Chapter 217: Five Departments of the Shadow Corps
"I hope so," Peter replied, clearly not grasping the hidden meaning in Silas's words.
Right now, Peter's mind was occupied by the mystery of the items his parents had left behind. What could they be? Peter had very little memory of his biological parents; his life, as far as he was concerned, truly began at Uncle Ben's house. For a long time, he had even assumed he was adopted from an orphanage until Ben explicitly told him otherwise.
"Don't be like that, Peter. Weren't you excited just a minute ago?" Silas nudged him with his elbow.
"I am! I'm still excited. I just got a bit... distracted," Peter admitted.
"Come on, do it with me. Deep breath—in, and out." Silas helped Peter adjust his mindset, and Peter followed along. Before long, the enthusiastic Peter was back.
Looks like I need to step it up, Silas thought. Seeing Peter so happy, he didn't want any random street crimes to ruin their family trip. To ensure this, Silas had quietly locked Peter's access to the Shadow Kingdom portals. For this week, Spider-Man was going to stay on vacation.
"I've never been to San Francisco before," Peter said, wiping his camera lens and snapping a photo of the sky.
Silas opened a bag of chips. "Me neither."
Despite owning a "door to anywhere" via the Shadow Kingdom, Silas didn't actually travel much himself. He was a homebody, unlike his specialized Shadow Travel Teams.
The Shadow Travel Teams were special squads formed to expand the coordinates of the Shadow Kingdom. With a total of one hundred members, their only goal was to traverse the globe. They were the most relaxed of the Shadow Ninjas—their daily job was to vacation and discover every corner of the world.
Currently, the Shadow Kingdom was organized into five departments:
The Talisman Squad: Once Silas unlocked clues to the Talismans, they would be deployed to retrieve them.The Vanguard (Coffin-Bearing) Squad: These were the frontline combatants. They were the first into battle and served as a reserve pool to fill gaps in other teams.The Domestic Squad: Responsible for Silas's daily life and logistics.The Research Squad: Led by Little Black, they operated within Parker Industries to develop new technology.The Travel Squad: The group currently exploring the world.
The newly formed Shadow Knight Corps had been folded into the Vanguard Squad since they were also frontline fighters.
"Life is good," Silas muttered, munching on chips and enjoying the Jeep's air conditioning.
"You're way too lazy, Silas," Peter said, stealing a handful of chips for himself. In Peter's eyes, Silas was stronger and more efficient than him, yet he seemed to have zero interest in fighting crime. Peter didn't blame him, though—everyone had their own path. As long as Silas didn't use his powers for evil, Peter was content.
"You don't get it. Life is about enjoying the moment," Silas said, then whispered, "Peter, being a vigilante is a massive headache."
Spider-Man was called a hero now, but in reality, the police only tolerated him because they needed his strength. If the authorities ever had their own super-powered enforcers, an "unstable factor" like Spider-Man would be labeled a criminal overnight.
"I'll do my best anyway," Peter said firmly. This was his path as a hero.
"I believe in you." Silas reached into his "bag" and pulled out a juice box, handing it to Peter. "Here."
"Thanks." Peter knew exactly where it came from.
"I need a nap. It's a long drive to San Francisco." Silas pulled on an eye mask. The journey from New York to San Francisco was roughly 3,000 miles—about the distance would take about two days.
"Come on, Silas! It's a long trip, talk to me," Peter groaned.
In the front, Aunt May and Uncle Ben were chatting happily, reminiscing about their school days.
"No, I refuse," Silas said without hesitation. He wanted to close his eyes and focus on Talisman clues and new spells.
Peter sighed, put on his headphones, and turned on some music to pass the time.
The Aftermath
Silas had already sent Misty and Ned back home via the Shadow Kingdom. A Shadow Ninja disguised as Destiny had "rescued" them. Ned hadn't suspected a thing, though Misty had been a bit suspicious. She had even joked: "If Silas weren't right next to me, I'd think Destiny was my boyfriend."
Hearing that, Silas knew Misty was starting to put the pieces together. Ever since the school collapse incident where she had chased after him, she had been curious. Silas had used Alpha to find the surveillance footage from that day and deleted the whole block. If he had only deleted his own segment, it would have been too suspicious—deleting the whole day was a cleaner cover.
As the family car sped away from New York, the city continued its usual rhythm of crime. But the familiar red figure didn't appear. People began to wonder: Where did Spider-Man go?
The Precinct
Mike was walking through the station, his face glowing with satisfaction, with John following closely behind. After the Oscorp incident, Mike had been promoted from Officer to Captain! Even John, a rookie, had been fast-tracked to Lieutenant.
The media had turned them into stars. Their story—charging into the building, engaging in a gunfight, and capturing the terrorist leader without a single scratch—had gone viral. They were being called "The Scourge of Villains." The Commissioner had seized the opportunity to promote them; the department desperately needed a public face of human competence to counter the "Spider-Man does everything" narrative.
"Phew~ John, how does it feel to be a Lieutenant?" Mike asked as they sat in their new office. Because they were promoted as a duo, they shared a large office—a setup the department encouraged for their public image.
"It feels great," John said. It wasn't just the title; it was the authority to handle more serious cases.
"Don't worry, John. Stick with me, and we'll keep climbing," Mike said. He knew he was nothing without John's powers, so he was doing his best to keep John loyal.
"I still have a lot to learn from you, Captain," John said humbly. Mike's calm "defusing" of the bomb had left a deep impression on him.
Just then, a female officer entered and placed a folder on the desk. "Captain, here's the report on the case in Hell's Kitchen from last night."
Mike waved her away, and she nodded and left.
"What do we have here?" Mike opened the file. "The Hell's Kitchen... Cannibalism Case?"
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