Chapter 240: Finding the Truth
"We'll see," Silas said.
"Don't you get it, Silas?" Peter looked at him with a hint of exasperation.
"What?" Silas asked, confused.
"I'm telling you all this because I want you to come with me tonight." To ensure his plan went off without a hitch, Peter had decided to bring Silas along.
Silas hesitated for a moment, then nodded in agreement. He was free tonight anyway, and it wouldn't hurt to accompany Peter. Besides, it had been a while since they had gone on a mission together.
"With you there, Silas, the plan is bound to succeed." Peter didn't know why, but he always felt a sense of security when his brother was around.
"Don't speak too soon. It'll be embarrassing if we fail. And don't forget, the Shadow Kingdom is still 'unavailable' for now." Silas planned to wait until they returned to New York before telling Peter that the Shadow Kingdom was back online.
"Tonight, we rely on ourselves!" Peter laughed.
Just as he finished speaking, Ben Parker and Aunt May returned.
"You'll never guess who we ran into near the restroom," Ben said with a mysterious grin.
"Who?" Peter asked curiously.
Aunt May sat down and replied, "An old high school classmate."
"Yes, I never thought it could be such a coincidence to bump into them in San Francisco," Ben said, his voice laced with nostalgia.
"That's so cool! Did you get their contact info?" Peter was quite interested. Silas, on the other hand, showed zero interest, silently waiting for his lunch to arrive.
"Of course. He seems to be a manager at a company now." Ben pulled a business card from his pocket.
Peter took the card and glanced at it. "Life Foundation?"
"Yeah, I'm not sure what they do. Maybe something like a charitable foundation," Ben admitted.
The previously silent Silas reached out and took the card from Peter. Life Foundation? Isn't that the company from Venom?
"What is it, Silas? Are you interested in this Life Foundation?" Ben was surprised to see Silas finally participating in the conversation.
"Nothing, just the first time I've heard of the company." Silas shook his head and handed the card back to Ben.
He was now essentially certain that this was the same Life Foundation from Venom: Lethal Protector. Combining that with Peter's story about the homeless kidnappings, it was almost definitely their doing.
Soon, their lunch was served.
Time passed quickly. The sun punched out for the day, and the moon took over the shift.
"Whoa, Silas! I've never seen that suit before." Peter was currently wearing his red and black suit.
Silas's suit was no longer the armored version; he had switched to a skin-tight suit like Peter's. The overall color scheme was black, accented with hints of red. It featured streamlined patterns and a silver hexagonal emblem on the chest. His face was covered by a Shadow Mask.
"This suit is more convenient for tonight's operation." Silas tested a small jump in place.
This was a new prototype created by "Little Black" (his AI). It looked like simple fabric, but the material was incredibly durable, infused with condensed metallic fibers. It was a precursor to nanotech, integrated with some magic to ensure it wasn't stiff, but rather flexible.
"Hey, Silas... can I borrow the machine sometime?" Peter wanted to try designing and manufacturing a suit himself. Although the one he was wearing was based on his design, Little Black had built it and added so many features that Peter didn't feel like it was truly his work anymore.
"Of course, Peter. We're brothers." Silas patted Peter on the shoulder.
"Thanks," Peter said sincerely.
Next, Peter led Silas, swinging between the high-rises. Silas, who didn't use webs, leapt across the rooftops. Using his enhanced agility from the Spider-Man and Shadow Ninja traits, he moved as if he were running on flat ground.
"Seriously, bro, you really should design a web-shooter," Peter shouted back at Silas, who was hot on his heels.
"I don't think I need one." Silas kept pace, only slightly slower than Peter's swinging speed. When the gap between buildings was too wide, Silas deployed small wings from his sides to glide through the air.
Soon, they arrived at the street where the homeless resided. Compared to the bustling city center, this place was eerily silent. The street was pitch black, saved for one or two flickering streetlamps. There were no pedestrians—only groups of homeless people huddled together on the sidewalk or curled up in corners.
"This place is..." Peter trailed off. This was the current state of the country—masses of homeless people on the streets. At night, no one dared to pass through here for fear of being mugged. The streetlights weren't maintained, let alone security cameras. If something happened, no one would be caught; victims just had to accept their bad luck.
"We have plenty of this in New York too," Silas noted, wondering why Peter was so shocked.
"I just thought San Francisco would be better off than us," Peter explained.
The two crouched on a rooftop, chatting in low voices. As time ticked by, a van slowly turned onto the street.
"The government people are back!" a homeless man shouted the moment he saw the van.
With that cry, the entire street was jolted awake. People began running desperately in every direction.
Pop! Pop! Pop!
A gun barrel poked out from the van. Three shots were fired in quick succession, hitting three fleeing men. They collapsed instantly, struggling for a moment before lying still.
The van pulled up beside them. The doors slid open, and the men were dragged inside. The doors slammed shut, and the van sped away. The entire process was seamless and practiced.
Once the van was gone, the remaining homeless people poked their heads out, looking at each other in terror. Three more companions taken.
"Dammit! This government... I've had enough!"
"They took two yesterday, and three today!"
"Sigh... what are we supposed to do?"
"Let's go to another city. Maybe they'll take us in there."
They whispered their grievances, paralyzed by fear. The rumors that those taken were thrown into the sea to feed the fish haunted them; everyone was terrified they would be the next "fish food."
On the roof, Peter and Silas were already following the van. They didn't have time to comfort the survivors.
"If we follow this car, we'll find out who they really are," Peter said.
"And if it really is the government, what then, Peter?" Silas asked.
"I..." Peter fell silent. He didn't know what he would do. After all, that would be a government decision.
Silas chuckled softly but said nothing more, staying close behind the van. After fifteen minutes of driving, the vehicle finally reached its destination.
Peter took a moment to double-check his web-shooters, making sure he had fresh canisters for the coming action.
"Let's head inside and see."
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