Chapter 248 The Acting Shadow Ninjas
"A hero?" Bemis asked, a look of confusion on his face.
John didn't offer a detailed explanation. He pulled his car keys from his pocket, handed them to Bemis, and then stepped into the Shadow Kingdom, vanishing instantly.
"I wonder which hero those ashes belong to?" Bemis murmured, his heart full of curiosity. What kind of hero could make Chief John show such deep reverence?
On the Road
Meanwhile, Silas and the rest of the family had pulled over to the side of the highway. Ben Parker was currently at the back of the car, inspecting the wheels.
Some inconsiderate person had left sharp debris scattered across the road, and Ben hadn't noticed it in time before driving right over it. A simple leak would have been manageable, but the rear tire had completely blown out, making it impossible to continue driving safely.
"May, why don't you guys set up the grill and start preparing lunch?" Ben called out to Aunt May.
"Ben, what are we going to do about the car?" May asked worriedly.
"Don't worry, I've got this," Ben replied, patting her on the back to reassure her.
May nodded reluctantly and led Silas and Peter away to start the food preparations, leaving a frustrated Ben behind. In truth, he wasn't entirely sure what to do. He only had a few basic tools in the trunk—enough to remove the wheel, but he didn't have a spare that fit this specific model.
"This is bad," Ben muttered. He used the jack to prop up the SUV, seeing that the rear tire was shredded beyond repair. Even though the company had provided the vehicle, Ben felt the sting of the damage; he had only been driving it for less than a week.
On the nearby grass, Peter stopped what he was doing and looked over. "Do you think Uncle Ben can fix it?"
"Not sure, but it looks unlikely," Silas noted, watching Ben scratch his head in frustration.
"Might as well get ready for a roadside picnic," May added. She knew Ben too well—if he said the situation was serious, it usually meant everything was under control. But since he was saying "it's fine," things were definitely not fine.
"I'll go check on him," Silas said, putting down the grill rack and walking back to the car.
By the Car
"Oh, Silas. What are you doing over here?" Ben asked, forcing a smile.
"Uncle Ben, this looks like a pretty rough situation," Silas said, eyeing the ruined tire.
"Sigh... yeah. Without the right tools and a new tire, there's no way to fix this on the spot," Ben admitted honestly.
Silas's eyes darted around. "So, what would it take to fix it?"
"To fix it? Well, we'd need a car to pass by, driven by someone kind enough to stop. Then, they'd need to happen to have a spare tire for a Jeep-style SUV, and they'd have to be willing to give it to us," Ben explained.
Actually, they wouldn't even have to give it away—Ben was more than willing to buy it. But to him, the probability of all those factors aligning was practically zero. He was already resigning himself to calling a tow truck, even if it would be incredibly expensive.
"I see," Silas smiled.
Not far away, two Shadow Ninjas materialized. They pulled a Jeep out of the Shadow Kingdom and put on some civilian disguises. After checking their reflections in the rearview mirror and confirming everything looked "human" enough, they began driving toward the Parkers.
Just as Ben was about to pull out his phone to call for help, Silas stopped him. "Wait a second, Uncle Ben. Let's see if anyone passes by first."
"Haha, Silas, I think you're being a bit too optimistic. The chances of what I described happening are smaller than winning the lottery," Ben said.
"What if, though?" Silas smirked.
"How could such a thing possibly—" Ben stopped mid-sentence as a Jeep appeared on the horizon, driving toward them.
"!!!" Ben's eyes widened. A Jeep had actually appeared. Now he just had to hope they were willing to help.
To his surprise, before he could even wave, the Jeep slowed down and pulled over right behind them. Two tall, lean men stepped out of the vehicle.
"Hey there, friend! Having some trouble?" a Shadow Ninja asked, calling out to Ben.
Ben quickly dropped his wrench and hurried over. "Thank goodness! Hey, do you happen to have a spare tire on you?"
"A spare? Yeah, we've got one. Did yours blow out?" The ninja walked over to the back of the car, pretending to inspect the damage.
Ben nodded. "Yeah, bad luck. Hit some sharp iron on the road."
"Don't worry, we've got you covered." The ninja moved to the next step of the plan, pulling a perfectly matching spare tire from the back of their Jeep.
"Oh my god! Thank you so much! How much do I owe you?" Ben asked, joyfully taking the tire.
"No need. Let's just call it a favor between friends," the ninja smiled, shook Ben's hand, and hopped back into the Jeep before driving off.
"Huh?" Ben stood there, bewildered. "Is it just me, or did that feel like a scene from a movie?"
"What's wrong, Uncle Ben?" Silas asked, silently cursing his ninjas' terrible acting skills.
"Nothing, it just felt a little... strange." Ben shrugged and rolled the tire over to the car to start the repairs.
"Uncle Ben, why don't you have lunch first?" Silas pointed toward Aunt May, who had the food ready.
Ben realized his stomach was indeed growling. "Alright, I'll finish up after we eat." He washed his hands with some bottled water and walked over to the picnic blanket.
"What happened, Ben?" May asked.
"Two kind souls stopped and gave us a spare tire. Everything's looking up now!" Ben laughed. May breathed a sigh of relief.
Down the Road
After driving a safe distance away, the Jeep pulled over.
"Should we have stayed to help the Master's uncle actually install the tire?" the ninja in the passenger seat asked thoughtfully.
"Probably," the driver replied. "Do you think the Master will be mad?"
"I hope not," the first one whispered, feeling a bit of dread. "By the way, how was my acting?" He nudged his partner.
The driver thought back for a moment. "To be honest? It was pretty trash."
"..."
Meanwhile, in Hell's Kitchen
"His head is worth a million dollars!" Kingpin slammed a photo of Kezli onto his desk. Sitting across from him was a man dressed in a strange blue outfit.
"Boss, the owner of the Shadow Boxing Arena has changed. Kezli has disappeared; no one knows where he went," a subordinate reported.
Kingpin's brow furrowed. "That piece of trash is gone?"
"Yes, sir."
"Then kill the new owner instead! No one challenges me and gets away with it!" Kingpin's rage flared. Kezli was one thing, but for someone else to have the audacity to take over the arena was a direct insult to his authority.
"Find that bastard Kezli, and in the meantime, I want you to kill the new owner of the Shadow Boxing Arena!" Kingpin said, looking up at the man in blue.
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