Freed from her restraints, Black Cat flexed her sore limbs, frowning. "Why did you bring me here?"
"Do I need a reason?"
Sora Yukihara smiled wickedly.
He casually placed Peter's briefcase aside.
As for the secrets inside, he had no interest in them. Even something as valuable as the decay rate algorithm didn't catch his eye.
If Sora Yukihara wanted something, he would only take the best.
Black Cat said, "You've already taken the briefcase, and my mission has failed. Why not let me go?"
"Keep dreaming."
Sora Yukihara asked, "So, who's your employer?"
Black Cat replied, "I have professional integrity."
"Is that so?"
Sora Yukihara sneered. "You might be a top figure in the thief world, but in my eyes, you're still just a thief. Your so-called professional ethics mean nothing to me."
As he spoke, Sora Yukihara waved his hand, and the threads binding Black Cat's wrists vanished.
She flexed her hands, regaining mobility.
Sora Yukihara continued, "Actually, you don't need to tell me—I already know. The secret of that briefcase was only revealed tonight, and only a handful of people know about it. And the ones capable of hiring a legendary thief like you? Even fewer. Narrow it down twice—how many are left?"
Black Cat's body trembled slightly, but she stubbornly replied, "That's just your guess."
Sora Yukihara sneered. "Fine. Since Norman is so efficient, I suppose I shouldn't let him die too easily."
Black Cat's expression changed. "What are you going to do?"
Sora Yukihara chuckled. "Look at you—getting so worked up. Doesn't that just confirm I guessed right?"
Black Cat gritted her teeth. "If that's the case, then let me go."
"Figures… all looks, no brains."
Sora Yukihara glanced at her figure and sighed. "I caught you. I took the briefcase. I figured out the answer myself. Tell me—why should I let you go?"
"You…"
"What are you trying to do?"
Black Cat retreated instinctively under Sora Yukihara's aggressive gaze.
"What are you afraid of? It's not like I'm going to eat you."
Sora Yukihara's smile grew even more dangerous.
Black Cat tried to turn and run, but to her horror, she realized she couldn't move.
It felt as if countless invisible threads were binding her limbs, controlling her body.
She had never experienced anything like this before.
"What… what are you going to do?"
Sora Yukihara asked casually, "Did you forget what I said earlier?"
A bed-warming maid…
The words flashed through her mind, sending a chill through her body as she desperately tried to regain control.
But it was useless.
She was like a puppet, completely under Sora Yukihara's control.
After struggling for a while—
She finally gave up.
Looking at her exhausted state, Sora Yukihara smiled. "So? Ready to submit?"
Black Cat steadied herself and asked, "Can I redeem myself?"
"How?"
Black Cat said, "I'll trade you a major secret in exchange for my freedom."
"Let's hear it."
Sora Yukihara sounded indifferent.
"About Norman."
"Norman?"
Sora Yukihara immediately felt a flicker of unease.
As expected, Black Cat said, "To most people, Norman is a great inventor, biologist, and businessman. But in reality… he's not human."
"Not human?"
Sora Yukihara laughed. "Right—a billionaire founder of a massive corporation, with unimaginable wealth. Definitely not an ordinary person."
"I mean not human in the literal sense."
"Not human…?"
Sora Yukihara fell into thought.
A detail surfaced in his memory—one many had overlooked. Before his supposed death, Norman had handed something precious to Harry… but the hand he extended was monstrous.
Combined with Norman's identity as the Green Goblin—
It suggested that his illness might have been an act. Even his future "death" could simply be a staged disappearance.
Muttering to himself, Sora Yukihara said, "The Osborn family has a long history of genetic disease. That's why Norman invested so heavily in genetic and biochemical research. To survive—and for his son—he might have experimented on himself."
"You… what are you?"
Black Cat was shaken to the core.
She had risked her life to uncover fragments of this secret, yet Sora Yukihara had pieced together most of the truth from mere hints.
If she knew he wasn't guessing but recalling known outcomes, she wouldn't have been so shocked.
Sora Yukihara asked, "What exactly did Norman inject himself with?"
Black Cat shook her head.
"And his physical condition?"
She shook her head again.
A vein pulsed on Sora Yukihara's forehead, but he suppressed his irritation. "Then do you know anything else? Secret bases, private forces—anything of value?"
Black Cat thought for a moment… then shook her head once more.
"You don't know this, you don't know that—what use are you?"
Sora Yukihara smiled faintly.
Black Cat hesitated, then said, "I have money. I can buy my freedom."
She glanced around the apartment. "From the look of your place and your lifestyle, you're not exactly wealthy. One million dollars. How about it? Or three million—and a good weapon on top of that."
"Black Cat, you're underestimating your own worth."
Sora Yukihara sat down on the sofa, leisurely observing her.
"I can—"
"Ah—! Why are my hands moving?!"
"No! What's happening to me? Why am I…?"
Black Cat's face filled with panic.
Her hands, acting against her will, slowly reached for the zipper of her suit.
The zipper slid down…