American comics: Praising the sun, starting from Gotham!

And so began a truly awful morning.

Clint's biological clock made him wake up promptly at 7:30. But what greeted him was a headache and a real mess in the living room.

Kate also spent the night curled up on the sofa, not sleeping well.

Her eyes were still red and swollen when she woke up.

Meanwhile, Xiu En's projection was already engrossed in studying the toaster in the kitchen.

He disassembled and reassembled that poor machine repeatedly.

"Okay, listen up."

Clint held a cup of black coffee that was even darker than his face.

"We need to talk. I mean that."

He pointed to the black ghost in the evidence bag on the dining table.

Ronin's battle suit.

"That dress..."

Kate spoke softly.

"Are we really going to investigate? Agent Hill means we should just take care of it..."

"Take care of it? Little girl, you're underestimating S.H.I.E.L.D."

Clint gave a wry smile.

"As long as it has ever appeared, as long as someone has died because of it, that old fox Fury will squeeze oil out of a stone. He will never let go of any clue, let alone the fact that this matter involves me."

He knew very well that he could no longer sneak back to the farm to be with his wife and children as planned.

He was trapped in New York by this damned outfit and the trouble it brought with it.

Unless he addresses the root cause.

Hugh appeared out of nowhere, his golden head peeking out from behind Kate, startling her.

His gaze fell on the ronin's battle armor, and he showed a look of disgust.

He poked the evidence bag with his finger.

"It still smells of blood, along with a mixture of despair and anger. It's awful."

"Can you still smell that?"

Kate's eyes widened.

"Of course. Every piece of the past has its own unique flavor."

Xiu En nodded.

Although last night's meal was disappointing, perhaps we can find a more interesting main course by following the taste of this appetizer.

For him, exploring the unknown brings far more joy than filling his stomach.

"so!"

"Let's find the chef behind this right now and ask him if he has any other signature dishes!"

"Find it? You make it sound so easy."

Clint felt his head hurt even more.

"The tracksuit gang is just a bunch of small fry; who knows who's behind them. New York is so big, just the two of us..."

He glanced at Kate, who still had dark circles under her eyes, and wisely kept his mouth shut.

"Why should we rely on the two of you?"

Kate suddenly spoke, her emotions seemingly having recovered considerably, her eyes sparkling with a sense of eager anticipation.

Clearly, she was very excited about her new role as a superhero's sidekick.

"If it's just about finding people, I have a more efficient way."

Kate said.

She took out her phone, avoided several missed calls from her mother, and dialed a number.

"Hey? Jack? It's me, Kate. Yes, Merry Christmas... Listen, I need you to help me find something, something S.H.I.E.L.D. can't find... in your way. Find a Russian gang called the Gymnastics Gang, and this outfit..."

She grabbed the evidence bag from the table, took a picture of it in front of the camera, and sent it over.

"Check if there have been any similar disappearances or murders in New York in the past five years that are related to this dress. Yes, the sooner the better. How much? Same as always, just transfer it to my card."

She hung up the phone, her face bearing the confidence befitting a young lady from the Bishop family.

"Jack Ducaine, the man who's about to become my stepfather, or you could call him my uncle. His family background is, how should I put it, quite complicated. But he's extremely well-informed in New York's high society and certain gray areas. For enough money, there's no intelligence he can't dig up."

Kate explained.

Clint looked at her.

He originally thought he was just guiding a newbie, but it turned out to be a pay-to-win player with a money-power strategy!

"Well done, girl."

Clint gave Kate an approving look.

"Looks like you're not just a troublemaker after all."

"Of course!"

Kate straightened her back, her face regaining its radiant confidence.

"However, this is trouble you caused, so you have to deal with it yourself. I'm just here to watch and make sure you don't mess things up."

"well?"

Kate was stunned before she could even feel happy.

"And what about him?"

She pointed to Xiu En, who was floating to the side.

"he?"

Clint glanced at the golden ghost and a malicious smile spread across his face.

"Of course he'll go. He's the most professional archery instructor. I'm sure you'll improve rapidly under his tutelage."

Kate felt her calves starting to cramp again.

The thought of the predator theory from last night made her feel nauseous.

Xiu En, however, didn't seem to care.

Whether he's a nanny or a tutor, it's just a pastime for him.

As long as we eventually find that good bow, the process doesn't matter.

He floated to the dining table and began to examine the ronin's battle armor.

"No problem. So, where should we start our investigation? To that Jack's hideout? Or to that gang's lair and finish off all the bullets they didn't use up yesterday?"

This question made Clint fall into deep thought.

