DC Apostle in the Marvel Universe

{T/N: Any LOTM(Lord of the Mysteries) fans here? Got some news for y'all... I just started a new project alongside this one... 'Lord of Mysteries:The Traveler'.. Click on my profile to catch a glimpse...}

...

After surveying the entire farm, Dr. Wilson began instructing the soldiers and researchers to unload the equipment from the Quinjets and the Black Hawk.

Not many soldiers and researchers had arrived at the farm ahead of them, so even Allen was pulled in by Dr. Wilson to help with the heavy lifting.

Watching them busily moving things off the Quinjets, Russell suddenly thought of a problem, "Do the Quinjets and the Black Hawk have Hydra's tracking programs installed?"

Hearing Russell's question, Dr. Wilson smiled and replied, "You really should buy Jasper a gift next time... Before he left, he specifically told me a few things. Like this farm, and the tracking programs you just mentioned. I've already handled it. So you don't need to worry about Hydra tracking our location."

This was the benefit of having a professional on your side.

The problem Russell had just realized had already been anticipated and properly addressed by Jasper before he even left the base.

By the time all the equipment from the Quinjets and the Black Hawk had been unloaded, it was already noon.

After informing Dr. Wilson, Russell took Allen with him to head to New York.

Although the farm was built to military fortress standards, it didn't have any advanced equipment. The only vehicle available was an old, high-powered muscle car.

Aside from that, the most high-tech items in the farm were the two diesel generators.

So Russell and Allen had no choice but to drive this ancient muscle car which was older than the two of them combined to New York.

"Why didn't you bring Heather? I think she'd be more suitable than me..."

Since it was an old car, the ride wasn't exactly comfortable.

Allen had been complaining about this ever since they got in the car, and now he was even bringing Heather into the conversation.

"Because I think you're more durable."

Russell's remark was both a joke and the truth.

Although they had undergone the same enhancements, Allen in his transformed state was indeed more durable than Heather.

Allen glanced at Russell and spoke in a sarcastic tone, "Ah, the hypocrisy of youth."

"Keep talking, and I'll throw you in the trunk!"

Although Allen usually acted carefree, his intuition was sharp, or rather, his sense of danger was keen.

So upon hearing Russell's threat, he promptly shut his mouth.

Allen knew very well that despite Russell's easygoing demeanor, if pushed too far, he was capable of anything.

Thus, in this awkward silence, Russell and Allen slowly made their way to New York.

...

When Russell and Allen finally arrived in New York after more than two hours, they immediately encountered an embarrassing problem.

They were lost! And to make matters worse, they were stuck in traffic...

In this world-famous international metropolis, Russell and Allen sat in the old muscle car, staring blankly at the endless line of cars ahead.

Russell had heard about New York's notorious traffic jams, but experiencing it firsthand made him realize just how terrifying it could be.

To make things worse, their old muscle car didn't have any navigation system.

So even if the traffic cleared, they wouldn't know where to go.

"What do we do now?" Allen, sitting in the passenger seat, asked with a look of confusion.

"I think I know what to do..." was Russell's response.

They were still quite far from downtown New York, so the area around them was filled with dark, damp alleyways.

More importantly, Russell saw something in these dilapidated alleys, something called crime and chaos.

"What are you doing! You're going to get points deducted!" {T/N: I'm unfamiliar with the laws of the U.S... So I don't know if I got this right.. I mean, are traffic points a thing there, or I messed up somewhere? Corrections are welcome of course...}

Amid Allen's screams, Russell drove the old muscle car over the roadside barrier, forcefully mounting the sidewalk, and then made a sharp left turn into a nearby alley.

"I'm not afraid of Hydra. Do you think I care about getting points deducted by traffic cops?"

Hearing Russell's words, Allen finally realized... 'Right... we're not afraid of Hydra, so why would we fear ordinary traffic cops?'

"Besides, I don't even have a license to deduct points from."

Allen had just calmed down, but Russell's statement immediately set him off again.

"You've been driving for over two hours, and now you tell me you don't have a license...? This is unlicensed and reckless driving..."

Russell ignored Allen because, after driving into the alley, he finally saw the people he wanted to meet.

Tattoos everywhere, and small knives dangling in their hands.

When this group of clearly not-friendly thugs approached them, Russell happily opened the car door and walked up to them.

Russell and Allen might not know the way, but the people who did were right in front of them.

"Can anyone tell me how to get to Hell's Kitchen?"

...

In less than a minute, Russell got the answer he wanted.

But just to be safe, he took one of the thugs who seemed like a small-time leader with him.

"I like to trade things with people. Now this car is yours, so..."

Russell didn't finish his sentence, but he got what he wanted, a set of car keys.

After handing over the old car, which didn't even have a navigation system, to the thugs who were still struggling to get up, Russell left the alley with their leader in tow.

Sitting in the car that originally belonged to this small-time leader, Russell couldn't help but applaud his own cleverness.

Not only did he get a reliable driver who knew the way, but he also got a decent car in the process. This trade seemed like a win-win.

Although the thug Russell had grabbed wasn't from Hell's Kitchen, that didn't stop him from knowing the area well.

After driving around Hell's Kitchen several times, Russell finally sent the guy on his way and took the driver's seat.

"Finally, we've arrived at the beginner village. This place is great." Looking at Hell's Kitchen, a place filled with crime and chaos, Russell silently marveled.

"Beginner village? What beginner village?" Although Allen understood every word Russell said, he had no idea what it meant.

"You wouldn't understand. It's a cultural thing."

Russell was growing fonder of this chaotic Hell's Kitchen by the minute.

Establishing a base here would make it difficult not just for Hydra, but even for S.H.I.E.L.D. to search openly.

Although Russell was determined to set up a base here, it meant he would have to face two problems.

The Kingpin of Crime, Wilson Fisk, the first elite boss of the beginner village.

And the Hand, an organization obsessed with tradition and fond of wielding weapons to cut people down... {T/N: Totally unrelated, but... I heard Britain had the best bean cuisine in the world, is it true?}