Rampaging through American comics, people in my motherland don't eat beef.

New York City is destined to be sleepless tonight.

On the streets, a large number of police officers who rushed to the scene engaged in fierce firefights with armed rioters, and the air was thick with tension and anxiety.

In the streets and alleys, tourists and residents alike sought refuge in places they considered safe, peering out with fear through any narrow gaps at the outside world.

Chief George, with his overall command in mind, listened to the constant stream of casualty figures over the walkie-talkie and knew that the stalemate could not continue.

Even though he has fully granted the police access to the armory, the rioters are quite capable and have hostages. If they use hostages as leverage, the police will be in trouble again.

"We need to find a way to ensure the safety of the hostages first." George, hidden behind cover, had a look of courage and determination in his eyes.

Because the police arrived relatively quickly, the 50 kidnapped girls have not yet been transferred and are currently being housed by the thugs in an unfinished building not far away.

He planned to quietly assemble an elite squad and launch a surprise attack from behind the rioters. If the operation went smoothly, he could rescue the hostages.

"We don't need too many people, five to eight will be enough."

Without hesitation, George immediately took action, issuing a series of orders over the walkie-talkie. Once the personnel were in position, he led the way to the rear of the battle zone.

However, this action was immediately discovered by Gambit, who was hiding on a high-rise building. At this time, Rhino was already fighting Daredevil, Vulture was harassing Spider-Woman in mid-air, and Colossus was nowhere to be found. He was the only mobile force available at the moment.

In fact, his strength far surpasses Colossus's, and his potential is so great that no one with a brain can ignore it.

But Homelander is mindless; he is an absolute egoist with an unpredictable and unbeatable personality. Even though Gambit is extremely unwilling to get involved in this mess, he has no choice but to go and support him.

He still had lofty ambitions to fulfill, and he didn't want to be inexplicably killed by his own countrymen.

The rioters can all die, but the hostages must never be harmed.

"I've seen him on TV, the NYPD commissioner. If we arrest him, the police will definitely be thrown into chaos, which will benefit our subsequent operations."

The King of Cards silently memorized George's location, then leaped from the high-rise building. With a flick of his wrist, an ordinary playing card appeared at his fingertips. As pale blue energy flowed into it, a thin energy shield supported him as he slowly descended.

At the same time, the rioters seemed to have noticed the police's actions.

They immediately dispatched more than ten men to set up an ambush, and launched a surprise attack as soon as George and his group entered the firing range of the unfinished building.

"Fuck! Do these guys have dog noses?!"

Chief George was also a frontline officer in his youth. He skillfully dodged a series of sniper shots with a roll, but before he could even catch his breath, he saw his two accompanying officers riddled with bullets, and his heart sank.

Upon contact, his side faced a desperate situation with two dead and two wounded. The remaining four police officers, like him, were sweating profusely and hiding behind the bunker wall.

The wounded officer, clutching his bullet-pierced thigh, crawled laboriously on the ground, leaving two shocking trails of blood behind him.

The rioters watched coldly with their rifles in hand, not firing any more shots, letting them bleed and wail there.

"They're trying to lure us out to rescue people."

George gritted his teeth, his mind in turmoil. He knew very well that this was a trap, and if he made the slightest move, he would be met with a barrage of gunfire from the shadows.

But looking at his colleague's desperate and pleading eyes, it was impossible for him to remain unmoved.

boom!

Just at this critical moment, a heavy motorcycle roared in, and Punisher Frank arrived just in time. Without hesitation, he set up a rocket launcher and fired it hard at the unfinished building, completely disregarding the safety of the hostages inside.

Several thugs hiding on the second floor were instantly engulfed in flames, letting out bloodcurdling screams. Taking advantage of the chaos, he smiled coldly, pulled out two submachine guns from the sides of the motorcycle, and fired two bursts of bullets, killing several more thugs on the spot.

"Being overly fussy and indecisive will only harm both yourself and others."

The Punisher glanced at the police corpses on the ground, then looked up in George's direction with disdain.

In his view, the police had an absolute advantage in firepower, but hesitated because of the presence of hostages. This was undoubtedly extremely foolish and irresponsible towards public safety.