They definitely need to take the initiative before waiting for Jack's intelligence.

But where to go is the question.

The trio began their operation.

Clint drove an unassuming S.H.I.E.L.D. agent's car, carrying an eager, genius girl and a high-dimensional accessory who was quite critical of the vehicle's shock absorption system, through the streets of New York and arrived at Bishop's apartment building.

The police tape was haphazardly strung up, and a few bored police officers yawned and drank coffee at the entrance. Clearly, the Bishop family's influence had minimized the impact of this accidental fire.

Kate looked at her home, blackened by smoke, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes, but it was quickly replaced by determination.

"I first got the clothes here. At a secret charity auction, it was blown up."

"It sounds just like my old world boss's daily life."

"Every time he attends a banquet, the place is either bombed or on its way to be bombed. The social activities of you rich people are always so unique."

Although Clint and Kate wanted to ask who could be their boss, they wisely chose not to answer the question.

Clint flashed his S.H.I.E.L.D. investigative credentials, crossed the police cordon, and went straight to the chaotic crime scene.

The once luxurious apartment is now just ruins.

"Oh my god..."

Kate couldn't help but gasp as she watched this scene.

Although I had seen it on the news, standing here in person was a completely different experience.

Clint, with his hands in his pockets, strolled leisurely through the ruins, his eyes scanning every corner, not missing a single detail.

Xiu En closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Hmm, a complex flavor."

His comments startled both Kate and Clint.

"It smells a bit pungent, like a spoiled lemon."

"The most interesting thing is the smell there. In addition to the usual C4 explosive residue, there is a very special accelerator that raises the temperature at the moment of the explosion by at least 30 percent... but then cools down very quickly. That's why it was able to blow through the steel beams without igniting all the surrounding furniture. It was a very professional technique."

Clint frowned.

Although what Xiu En said was strange, the information it revealed coincided with his judgment.

This was a targeted demolition.

Kate quickly calmed down.

She forced herself to stop thinking about those messy theories and began to seriously examine the scene.

"The epicenter of the explosion is here."

She pointed to the cave, which was originally a secret underground chamber storing various priceless works of art.

Most of the items from the auction are still there. Their target is that battle suit.

She crouched down and carefully picked up a small piece of charred fabric from the ashes with her gloved fingers.

"This is the tablecloth used at the auction. I remember its material."

She put the fragments in the evidence bag.

"But what's strange is, those guys in sportswear gangs, they all look like brainless musclemen, how did they know the combat suits were here?"

"This means they have powerful backers."

Clint: "A smart guy who knows where the suit is, and also knows how to get military-grade explosives and professional demolition personnel."

Kate focused and continued searching through the ruins.

Her movements were very careful and professional, which made Clint nod in approval.

This young girl certainly has the potential to become an excellent secret agent.

"Found it!"

Kate suddenly let out a soft gasp.

Behind the wreckage of a safe that had been completely deformed by the explosion, she found Russian writing left in spray paint.

She took out her phone, opened a translation app, and took a picture of the text.

The translation results were quickly displayed on the screen.

Beware of the Maya.

"Maya?"

Kate frowned.

"What does this mean? Is it a name?"

"Maya Lopez".

"The real commander of the sportswear gang. A very troublesome woman."

"Do you know her?"

"I don't know her."

Clint shook his head.

"But I knew her father. He was an old friend of Kingpin's men. Many years ago, when the Ronin were wiping out the gangsters, I killed him."

This was the first time Kate had touched a cold corner of her idol's dark history.

"Oh? So this counts as revenge?"

Xiuen looked at the line of Russian text with curiosity.

"How does the equipment that this Maya is wearing taste? Is it delicious?"

"Shut up."

Clint replied without any politeness.

Just then, Clint's phone rang.

He glanced at the caller ID and answered.

"Hill?"

"Barton".

On the other end of the phone, Hill's voice was as fast and precise as ever.

"We intercepted an encrypted communication. The source is Bullseye Lester, the guy you flagged yesterday. The recipient is unknown, but the IP address points to a top-security prison where Kingpin is currently located."

Kingpin.

Even though he was imprisoned, his name and his shadow never left the city.

"The communication was very short and used code. We only deciphered a few words: delivery, new toys, and Christmas Eve, Rockefeller Center."

Clint hung up the phone, his face turning extremely grim.

He looked at the ronin's battle armor on the table and thought of Bullseye, who was lurking in the shadows, and Kingpin, who was strategizing in prison.

He knew this was no longer a minor gang revenge incident.

A storm is gathering over New York.

He himself, along with his two troublesome partners, are already at the center of the storm.