Chapter 343: Teasing Felicia
On the street:
"I'm sorry, Peter. My father is just like that—always acting so self-righteous," Gwen apologized sincerely.
Peter didn't take it to heart. "It's okay, Gwen. I'm not angry with your father."
"Really? That's good then." Gwen smiled.
The two walked quietly along the street for a while.
"So... Gwen, why is your father so unfriendly toward superheroes?" Peter asked, trying to find a topic of conversation. This was something Peter truly wanted to know. He had always assumed Spider-Man was well-liked by the police. After all, Spider-Man had helped them countless times—catching thieves, saving hostages—the list was endless. He never expected a Police Chief like George Stacy to dislike, or even loathe, him.
"Him?" Gwen looked up at the sky. "You know, my father is the Police Chief. He has so many cases to handle every day. One time he complained to us about a drug-trafficking ring he had been monitoring for a long time. Suddenly, Spider-Man appeared and made the arrests. It spooked the real mastermind behind the scenes, causing the entire police operation to fail. He spent over an hour just cursing Spider-Man that day."
Gwen shook her head and laughed at the memory. She sometimes thought her father was childish enough to talk to himself while scolding someone for that long. But he truly wanted what was best for New York; he wanted to be a good Chief loved by the public.
"Then... Spider-Man really did mess up there." Peter felt a pang of self-reproach. He hadn't realized he had inadvertently sabotaged a police operation.
"It can't be helped. Spider-Man is a vigilante, not a real cop. How could he know the police's plans?" Gwen said.
Even though Gwen said that, Peter still felt uneasy. If that mastermind had been caught, the impact would have been far greater than the few small-time thugs he had grabbed.
"Actually, I sometimes wonder: if Spider-Man and my father collaborated to fight crime together, what would that look like?" Gwen gazed at the starry sky, her eyes sparkling like the stars themselves as she dreamed of the future.
"Collaborating with the police..." Peter thought the idea sounded excellent.
"Unfortunately, that's impossible," Gwen said, her gaze dimming.
"Why?" Peter asked. He was Spider-Man, after all.
Gwen sighed. "Do you think my father, with how much he hates Spider-Man, would ever choose to work with him?"
"He will. Trust me." Peter believed that if he spoke to George personally, anything was possible.
"Hmm? Why are you so confident?" Gwen looked at him suspiciously. Peter felt a bit different right now.
"Uh..." Peter quickly thought of an excuse. "Didn't you say your father is a good cop? Then he must want to catch criminals more efficiently to help the people of New York."
"That... actually makes a lot of sense," Gwen nodded. Peter breathed a sigh of relief, nearly having exposed himself.
Queens
"It's almost nine o'clock. Why isn't Peter back yet?" Aunt May sat on the sofa, looking anxious.
Uncle Ben, on the other hand, looked perfectly relaxed as he watched TV with his legs crossed. "Don't worry, the kid will be fine."
Aunt May turned to look at him, her anger rising at his nonchalant attitude. "Ben! He's your nephew! How can you be so indifferent?" She snatched the remote and turned off the TV.
Ben looked at her with a helpless expression. "The boy is practically an adult. What are you afraid of?" Crucially, Ben knew Peter was Spider-Man. With Peter's skills, even a gun wasn't a threat to him.
"What do you know? He's still a child." Aunt May grabbed her coat.
"Where are you going?" Ben stood up to block her.
"If you don't care about Peter, I do! I'm going outside to see if he's coming back."
"Sigh... stop making trouble for the boy. He's out with a girl; of course he won't be back so soon." Ben felt she was overreacting. Dating isn't something you rush.
"Fine, I'll wait a bit longer. But if he isn't back by nine-thirty, you're coming out to look for him with me." Aunt May sat back down, sulking. When Ben tried to touch her, she pushed his hand away.
"..." Ben picked up the remote to kill time, but Aunt May's sharp gaze immediately pierced him. He felt like needles were pricking his hand and gave up, putting the remote back down.
"I'm finished with my shower, I'm going up now. Aunt May, Uncle Ben," Silas Parker said, drying his hair with a towel.
"Okay, Silas. Make sure to get to sleep early," Aunt May said softly with a warm smile.
Silas didn't comment on the weird atmosphere. He turned and headed upstairs to his room. Just as he was about to open the door, a Shadow Ninja appeared beside him and whispered in his ear.
"So that's how it is. I see." Silas smirked. The ninja reported that a woman in a black catsuit had flipped through his window. The ninjas had planned to deal with her, but Big Shadow stopped them, telling them to wait for the Master.
"Dismissed," Silas whispered. The ninja dissolved back into the shadows.
Silas used a shadow portal to pull out a standard handgun, hiding it behind his back as he gently pushed the door open. With his night vision, he clearly saw Felicia, as the Black Cat, lying on his bed. Silas didn't call her out immediately. Instead, he reached over and flipped the light switch.
The light flooded the room, revealing the seductive figure on the bed.
"Mmm~ Hands up. Give me all your valuables~" Felicia, seeing Silas had "taken the bait," couldn't resist teasing him.
Silas pretended not to recognize her. With a cold, expressionless face, he pulled the gun from behind his back and aimed it. "Say that again."
"..." Felicia's mouth twitched. What the hell?! Why does Silas carry a handgun?!
Staring at the cold, dark muzzle of the gun, Felicia immediately raised her hands and stood up. If Silas pulled the trigger, she'd be in deep trouble; she couldn't dodge a bullet at this range. She had come here to tease him, but she couldn't let her identity be exposed because of her criminal record. If Silas knew about her life as a thief, they might not even be able to stay friends.
"You? Robbing me?" Silas chuckled inwardly. Felicia's performance was amateurish. How had she managed to steal so many jewels? Were her victims all idiots?
"Ahem... It's a small business. My first time," Felicia said awkwardly. Who would have guessed Silas was armed?
"First time? You look pretty practiced," Silas said, fighting the urge to burst out laughing at her flustered state.
Felicia gave him an embarrassed smile. "Uh... I learned it from the movies."
"Movies?" Silas said playfully. "I feel like you look like someone I know."
"You definitely have the wrong person!" Felicia blurted out. It would be beyond embarrassing if he recognized her.
"Is that so?" Silas watched her panic. Then he suddenly said, "Felicia."
"Huh?" Hearing him call her name, she froze. Then she realized—she had been caught. It's a known fact that if someone calls your name unexpectedly, your instinct is to respond.
"Hmm?" Silas sat casually in his chair, pointing the gun toward her. "What the hell are you doing?"
"Well..." Felicia didn't know how to explain her outfit.
Silas wasn't in a rush. He sat quietly, waiting for an explanation. Seeing how calm he was, Felicia knew no excuse would work. She sighed and took off her mask. "Fine. Yes, I'm the Black Cat."
"Black Cat? Cool~" Silas performed a "magic trick," pulling out a newspaper and reading aloud: "'Black Cat, a jewel thief who has appeared recently, is currently wanted by the police. Anyone with information is urged to contact the authorities for a $1,000 reward.'"
The paper even featured a side profile of Felicia in her sexy catsuit.
"Would you believe me if I said I didn't do it, Silas?" Felicia blinked her big, innocent eyes at him.
"Of course—if I were an idiot." Silas tossed the gun onto the desk.
Seeing him discard the weapon, Felicia breathed a sigh of relief. She dropped the act entirely. "How did you figure it out?"
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