Chapter 66: Little Spider's Grand Adventure (Part II) (Patreon)

In DC World With Marvel Chat Group : Table of Content/Chapter List

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Inside the S.H.I.E.L.D. lounge, Steve pointed at a diagram on the whiteboard and said, "As I mentioned before, tactical proficiency isn't just about preplanning the operation; it's equally important to synchronously understand the enemy's intentions, even anticipate their actions before they do."

"The reason your last operation failed was partly because you didn't accomplish this."

"You chose to climb to the rooftop first, which is a good move, seizing a tactical high ground is indeed crucial. However, you made a fatal mistake afterward."

"First, you didn't ascertain how many exits the building had and rashly charged inside."

"Secondly, when conducting operations inside a structure, we generally discourage assaults from high levels. Once you start driving the enemy from above, they'll instinctively move downwards. If there are exits on the lower floors, they can safely leave the building."

"The correct approach is either to encircle from both top and bottom simultaneously or conduct a systematic assault from bottom to top. If you drive the enemy from the lower levels, they will only have the option to move upward and either choose to jump out of a window or get trapped inside, unable to use ground exits. Do you understand?"

Peter was seated at a coffee table in front, writing and drawing in his notebook while asking, "But what if breaking through a door creates noise? What if they become alert? I entered through the window to catch them off guard..."

"Your approach is correct; speed is essential in building-based assaults, as I mentioned earlier. If you plan to drive them from bottom to top, you must first secure all exits before taking action and then breach a window."

"In fact, I don't highly recommend this method. Even though you have unique advantages, your opponent is more knowledgeable about the location and building structure as they are operating in their own territory."

"While you caught them off guard, entering a strange building made the environment entirely unfamiliar to you. If there were any traps in the room, you might not have reacted quickly enough."

Peter wanted to mention his Spider-Sense, but he reconsidered. Steve had a point. Although he saw two people inside when he was hanging from the window, what if Bullseye had set up an ambush? If he knocked over a cup, suddenly dozens of henchmen could charge from anywhere. His Spider-Sense was good for on-the-spot reactions, but it wasn't a crystal ball, nor could it see through walls.

Peter continued writing in his notebook, and Steve added, "Furthermore, you already know your adversary is a cunning criminal."

"You mentioned earlier that a junkyard is a suitable battleground for you two, but don't forget, he has spent far more time there than you. A crafty opponent like him has undoubtedly rehearsed multiple escape routes in his mind."

"Even if he didn't use tear gas on you, a momentary lapse in concentration would have given him the chance to escape."

Peter sighed, saying, "I thought my plan was pretty careful, but it seems I made a lot of mistakes. It's clear that I lost fairly."

Steve walked over and sat next to him, patting his shoulder. "It's normal. You already have a lot of talent. Remember, I've seen those guys in the military who were too scared to even attempt a high-altitude parachute jump, let alone stand on a rooftop. They were trembling just standing on a rooftop, not to mention airborne assaults. You're way ahead of most people from the start."

Peter closed his notebook, saying, "Next time, I won't let him escape."

An hour later, in the laboratory of Stark Tower, Stark was holding an antenna and saying, "The way you're daisy-chaining these connections, while stable, isn't maximizing the antenna's effectiveness."

"Don't talk to me about material limitations! Back in Afghanistan, didn't I build a Mech armor out of scrap copper and rusty iron? I could make a better computer than yours when I was six!"

"Also, your understanding of the 'smart retrieval system' is too shallow. Do you think creating an automatic filtering system counts as 'smart'? Why don't you try crafting a complete AI logic?"

Stark put down the wire, snapped his fingers, and a screen descended from the ceiling. He pointed at the map on it and said, "Look here, this is Hell's Kitchen, right?"

"It has an overall spindle shape, so your signal coverage area doesn't need to be a perfect circle. You can use different wave frequencies to maximize efficiency, like this."

"Furthermore, you could find a stronghold and build a simple signal tower on top of it to monitor specific signals in Hell's Kitchen."

Peter thought for a moment, then used a laser pointer to indicate the central intersection of Hell's Kitchen on the map. He said, "I've already found the central point, where I used the sewer to get around before. Do you think we can place a signal device there? What approach should I take? I feel like my current method, while stable, is not efficient enough."

Several hours later, it was getting dark, and Schiller was about to close up when Peter squeezed through the door crack.

