"It seems you already know."
After entering the apartment, Charlie calmly walked into the living room and poured himself a glass of water.
By the fridge, Aleksei sheepishly put down an expired carton of milk.
Seeing the apartment's owner so calm, he wiped his mouth and said, "Seems like you already know too."
Charlie frowned. Something was off about this guy.
The chemical polymer attached to Aleksei's skin had been shattered, yet he still dared to come looking for him so boldly—there had to be a plot!
But what did he mean by that?
What was it that Charlie was supposed to know?
"When did you find out?" he asked.
He was referring to his real identity.
"What?" Aleksei scratched his head, not understanding what Charlie was talking about.
Not thinking too much about it, Aleksei continued, "I'm really sorry for disturbing you this late."
Saying this, he pointed to a bouquet of flowers on the table. "But I brought a gift."
Charlie: "..."
"You're still so polite," Charlie said.
Aleksei nodded. "That's the last thing my mom taught me... wait, you seem to know me?" He looked confused.
Charlie rolled his eyes. "Don't you recognize me?"
Aleksei looked bewildered, and then it suddenly dawned on him.
"I get it. You already knew about this. She must've told you."
"I didn't know before, but now I do."
Charlie walked over to the window and pointed at the open area outside. "Let's talk somewhere else. If we fight here, I'll have to pay for the damages."
"No need for all that."
Aleksei smiled nonchalantly. "I know you want to beat me to death, but I still have to say what I need to say."
He put down the keys he was holding. "She wanted me to tell you she's going to steal your most important possession. It seems like a taunt."
"But from your reaction, I guess it's some kind of romantic prank between you two. She's tricked me again."
"But no matter—doing something this dumb before I die is actually kind of fun."
Charlie: "???"
"Who wants to steal my most important possession?"
"You don't already know?"
"When did I say I did?"
"Just now."
Charlie: "..."
It seemed there was some misunderstanding.
"Alright, thank you for the gift."
Charlie poked at the bouquet of flowers, which were covered in dirt—clearly plucked from a park.
"Do you know who I am?" Charlie asked.
"Black Cat's boyfriend," Aleksei said confidently.
Charlie held his forehead in exasperation. What was this guy even talking about?
"My name is Charlie Parker," he said.
"Charlie?" Aleksei's expression changed. "So you—you're—"
Seeing his reaction, Charlie smiled slightly. "So now you know who I am. That makes things easier."
Just as Charlie was about to make a move, Aleksei clutched his stomach with a pained expression.
"Oh, I shouldn't have stolen that expired milk from your fridge."
He clutched his stomach and squeezed his legs together, looking up at Charlie with a forced smile.
"So, Black Cat's boyfriend is named Charlie Parker. If her enemies find out, you'd definitely be in danger."
Hearing this, Charlie twitched the corner of his mouth.
He was at a loss for words.
What were he and this guy even talking about?!
Was it even the same thing?
But Charlie was starting to understand. Black Cat had sent Aleksei to find him and boasted that she would steal his most important possession.
Black Cat—Felicia Hardy—the daughter of Walter Hardy, the legendary thief.
She and her father were the ones who had helped him clean his apartment.
Charlie had already figured out their identities but hadn't paid it much mind, especially since he didn't have anything of great value.
The two of them were so eager to help with cleaning, probably because they had their eyes on something in his possession.
Back then, the only significant thing he had was a black spine, which he had since given to S.H.I.E.L.D.
So it wasn't that.
If it wasn't that, then Black Cat likely knew his identity.
Stealing Spider-Man's most important possession would certainly make Black Cat famous in the underworld.
But what was Spider-Man's most important possession?
Family, friends, loved ones... anything else?
Money?
No way—Spider-Man was the poorest.
Could it be my innocent heart longing for true love?
Haha, quite an eye you have there.
Lost in thought, Charlie watched as Aleksei ran to the bathroom, unable to hold it any longer.
"That's the guest room—the bathroom's next door," Charlie called out.
"Thanks."
Whoosh~~
As the sound of a sudden torrent echoed from the bathroom, Charlie shook his head and started clearing out expired food from the fridge.
