Chapter 345: Lonely Aunt May
"How did you know?" Peter asked, looking surprised.
Silas Parker continued to stir his cereal nonchalantly. "We're biological brothers, Peter. Do you think I don't know you?"
"Haha~" Peter chuckled, then added, "Yeah, I'm planning to head over there. I want to see if I can find any information about our parents."
"Then I can only wish you success in advance." Silas had no intention of going; he had no time to waste at Oscorp.
"I understand," Peter shrugged, knowing Silas's personality.
After finishing his toast, Peter said goodbye to Aunt May and headed out the door.
"Honestly, we finally have a break, and no one stays to chat with me," Aunt May grumbled. Usually, unless it was the weekend, May was home alone all day. Uncle Ben had to work to make a living, and the Parker brothers were busy with school. Her only neighbor was old Mrs. Sith, but since she was quite elderly, May didn't have much in common with her.
"Silas, where are you planning to go?" Aunt May asked as she cleared the table.
Silas put down his spoon and thought for a moment. "I have something to take care of. I'll be back soon."
Silas could tell that Aunt May felt lonely and wanted someone to talk to or go shopping with. Unfortunately, he was genuinely busy; he needed to deal with the fallout of the Mandarin's death.
"Alright then, have fun," Aunt May smiled and sat on the sofa, turning on the TV to pass the time.
After finishing breakfast, Silas glanced at his aunt on the sofa before slipping into the Shadow Kingdom.
The Shadow Kingdom
"Master!" As soon as Silas entered, Therrus immediately bowed.
Silas nodded and took his seat. "How is the Ten Rings doing after the Mandarin's death?"
"Everything is the same. They don't know he's dead yet; they think he's out on some major operation," Therrus reported.
"Are you the one in control now?" Silas asked.
Therrus nodded. "Yes, Master. Because the Mandarin trusted me, I was the one left in charge of his orders while he was away."
In terms of undercover work, Therrus had achieved something remarkable. Once the news of the Mandarin's death broke, Therrus would likely become the new leader. However, the Ten Rings' cohesion relied entirely on the Mandarin and his rings. Without them, it was uncertain if they would follow anyone else.
"The Ten Rings has many members spread across various countries," Silas mused, thinking about how to handle them. To be honest, with the Shadow Ninjas, he didn't really value the Ten Rings members—they were weak and not 100% loyal. But letting such a resource go to waste felt like a pity.
"You," Silas pointed at Therrus. "From today on, you no longer need to hide your abilities. I want you to seize total control of the Ten Rings in the shortest time possible."
"Rest assured, Master! Leave it to me!" Therrus said, his face lighting up with joy. Since being turned into a Shadow Ninja, he had stayed hidden by the Mandarin's side, acting like a normal person and even enduring bullying from other members. Now, he could finally unleash his true power.
Swish!
A large, spinning silver shuriken appeared in Therrus's hand—the signature weapon of a Shadow Ninja. "In less than half a month, the Ten Rings will be renamed the Shadow Gang."
Silas shook his head. "No, keep the name 'Ten Rings.' we still need someone to take the blame for things."
"I understand, Master." Therrus caught on. Silas wanted a scapegoat. With a wave of Silas's hand, Therrus dissolved into a blue mist and departed.
"How is the progress on the Ten Rings?" Silas asked the air.
"It is not going well, Master. The power within the rings is formidable. Our current technology cannot crack them," Genji said, appearing before him. Silas had granted him permission to enter the Shadow Kingdom.
"A bit of a hassle then," Silas smiled. "Any other news?"
"No. Research resources are abundant, and all projects are progressing rapidly, except for the rings," Genji reported. As an AI, Genji had been spearheading tech projects to bolster Parker Industries. Currently, the company's value was soaring, nearly rivaling Stark Industries.
While Stark Industries had dipped after closing its weapons division, Tony's discovery of a new element for clean energy had made the company more powerful than ever. Currently, New York's business giants were Stark, Parker, and the declining Oscorp.
"I'll handle the rings myself. You and Little Black manage the rest," Silas said. He decided to use his own magic to analyze the power of the Ten Rings. Relying on tech was too optimistic. While he could wear them, he preferred to absorb the power directly.
"Magic book," Silas whispered. A bright red tome appeared in his hand. Every page of the Compendium of Magic cost 100 Evil Points—truly a "golden house" within a book.
"Understood, Master," Genji said. A Shadow Ninja respectfully presented the Ten Rings to Silas. Genji bowed and left for the base in Africa.
"None of these spells seem right..." Silas murmured, flipping through pages of useless magic.
Hawaii
"No tourists allowed today," two men in grey work clothes said, blocking a group of Shadow Ninjas.
"Aren't tourists allowed to roam freely?" asked the leader of the Talisman Squad.
The worker shook his head. "You can follow the trails, but you cannot enter this specific area today."
"Fine, we understand," the leader said, giving his teammates a look.
Thump! Thump!
Two ninjas struck the workers with the sides of their hands, knocking them unconscious. The leader pulled out the Talisman Tracker. The dragon's eyes on the device glowed a piercing red.
"It's in there." The leader led the squad into the forest. They had tracked the Dragon Talisman to the volcanic crater of Mauna Loa. Since there were no shadow coordinates there, they had to travel on foot.
They moved like martial arts masters, leaping across treetops. Reaching the crater, the leader checked the tracker again. The signal was coming from inside the lake.
"It's in the water. Who's going down?" the leader asked.
The teammates looked at each other, none wanting to jump into the freezing water.
"I have an idea," Ninja No. 2 said. "Let's play Rock Paper Scissors. The loser has to go find it."
"Agreed!" The ninjas raised their hands in unison.
"Group Yourselves!" The leader said. Their master had given them three days; they weren't in a rush on day one.
So, nine Shadow Ninjas started playing by the lake. Eventually, the losers—No. 3, No. 5, and No. 9—prepared to dive.
"Over to you," the leader said, handing the tracker to No. 3.
No. 3 took it, silently vowing never to "pick rock" again. The ninjas dove into the deep, following the glowing red light of the tracker into the depths of the Lake.
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