Chapter 45 The Real and Fake Matthew? The Mastermind.

Judging from Dr. Edward's unfortunate experience of being late, today's crisis must have just occurred.

Based on what Allen just said—that someone had tampered with his lab—Dick guessed that someone had probably used Allen's experimental results, and those gene viruses that could control humans had likely been spread.

The person who did this must be a loser, no doubt about it.

Allen was standing in front of Luther, his face looking rather grim.

“Are you crazy?” Allen said. “I told you, take it slow, my research isn’t mature enough yet.”

He probed Luther while cautiously observing him. Logically, Luther shouldn't have had the opportunity to break into his lab; after all, this lab was more than just a lab anymore.

But Luther not only appeared here, he even awakened the consciousness of the alien monster.

Triskell's狰狞 face loomed in and out of the shadows, and the lighthouse-like laboratory built on the ground finally revealed the tip of the iceberg of its true nature.

Wriggling mycelia slowly seeped from the walls of the entire laboratory. These antiquated, dark mycelia climbed and spread upwards like snails, gradually enveloping the entire lighthouse.

If someone were to observe the lighthouse from the outside, they would find that it has become unrecognizable, resembling a giant tumor.

It spread outwards like cancer cells, and countless spores that Allen had once imprisoned within the entire lighthouse floated in the air of Brudhaven.

This is troublesome.

Allen knew that once these spore viruses were allowed to evaporate into the air, they would spread wildly and then parasitize people's bodies.

Ultimately, the genetic power of Triskell carried by these spores will completely rewrite the host's genes, turning all humans infected with these spores into another species.

Humans could become plants, fungi, or even be half animal and half plant, just like the strange creatures Trisker showed him in his consciousness.

Dolphins with antlers, whales with outstretched wings, vines growing from humans… Allen couldn't be sure how Trisker would refract human genes. The only thing he was certain of was that these genetically modified species would be Trisker's subjects, their bodies and minds forever unable to escape Trisker's control.

This is what Trisker calls gene optimization and human purification; his real purpose is nothing more than to control all of humanity.

Luther looked at Allen and slowly revealed a triumphant smile: "If you take your time, I might have to wait until I'm all gray. My dear Allen, your experiment has clearly met my expectations, so why won't you hand it over?"

Allen interrupted him: "Don't say that, you don't have hair."

Luther: ...

Allen ignored the frustrated Luther and stared straight at another familiar figure hidden in the shadows.

His intuition told him that this man was behind Luther's intrusion into his lab today.

From the shadows, a muscular man gradually emerged, dressed in a superhero bodysuit and wearing a helmet with two small devil horns.

He took off his helmet, revealing a face that Allen recognized very well.

It's Matthew.

To be precise, he was the 'copy' of Matthew that Allen once thought he was, the person who should have been locked in the basement of Osborn Manor.

He was wearing Daredevil's uniform, and his face looked exactly like Matthew's, even his expression and those unfocused eyes were almost identical.

He is now 'watching' Allen.

Allen asked in a deep voice, "Who exactly are you? Where's Harry? What did you do to them?"

'Matthew' approached Allen, revealing a gentle smile. The expression on his face was no different from how Matthew usually looked at Allen, which made Allen almost mistakenly believe that the person standing in front of him was the real Matthew.

If he hadn't just met Matthew in the underground lab, he probably would have been fooled by him too.

'Matthew' sighed at Allen and shook his head slightly: 'My dear Allen, you know what they'll do, why ask again? I'm not a merciful priest. So you really should listen to me... I thought you would be willing to become the ruler of this world and work with us to make humanity more perfect. Who made you change your mind? Dick Grayson?'

Allen didn't say anything.

He was now only grateful that he had given the potion to Dick. The situation, which should have been under his control, was gradually spiraling out of control. His beacon had been invaded by an uninvited guest, and Triskel was gradually slipping out of his consciousness, truly becoming a terrifying monster that had descended upon the earth.

The mycelium on the wall was still gradually wriggling. Allen tried hard to rekindle his connection with Triskell, but found that their connection had been severed at some point.

'Matthew' seemed to know what Allen was doing, so he shook his head slightly and let Allen try as he pleased, as if he wasn't worried at all that Allen would regain control of Triskell.

