[Peter's POV]
I walked out of the Oscorp building and looked outside. It was already dark, and the clock showed 9 PM. I hadn't realized how late it had gotten. Aunt May had already texted me several times.
"Soon, I'll have a complete healing serum," I muttered to myself, a smirk crossing my face as I started walking down the road instead of swinging through the city. I didn't want to be careless. Honestly, sometimes it's better to walk on the road, take it slow, and feel the pulse of the city.
It was late, but the city was still buzzing with life. A few pedestrians, late-night workers, and the usual sounds of traffic filled the air. I took a shortcut and passed by an alley. That's when I heard muffled voices and shouts. My spider sense immediately tingled, warning me that something dark was unfolding.
I sneaked around the warehouse and saw some thugs unloading big boxes into a truck. Thanks to my enhanced senses, I could smell heroin and other drugs, things I'd never tried but had seen too much of in my past life.
A man stepped out of the shadows, dressed in a black-and-white suit, barking orders in broken English. His accent was thick, probably Russian. My enhanced eyesight caught sight of a man bound in ropes, his face battered and his police uniform torn.
"Please, let me go... I swear I won't say anything..." he sobbed, his words barely intelligible, his teeth shattered.
"No," the man in black said coldly.
"I don't like leaving loose ends, and neither does Kingpin." He aimed his gun directly at the officer's head.
"Please..." The officer sobbed even harder.
"Ugh… What should I do?" My heartbeat quickened as my spider-sense screamed at me to intervene and save the officer. But my cold, calculating side kept me rooted to the spot.
While I fought with myself, I heard the gunshot. I looked up just in time to see the officer's head explode, blood and brain matter splattering across the floor. The scene was pure, unfiltered gore.
"Uh..." My stomach churned at the cold-blooded murder, committed without hesitation. The Russian man didn't seem to care about human life at all.
I struggled to suppress the urge to vomit, staring at the officer's lifeless body. It was a harsh reminder: someday, my fate could be the same if I wasn't careful enough or strong enough.
"Boss, what should we do with the body? Leave it here?" one of the thugs, who looked barely 17, asked nervously.
"Are you new?" The man in black frowned.
"Dispose of the body. I don't want anyone snooping around my business," he growled, entering the truck. He cleaned his hands with a handkerchief, wiping away the blood.
Soon, the warehouse was empty, but I didn't forget to leave my little soldiers—ants—near the men, commanding them to stay in their clothes or near them to feed me live images and sounds for future use.
"Hah... I guess human lives are fragile," I sighed, my emotions mixed. Deep down, I knew I could've saved that officer. But I didn't. My sense of justice weighed on me, making me feel guilty.
I had never witnessed such a brutal murder before, and now, standing in its aftermath, I felt emotions I hadn't expected—fear, guilt, anger. Maybe my spider sense was trying to make me feel them, too. Was it connected to the web of life and destiny? Was the Great Weaver manipulating my emotions? I sighed in frustration as images of the officer's exploding head and blood spraying everywhere kept replaying in my mind, like a nightmare.
Lost in my thoughts, I walked back home and took a deep breath.
"I can't let Aunt May see me like this, or she'll start questioning me," I muttered under my breath, releasing all the frustration and emotions I was feeling. I put on the mask of Peter Parker and entered the house.
[After some hours]
I sat in my bedroom after having dinner and some bonding time with Aunt May, but I could feel she knew something was off. All she did was hug me tighter, and I let out a strained smile.
"Hah... what a good woman she is," I thought.
"Peter... you can't stay like this..." I mumbled to myself, focusing on the information my little soldiers had gathered.
His name was Viktor, and he had just delivered a truckload to a compound near Hell's Kitchen. Yes, he worked for both the Russian mafia and Kingpin, managing the shipment of drugs. But he had other businesses—he owned several clubs and had considerable influence in the underworld. A perfect pawn to use.
I had some of my ants track him and keep tabs on the delivery. That's where I'd make my move—raid the heroin and the money. I smirked, thinking of it as the first step in gathering enough resources.
I pulled out my encrypted phone and texted Gwen to meet me at the location.
"It doesn't matter if I'm feeling guilty or not. Slowly, I'll take the necessary steps, whether ruthless or not..." I muttered coldly, determination shining in my eyes.
Before heading out, as the Eternal Spider, I reminded myself to stay cautious. To survive in this world, you have to always stay one step ahead of your enemies. I calmed my mind and activated my infinite eyes, ensuring I had minions planted across a one-kilometre radius around my house. Through them, I saw no suspicious activity. Only then did I pull out my old suit—a little modified with an enhanced web-shooter, as organic webbing drained my stamina too quickly. I also used a voice modifier to change my voice to a deeper tone.
After donning my mask, I crawled onto the roof and jumped off, heading toward the location where Gwen should be waiting.
..
..
I met Gwen in the shadows near Hell's Kitchen, both of us clad in our suits. My Eternal Spider suit blended seamlessly into the darkness, while her Ghost Spider outfit added a unique touch to her presence. She seemed to sense something was off about me, her gaze lingering as if she wanted to ask questions. I shrugged it off, keeping the focus on our mission. My goal tonight was clear: retrieve the drugs and anything else this compound held. Thanks to the ants I'd planted earlier, I already knew the layout. Viktor, the Russian, wasn't here, which suited me just fine—I had other plans for him.
