Through their conversation on the way, Penguin Man and Peter learned that this kid named Gonzalez often graffitis on the street where the Andrewkin case happened. His gang was typical of street youngsters.
Gonzalez drove Penguin Man to their headquarters in Hell's Kitchen, Brooklyn Area.
Looking at the familiar architectural style, Penguin Man felt a sense of relief. This place was typically the chaotic neighborhood infested with various mobs.
This place wouldn't be considered a slum because the majority of illegal profits from intertwined mob forces kept the area from poverty. Instead, it somewhat flourished. It resembled the community where Penguin Man was raised.
"Aren't you planning to do something?" asked Peter, "You're just going to let them chase after you, you know they won't stop."
Penguin Man's face darkened. Among the car's bumps and jolts, he thought a lot, ultimately, he concluded with, "I will make them pay."
"Sounds tough." Peter turned his head back and said, "Whatever you want to do, do it quickly. I can stay here for a while and protect your safety. You saved New York and Gotham from a lot of trouble, and this is your reward. However, my time is limited. I still need to get back to work."
Now it was Penguin Man's turn to look at him. He continued to gauge Peter's expression, weighing the worth of the promise.
Despite Penguin Man considering Spider Man a naive and recklessly bold kid, he has to admit Spider Man indeed has immense power. And according to his previous investigation, his spider mutation grants him an extremely keen sense of danger — a natural bodyguard skill.
In comparison to Spider Man's strength, what Penguin Man valued more was that this kid was a force to be reckoned with in New York. From the ability to find Penguin Man's location and make his way through the slums to meet him, it was evident that this was the environment he was raised in; even if one doesn't go as far as to say that he was in his element, he would certainly understand it here better than any outsider.
Now, if he wanted to turn things around, he would have to resort to a mob tactic, to start from scratch, at this point an indigenous guide was crucial. He had to admit Spider Man was reliable; as long as he made a commitment, he would definitely keep it.
Penguin Man noticed, upon realizing this, a subtle emotion emerged; his heart was no longer sinking deep down, but rather immersed into some kind of fluid, enveloped and soaked, then started to float, resulting in a sensation of chest expansion.
This sensation was hard to comprehend because Penguin Man had never experienced it before; he couldn't quite express what it was. If he had to analyze its source, it's probably because Penguin Man had never met a teammate whom he could trust.
Especially when Penguin Man was climbing the ranks within the mob, even if there were temporary partners with interests aligned, they eventually turn into enemies; thus, he would never pin his hopes on any other person.
Since he had never experienced the benefits of someone else's help, he wouldn't feel helpless. Gradually, handling everything meticulously on his own became the norm.
But now, just the thought of having Spider Man beside him, Penguin Man's mind filled with pessimistic premonitions. The next second, he thought to himself that at least he wouldn't end up dead.
Immediately, a sense of exhilaration followed. Penguin Man has always been very cautious and considered all possibilities before he acted — never understanding what it meant to let go and do his best. Because he feared death more than failure, if someone could ensure his safety, he could finally experience the joy of going all out.
Penguin Man was raring to go.
Strolling deep into Hell's Kitchen with Gonzalez and Penguin Man, Peter lagged behind, asking Bruce on the headset, "I still don't understand why we're helping Penguin Man."
Peter had his own moral balance; he knew that Penguin Man was not a decent person. Regardless of his traumatic childhood, the evil he had committed should be put on trial.
Batman's trust in him has led him to accept this plan, but he still doesn't understand Bruce's goal. Yet, all Bruce on the other end of the headset did was chuckle and say, "I'm just letting you see his downfall."
Peter didn't understand, and Bruce said nothing more. So he followed behind Penguin Man.
The very first day he arrived here, he encountered an attack. Peter did not have his spider-sense now, but Bruce had somehow received information on the attacker. Peter pretended his spider-sense rang out, warned Penguin Man to evade, and helped him avoid the danger.
Discovering that with Spider Man's help he really didn't need to worry about life-threatening dangers, Penguin Man knew his opportunity to let loose had arrived.
Upon arriving in Hell's Kitchen, Penguin Man observed that it indeed was a good place. No wonder Kingpin could rise from here.
The most unique aspect was that it wasn't entirely mob territory. To put it correctly, it was a mishmash of all sorts — mobs, civilians, police, merchants, rich people, and poor people. People with daytime jobs and people who partied the night away.
Gazing at the skyscrapers in Manhattan, even more opportunity lay here for an underdog to rise. In situations where his life was not in danger, it was downright a speculator's paradise.
Penguin Man was rubbing his hands together, planning on making a big splash here, but he didn't expect to have visitors so soon.