Chapter 875: Shining Stars, Rotten (Part 20) (Patreon)

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

XXX-----XXX-----XXX-----XXX

"Quickly come out of there! Otherwise, we'll open fire!"

In front of a store in New York, several police officers stood between their patrol cars, pointing their guns at a man inside a bakery. The man, in his forties or fifties, appeared to be a father picking up his daughter from school. He had a pink backpack on his shoulder that seemed mismatched with his age.

He repeatedly waved his hands backward, signaling for his daughter, who was picking out bread inside the shop, not to come out. He raised his hands and said, "Officers, what's going on? What have I done wrong?"

"Somebody reported that you were using mutants' special abilities to endanger the safety of the children in the elementary school in the community. Now, put down whatever you have in your hands, crouch down on the ground, and don't move. We need to search you!"

"Mutants' special abilities?" The man wore a bewildered expression. He said, "My special ability is just that I can produce a little bit of glue on my fingernails. How can that be harmful?"

"Dad, I've picked out the bread. Can we leave now?" Behind him, a girl in a skirt, his daughter, wanted to come this way. The man immediately pushed her back and said, "Elisa, wait, don't come out! I need to talk to them!"

"Officers, you must be mistaken. I don't have any powerful mutant abilities, and I couldn't possibly harm any children. Today is the school's open day, and I went to help my daughter with her craft project."

"Shut up! Put your hands on your head and crouch down! We've received reports from other parents that you posed a threat to their children. Get in the car with us!"

As they spoke, several police officers handcuffed the man. However, at that moment, another police car arrived, and Chief George stepped out of the vehicle. He addressed the officers, "Which precinct are you from? Do you have an arrest warrant? Who's your superior?"

Although Chief George was relatively old, years of experience in the field had not diminished his authority. He exuded a commanding presence, like a lion king that still held sway. He scanned the faces of the officers and said, "No arrest warrant? On what basis are you detaining him?"

"We received a report..."

"Receiving a report allows you to make an immediate arrest? Is this how you've been trained? Release him immediately, or I'll have to talk to your superiors!"

At this point, several journalists rushed out from the crowd, holding microphones and aiming them at the individuals involved. The man on the ground was the first to be bombarded with questions.

"Hello, sir. Are you a mutant? How do you respond to the allegations against you? Did you use dangerous mutant abilities at the community school with the consent of the school authorities and other parents?"

"But I haven't..." Before the man could finish his sentence, another journalist interjected, "The police say you were reported by other parents. Have you considered the harm this may cause to your daughter?"

"Elisa, is your name Elisa, right?" Another journalist entered the bakery and addressed the young girl, "Why was your father reported by other parents?"

The young girl, holding the freshly selected bread, clearly had never experienced such a situation. Her attire suggested she came from an ordinary working-class family, without an elite education. Therefore, she had no idea how to respond to the journalists' questions. She simply said, "Today is the school's open day, and our teacher asked parents and students to work on a small craft project together. Because my dad's nails can produce glue, he's always good at crafts, so we went to school together..."

"So, you mean your father used his mutant ability to help you cheat at school, completing the project in advance, which led other parents to report him?"

"No, not at all. We just built a small house; there was no cheating... What does that even mean?"

"Hasn't your father ever explained his mutant ability to you? Has he been keeping it a secret from you?"

Chief George immediately walked in, addressing the journalists, "Everyone, step outside. Stop disrupting the order in the neighborhood."

"We are just reporting the truth. Chief, are you trying to prevent journalists from monitoring your law enforcement?"

"I'm certainly not..."

George wanted to defend himself, but the journalists' statements had already spread, and onlookers were whispering, with some suggesting that the father had undermined the fairness of the school. Others speculated that he might have used his abilities to poison the water.

The remaining police officers continued to exert pressure, and George had to deal with the journalists' interviews, ensuring he didn't give them any ammunition. He also tried to prevent the officers from taking the man away, but it soon became apparent that he was struggling to maintain control.

The father had been defending himself for some time when he noticed the officers shifting their attention to his daughter. He grew anxious and instinctively stood up, but in an instant, three officers pinned him to the ground.

The overly forceful action made him scream in pain. However, with George surrounded by journalists, he couldn't reach the scene in time. Just as the man's head hit the ground, a tumultuous noise erupted from the street corner.

Everyone turned to see a black monster with sharp teeth and a wide mouth appearing at the street corner. His body was pitch black, with only a white spider emblem on his chest. George, who had worked on New York's streets for many years, immediately shouted his name, "Venom!"

George raised his gun and fired, but Venom agilely evaded the shots, bouncing between the buildings on both sides. At the same time, a spider web shot over, and Spider-Man swooped down from overhead, shouting, "Evil Venom! Stop now! I won't let you endanger the safety of New York!"

