Chapter 307: Peter's Mercy
A high-speed silhouette streaked through the skyscrapers, closely pursued by a red-and-blue figure.
"Hey! Sir, you're speeding! Please pull over for an inspection!" Peter shouted, chasing Toomes through the air.
Toomes glanced back, irritated. This Spider-Man was like a persistent ghost; no matter what happened, he kept coming.
"Here's a gift for you, Spider-Man!" Toomes pulled a mechanical spherical bomb from his pocket. He pressed a red switch and hurled the device into a nearby office building.
Smash!
The glass shattered, terrifying the staff inside. As they stared in confusion at the round object rolling on the floor—
Thwip!
A white web line shot through the broken window, stuck to the bomb, and yanked it back out.
"Don't litter! Returning to sender!" Peter used the momentum of his swing to hurl the bomb back toward his pursuer.
BOOM!
The bomb detonated right behind Toomes. Shrapnel sprayed outward, and several pieces lodged themselves into his mechanical wings.
Sputter! Fizz!
The wings malfunctioned, sparking and emitting a harsh, grinding screech. Toomes lost his balance in mid-air, wobbling and swaying violently from side to side. Peter seized the moment, firing another web that stuck firmly to the mechanical harness on Toomes's back.
"Stop right there!" Peter gripped the web line tight, using the side of a building to gain leverage as he tried to reel the villain in.
The Party Crisis
While the two were duking it out in the sky, things had become incredibly awkward for Ned back at Harry's party. Harry had led everyone into his private home bar, where students were sipping drinks and chatting on stools. Everyone was waiting for the "friend" Ned had promised. Ned sat there silently nursing a drink, chanting Peter's name in his head.
"Ned, are you lying to me?" Betty Brant asked, her voice tinged with doubt. If Ned had lied to her about something like this, she was definitely going to break up with him.
Harry glanced at his watch and walked to the center of the small stage with a smirk. "It's seven o'clock. Why hasn't our classmate Ned's 'friend' Spider-Man shown up yet? The party is almost over," Harry teased. Seeing Ned humiliated was a highlight for him.
"Yeah! Ned, were you just playing us?"
"Seriously, that's not cool at all."
"C'mon Ned! We don't have all night!"
The crowd was turning on him. Flash Thompson silently hid the "Welcome Spider-Man" light-up sign he had specially prepared behind his back.
"Now, everyone, don't be like that. I'm sure Ned wouldn't lie to us. Let's let Ned speak for himself!" Harry said, clearing a spot on the stage. He was making sure Ned had nowhere to run.
Faced with the inevitable, Ned gritted his teeth and stepped up to the microphone with a forced smile. "Uh... about Spider-Man, actually, he..." Ned was about to admit he lied.
CRASH!
Suddenly, a red figure smashed through the ceiling and tumbled onto the floor, startling everyone. Once they realized it was Spider-Man, the room erupted.
"YES! It's really him!"
"Spider-Man, look over here!"
"We're your biggest fans!"
Flash frantically flipped the switch on his sign. "Spider-Man! Do you remember me?!"
Is this Harry's party? Peter thought, pushing himself off the floor. He looked at his excited classmates; he hadn't intended to come here, but the fight had brought them right to the villa.
"See! I told you he was coming!" Ned shouted, his worry vanishing instantly.
Looking at the crowd of students rushing toward him, Peter shouted urgently, "Everyone, get out! Run!"
BOOM!
Another figure crashed down—a man in heavy mechanical armor. One of his wings was shredded, and he looked battered and furious.
"AAAH! RUN!"
"GET OUT OF HERE!"
The students panicked and scrambled for the exits. Only Harry, standing in the middle of the chaos, let out a silent laugh. You finally showed up, Spider-Man. He didn't even acknowledge the armored "Vulture."
"You are such a pest!" Toomes roared, raising his weapon.
BOOM!
Peter was blasted backward again. Just before he hit a student, he fired a web to pivot his body and change his trajectory. The two resumed their battle inside the bar. Glass bottles shattered, and furniture was pulverized as the small space became a war zone.
Peter was at a disadvantage. He had to dodge attacks while ensuring the fleeing students didn't get caught in the crossfire. Toomes, sensing Peter's distraction, pressed the advantage.
SLAM!
Toomes pinned Peter against the bar counter. "You've pushed me too far, Spider-Man."
"Really? I think you're the one overstepping. This isn't even your bar," Peter quipped, kicking Toomes back and flipping onto his feet.
The students had all cleared out, leaving only the two combatants. "This is going to cost a fortune to fix," Peter noted, looking at the wreckage.
"Don't worry, you won't be alive to pay for it," Toomes snarled, firing a laser.
Peter ducked, feeling the searing heat pass over him. He instinctively slipped into the Shadow Kingdom to reposition. The laser sliced through the support beams of the ceiling. With a deafening roar, the roof began to collapse.
Just as Toomes thought he had won, Peter leaped back out of the shadows. "You should join a demolition crew. You'd make a killing."
"You little—" Toomes started, but he was interrupted.
KABOOM!
A secondary explosion from the damaged gas lines or high-tech debris tore through the room. The shockwave sent Toomes flying. As a regular human inside the suit, the blunt force trauma was too much; he collapsed, unable to get back up.
Flames began to lick at the walls like hungry snakes. The building was groaning, and thick, suffocating smoke filled the air.
"Dammit..." Toomes groaned, his body trembling. He couldn't move his legs. Is this it? He painfully reached up and opened his faceplate to gasp for fresh air. Above him, a massive, heavy chandelier was swaying precariously, its supports failing.
Toomes closed his eyes, waiting for the end.
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