Daisy had no idea that Director George had already mentally classified her as a “reckless heroine.” She simply waited for him to make a decision.
“The operation is tomorrow.
I’ll assign officers to protect you, Ms.
Johnson,” Director George said.
He considered her a key witness.
Daisy had little faith in the New York Police Department, whose officers always seemed to end up as expendable casualties, so she made a request.
“Could you help me obtain a firearm permit?
Having a gun will allow me to protect myself.” For the Director of the New York Police Department, it was a minor matter, and he readily agreed.
He told her the permit would be mailed within a week.
In the meantime, she was temporarily authorized to carry a firearm.
The next day, Daisy declined police protection and instead concealed herself nearby to observe.
This wasn’t an operation to arrest someone like Spider-Man.
Spider-Man didn’t kill people, so the Director could afford to stay at the front and make a public appearance.
The people trafficking “laundry powder,” however, were ruthless criminals.
The Director remained at the command post in the rear, coordinating the operation.
The police force from the West Midtown precinct in Hell’s Kitchen was deliberately left out of the operation.
Brett, the patrol officer who had reported the crucial lead, was also instructed to stay home on leave.
Instead, the Director assembled five hundred officers from other precincts and positioned them around the target location, waiting for the order to move.
Night fell quickly, and the blind courier carrying the “laundry powder” emerged once again.
“Take him down!” Director George ordered.
The courier had no chance of resisting as two officers subdued him.
When they searched his bag, they found three packages of genuine “laundry powder.” The evidence was undeniable.
Director George let out a quiet breath of relief.
“Launch the operation!” Police snipers neutralized the guards at the entrance, while the assault teams kicked open the door and stormed inside.
The underground facility was enormous.
Inside, six rows of workers stood before three long metal tables, mechanically cleaning, weighing, packaging, and processing materials.
More than a hundred people of Chinese descent were forced to work under the watch of armed gang members carrying automatic weapons.
The sound of the officers’ approach alerted the guards, who immediately opened fire.
Gunshots echoed throughout the facility.
Officers were hit and fell from time to time, but as the main assault force advanced, the gang members were steadily overwhelmed.
The deafening exchange of gunfire terrified the visually impaired workers, who panicked and scattered in every direction.
The officers struggled to restore order.
Some escorted the rescued workers to safety, while others continued clearing the remaining gang members from the facility.
As Commissioner of the New York Police Department, Director George had ample manpower at his disposal.
He launched simultaneous raids on three locations: Madam Gao’s manufacturing facility and two distribution centers.
More than seven thousand pounds of “laundry powder” were seized, and over one hundred thirty gang members were either killed or arrested across the three operations.
Unfortunately, Madam Gao escaped.
No trace of her was found.
Even so, there was no shortage of people willing to cooperate.
Several gang members identified her by name, and with the help of police sketch artists, investigators produced a portrait that bore a strong resemblance to her.
A citywide manhunt was launched.
Regardless of how much illicit money some officers had accepted or what connections certain politicians had with organized crime, everyone had to preserve their public image.
Officially, the entire city was demanding the capture of the mastermind.
The rescue of more than one hundred visually impaired workers dominated the news.
Very few had been born blind.
Most had lost their eyesight after being forcibly drugged or deliberately mutilated.
The shocking brutality of the case received extensive media coverage.
Public discussion once again focused on protecting vulnerable communities and combating discrimination and exploitation.
As public awareness grew, many citizens began reporting vulnerable individuals—including people who were blind, deaf, or unable to speak—to local authorities in hopes of ensuring they received assistance.
Matt Murdock, who had not yet become Daredevil and was still studying law in college, found himself bewildered by the sudden surge of attention and concern from classmates and professors.
Stick, the elderly blind martial artist who had been secretly preparing to oppose the Hand, also attracted the attention of well-meaning citizens.
Initially startled by being surrounded by a crowd, he nearly drew his sword.
Only afterward did he realize they were simply trying to help.
He was eventually taken to a nursing home, where volunteers visited him every day.
It took him five full days to find an opportunity to slip away unnoticed.
Half a month later, Daisy met Director George again.
“Here’s your firearm permit.
The organization’s leader is still at large, so remain cautious.
Fortunately, only I know your identity, so you shouldn’t be exposed.
And this is the New York Police Department’s reward for your assistance—one hundred thousand dollars.” He handed her the permit and a bank card.
The middle-aged man looked somewhat embarrassed, as though he blamed himself for letting the mastermind escape.
Daisy had no complaints.
Expecting the New York Police Department to defeat the Hand outright would have been unrealistic.
A survivor like Madam Gao had spent four centuries staying alive through caution.
That caution had become both her greatest strength and her greatest weakness.
Any sign of danger was enough to make her abandon her plans.
Daisy doubted she would return to New York until she was absolutely certain it was safe.
After enjoying another free dinner at the Director’s home, Daisy said her goodbyes and headed back.
On the way home, Angela, who always seemed to know the latest news, called with an unexpected update.
“The school’s demolition has been canceled?” Daisy was genuinely surprised.
“I heard United Construction ran into financial trouble,” Angela explained.
“They paid the contract penalty this afternoon, and the company has begun liquidating its assets.” Angela was delighted that she no longer had to transfer schools.
Daisy, however, was stunned.
Financial trouble?
Hardly.
Madam Gao had fled, the citywide manhunt had frightened the gangs into retreat, and no one was willing to invest in redeveloping Hell’s Kitchen under those circumstances.
History had simply shifted back onto its original course.
She couldn’t help imagining the school board members who had been waiting for generous redevelopment payouts lamenting their lost windfall.
As for herself, Daisy had no intention of returning to school unless someone there could teach her how to develop her vibration powers.
Now that she finally had some money, it was time to invest and build a business instead of constantly worrying about expenses.
Originally, buying property ahead of United Construction’s redevelopment plans would have been an excellent investment.
Unfortunately, those plans had collapsed.
Purchasing real estate now would be a terrible decision.
Based on Daisy’s understanding, this world would also experience the subprime mortgage crisis the following year, in 2007.
Buying up houses now would simply tie up money in depreciating assets.
Instead, she decided to pursue something that relied on knowledge rather than speculation.
She would start a company.
Although she no longer possessed her predecessor’s hacker instincts, she still had the advantage of future knowledge and a solid technical foundation.
An idea immediately came to mind.
Big data analytics.
The concept of big data would not become widely recognized until 2008, with practical applications emerging several years later.
The difficult part wasn’t the technology—it was recognizing the opportunity.
Once the concept was introduced, anyone with sufficient technical knowledge could understand its potential.
The goal was to process enormous amounts of information through rigorous data collection, analysis, and pattern recognition.
The overall approach was straightforward rather than technically sophisticated.
As long as she developed algorithms capable of systematically collecting, organizing, analyzing, and processing data, the foundation would be in place.
Daisy acted immediately.
She submitted an application for a leave of absence from school and threw herself into preparing the business.
To honor her predecessor, she named the company Skye Data Analysis Co., Ltd.