The police and journalists, who had just been commanding the scene, screamed and took cover. The officers seemed to have forgotten their weapons and instinctively sought refuge inside the shop. George quickly embraced the little girl next to him, patting her back to comfort her.

Unfortunately, Venom landed right in front of the bakery, and the man who had fallen to the ground watched the enormous monster with trembling fear. However, Venom's attention was not on him; it was fixed firmly on Spider-Man, who had landed across the street.

Venom roared again, opening his wide mouth, and grabbed a nearby lamppost to swing at Spider-Man. Spider-Man, not backing down, used a nearby car as a shield, deflecting the swinging lamppost.

Amid the chaos and flying debris of their battle, police officers rushed out of the bakery's back door, shouting, "We need backup!! We need backup!!"

The group of journalists had disappeared, and the onlookers had kept their distance due to the police officers' armed presence. As Venom appeared, the crowd scattered, leaving only George, the father and daughter, Venom, and Spider-Man on the street.

Seeing that the people on the street had dispersed, even the windows of the buildings had been tightly shut as everyone sought safety. Venom roared again, "Spider-Man, you better wait for me next time!"

With that, he turned and ran, and Spider-Man gave chase, shouting, "Don't run, Venom! I won't let you get away!"

The two figures disappeared into the New York skyline. George helped the man to his feet and shook his head, saying, "Lately, New York has seen two strange phenomena. First, the police and military have inexplicably started targeting mutants, and the journalists have followed suit like a swarm of locusts."

"Second, there's an increasing number of bizarre monsters and Spider-Men. The pattern on that Spider-Man's combat suit just now seemed slightly different from the one I saw this morning."

At that moment, as Venom was fleeing for his life, he heard Peter's calm voice through his communication device. Peter said, "Turn right at the intersection ahead, about 100 meters away, there are two fire drill vehicles. They're all military personnel, and their target is the owner of the clothing store on the commercial street. Journalists are hiding in the second and third alleys on this street."

"You'll cut in from the southeast side. Be careful not to land on anyone," Matt's voice came through the headphones, and he continued, "Do you see that utility pole on the right side of the clothing store? That's your next weapon. Oh, and it's afternoon now, so switch to 'Light.' Remember, when you land, make sure you stand in the sunlight so that people can't see your sharp teeth and saliva."

"Enough with the chatter!" Venom rasped. "The one who really needs technical guidance is the dumb Spider-Man behind me. If I don't slow down, he'll lose track of me!"

"Well, he's a rookie," Peter's voice returned. "In their space, he's only been Spider-Man for a few days and can't even handle the spider web shooter properly..."

As Venom spoke, he had already arrived at his target location. He leaped down from a rooftop and let out a roar.

"Cough, cough!" Afterward, he coughed twice on the spot, and Eddie's voice sounded, "Are you okay? I can hear that your throat is hoarse..."

"Cough... You've roared over 80 times in two days! Cough... I said I wanted throat lozenges, and you still haven't bought them. You're such a wimp... Cough, cough..."

"Is that throat lozenges? You clearly wanted chocolate! That would make your throat hurt even more!"

"Stop talking! Spider-Man, I'm the evil Venom! I'm going to feast on the heads of everyone on this street! Cough, cough..."

"Watch your teeth! Watch your teeth! Show your teeth!!"

"Shut up! I know!"

Beneath the sunlight, the fine spider web emitted sparkling dots as it descended, landing on a hand in uniform.

Spider-Man, clinging to the outer wall of a skyscraper, was a bit different from other Spider-Men; he didn't have a spider web shooter on his wrist. Instead, the spider web shot directly from his body.

He captured his spider web, pulled it hard, and Doctor Octopus stumbled and fell, one of his mechanical arms being tripped by a lamppost. It made a "clattering" sound, sparks flying as it dangled. Spider-Man heard a scream:

"Ah! Spider-Man! You are destined to fail! I will destroy all of New York!"

Spider-Man released the spider web, looking puzzled at Doctor Octopus. Doctor Octopus's headphones conveyed panicked voices:

"It's over! It's over! He seems to have realized that this is a robot!!... JARVIS, quickly control him to change his line! What? The language system is stuck?! Then control him to run away, he's coming!!"

"Hurry, hurry, activate the electric shock module! Drive him away first, Pikachu, don't press the controller randomly, we're about to be captured by him!!"

"Sizzle, sizzle, the electric shock module is active, run!!"

[Read at www.patreon.com/shanefreak, and thanks for the invaluable support!]

XXX-----XXX-----XXX-----XXX

Next Chapter>>Chapter 876: Shimmering Stars Rotten (21)