Chapter 261: Burn It to Ash

Words : 1720 Updated : Oct 9th, 2025

[TN:sorry for missing yesterday chapter extra chapter for make up] A tangled mess. Fortunately, the International Gene Cooperation Company had already absorbed much of Oscorp's industry—otherwise, there wouldn't even be a place to treat the wounded. Most of the injured only suffered minor wounds—scrapes, bruises, and sprains. With simple treatment, they could be discharged. A few had been cut by shrapnel and debris, and an even smaller number were hit by stray bullets, suffering severe blood loss. Under normal circumstances, such cases would be difficult to handle. Blood resources were always in short supply and absurdly expensive. But here, blood was the one thing they had in abundance. Leo and the governor walked quickly toward the hospital, talking as they moved. "The NYPD has obtained the shooters' movement maps. It won't be long before we pinpoint where they started from. "Additionally, Martin has captured two people who were behind the modified cyborg, but they're not giving us anything useful. "Aside from confirming that Harlan Reich is the CEO of CyberTech, do you have anything else on your end?"** The governor nodded. He had sustained no serious injuries, only needing a recharge for his cybernetic implants. "We've found someone—William Rawlins. From the Rawlins family. Heard he served in the military before. No idea why he got involved in this." "Doesn't matter. We can interrogate the target directly—are you certain his name is Frank Castle?" **"Of course. I didn't know at first, but once we looked into him, it was shocking. He was a well-known Marine—highly decorated. Search his name online, and you'll find pictures of him with the former president. "But he disappeared for a while. You get what I'm saying, right? This thing goes deep. What's your plan?"** They stopped outside the special care ward. Leo's mind, however, was focused on something else—this was no ordinary name. Frank Castle. Former Marine Captain. In a certain series of Marvel comics, there was another name tied to this one: The Punisher. A ruthless anti-hero who would go to any lengths to punish criminals. As a human, his combat abilities were already at their absolute peak. His backstory was consistent across every iteration—an abandoned soldier, betrayed by the government, with his wife and children slaughtered in a cover-up. It was this overwhelming guilt and fury that made his methods so extreme. His life itself had been pushed to the extremes. But not this time. Leo said, "If this really runs deep, even better. Let's see how much this explosion can uncover." "Wait." The governor stopped him. "This isn't how things are done. A lot of politicians—" Leo looked at him, already thinking about how to persuade the governor and his party to escalate the situation. Politicians might have their disagreements, but those disagreements usually remained internal. If Frank's case was big enough to implicate the government, the opposition party might even choose to handle it through private negotiations rather than a public battle. Leo realized that persuading them would be incredibly difficult. More importantly, since the governor was saying this, it meant his party had already made its stance clear. To change their minds, Leo would have to lobby them individually. But technically speaking, he was still a political newcomer. He had no real connections within the opposition. Convincing an entire party in such a short time was unrealistic. He would have to act first and explain later. Of course, appearances still had to be maintained. At the very least, he needed to secure a stage for his "act first, explain later" approach. "So assassination is within the rules?" Leo said. **"Governor, don't be naive. The assassination itself has already crossed your so-called bottom line. "We should blow this up and put the ruling party in the hot seat. That's what we need to do."** **"No, Leo, listen to me. Even if we advocate for peace and they advocate for war, we still have to consider the country's image. "Military matters should be handled internally. Some things aren't meant for public scrutiny."** "You know what those things are?" Leo raised an eyebrow. "No. And I don't need to. That's just how we operate." The governor shook his head. "But I guarantee we will secure enough benefits. That includes Castle as well." Leo looked at the governor—a textbook politician whose entire worldview was bound to national interests. No matter the reality, he refused to take actions that could damage the nation. In his mind, all political conflicts and power struggles had to remain within the framework of America's best interests. In short, he was someone who "considered the bigger picture"—and that picture was America. But Leo didn't see it that way. This very mindset was why the opposition had been losing ground in recent power struggles. The enemy was operating on a global scale. If they wanted to fight back, they