MARVEL'S BIG VILLAIN

Jason reloaded a fresh magazine, keeping both guns raised as he circled to the front, scanning for threats.

He didn't recognize the man with the shoulder bag, but the other…

"I really wish every gangster in New York could see this," Jason said, smirking. "The mighty Vladimir Ranskahov, Kingpin's so-called 'Russian hammer,' reduced to a bleeding mess on the pavement."

Vladimir gritted his teeth, blood staining his face as he glared at Jason with manic fury. "You bastard... Jason! You're worse than Fisk! I'll be waiting in hell"

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Before Vladimir could finish, Jason double-tapped both men in the head, ensuring no last words.

The golden rule of survival? Never let villains monologue. Jason had seen enough of that from people like Bullseye and even some SHIELD agents. The longer they talked, the more time they gave their enemies to counter.

---

[Ding! Eliminated 1 mafia member, earned 100 villain points. Current progress: 815/4000.]

[Ding! Eliminated Vladimir (major plot character), earned 500 villain points. Current progress: 1315/4000.]

[Ding! Mission Completed: Strike First, Strike Hard. Reward: 500 villain points. Current progress: 1815/4000.]

---

Jason knelt beside Vladimir's corpse and unzipped the shoulder bag. A thick stack of neatly bound hundred-dollar bills greeted him easily four or five million. Enough to settle his deal with Morgan.

Taking one last look at the bodies, Jason grabbed them by the collars and dragged them toward the raging fire engulfing the warehouse.

Three corpses tossed into the inferno. Three more reasons the NYPD would have an unsolvable case on their hands.

Satisfied, Jason slung the cash over his shoulder and headed back to the waiting black Mercedes.

Morgan barely glanced up from lighting a cigar as Jason tossed $300,000 onto the seat. "Nice doing business with you."

Jason pulled another $170,000 from the bag. This wasn't for himself. "For Paul's wife and kid," he muttered.

Morgan snorted, amused. "Didn't peg you as the sentimental type."

Jason didn't respond. Villain or not, he wasn't about to leave Paul's family with nothing. That wasn't how he operated.

Morgan chuckled and flicked ashes out the window. "Need a ride somewhere?"

"South City," Jason replied.

Morgan's smirk widened. "Oh, so that's where your safe house is."

Jason gave him a deadpan look. "If I were dumb enough to tell you that, Fisk would hear about it before I got out of the car."

Morgan let out a low whistle. "Smart guy. You should be extra careful, though. You're making a lot of noise, and people are gonna start noticing."

He wasn't wrong. The drive back to South City was littered with sirens NYPD squad cars, firetrucks, and ambulances. The sheer scale of the response meant half of Manhattan's precincts were mobilized.

With the apartment bombing and the mall shootout still unsolved, and now a Hell's Kitchen gang massacre, New York was in chaos.

The media? They were about to have a field day.

Jason hopped out of the car in an alleyway and disappeared into the city streets, making his way toward Paul's apartment.

---

Paul's Apartment – South City

Lisa had been on edge all night. She knew Paul was keeping secrets, but she never expected him to leave without a word.

She barely slept, curling up on the couch, waiting.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

Lisa sat up, heart pounding. Paul?

She hesitated. Something felt… off.

"…Paul?" she called cautiously.

Silence.

Frowning, she peered through the peephole. Nothing but darkness.

Her breath hitched.

Lisa hurried to Paul's study, unlocking a cabinet. Inside sat a Remington M870 shotgun, one of Paul's prized possessions.

CLICK. Steel ball loaded.

With the shotgun tight in her grip, she slowly opened the door.

No one was there.

Just a black duffel bag sitting on the ground.

---

Jason's Safehouse – South City

Jason arrived back at his hideout just before dawn, exhausted but satisfied.

Collapsing onto the couch, he was out cold until noon.

After freshening up, he sat back down and summoned his system's status screen.

His level had increased to 4, and he had 10 attribute points to allocate.

He maxed out Agility and Intelligence at 40 and spent the remaining points on Strength.

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[Host: Jason Walter]

Level: 4 (1815/4000)

Strength: 35 → 38

Agility: 38 → 40

Endurance: 35

Intelligence: 35 → 40

Reputation: 37 → 95

Villain Points: 3

Skills: Firearm Mastery (Level 5), Combat Proficiency (Level 4), Driving (Level 3), Cold Weapons (Level 2)

---

Jason checked the system shop. He now met the requirements for Firearm Mastery Lv. 6 but he still needed 100 points, which meant $1 million in real-world cash.

He absentmindedly chewed his toast, considering his next target.

"Which bank should I rob today…?"

Then, his eyes flicked to another stat Reputation: 95.

He was 5 points away from recruiting a new team member. With a little more media coverage, that number would break 100, allowing him to gather followers.

That meant more muscle, more resources… and more power.

CNN's Breaking News – Global Headlines

Pulling out his phone, Jason refreshed the CNN homepage.

And there it was.

His latest masterpiece plastered across every major news outlet.

A helicopter shot captured Hell's Kitchen engulfed in flames, a sharp contrast of fire against the dark city skyline.

"Gang War Escalates: Massive Explosion in Manhattan's Clinton District"

Jason smirked and clicked the article.

---

"Late last night, a suspected gang headquarters in Manhattan's Clinton neighborhood was obliterated in a massive explosion."

"25 gang members confirmed dead, dozens injured, and multiple buildings destroyed."

"Among the deceased: Russian mafia leader Vladimir Ranskahov, recently linked to the shopping mall attack and apartment bombing."

"Authorities suspect the explosion was deliberate, and the NYPD has escalated the investigation."

---

Jason scrolled through article after article, each retelling his destruction. The sheer chaos he'd left behind thrilled him.

Then, one fresh update stopped him cold.

---

"BREAKING: Joint Task Force Confirms Mastermind Behind Recent Attacks."

"NYPD and FBI investigators, using forensic data and surveillance footage, have identified the perpetrator behind last night's Hell's Kitchen explosion."

"The suspect? Jason Walter."

"The Department of Justice has officially classified him as a terrorist threat and issued an international arrest warrant."

"Current bounty: $10 million."

---

Jason's smirk vanished.

What?!

He scrolled further. The FBI and NYPD had reconstructed everything from forensic evidence to heat signature tracking.

They'd even obtained a clear photo of him.

Jason clenched his fists.

A global manhunt.

$10 million on his head.

"…Shit."

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