The alien monster Triskol, which should have been dormant deep within his consciousness, had vanished without a trace, and Allen received no response no matter how he tried to call out to it.

“Answer my question,” Allen asked again, “tell me, who exactly are you?”

Matthew smiled and said, "My dear Allen, you already know the answer in your heart, don't you?"

Previously, Allen wasn't sure, but now, after meeting this 'Matthew,' he was almost certain—

The man in front of him was also Matthew, the Daredevil who had accompanied him as he grew up, the blind lawyer from Hell's Kitchen.

But he didn't understand why there were two Daredevils in the world.

Does Matthew know about this?

“He didn’t realize I existed, just like you never realized I existed… I’m the one who knows him best, and of course, the easiest to fool him.” Matthew explained to Allen patiently, as if he were talking to a child. “Allen, do you know? Actually, I was the one who lived with you, and I was the one who watched you grow up.”

“The other Matthew Murdoch is the imposter, the inferior one. He stole my genes, stole my face, enjoyed my life, and raised you into such a soft-hearted and useless guy… Alan, you can go back to who you were before. Don’t worry about me restricting your behavior anymore. Whatever you do, I will help you—kill Norman, eliminate everyone you don’t like, reshape the world to your liking, and trample everyone you hate under your feet. That’s the real you!”

Alan suddenly remembered that there was a time when he did think Matthew was acting very strangely, which was before Emily jumped off the building and committed suicide.

Matthew seemed very agitated at the time, and he was somewhat absent-minded during several court appearances. At first, he thought Matthew was just too tired, and later he learned that Matthew was busy with Daredevil's work, so he didn't suspect anything.

But now, that memory seems to have been suddenly unveiled, with every frame appearing in Allen's mind.

Matthew smiled like that back then, asking Alan if he would like to live with him and promising to help him escape Norman's control.

A week before Emily jumped to her death, he overheard Matthew ask her, "Alan, if Emily dies, will you kill Norman Osborn? Kill him, and then live with me?"

What was his answer at the time?

Allen couldn't remember anymore. But he suddenly realized that if it were the real Matthew, he would never have asked such a question.

Matthew will do everything in his power to prevent Emily's death.

“Looks like you remember.” Matthew’s smile widened as he looked at Allen with satisfaction. “You still remember me. I knew back then that you would be my favorite child. We were like the closest father and son in the world—you understood me, and I understood you the most. Stay away from that cowardly Daredevil. I am your real father!”

Matthew's eyes shone with joy and madness, as if he had been looking forward to this day for a long time. He finally stood in front of Allen and extended an invitation to the boy he was so satisfied with, inviting him to change the world together.

He seemed convinced that Allen would not refuse.

“I refuse,” Allen said. “You’re not the real Matthew; you’re the imposter.”

Matthew's face immediately contorted, as if Allen had struck a nerve.

"You're wrong. I am the real Matthew. I possess his truest desires and have discarded all his weaknesses. I am the most perfect Daredevil!"

The timeline of the past clearly surfaced in Allen's mind, and he began to recall exactly what had happened that week.

The world seemed peaceful, except for a small battle that broke out in the suburbs of New York. It was said that the crazed Red Skull had stolen Professor X's brain, and the magical forces nearly took control of all the superheroes, turning them into puppets.

But as an ordinary person, Allen, like other residents of New York City, was not affected by this incident, and he didn't care how the superheroes had defeated evil again.

Just like in all movies, the superheroes achieved a great victory in this battle, defeating Red Skull, just like in every previous fight.

Allen spent all his time in the lab back then, studying the drugs that were in test tubes.

Matthew was also very busy during that time, and he almost missed Emily and Norman Osborne's divorce proceedings on one occasion.

Daredevil would secretly visit him every night, and they met almost every day that week.

So from that time on, the second Daredevil was born.

The clue that lured Allen to Broodhaven was set up by Daredevil; almost every step Allen took was part of Daredevil's plan.

“It’s a pity…” Matthew said, “I’ve gone to such lengths, yet you’re still like an innocent child… Can’t you see this ugly world?”

The ground beneath Allen's feet began to tremble, the alien monster let out a triumphant roar, and countless spores flew through the air, scattering like dandelions to every corner.

Some people looked up, and the spores fell into their pupils. More and more monsters roamed the streets, and the virus swept outwards from Brodhaven like a tidal wave.