While the lives of hostages are important, what about the lives of police officers and innocent civilians who are killed by stray bullets?

Decisive action and violence in response to violence—this is the justice upheld by those who punish.

"Let...let me go..."

A rioter whose face was half blown off by a rocket was lying on the ground, begging for mercy in a low voice.

Frank remained indifferent, not even glancing at him, and fired a shot, blowing half of his head off with a bang.

Blood and brain matter splattered all over the ground, and a strong smell of blood instantly filled the air. When Chief George, who was following behind into the unfinished building, saw this scene, he couldn't help but frown.

"The Punisher... Frank Castle."

In George's eyes, the Punisher is not a hero in the traditional sense; he is an avenger driven by anger.

Everything he did was for judging others, not for redemption.

Due to their differing stances, George found it difficult to accept the Punisher's ideology; he cared more about the safety of the hostages than killing the thugs.

"Good, with him drawing fire, our rescue operation can continue," Chief George muttered to himself.

Upon hearing this, the remaining officers turned pale. They had barely escaped a hail of bullets, but they couldn't escape a backstabbing from their superior.

Please, the compensation is only a few cents, why are you risking your life!

Chief George's family background was obviously quite good. He led the way towards the 9th floor where the hostages were located. Fortunately, it was dark and the Punisher was drawing fire, so they made it to the 6th floor without any problems.

The few police officers who had miraculously survived were just about to breathe a sigh of relief when they were surprised to find—wait, where is the air leaking?

It wasn't until blood spurted from their necks that they realized—oh, they had died in the line of duty.

"Who are you!?"

George's face flushed red, veins bulging on his forehead, as he roared at Gambit, his voice filled with uncontrollable rage and shock.

The strategist seemed oblivious, a mocking smile playing on his lips. He slowly extended his hand, elegantly snapped his fingers, and signaled his men to tie up the bureau chief.

The thugs swarmed forward and roughly bound George's hands and feet with ropes. He struggled desperately, but was trampled underfoot by several of them like a dead dog.

"Tell the police outside to stop firing immediately and get out of Hell's Kitchen, or we're going to kill the hostage. Oh, and make sure to say the hostage's name out loud: his name is—George Stacy."

Gambit leaned closer to George, a playful glint in his eyes, and said sarcastically, "Chief, you're brave, but also foolish. My name is Remy Etienne LeBeau. Remember that, lest you go to hell and not know who to hate."

After speaking, Gambit turned around gracefully, his blue striped cloak billowing wildly with his movement, like a flamboyant flag.

George gritted his teeth, his hands aching from the rough ropes, but he seemed oblivious to the pain, his eyes fixed on the departing figure of the King of Cards.

He understood how serious the consequences of being taken hostage would be. Not only would it make the police outside hesitant to act, but it could even tarnish the reputation of the New York Police Department.

"Yes, he's absolutely right... Arrogance, vanity, and recklessly venturing behind enemy lines in an attempt to salvage the reputation of the police force—it sounds like an utterly absurd decision. I'm not Spider-Woman, I'm not Daredevil, I'm just an ordinary person."

Thinking of this, George's eyes dimmed, and despair filled his once resolute gaze.

He tried to reverse public prejudice against the police, wanting to show everyone that the police were not incompetent bastards, but he failed and became yet another piece of evidence of police incompetence.

At this moment, George even wanted to die, so that at least after his death, he wouldn't be met with a barrage of insults, nor would his innocent wife and daughter be implicated and forced to endure such unwarranted malice.

"Please, someone help me..."

George slumped against the wall, his eyes vacant, his whole being seemingly devoid of life, as if his spine had been removed.

At this moment, all he hoped for was someone to come, untie him, and hand him a gun so he could pull the trigger and end it all.

"Hey, I'm here!"

Gray quickly responded loudly. Actually, he had arrived earlier and was squatting next to George, but seeing his father-in-law with snot and tears streaming down his face, seemingly lost in his own world, he felt embarrassed to disturb him.

"Wow, f*** you!!"

George shuddered, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets as he stared at Gray as if he'd seen a ghost. Someone with even a slight heart problem might have died suddenly from that attack.