"If I'm not mistaken, you must be the founder of Fisk Industries—the man who responded to the New York government's new policies and received their full backing. Wilson Fisk himself."
Tony Stark pulled a pair of black-rimmed glasses from his pocket and slipped them on. Holding a glass of champagne, he walked up behind Kingpin, eyeing the oily sheen of the man's bald head under the gala lights.
Kingpin seemed genuinely surprised that someone would take the initiative to strike up a conversation at a post-auction victory party where he knew almost no one.
With a broad, generous smile on his face, he shifted his lumbering, bloated frame around and looked down slightly at the much shorter Tony Stark.
"That is correct. I am Wilson Fisk. But there is no need for you to introduce yourself; there isn't a soul alive who doesn't recognize the famous Iron Man, Tony Stark."
As Kingpin finished speaking, the room erupted into a flurry of shutter clicks. Camera flashes illuminated both Kingpin and Tony's faces.
The victory party wasn't just filled with hostesses, businessmen, elites, and government officials; it was naturally crawling with photographers from every major media outlet.
As the organizer of the charity auction and a man adorned with titles like Super Hero and Billionaire, Tony Stark was the perpetual focus of any camera lens. Finding such a high-profile figure standing with Kingpin—who had also been a focal point of the auction—was an opportunity the photographers weren't about to miss.
Kingpin had become a person of interest for two reasons. First, he had once fought a battle with Batman at the Oscorp Building and appeared to be the only person in New York who remained active in the public eye after clashing with the Dark Knight.
The second reason was the very opening line Tony Stark had used to greet him.
Wilson Fisk, having returned as a "legitimate businessman," was indeed exactly as Tony described. The New York government had crafted a specific policy tailored for him, and Fisk was the only one who had stepped up to meet it.
Combining these factors, Fisk had established a company called "Fisk Industries." Currently, its primary business sectors included import-export trade, real estate, and logistics.
"Sometimes, having too much fame isn't a good thing. Case in point," Tony said, gesturing with his champagne glass toward the surrounding photographers.
"If that were truly the case, there wouldn't be so many people in Hollywood breaking their necks every day just to get a few extra seconds of screen time to become a star like Leonardo DiCaprio," Kingpin said with a smile. "Everyone wants to be famous, but not everyone gets the chance."
Tony Stark rubbed his nose. He got the distinct feeling that Kingpin's words carried a double meaning. "Be that as it may, I didn't come here to chat about stardom today, Mr. Fisk."
"Oh?" Kingpin struck a pose of attentive listening.
"Are you considering a partnership?" Tony asked. "I heard that your Fisk Industries took over more than half of the docks in Hell's Kitchen right after its founding, but the remaining half is still outside your control."
"And you have a solution?" Kingpin asked skeptically. "I wasn't aware that a multinational arms dealer like Stark Industries would care about a small slice of the logistics and transportation pie."
A moment ago, Tony had only suspected Kingpin was throwing barbs; hearing the term "multinational arms dealer" jump out of Kingpin's mouth caused Tony's eyes to narrow slightly.
Stark Industries had completely pivoted, constantly expanding into new energy sectors. Aside from annoying reporters like Eddie Brock, almost no one dared to bring up Tony's past as a weapons manufacturer to his face.
This guy acts polite on the surface, but in his heart, he's probably already marked me as an enemy, Tony thought to himself.
He didn't let it show on his face, however. Instead, he acted as if he hadn't even registered the jab, continuing nonchalantly:
"I do have a solution. In fact, Stark Industries pivoted a long time ago. We have a presence in every industry, including the logistics at the docks."
"I could persuade the companies holding those remaining docks—or simply buy them out—to facilitate a partnership with your Fisk Industries."
"I apologize." To Tony's surprise, Kingpin rejected the deal outright.
"Why?" Tony adjusted his glasses, looking puzzled.
"Doing that would require immense cost and effort, wouldn't it?" Kingpin replied with a smile. "As for a trade, I don't possess any bargaining chips worthy of such an effort on your part. Therefore, I decline."
"And if I said you do have them?" Tony looked up at Kingpin, that half-real, half-fake smile still playing on his lips.
"Tell me, Tony Stark." Kingpin stopped smiling now, looking at Tony with a dead-serious expression.
At this point, even the dimmest person could tell that Tony Stark had approached him with a very specific agenda.
And Kingpin was far from dim.
"I need to exchange two people from your side. Well... talents," Tony said, cutting straight to the point. "A man and a woman. Their names are Luke Cage and Jessica Jones."
Hearing this, Kingpin fell into a sudden silence. His eyes, squeezed small by the sheer mass of his facial muscles, glared intensely at Tony Stark.
Tony stopped talking as well. The two men stared each other down in silence.
Kingpin's hand slowly curled into a fist. In that split second, a thousand thoughts raced through his mind—thoughts about Daredevil's true identity, the relationship between Daredevil and Tony Stark, and whether there was some hidden secret within Luke Cage and Jessica Jones.
But on the other hand, he couldn't actually make a move against Tony Stark in such a public setting.
Kingpin had gone to great lengths to secure an Adamantium skeleton from the Dark Wind group in Japan. He had taken advantage of the New York heroes being busy dealing with dinosaurs to sneak into the Baxter Building and restrain Reed Richards.
Then, through negotiation, he had turned himself into a legitimate businessman and even secured heavy support from the city government.
If Kingpin were to smash Tony Stark's head in right now, everything he had worked for would be thrown away.
At the same time, a bead of cold sweat rolled down Tony Stark's forehead.
He wasn't wearing the Mark VI armor right now. A Kingpin with an alloy skeleton could crush his skull with ease.
Tony kept one hand behind his back, ready to summon the Mark VI the instant things went south.
From the days of the Mark II requiring mechanical arms for assembly to the present, Tony's Mark series had evolved to the point where they could be donned automatically without any external help.
This was also the source of his confidence when he promised Batman, Peter Parker, that he would "ransom" Luke Cage and Jessica Jones back through a business transaction.
As the two stood in silence, a large circular void had somehow opened up around them. The other guests at the party were instinctively, or perhaps intentionally, avoiding them. Only the photographers remained, professionally clicking their shutters.
"And if I refuse?" After a long silence, a smile returned to Kingpin's face as he looked at Tony Stark.
Tony Stark opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say a word, a slightly raspy, middle-aged voice rang out beside them:
"If you refuse, your Fisk Industries will face a joint boycott from at least three major corporations."
The speaker was none other than one of New York's other top-tier entrepreneurs, a man fully qualified to be invited to this charity auction: the head of Oscorp Industries, Norman Osborn.
--
Support me & read more advance & fast update chapter on my pa-treon:
pat reon .c-om/windkaze