He hadn't been home for two weeks, so a lot of stuff had gone bad.
A few minutes later, Aleksei came out of the bathroom looking pale.
"Expired milk and moldy pizza—I've gotten so fragile?" he lamented. "I used to eat stuff like this without any problem."
Charlie glanced at him. "Looks like you're worse off than me. This stuff isn't even fit for a dog."
"I used to be worse off than a dog."
Aleksei smiled bitterly. "You can beat me to death now. I won't fight back."
"No rush. I'm hungry. Want to eat something?" Charlie said, walking toward the kitchen.
Aleksei shook his head. "I have no appetite."
"Imported steak. A gift from my rich friend."
"I'll eat!" Aleksei's eyes lit up.
Just as he finished speaking, his stomach twisted again, and he ran to the bathroom once more.
Ten minutes later, Charlie brought two plates of steak to the table.
He pushed one plate toward Aleksei.
"Eat."
"Mm, thanks. I've never had imported steak before." Aleksei carefully cut off a piece of meat with a knife and fork, savoring the experience as he put it into his mouth.
Charlie's eyelid twitched. "You're enjoying it before it's even in your mouth?"
"I can imagine it first."
After swallowing the steak, Aleksei said, "If you've eaten the worst food in the world, you'll learn this skill. It helps you eat any kind of garbage."
Hearing this, Charlie shook his head.
"What a pitiful guy."
Charlie muttered, then put down his knife and fork, picking up the entire steak with a pair of chopsticks and taking a big bite, juices running down his mouth.
Delicious!
"So, how did you meet Black Cat?" Charlie asked, chewing.
Aleksei tried to mimic Charlie and use chopsticks but failed. He then used his hands instead.
"She showed up when I was waiting to die."
"Your first meeting, and she asked for your help?"
"Yes."
"You don't seem like the helpful type."
"Black Cat is really pretty. She charmed me."
"That's an excuse. How pretty could she be?" Charlie had seen Black Cat without makeup.
After thinking for a moment, he added, "Well, she is pretty."
Aleksei grinned. "I'm really envious that you have such a pretty girlfriend. She must be—"
"Must be what?"
"Never mind, I don't use foul language when I'm not working."
"If you keep being so polite, I might decide not to beat you to death."
"Sorry, but this steak you cooked is really good—it tastes like home."
"Aunt May taught me. You could come over and try it sometime."
"Really?" Aleksei looked at Charlie with hopeful eyes.
Charlie rolled his eyes. "Of course not. I'm about to kill you."
"Oh, that's really a shame."
Aleksei continued devouring his steak. "Honestly, I'm really envious of you. You get to live a normal life—that's always been my dream."
Charlie set down his chopsticks. "Then why did you join the underworld?"
Aleksei lowered his head. "I didn't really have a choice."
"I understand—most people don't. But you should pay the price for what you've done wrong." Charlie said.
"No one taught me that."
Aleksei picked up the plate, licking the last of the sauce clean before putting it down with a satisfied smile.
"Thanks for the meal. I was really happy. If I survive, I'd like to be your friend."
"We'll see."
Charlie didn't agree outright. He stood up to clear the dishes.
"Ever heard of Spider-Man?" Charlie asked.
"Of course. And let me brag a little—I fought him twice." Aleksei smiled proudly.
Charlie's mouth twitched. "Who won?"
"Of course, I lost."
Aleksei didn't seem disappointed at all.
He smiled. "Because of him, I'm about to die."
"And you're still smiling."
"That's called politeness. My mom always said not to spread negative emotions to friends."
"She was a good mother."
"I think so too."
"So, since you're a guest in a friend's home, you should do the dishes."
"Uh, I don't think my mom ever... okay, I'll do it."
Aleksei walked into the kitchen, with Charlie standing right behind him.
"Do you know who Spider-Man is?"
"What?"
"I mean, does your boss—or anyone you know—know Spider-Man's true identity?"
"Of course not. If the boss knew who Spider-Man was, he'd have had his house blown up by now."
Hearing this, Charlie let out a slight sigh of relief.
Before he could continue questioning, Aleksei continued talking to himself, "Let me tell you a secret. I saw my boss team up with a mysterious organization."
