Chapter 884: V’s Meaning of Life, and Haley’s Party Invitation

The reason why many gangsters called him Kingpin was because he was very clever.

Nobody knew where this big brain was, and nobody could link his real identity to the gangs, so he was suppressed by the RICO bill.

For almost a decade, the federal and local law enforcement agencies had searched for Kingpin and made multiple arrests. There were even a few instances where word spread of Kingpin’s capture.

But after those “Kingpins” were put behind bars, Kingpin’s allies and forces never slowed down in their operations.

This only proved that the real Kingpin was still expanding his underground empire from a safe place.

It was impossible for a genius like him to be flushed out using a third-rate gang like the Blood Skull.

Even the IRS, which was known as the toughest law enforcement agency in the United States, couldn’t do anything about Kingpin.

After all, nobody knew who he was.

The law enforcement agencies could only ever cut off the branches when it came to Kingpin’s operations.

Soon, new gangs or core gang members would come out of prison and take over these vacant positions.

Luke had been collecting intelligence on Kingpin since his fight with Bullseye, but hadn’t learned much. It was clear that this mastermind was a tough opponent.

For him, the biggest problem usually wasn’t who the enemy was, but where he was.

It just so happened that Kingpin was as good at hiding his identity as Luke was.

Thinking about Kingpin, he said, “Rest early. We’re going out tonight.”

“Are we going to attack Kingpin’s forces?” Selina was a little excited. She had been idle for too long.

Luke said, “Although it’s unlikely that we’ll be able to flush him out, we have to cut off his tentacles and make him suffer a bit.”

NYPD had to be about the law, but V could discuss “the meaning of life” with the criminals.

…

Five days later, New York was as peaceful as ever.

However, big things happened every night.

From Manhattan to Brooklyn to Queens, dozens of major gangs were wiped out.

Half of the nests were full of bodies; the number of people still alive could be counted on one hand.

The other half was full of injured and crippled people.

In just three days, even the NYPD was scared.

If this went on, there might be gang riots.

From the third day onward, all NYPD officers were recalled from leave, and the number of police cars patrolling key areas doubled.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t any damn use.

In the next two days, gangsters were still dying and suffering left, right and center.

NYPD’s morgue was full, and the number of patients who went to the hospitals for broken bones increased dramatically.

Even the Detective Bureau had to stop investigating Kingpin and start investigating the cause of the recent wave of bloody attacks.

Like everybody else, Luke and Selina went to work every day, interviewing eyewitnesses and checking surveillance footage.

The truth was that while he and Selina were playing at public servants for the past few days, the eyewitness interviews and surveillance footage had all been for their search for that lunatic named Kilgrave.

But for some reason, this guy suddenly disappeared recently.

The last place that Luke and Selina tracked him to was the Hudson River, where Kilgrave left on a yacht. The trail went cold after that.

The Hudson River was so big and cold winds blew from time to time, quickly washing away the scent. Sharp Nose thus wasn’t any use here.

Six days after Walter was attacked, Haley called and asked Luke to go to King’s Park Sanatorium; she had obtained some leads from Molly, which she wanted to give to Luke.

Most importantly, there was a sketch of Kilgrave.

Looking at the tiny M.K in the bottom right corner of the vivid sketch, Luke smiled. “Did Margaret draw this? It seems she didn’t learn to draw for nothing.”

Haley looked at him with a smile. “Do you need me to pass on what you think of her ‘drawing skills’ to her?”

Luke shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. I don’t pretend to understand art.”

Haley was lost for words at how frank the officer was.

Shame was hard to come with people who had a clear understanding of their shortcomings, and they were usually thick-skinned.

She found Luke more and more interesting.

He was handsome and gentle. Anyone would think that he was a cultured man.

But this man admitted that he knew nothing about art.

It was the opposite of how most men tried their best to act like they knew everything.

Also, Luke never showed off in front of her.

His attitude toward her wasn’t much different from his attitude toward Richard and his wife.

If it wasn’t for the appreciation in his eyes when he looked at her, she would’ve thought that he was gay.

Alright, she had already rejected that possibility earlier on.

As a psychiatrist, she could easily tell that Luke had a normal orientation.

That was obvious from his interactions with his gorgeous partner, Selina.

It was just that their situation was very interesting. Some might think that they had been married for years.

As Haley mulled over Luke’s private life, her smile remained fixed on her face. “I heard that the police department has been very busy recently. Do you have time to investigate Kilgrave?”

Luke said, “All the police in New York are busy right now, not just me. This guy has gone into hiding, however; we can only wait for him to come out on his own.”

Haley nodded and suddenly said, “There’s going to be a small party at my place the day after tomorrow. Are you free?”

Stunned for a moment, Luke said, “What party? Let me make it clear: If it’s going to be a bunch of people holding wine glasses and discussing mental patients or some abstract artwork, I’m not going.”

Haley chuckled. “Relax; apart from one of Margaret’s foreign classmates from the art institute, there’s only Elsa.”

Luke thought for a moment before he asked, “Can I bring a date?”

Haley glanced at his car. She couldn’t see inside, but she knew that Selina was there.

She nodded and said, “If it’s Selina, that’s fine. You know, Margaret’s been lying low in New York for several months now to avoid those crazy L.A. gangs who want her money. Although she has a new friend now, she definitely misses you two old friends.”