Chapter 64: Little Spider's Big Adventure (Part 1) (Patreon)

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In the end, it was Matt and his girlfriend, Erica, who took on the responsibility of teaching Peter how to drive.

Matt's recent severe injury had helped mend the rift between him and Erica, bringing them back together.

Of course, once Erica had shaken off the effects of her brainwashing, she realized that her actions had been impulsive. Peter had only been trying to protect Matt. She felt a twinge of remorse for stabbing Peter back then. So, when she learned from Matt about Peter's rather challenging journey in learning to drive, both she and Matt took it upon themselves to help Peter with his driving lessons.

It had to be said that Erica was indeed more reliable than the others in this regard. Despite being a Ninja assassin, she displayed considerable patience in teaching.

On this particular day, Peter was attempting to drive on his own, with Erica and Matt sitting in the car, discussing matters concerning Kingpin.

"One day, I'm going to make him pay!" Peter declared. "He used such despicable methods against you."

"Don't be impulsive," Erica cautioned. "The feud between me and Kingpin is complicated, and he's the most notorious crime lord in the entire country. You're not ready to take him on."

"What about Bullseye? I remember he was still in Hell's Kitchen, right? I'll go give him a beating tonight," Peter said.

Erica replied, "The situation isn't favorable right now. After learning about Dragon Bone, Kingpin hasn't immediately targeted The Hand. It seems they've reached some kind of agreement. Worse yet, Kingpin may have hired The Hand."

"That doesn't make sense. If The Hand cares so much about Dragon Bone and knows that Kingpin also wants it, they'll surely turn against him in the end. Doesn't Kingpin know that?"

"That's the worst part. Even if Kingpin knows The Hand won't genuinely cooperate with him and certainly won't hand over Dragon Bone, he's still willing to hire them. This suggests there's something we don't know, something that makes Kingpin take the risk of The Hand turning on him."

"Does he have any big deals going on recently?"

Erica's expression grew serious. "If I have to be honest, you probably already know about it. His drug business."

"You mean that plan he abandoned before?"

"What are you two talking about?" Peter controlled the steering wheel, unable to understand the cryptic conversation between Matt and Erica. During this time period, Spider-Man hadn't yet crossed paths with Kingpin. DaredevilMatt was the one primarily battling Kingpin.

"Kingpin's drug operation on the East Coast has hit a bottleneck. He's already claimed the majority of the market, but he's not satisfied."

"Earlier, I received intel that Kingpin wants to target younger students, using the network he's built in various colleges and high schools to distribute drugs to even younger children who might become addicted. That way, he hopes to surpass his historical sales figures someday."

Peter pounded the steering wheel in frustration and muttered, "Ever since I decided to become a hero, my limits have been constantly tested by people like them. Why do they have no humanity?"

"You'll encounter more monsters like this in the future," Matt said calmly.

His calm demeanor gave Peter a sense of strength.

As the car turned onto a side street, it was getting late, and Peter decided to take Matt's car back and continue practicing the next day.

But just as they made the turn, a blinding light flashed, and Peter instinctively shielded his eyes. Then, his Spider-Sense tingled, and he immediately opened the car door and jumped out.

With a loud "thud," several throwing darts pierced through the windshield, landing on the driver's and passenger's seats.

Peter looked up, and from a nearby high-rise building, several shadowy figures leaped down, accompanied by a cloud of black cigarette smoke. In the blink of an eye, they closed in on the car.

After some training, Peter was no longer a complete rookie. He rolled on the ground to avoid a barrage of darts and then leaped, knocking a Ninja off the car roof.

His strength was considerable, and the Ninja turned into a wisp of cigarette smoke and disappeared in an instant.

Next, another Ninja yanked the car door open, only to find it empty. A cold gleam flashed from a dagger, and Erica appeared by the car's side. She swiftly dealt with one Ninja and scared off another with a toss of her throwing darts.

Matt wasn't in the car either. His heightened senses allowed him to detect the disturbance while the darts were still in flight. He had taken care of one Ninja at the rear of the car and was now approaching, carrying his staff.

"These guys are really troublesome. Last time, we only got one of them, and this time they've all escaped," Matt said.

Peter shook his slightly numb wrist and asked, "What's going on? Have they been attacking you guys recently?"

"We moved to a new place because our old one was constantly plagued by these pests," Erica replied.

"I'm sorry, I've been quite busy lately and haven't had a chance to visit you guys. If I had known you were in trouble, I would have come over."

"It's probably best that you didn't. These people can't be handled with brute force alone. Even Erica and I would need to set traps to take down one of them. In a confrontation like this, they just vanish."

"You can't deal with Ninja's teleportation technique. You need special methods to counter it," Erica added, holding her dagger as she climbed back into the car.

"Should we continue driving? What if they come back?"

