperor—right now?"

After writing, he instinctively patted his pocket to check on his phone, then returned it.

As before, three seconds later, an answer emerged.

"Hell's Kitchen—Fisk Tower, Basement Level -3."

Fisk Tower.

Having spent weeks in Hell's Kitchen, Eren was obviously familiar with its most infamous building.

Fisk Tower stood at the edge of Hell's Kitchen.

It was the tallest building in the area and Kingpin's crowning achievement—a symbol of power and an assertion of dominance.

It signified both his control over Hell's Kitchen and his ambition to expand across New York.

Back when Kingpin had just taken over the underworld, he had spent most of his time inside Fisk Tower.

But as his empire grew, so did his enemies.

With his crime syndicate expanding citywide, rival gangs that feared his rise had begun fighting back.

During those turbulent times, Kingpin had been targeted for assassination dozens of times—right inside his own headquarters.

There was even a notorious incident where an arms dealer disguised himself as a janitor, sneaking into Fisk Tower and planting high-powered explosives.

Had Kingpin not noticed something was off in time…

The building would have been blown sky-high, taking him with it.

From that point on, his movements became far more secretive.

Instead of staying in Fisk Tower, he operated from the shadows, sending his proxy, Felix Manning, to handle public affairs.

Yet now…

The supposedly elusive Kingpin was back inside Fisk Tower.

Eren performed another divination just to confirm.

The answer remained unchanged.

Kingpin was there.

Interesting…

Is this just a coincidence?

Or has Kingpin actually been staying at Fisk Tower the whole time, secretly pulling the strings?

Hiding in plain sight—because the most dangerous place is also the safest?

If so… he really does understand the art of war.

Well, whatever the case…

This actually makes things easier for me. No need to go hunting for him.

With the answer now confirmed, Eren's next move was clear.

Three seconds after Eren had written his second question, the Question Notebook responded once again.

But instead of providing another answer, a new question appeared on the page.

"If you were going to die in three seconds, would you choose to erase your phone history or wipe your computer's hard drive?"

A cold smirk played on Eren's lips.

This is supposed to be a difficult choice?

If it were up to him, the answer was obvious.

Without hesitation, he wrote his response.

"I'd erase my computer's study materials."

Almost instantly, a question mark appeared underneath his answer.

"?"

And then another line:

"Why?"

Eren scoffed.

As if sensing the notebook's confusion, he casually wrote back:

"Does this even need an explanation?"

"Before you even asked this question, I had already formatted my phone. There's literally nothing in there anymore. Given that, wouldn't it be stupid to not wipe my computer's hard drive instead?"

Mocking the Question Notebook as if it were a sentient being, Eren added another line.

"I asked two questions and answered three of yours. That means you owe me one."

For a long moment, the notebook remained silent.

Then, after a noticeable pause, a distorted version of the word "Fine." appeared on the page.

It took a while before the text faded completely.

Hah!

With a snap, Eren shut the Question Notebook with a look of disdain.

Where was the supposed social destruction and inescapable consequences it was known for?

This is it?

Shaking his head, Eren stored the notebook back into his Ring of Greed.

Clearly, its previous owner had been a pathetic fool—probably an overly cautious, honest person.

To think they had struggled with such trivial questions…

Perhaps it was time to retrain this notebook—teach it just how cruel the world could be.

Otherwise…

If it kept throwing out dumb questions like this, wouldn't that make him look stupid as its owner?

...

Fisk Tower

Fisk Tower loomed over Hell's Kitchen like a steel fortress, its skyscraping height making it impossible to miss.

Eren only had to glance up to see it.

"Well… since I'm paying Kingpin a visit, I should make some preparations first."

For starters—

Ammunition.

Eren had no intention of stepping into any confrontation unprepared.

A few minutes later…

He emerged from a gang hideout in Hell's Kitchen, now carrying a backpack slung over his shoulder.

Behind him, the stench of death still lingered.

The building that had been infested with filth just moments ago…

Now lay eerily silent.

"All too bad," Eren muttered with an exaggerated sigh. "I was hoping at least one of you would have the guts to put up a fight."

...

A Dark Alley

About ten minutes later, as Eren strolled through a narrow alley, he spotted a familiar figure.

Long-legged and strikingly beautiful, Ilena—the woman who had once helped him clean up—was pleading with a group of men.

Her voice trembled as she begged.

"Davis, please, give me the money back… That's Michael's surgery fee. If he doesn't get the operation soon, he'll die."

"I'll pay back yesterday's cut by tonight."

"I just need one day—please, just one day."

Before her, a tall, gaunt man with cold eyes simply shoved her aside, sending her sprawling into a pile of garbage.

His tone was as chilling as his expression.

"The rules are the rules," he sneered. "No one in Hell's Kitchen breaks Kingpin's rules."

"You tried to pocket the customer's tip yesterday."

"That alone violates Hell's Kitchen's laws."

"If it weren't your first offense, you'd be paying more than just ten times the amount as a 'fine.'"

Davis's gaze swept over her in disdain.

"As for your pathetic little brother, why bother letting him suffer in the hospital? Just let him die already."

"No—"

Ilena desperately pulled herself up, clutching at Davis's leg.

"Please… Davis, I'll do anything if it means saving Michael."

"Anything?"

Davis's cold eyes gleamed with an unmistakable predatory look.

Ilena was stunning, her body curved in all the right places, her style seductive and alluring.

If she was willing to do anything…

Just as he was about to speak—

A soft cough echoed behind him.

A reminder.

Davis froze.

At that moment, he recalled something—

A colleague of his had once shown mercy to someone who broke Kingpin's rules.

As punishment, their boss had personally carved out their still-beating heart from their chest.

The memory sent a shudder down his spine.

He immediately shoved Ilena away, crushing any fleeting desires in his mind.

With one final kick, he turned and left, along with his fellow enforcers.

Each of them acted as hidden overseers, ensuring none of their own ever got soft.

Ilena, curled in agony on the ground, could only watch helplessly as they walked away.

Tears filled her eyes as a broken, despairing cry escaped her lips.

"No…"

Several passersby heard her cry, briefly glancing into the alley.

Then, as if they had seen nothing, they turned away and continued on their way.

Hell's Kitchen was a place filled with illegal immigrants, criminals, and gangsters from all over the world.

No one in this place cared about the weak.

No one bothered with other people's problems.

Here—

Sympathy was an expensive luxury no one could afford.

Eren watched the scene unfold.

His expression unreadable, he turned and stepped into the alley.

A few seconds later, he crouched down beside Ilena, a smile playing on his lips.

"Miss, are you free tonight?"

As he spoke, he reached up and removed his clown mask, revealing a face she had seen before.

His exaggerated, paint-drawn smile seemed strangely infectious—almost as if just looking at it could make someone laugh.

Hearing his voice, Ilena instinctively looked up.

For a moment, she froze, her eyes slightly dazed.

Then, realization hit her.

Her expression shifted in shock.

"It's you…"

Before she could exclaim further, Eren's gloved finger pressed gently against her pale lips.

"Shh."

With his other hand, he gestured for silence—a simple yet commanding motion.

Only after ensuring her compliance did he finally remove his hand from her lips.

(End of Chapter)

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