Chapter 210: Spider Rescue Mode
"No rush... no rush," Silas said, shaking his head.
The Shadow General Cultivation Project was something Silas had created himself by studying dark magic and combining it with the unique dark energy of the Shadow Kingdom, rather than relying on system exchanges. While Shadow Generals weren't as expensive as the Eight Demons, they still cost a staggering 100,000 evil Points—a price Silas didn't want to pay.
Through tireless research into dark magic, he had successfully invented a cultivation method. His first subject was Jenny, who had entered the Shadow Kingdom as an infant. Originally, Silas had intended to purge the dark energy from her, as it would eventually consume her consciousness and turn her into a mindless monster.
One night, while Jenny's parents were asleep, Silas stood over her crib for a long time. He ultimately decided to use the girl for his experiment. The Marvel Universe was a dangerous place; without power, Jenny would struggle to survive to adulthood. In his mind, he was helping her. Of course, Silas was self-aware enough to know he prioritized future benefits—giving Jenny the power to survive was just a side effect.
Following successful trials with several animals, Jenny inherited the power of Minak, the general of the Shadow Eater Corps. However, inheriting the mantle of a Shadow General required time for a gradual fusion. Because Jenny was so young, her body couldn't handle the massive power all at once, which explained her enormous appetite—her instincts were forcing her to grow.
John was the second Shadow General Silas was cultivating, inheriting the power of Murasaki, the general of the Razor Shadow Corps. These warriors were tall, lean, and equipped with steel Razors as hard and sharp as blades—even their feet were sharp cones. They possessed incredible close-quarters combat ability and extreme agility.
In Jackie Chan Adventures, their record was impressive. A single Razor Shadow could drive Jackie's team into a retreat, and even Uncle's magic proved ineffective against them until Tohru developed a new spell. Unlike standard Shadow Ninjas, the Razor Shadows were assassins: high attack speed and damage, but fragile. However, their reflexes were so sharp they could use their indestructible Razors to parry almost any attack.
To date, Silas had only unlocked two corps: the Shadow Ninjas and the Shadow Eaters. Once a general was successfully cultivated, the corresponding corps could be summoned. These two were currently enough for his needs, and Silas didn't want to waste Sin Points unlocking others.
If he were to "harvest" a Shadow General prematurely, the subject would lose their consciousness and become a mindless puppet that only followed Silas's orders. Silas didn't want that; a general without the ability to think was boring. Once the cultivation was complete, they would naturally be loyal to him anyway.
Looking over the wreckage of the boardroom, Silas waved his hand. A group of Shadow Eaters appeared and began to feast. They consumed the shadows first, then the flesh of the terrorists, leaving nothing to waste.
"Aah~ Little Black, you guys can handle the rest, right?" Silas's Blacklight Suit retracted automatically, leaving only the mask on his face.
"Of course, Master. The Shadow Knight Corps will clear this 'dungeon' flawlessly!" Little Black led the knights toward the lower floors. Silas preferred commanding from the rear—why do the work himself when he had capable subordinates?
The 20th Floor
CRASH! Glass shattered as a red-and-black figure leaped into the room and landed in a crouch.
"Hi there! Are you guys having a party?" Peter asked, looking around with his fingers splayed on the floor.
The terrorists immediately opened fire. Peter leaped up, sticking to the ceiling. "Whoa! That was close!"
"Time to taste a Spider-Punch!" Peter sprinted across the ceiling to dodge the bullets before diving down. He landed in front of a thug, kicked the rifle out of his hands, and delivered a punch to the head. The thug collapsed instantly.
"Don't worry, I pulled that punch," Peter muttered. He sensed someone trying to sneak up behind him. He fired a web at a nearby trash can and swung it backward. "Heads up! Trash collection!"
Clang! The trash can slammed into the thug's head, fitting perfectly over it.
"Hmm... hazardous waste," Peter noted, looking at the symbol on the bin. He hopped to the right and fired a web net. "What did you guys eat for breakfast? You've got a lot of pent-up anger." The net expanded, pinning several thugs to the wall.
"Living art. I really should have brought a paintbrush." Within three minutes, Peter had cleared the room. He looked up at a ventilation duct. "Time for the spider-exclusive highway."
He webbed the vent cover open and crawled inside. "Looks clean enough." He began navigating the ducts; he needed to find the hostages.
"Peter, are you looking for the hostages?" Gaia's voice asked.
"Uh, yeah," Peter replied. "Can you help?"
"You can activate Rescue Mode," Gaia suggested.
"Rescue Mode?" Peter repeated, surprised. "Uh... activate Rescue Mode?"
As soon as he spoke, the white eye lenses of his mask turned green, and his HUD shifted to a green interface. "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Peter gasped. He looked at his hands—they were becoming transparent!
The suit began to blend Peter perfectly into his surroundings using optical principles to achieve a cloaking effect. It wasn't perfect—if someone looked closely, they could still spot him—so he had to be careful.
"Activating Recon Mode. Testing rescue stimulants... all systems normal." The spider emblem on Peter's chest detached and transformed into a small drone.
To Peter's shock, the spider's eight legs also detached, becoming even smaller micro-drones that scattered in all directions.
"I don't remember designing this!" Peter exclaimed.
"The designer was Mr. Little Black, the Shadow Ninja who created me," Gaia explained.
"That is so cool. I need to sit down and talk shop with him sometime." Peter crawled forward quickly as the micro-drones began sending back data.
Location: 22nd Floor.
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