needed to think globally too. And there was already technical proof to support this: The network collapse had been largely due to Hydra's omnipresent surveillance—on a global level. "Governor, do you realize that just now, the global internet suffered a massive disruption?" The governor froze for a moment, then nodded. "I know. But what does that have to do with this? Shouldn't we focus on the issue at hand first?" Leo studied him. He wasn't lying—he genuinely didn't understand. And he lacked the awareness to grasp the bigger picture. If he had truly cared, he would have already investigated the impact of the disruption. But it didn't matter. Someone else would understand. The governor was just one representative of the opposition. "Alright." Leo nodded. "I get it. But this soldier has to attend the hearings. The ruling party's promises are worthless. My own witness might be forced into silence, but I won't let him be left unprotected." The governor looked at him in surprise. "Of course... but you're willing to go this far for someone you barely know?" "Reputation is built through action." Leo met his gaze and continued, **"Besides, don't you think a highly decorated soldier—regardless of his alleged crimes—deserves protection? "A soldier is trained to obey orders without question. And now America wants to betray him."** The governor's expression became unreadable. After a long pause, he sighed. "If we were in power, this would never have happened." Finally, he patted Leo on the shoulder. "And one more thing—if you want to get involved in politics, you have to learn to play the game. This isn't a place for honest men." Leo nodded. "Maybe. But I'm the kind of person who prefers to speak the truth." "But there's some good news today: remember the policies I promised? They're in place now. Given the current state of the network, I should probably send you the infrastructure contracts too." "More than happy to take them." The governor smiled, then glanced at the special care ward's door. He should go in with Leo to confirm Frank's stance. But at this point, he figured leaving it to Leo wouldn't be a problem. The young man was willing to listen, highly capable—just a bit young. His only request was to have Frank testify, which wasn't an unreasonable demand. After all, if you're going to pressure someone into making concessions, you have to make it convincing—the more convincing, the better. Weighing his options, the governor decided he'd rather return to his duties and prepare for what was coming. He'd come through this unscathed, and now it was time to collect his gains. So, after a moment of thought, he said, "Forget it. I won't go in. This is your show now—I need to get back to California. Before I go, though, I'd like your opinion... do you think I'll face another attack like last time?" In theory, HYDRA was in chaos after the server explosion and had no time for this. But Leo still gave it some thought before replying, "If you're worried, I suggest hiring MindSafe Security. Those bodyguards are far more reliable than the ones you have now." "Alright... I'll consider it. Pleasure working with you, young man." The governor gave Leo a hearty smile, shook his hand, and turned to leave. Leo pushed open the surgery room doors and strode in— Of everyone involved in this incident, Frank was the most severely injured. He had taken three bullets—one in the ribs, and two near the spine. At first, he hadn't felt it, but after such intense activity for so long, nerve damage had set in. Now, the man lay motionless in bed. Thanks to advanced brain-machine interface technology, Leo had already cut off the nerve signals near the wounds, blocking the pain. Otherwise, Frank would have passed out in less than a second. His wife was lying in another bed. A bullet had hit her lower abdomen, causing massive blood loss, but she had been saved and was now resting. Their two children were dozing off beside her bed. Frank, however, was wide awake. "I suppose... you're here to convince me—to tell a selective version of the truth. And in return, you'll offer me some benefits." Leo sat down next to him and gave a knowing smile. "So that pisses you off." "Of course it does. Not at you—I just don't know what to think anymore." Frank stared blankly at the ceiling. "Decades of service, countless life-or-death missions, so many sacrifices... and this is what I get in return. I don't need any benefits. Just make sure my family is safe. And I have some comardes—" "Hold up. Stop rambling to yourself." Leo grabbed an apple from the table and loosened his suit jacket. His rough tone and sudden shift in demeanor caught Frank off guard. His dazed expression faded, replaced by confusion. Leo took a bite of the apple and rested one arm on the chair. "If you're pissed off, why not join me... and burn the thing that pisses you off to ashes?" [TN:wake the fuck up samurai we got a city to burn]

Chapter 261: Burn It to Ash

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