Chapter 214: Awakening
Currently, no matter who operated the computers, their authority could not exceed Gaia's.
After swiftly completing her task, Gaia left the system and returned to Peter's Spider-Suit. Meanwhile, Peter was busy rescuing people trapped under the rubble; he refused to abandon anyone.
"Hang on!" Peter arrived at a pile of debris, squatted down, and heaved the heavy slabs upward with both hands. "Hurry, get out!"
"Thank you, Spider-Man!" The people trapped behind the ruins scrambled out one by one, not forgetting to shout their gratitude as they fled.
Once Peter saw everyone had evacuated, he tossed the debris into a far corner with a heavy thud.
Boom!
"Phew~ all done." Peter fired a web line and swung out of the Oscorp building. From his vantage point, he could clearly see the thugs being led away by the police.
Silas hadn't let the Shadow Eaters consume all the villains, fearing Peter would get suspicious. Instead, he had left several unconscious thugs in corners for the authorities to find.
"Everything's back to normal. Spider-Man deserves a good rest, hmm~" Peter stretched comfortably. He was exhausted.
In a House in Clinton
"Well, it's settled." Matthew Murdock sat on his sofa, listening to the news report on the television. He knew the criminals had been dealt with.
Originally, he had intended to rush over to help after settling Jenny, but the little girl had kept him busy until now. Matthew had bought the TV recently; normally, he only needed a radio since he was blind. But with Jenny in the house, things were different—a child couldn't grow up without cartoons.
"Can we change the channel, Uncle Matthew?" Jenny didn't want to watch the boring news; she wanted cartoons.
"Sure, Jenny. Here you go." Matthew handed the remote to her.
Jenny happily took it and switched to her favorite, My Little Pony.
"Sigh~" Matthew began reading a Braille book, thinking to himself: Having another person in the house really changes everything. He just wondered how his girlfriend would react when she found out.
While Jenny was watching intently, a fist-sized Shadow Eater emerged from her shadow, carrying a bag of fries in its mouth.
"Thanks!" Jenny snatched the fries immediately.
Seeing its snack stolen, the Shadow Eater rolled around on the sofa in a huff. It had worked hard to get those fries, only for the General to take them!
"Go on!" Jenny tossed a fry toward the back of the room. The Shadow Eater immediately looked up, stuck out its tongue, and chased after it.
"Hmm? Have you called out your little pet again?" Matthew asked, perceiving the movement through his 3D mental map.
"His name is Little Five. He's the smallest of my pets," Jenny explained.
Night — The Precinct
The police station was holding a commendation ceremony. Mike, the veteran Captain, was the guest of honor. Because of his outstanding performance in the battle, he had been promoted!
When a reporter asked Mike why he fought so hard, he shouted to the crowd: "I am irreconcilable with evil!"
Queens
"Aah~" Peter lay on his bed with tired eyes. He felt incredibly sleepy.
"What's wrong, Peter?" Silas handed him a glass of juice.
Peter took it and said, "I'm beat. I'm not staying up late with you tonight. We have that road trip tomorrow."
"A road trip... well, sleep early then," Silas chuckled. Personally, he didn't have high hopes for the trip's success.
"I'm heading back." Peter downed the juice, jumped up, and flipped through the window back to his own room.
Once Peter was gone, Little Black appeared. "Master, there has been a slight hitch in the Shadow General Cultivation Project."
Hell's Kitchen
"Where's the stuff?" A scrawny young man stood shivering in a corner.
"Stuff? Don't play with me, Kezli. You think this is enough?" A large thug was holding a crumpled five-dollar bill.
Kezli explained frantically, "I'm sorry! I tried to sneak into Oscorp during the chaos to steal some, but those thugs caught me and held me hostage!"
"And?" The thug slapped Kezli's face with the bill. "What's that got to do with me? I want my money."
"Please... please, I feel like I'm dying." Kezli's breathing became ragged as he clutched the thug's clothes. His withdrawal was hitting hard.
"Begging me?" the thug sneered. "Who do I beg for my money? I've seen enough of your kind. Get lost!" He roared and landed a heavy punch on Kezli's face. Kezli saw stars as the world spun.
Thud! Kezli hit the ground.
The thug brushed off his clothes and turned to leave.
"Give me one more chance!" Kezli miraculously stood up, fueled by a sudden surge of strength.
"F***," the thug muttered. He grabbed a nearby shovel. "I'm telling you, one more word and I'll bury you." He wouldn't actually do it—that would bring the cops—but he had a reputation to protect in this neighborhood.
"I... I..." Kezli reached his breaking point. Veins popped on his forehead, and his eyes bulged as if they were about to burst.
"Get lost!" The thug kicked Kezli in the gut, then tossed a small bag of white powder. "This is it. After this, you won't see another grain." He wanted Kezli to have one last hit before facing the reality of being cut off.
Kezli's eyes lit up at the sight of the powder. He scrambled to pick it up and began using it right there on the street.
"Heh..." The thug looked at him with disgust, as if he were a dog chewing a bone.
"Hey! What are you doing!" Two beams of light cut through the dark.
The thug looked up. "Crap! Cops!" He bolted without looking back.
Kezli, lost in his high, didn't notice the lights until he felt hands grabbing him.
"Got some nerve, haven't you? Using right out in the open!" The policeman pinned Kezli's arm. These were patrol officers who usually ignored fights to avoid trouble, especially since they were often bribed. But Kezli was too blatant; if this hit the internet, they'd lose their badges.
"Just what I need to blow off some steam," the other cop grinned. They planned to take him to the station for a "roughing up"—they could always claim he resisted arrest.
"I need more... MORE!" Kezli's eyes turned blood-red, a crimson glow piercing the night.
"Monster! Monster!" The terrified cop let go of Kezli and scrambled for his gun. He didn't hesitate to pull the trigger.
Suddenly, a long black tentacle lashed out in front of the officer.
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