Marvel: The Ultimate Superman-Chapter 126. K’un-Lun

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"Superman says if we want to negotiate, we're to show up at Oscorp first thing tomorrow morning."

Wilson Fisk, better known as Kingpin, relayed the message to the woman in front of him: Alexandra, one of the five leaders of the Hand.

"Understood. Thank you, Mr. Fisk," Alexandra replied with a nod.

She left Hell's Kitchen behind and traveled to a secluded estate on the outskirts of the city. The grounds were tightly secured, with robed figures cloaked in white flitting across the property sometimes vanishing mid-step, only to reappear elsewhere in an instant. The entire area was under full lockdown.

Inside the mansion, four figures waited. One of them was Madame Gao, the same woman who had previously brokered a deal with Fisk.

As Alexandra took her seat, she sighed. "Superman said if we want to talk, we need to be at Oscorp in the morning."

"Damn that Superman," hissed one of the others. "And now the Beast is sealed inside Black Sky... Why hasn't he destroyed Black Sky already?"

Alexandra clenched her fists, visibly seething. Black Sky had been her masterpiece, a hybrid weapon carefully cultivated, even at the cost of precious Dragonbone.

And for her, Dragonbone meant life. Literally.

It was a rare artifact tied directly to her longevity, and she'd used it to create what should have been the perfect vessel for the Beast's power. If Black Sky and the Beast had fully merged, they would've gained an unstoppable weapon, one powerful enough to finally break free from K'un-Lun's pursuit.

But Black Sky had been captured. Even the newly acquired Dragonbone was stolen.

Their bases in Hell's Kitchen were falling one after another to the rampage of Alexei and Max. If this kept up, the Hand would lose its foothold in New York entirely.

Madame Gao exhaled. "Then we have no choice but to negotiate. Our priority is to get Black Sky back and halt Superman's assault."

"He's your problem," growled Bakuto from across the room. "Your screw-up is threatening my school. I won't let this mess ruin my business."

"I'll handle it," Gao said coolly. "I'll go personally."

The others nodded. Gao had the most experience facing enemies of all kinds. She had survived more battles than any of them and knew how to talk her way out or fight her way out if needed.

"We never had irreconcilable differences with him," she added. "Any deal can be made, as long as the price is right."

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"You're offering too little."

In Oscorp's high-rise office, Nolan leaned forward, unimpressed by the elderly woman across from him, Gao, of all people.

Her terms? An apology, monetary compensation, and a promise to leave his operations alone.

"That's all?" he asked dryly. "You expect me to stop just because you're offering a payout?"

Gao smiled. Then, switching to Mandarin with a distinct Southern accent, she said, "Can't you reconsider... since we're both of Eastern heritage?"

"I am only Half Eastern, don't try to play the 'we're the same' card," Nolan replied coldly.

"You're all exiles from K'un-Lun, aren't you? Fine then—give me the location of K'un-Lun's entrance, and I'll call off the attacks."

Gao's eyes narrowed. "So... you learned about K'un-Lun from the Iron Fist."

That caught her off guard. All five leaders of the Hand were once from K'un-Lun, and they alone knew the path to its hidden gate, one of the reasons the Iron Fist had hunted them relentlessly.

And not just for betrayal, Gao had also stolen his company.

"What do you want with K'un-Lun?"

"Just curious," Nolan replied with a grin.

There was more to Gao than met the eye. Her aura radiated an unnatural vitality, and her mind was actively resisting his telepathy.

Clearly enhanced.

No doubt she had harnessed supernatural power to extend her life. That alone was enough to suggest she wasn't under the Beast's control, but working with it as an equal partner.

After a pause, Gao relented and gave him a location somewhere deep in the Himalayas.

"But to enter," she warned, "you'll need dimensional access. Only someone with the power to open portals between realms can even approach the gate."

Dimensional access...

The Power of the Dragon could do it. So could sorcery. A crash course at Kamar-Taj might be in order.

"You've shown good faith," Nolan said. "This conflict wasn't personal. I'll pull my people back from your outposts for now."

"But I have a question," he added. "What exactly is Dragonbone?"

Gao took a deep breath. He was pushing his luck, but she answered anyway.

"It's the remains of an ancient celestial being, one that fell during a war among the Old Gods. In myth, it was known as the Dragon, which is why we call its remains Dragonbone."

"Then why did K'un-Lun ban its use for extending life?"

Gao's expression darkened. "Because K'un-Lun has deep ties to the Eastern Sea Dragons. The Jade Emperor, even the hidden Master Khan they all owe the Sea Dragons a debt.

And the Dragonbone? It may be the remains of their ancestor. That's why the use of Dragonbone is taboo among K'un-Lun's followers."

Nolan nodded. That explained a lot.

"And Black Sky?" he asked calmly.

Gao hesitated.

They still needed Black Sky, or rather, the Beast inside it. If the fusion between the two succeeded, the Hand could turn the tide, even against the lunatics from the Sanctum who were hunting them down like rabid dogs.

"We'll talk about Black Sky later," Nolan said flatly, leaving no room for argument.

As Gao exited the Oscorp building, she muttered to herself:

Time to lay low.

Without Black Sky, even if Oscorp let them be, the Sanctum's zealots wouldn't stop. Gao knew better than to fight a war she couldn't win.

She would vanish for now. Time had taught her patience.

Live long enough, and everything becomes negotiable.

As for the others... they were on their own.

The Hand was just one of her many pawns.

And if it had become a liability... perhaps it was time to let it fall.

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