"They're called HYDRA, supposedly really scary. They know who Spider-Man is, but they refuse to tell the boss."
"But recently, something happened to them."
Aleksei turned to whisper, "Their leader died. Guess who it was."
"No idea."
"Haha, I knew you wouldn't know."
Aleksei said proudly, "But I know—their leader was Captain Steve, the legend from the last century, a guy who tried to take over the world."
"He was killed by Spider-Man, and with him went all the secrets about Spider-Man."
Charlie frowned. "HYDRA is a huge organization. There must be files about Spider-Man's secrets."
Aleksei scratched his head. "Really? I wouldn't know. I'm just a hired thug."
Charlie shook off his thoughts. "If—and I mean if—you run into Spider-Man after you die, what would you do?" he asked.
"Run into Spider-Man after I die?"
Aleksei's face twisted into a ferocious look, and Charlie couldn't help but roll his eyes internally.
"What are you pretending for?"
"Uh, you caught me. I became my boss's top enforcer by using this expression."
Aleksei gave an embarrassed smile. "I know what you're getting at. They say Spider-Man never dies—I proved that."
"If I do run into him again, I'd definitely want to teach him a lesson. It really hurt when he beat me up—both times."
"Okay, got it. You won't die."
Charlie smiled, then took out his phone to send a message.
Instead of making another opponent for the resurrection match, he figured it was better to let Carter lock Aleksei up.
He'd planned this for a while.
Aleksei didn't notice Charlie's actions. He continued to wash the dishes, and even cleaned up the kitchen a bit.
"It's getting late. Seems like you won't get the chance to kill me. My boss's assassins are probably already here."
He looked out at the night sky. "The rain stopped. I should go—otherwise, your stuff here might get wrecked."
Just as he finished speaking, a shadow moved outside the window, making Charlie's heart skip.
"You can't leave," Charlie said.
"Why?"
"He's right—you can't leave."
As the mocking voice sounded, the window shattered.
Aleksei's face changed, but before he could turn around, a long green tail lashed through the broken window.
"Wait..."
Just as he opened his mouth, the tail wrapped around his throat, lifting him into the air.
Seeing this, Charlie flipped back to avoid the attack.
A lizard's tail...
Could it be?
He was taken aback.
Crack, crack, crack-
Sure enough, a terrifying giant green lizard slowly climbed up onto the shattered windowsill, his gaze cold as he stared at Aleksei, who was now suspended by his tail.
"Grrr... Baldie, your boss wants you dead. Are you ready?"
Cough... you...
Aleksei's face turned red, unable to complete a sentence with his throat constricted by the tail.
"Want to beg for mercy?"
The Lizard grinned, revealing a savage smile, clearly enjoying the torture.
But the next second, as he caught a glimpse of Charlie in the corner, his pupils shrank, and his eyes quickly looked away.
"Why are you hiding here?" he yelled at Aleksei. "I get it. You must be planning to take him hostage—you scum."
Aleksei: "..."
I didn't say anything!
Without waiting for Aleksei to explain, the Lizard's rage grew, and he swung his tail violently, smashing Aleksei into the bedroom wall, burying him in bricks.
Boom~~
"No! This will cost me money!!" Charlie screamed in frustration.
The Lizard seemed to ignore his words, striding toward Aleksei.
As he passed by Charlie, he said softly, "Don't worry, he can't hurt you."
Charlie: "???"
That voice...
It really was Professor Curt!
Cough, cough...
At that moment, Aleksei, buried under bricks, shouted hoarsely, "Don't hurt... cough... please..."
"Begging me?"
Professor Curt sneered. "It's no use. Today, you must die."
"Oh my God, did I just hear that right? You want to kill him?"
At that moment, a grappling hook shot through the window, a black figure propelled by the line landed gracefully on the windowsill.
"Sorry, but this guy is mine. You won't be able to kill him."
Wearing an eye mask, Felicia Hardy glanced at Charlie, tilting her head with a wink. "No need to thank me too much."
Charlie: "..."
A villain saving Spider-Man.
This world had finally gone mad.
______
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