We stood silently on the rooftop, overlooking the Kingpin compound. Gwen's quietness didn't escape me, but I could feel her studying me more than usual, her sharp gaze almost probing.
"Peter," she finally broke the silence, her voice low through the comms. "Are you sure this is the place? It doesn't look like much."
"Gwen, it's always the places that look harmless where the worst things happen," I replied with a soft chuckle.
"Trust me, this is the spot," I assured her.
"I've tracked this compound using a device I planted earlier. It's one of Kingpin's operations, and we're here to shut it down."
She tilted her head slightly. "Kingpin? You never really explained who that is."
I paused for a moment, deciding how much to reveal. Being upfront now would avoid issues later.
"Kingpin… remember the woman and kids we saved? You heard that name back then," I reminded her.
"Yeah," she nodded slowly.
"Well, Kingpin's the guy running the show behind the scenes—drugs, human trafficking, all of it. He's the one pulling the strings. But trust me, you don't want to get tangled up with him," I said, my tone serious.
"In simple terms, he's the bad guy, and we're here to put a dent in his empire," I added, injecting a playful edge to my voice, like a typical hero wannabe.
Her raised eyebrow suggested scepticism. "That's still pretty vague. You've dealt with him before, haven't you?"
"I've had my run-ins, yeah," I admitted. "But tonight's different. This is our first time hitting one of his compounds together."
"And one more thing," I added firmly. "Don't call me Peter—or anything that might connect to our real identities."
"Got it," she nodded. "But we can't just rush in and start beating people up. We need a plan."
I turned to her, already mapping out the next steps. "You'll be the distraction while I sneak inside. It's dangerous, and I don't want anything happening to you."
"Okay," she agreed but added a warning. "Be careful, Peter. Don't let things spiral out of control."
"If something goes wrong, always prioritize your safety," I said, locking eyes with her. "We're not invincible—not yet."
With that, I slipped into the compound, careful to stay undetected. I wasn't underestimating my enemies tonight. Even if they were average, complacency could be fatal.
The guards patrolled the area, oblivious to the storm descending upon them. Their careless movements and idle chatter painted a picture of misplaced confidence. The tension in the compound was almost tangible. Kingpin's reach was vast, but tonight, I was about to sever a piece of it.
I dropped silently from the ceiling, landing with the grace of a predator. The first thug didn't even hear me before I webbed his mouth shut, silencing his scream, and slammed him into the wall. His head bounced off the brick, and he crumpled to the ground, dazed. I webbed his hands to the floor, ensuring he wouldn't get up anytime soon.
Two more thugs rounded the corner, guns drawn. They didn't stand a chance. I shot a web at the first thug's wrist, yanking him off his feet and into a stack of crates. He groaned, but I wasn't done.
The second thug aimed his weapon, but I was already moving. Sliding under his aim, my spider-sense guided me as I vaulted over him in a mid-air flip, landing behind him. A swift strike broke his legs, followed by a brutal twist of his hands. The sickening crack of bones echoed before he collapsed in agony. I ensured he fainted—my code against killing remained intact, even now.
"Hah…" I exhaled, glancing at the downed thugs. Killing felt like it would strip away a part of me. Maybe these men sought better lives, or maybe they were irredeemable. Either way, they'd be bed-bound for a long time.
I turned my attention to the truck where two more thugs stood guard, unloading crates. They hadn't noticed the chaos yet. I disabled them swiftly, rendering them unconscious.
Inside the truck and crates, I found weapons and various drugs. Ensuring no cameras were watching, I used my storage function to discreetly stash the truck and its contents in my inventory. This was precisely why I didn't want Gwen too close—there were things she didn't need to see.
With the exterior cleared, I moved toward the basement door, where muffled cries reached my ears. The sound made my stomach churn, but I couldn't afford to falter. Kidnapping and abuse weren't uncommon in Kingpin's operations.
Opening the basement door, I was met with a gut-wrenching sight. Girls, no older than twelve, huddled in a caged corner, their hollow eyes filled with fear. They'd been taken from the streets, another piece of Kingpin's twisted empire.
"Hah… poor girls…" I sighed, the sight weighing heavily on me. Their fear was palpable, and I soon sensed another presence—Gwen had entered.
"Now you see how much darkness this city hides?" I asked without turning, sensing her turmoil.
"Don't let anger cloud your judgment," I added, grabbing her wrist and looking into her mask. Her emotions—anger, disgust, sorrow—were written all over her.
"They're monsters," she spat, moving to open the cage. But the girls didn't budge, too terrified to move.
"Mhm. And do you think people like this deserve mercy?" I asked, my tone neutral yet probing.
"I know you don't like my methods and might have second thoughts about me, but anyone would change after seeing humanity's dark side," I said, subtly challenging her morality.
"Anyway, I'm calling the police," I said, taking one of the thug's phones and dialling 911.
As we waited, I watched Gwen try to console the girls, coaxing them gently. But their terror was too deep-rooted. I shook my head. I had seen far worse, and it only solidified my resolve—that's why I would do humanity a favour by getting rid of those who were beyond saving.
//How would you have reacted if you had witnessed a real murder?