"I heard your operation didn't go smoothly," Schiller remarked.

Seeing Peter looking somewhat disheartened, he nodded and said, "Indeed, while your technology to monitor others' mobile phone signals is effective, I don't believe it's the best method."

"True, it's a straightforward and effective approach, but it's overly crude, causing you to overlook many details."

"Bullseye's trail isn't as invisible as you might think. You're just lacking in reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance awareness."

Peter sat down on the sofa, took a sip of water, and Schiller pulled out his medical records before saying, "Do you know where the most well-informed sources of information about Hell's Kitchen are?"

Peter shook his head.

"I ask you, what are the two things that people can't escape from?"

"Death and taxes?"

"Correct. So, what do you think these two correspond to in Hell's Kitchen?"

"I haven't heard of a hospital or a tax bureau in Hell's Kitchen," Peter replied, shaking his head.

"You must understand that without knowing the rules of Hell's Kitchen, you are unlikely to successfully combat crime here."

Peter admitted, "Well, I admit I was a bit impulsive last night. The moment I thought of what happened to Matt, I couldn't help but want to beat that guy up."

Schiller explained, "Hell's Kitchen may not have a proper hospital or tax bureau, but after Gang Shootouts here, gang members still get injured. Who treats them? Where do these doctors come from? Who employs them? Is there any special information we can gather?"

"And while Hell's Kitchen lacks a tax bureau, these gangs collect a lot of protection fees, and there are numerous industries operating here. Do you really think these gang leaders who never graduated from middle school handle their finances themselves?"

"Who are their accountants? When do they arrive? Do any of them know the gang leader you're looking for? Have they recently come into contact with the person you're searching for?"

Schiller continued, "Furthermore, what about the truck drivers who shuttle through the streets of Hell's Kitchen every day? The taxi and bus drivers?"

"Even if they are part of a gang, they still have to eat. Where does Bullseye order his food? Has he hired any chefs recently? Moreover, has he been to any strip clubs or solicited prostitutes?"

Schiller pointed to the map Peter had opened with his finger and said, "A person living in this world can never leave no trace."

"Someone within a society must interact with others in that society."

"Perhaps, what you imagine as investigation involves searching for physical evidence, like footprints under a magnifying glass, or waiting for someone to leave behind some tangible trace before you can discover something."

"But in reality, every person they've seen, every word they've said, leaves some trace, large or small."

Schiller shook his head and said, "This Bullseye is no master of counterintelligence. If you're willing to invest more patience in investigating these matters, you might not even need to engage in physical combat."

"Investigation is not the prelude to a battle; it's a requiem for the soul."

"If one day you truly master this skill, you'll understand that to deal with these criminals, you don't need to exert physical force."

"I'm not talking about using narcotics or poisoning food and drinks with some petty tricks."

"If you can figure out a person's entire network of social relationships, understand every trace they've left in society, you can leverage countless opportunities from these relationships, achieving great results with minimal effort."

"You don't have to sever any threads; you can deftly unravel the tangled web and reshape it according to your desires."

This time, Peter didn't jot down any notes or doodles in his notebook. Instead, he said, "I may not fully grasp all of this now, but maybe one day when I put it into practice, it will come back to me."

"In truth, I still prefer throwing punches. I always feel that when I resort to these methods, the situation has probably gone terribly wrong." With the sound of the clinic's rolling shutter closing behind him, Peter concluded.

Two days later, a man with target marks on his head was dumped at the doorstep of the Manhattan police station.

Across the street on the rooftop, Spider-Man stood watching as the police took Bullseye inside. The bustling streets of New York City at dusk continued, and this little incident attracted the attention of many passersby, but they soon hurriedly moved on.

"I'm quite surprised," Matt's voice came from behind Spider-Man. He held his cane and said, "In just a few days, you've neutralized Kingpin's biggest informant in Hell's Kitchen. How did you do it?"

Peter stood on the rooftop's edge, hearing Matt's voice. He turned around.

Removing the headpiece of his combat suit, his tousled hair danced in the light of the setting sun, turning into floating strands of gold. He smiled with the youthful innocence and cheerfulness of his age.

He replied, "Well, that's probably because I'm really good at making friends."

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Next Chapter >>Chapter 67: Black Sun and the Bat-Signal (Part 1)