Chapter 238: Underworld Mike
"See them?" the homeless man said, pointing at the captured kidnappers.
Peter nodded. "Of course I see them. I'm not blind."
"They were sent by the government! Just because we homeless people 'ruin the city's image,' they try to kidnap us in secret so they can lie and claim they've 'cleaned up the streets.' Absolute bullshit!" The man spat on the ground in disgust.
"What?! They're with the government?" Peter said, incredulous. These vicious-looking thugs were government agents?
"Of course, Spider-Man. Several of our friends have already been taken. Word is they were tossed into the ocean to feed the fish." The homeless man told the story with such conviction that Peter found himself half-believing it. However, he knew he had to investigate further; he couldn't just take one person's word for it.
"Who exactly sent you?" Peter turned to ask the group of kidnappers.
"The government!" The kidnappers weren't stupid. Since the homeless man already believed they were government agents, they decided to roll with it. Maybe Spider-Man would let them go if he thought they were on an official mission.
"Spider-Man, let us go. We'll speak with our superiors and find a different way to handle this," one of the henchmen pleaded.
The homeless man looked at Spider-Man with an "I told you so" expression. See? He was right all along.
"Sent by the government, huh? Then where are your badges or identification?" Peter asked.
"Well... we belong to a secret organization. We can't reveal our identities." The henchman stammered, caught off guard by the question.
Peter didn't say anything more. Instead, he turned back to the homeless man. "Trust me, it's not the government. There's definitely more to this, and I'll find out what it is."
"I hope so. I've lost faith in them anyway," the man sighed. He had hoped Spider-Man would champion their cause. Given Spider-Man's fame, if he started exposing government corruption, they might finally have the numbers to stand up for themselves.
"You should go get some rest. Don't worry." Peter wanted to call the Spider-Squad to transport them, then remembered they were currently unavailable.
"I'm going to take you guys on a very special trip," Peter said with a grin to the kidnappers.
That night in San Francisco, residents frequently heard a group of men screaming and howling in the sky.
Morning
"Yawn~" Peter yawned as he walked out of his room, dark circles under his eyes proving he hadn't slept well.
"Oh, Peter! What happened to you?" Aunt May asked, surprised by his appearance.
"It's nothing. Just getting used to San Francisco; my sleep quality hasn't been great." Peter forced a sleepy smile.
Silas had actually woken up earlier than Peter and was focused on his breakfast. The night before, Silas had tried to astral project into Peter's dreams to see what he was up to, only to find Peter hadn't returned to the hotel yet. He learned from the Shadow Kingdom that Peter was out catching criminals until the early hours of the morning.
Once Peter finally fell asleep, Silas had slipped into his dreams. What he saw shocked him: Peter was dreaming of the Chitauri invasion in New York, still fighting desperately to defeat the aliens. Because of the nightmare, Peter hadn't rested well at all.
"Do you want to sleep a bit more? Uncle Ben and I are just going for a casual walk; the real sightseeing starts this afternoon," Aunt May suggested.
"That's right, Peter. Getting your energy back is the most important part of a vacation," Ben Parker added, looking up from his newspaper.
"That sounds like a great idea." Peter really did want more sleep; otherwise, he wouldn't have the energy to look for clues tonight. After a quick breakfast, he retreated back to the bedroom.
"Silas, do you want to come with us, or stay here and watch some TV?" Aunt May asked.
Silas picked up the remote. "I'll stay. You guys go ahead. I can keep an eye on Peter and call you if anything happens."
"Alright, that works." Ben thought it was a good plan.
"We're off, then." Aunt May and Ben left the room.
Soon, a server came to clear the table. Silas waited until he was alone. "Rest up, Peter. I have things to do. Bye-bye." He left a Shadow Ninja to watch over Peter just in case, though he knew the Spider-Man constitution would recover with just a bit of rest.
The Shadow Boxing Arena
After the raid on Kezli, the arena was temporarily closed. The usual boisterous noise had been replaced by a heavy silence. It hadn't been swallowed up by other factions yet only because it had a new master: Underworld Mike.
"When are you planning to reopen?" Silas appeared in the room and took a bite of an apple from the table.
"Master, I plan to open in a few days," Underworld Mike replied, appearing slowly beside him. His face was deathly pale, devoid of any lifelike warmth. He carried the cold aura of the grave.
"Not fully adjusted yet?" Silas asked.
Underworld Mike nodded stiffly. "I lost too much blood. My body is currently held together entirely by dark energy. Without it, I'd collapse instantly."
"That is an issue. But you need to adapt quickly and get this arena running. Anything you can't handle, let the Heteromorphic Ninjas do it," Silas commanded. They were more than capable of handling the mundane tasks and security.
"Yes, Master. I promise to open tomorrow." Mike's voice was thin and brittle, sounding like it might snap at any moment.
"Good. Handle the rest as you see fit." Silas left for his next destination.
John's Home
"I'm sorry, Captain. It's all my fault," John sat on his bed, staring at a photo with hollow eyes, muttering to himself.
The photo showed him and Mike right after their promotions. They were both smiling in their police uniforms, John's arm around Mike's shoulder. John remembered Mike saying: Next week is my birthday; you'd better be there, kid.
John hadn't broken his promise to be there, but the birthday boy would never get to send out the invitations.
"I'm so sorry, Captain. I promised to protect you... I promised you wouldn't get hurt." Every time he remembered that promise, he felt like taking his own life. But the moment he picked up a knife, he thought of his wife and daughter; they couldn't lose him.
"Looks like he's recovering well enough," Silas said, standing invisibly in the corner of the room, masked by the Snake Talisman.
However, John's current physical condition was... complicated.
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