"Didn't you notice? They're not here to kill us, just to harass us," Matt explained.

Peter also got back in the car. This time, Erica took the wheel. Peter asked, "So, what's the point of their actions if they can't harm you?"

"We may not fear them, but my neighbors aren't necessarily in the same position. They know that, in order to protect ordinary people, I have to frequently move. This significantly disrupts my ability to go out and combat their industry," Matt explained to Erica.

Erica continued after Matt, "This is a common tactic used by the Hand. Whenever someone opposes them, they send these nearly invincible Ninjas to harass them continuously until they leave the area for good."

"These Ninjas don't have high combat strength, they don't often kill, and they operate in shadows, leaving no evidence behind. Hence, the authorities in that area rarely have a reason to intervene."

"This is where Kingpin's brilliance lies. He utilizes these Hand Ninjas to harass me, ensuring that I temporarily lack the time to hinder his industry upgrades. He knows that even if he goes all-out against me, it won't work in the short term. It will only invite more intense retaliation. However, this persistent annoyance, like a swarm of flies, can significantly slow me down."

Erica steered the car while saying, "Perhaps this is also one of the reasons he chose to cooperate with the Hand. Your previous actions caused him significant losses. Even though Bullseye nearly succeeded, you resurfaced quickly and dismantled several of his underground casinos."

"He already knows that, compared to hiring assassins, constantly harassing you is a better choice."

Matt sighed, feeling somewhat helpless in his current situation.

These Ninjas were quite troublesome. They could lower their heart rates, making it difficult for Matt to pinpoint their exact locations. They would visit his home sporadically, either throwing darts or setting fires, causing a lot of chaos. The landlords didn't care if Matt was being harassed; they only wanted to evict him.

As a lawyer, Matt had a decent apartment in Manhattan, but his place in Hell's Kitchen was just a stronghold. However, those Ninjas always came to disrupt his life, forcing him to move repeatedly, which drained a lot of his energy.

Daredevil had only 24 hours in a day, and he used to sacrifice sleep time to combat crime. But now, during the daytime, he had to write complaints, attend court sessions, and pack his belongings for another move. He had only a short window in the late night to patrol. His efficiency had dropped significantly, and he felt drained.

Kingpin had successfully exploited Daredevil's weakness: Matt was still a part of society, and when faced with such troubles, he had to spend a lot of time to maintain his societal identity.

Erica had her share of troubles too. The Hand didn't show mercy to traitors, and her extended absence had raised Kingpin's suspicions. Bullseye was constantly seeking opportunities to kill her and regain his position.

Peter said, "Although I can't help you with these Ninjas, I can at least go cause trouble for their leader."

"Be careful," Erica warned. "Bullseye is no ordinary person. He's a master acrobat, highly skilled in hand-to-hand combat, and extremely cunning."

"That's good to know. I haven't faced a worthy opponent in a while."

"Didn't billionaire Stark provide you with a combat suit? To deal with Bullseye, you should wear it at all times. He's skilled with projectiles, but if his weapons can't penetrate your combat suit, he'll be much easier to handle."

"The combat suit is still in testing. I received a call from Mr. Stark yesterday; it should be ready in a few days."

As the car arrived on the street near Matt's residence, they all got out. Matt said, "You need to think this through. Once you go after Bullseye, you will undoubtedly come into Kingpin's sight."

"Confronting Kingpin is a true life-or-death struggle, not comparable to dealing with a few muggers or thieves in Hell's Kitchen."

"He will use every imaginable and unimaginable brutal means to kill you. He might become your lifelong nightmare, and wherever you go, you'll need to watch out for his assassins, just like me."

Peter stood on the other side of the car, looking at Matt. The streetlights had gone out, leaving only the faint reflections of lights from residential buildings in the car windows.

Peter asked, "Do you regret it? When you were lying on the operating room bed, did you regret getting involved in all this?"

"If I hadn't gotten involved, I'd probably be in a high-end downtown apartment right now, preparing for a court trial the next day. Maybe I'd be thinking about when to discuss engagement with my girlfriend, or whether to get a dog..."

Erica chimed in, "But now, you're like a rat in the street. Forget about getting a dog; even if you had a tropical fish, its corpse would show up at your bedroom door the next day."

"I didn't think through my decision at that time. Do you think I spent a year pondering before taking action?"

"In fact, I plunged into this bottomless abyss with a heart full of hatred and determination," Matt said.

"While I truly hope you become a superhero because your abilities can save many people, that's also why I'm willing to train you. But I'm not trying to deceive you. I have to remind you that opposing Kingpin means there's no turning back."

"You have to be both just and powerful. If you lack either one, you're on a one-way path to destruction."

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Next Chapter >>Chapter 65: Little Spider's Grand Adventure (Part 1)