Before Big Black could finish voicing his opinion, Silas saw a flash of light. Big Black stared wide-eyed, then boom! he dissolved into a cloud of black smoke.
Looking at the sword, Silas saw that Little Black was holding it.
Little Black respectfully offered the weapon. "Master, here is the Shadow Blade. I have repaired it."
"Well done." Silas took the Shadow Blade and swung it, producing a whistling sound. It felt smooth, but unfortunately, it was still somewhat fragile.
Little Black sensed Silas's thoughts and said, "The Shadow Blade can be refined again. It only requires suitable materials and the necessary processing equipment."
"Vibranium..." Silas suddenly thought of the most overpowered material in the Marvel world. Captain America's shield was made of Vibranium, even though it was eventually split by Thanos. Silas currently only knew that S.H.I.E.L.D. and Wakanda possessed Vibranium; he wasn't familiar with other sources.
"I'll have to find a chance to steal some," Silas muttered.
"Oh, right, Little Black, come and meet your new comrades," Silas said, pointing to the Shadow Eaters bouncing on the floor.
Little Black gave them a quick look and gestured with his hand. "I didn't expect Master to summon them first. I thought it would be the Warrior Shadowkhan."
The Shadow Eaters bared their clean white teeth, looking harmless, but they were already starving. They needed to eat shadows!
"Are you hungry, little guys?" Silas mused, then addressed Little Black. "I'm putting them in your care for feeding."
"Me?" Little Black pointed to himself in confusion. "But Master, I don't have shadows for them to eat, unless I feed myself to them."
The Shadow Eaters were extremely fierce; they could even consume their own kind. Once swallowed, that comrade could never be resurrected, serving only as their nourishment forever.
"No, take them to the prisons to eat. Let them feast," Silas said.
Little Black nodded and led the Shadow Eaters into the Shadow Realm.
"Now it's time to go find our Lizard," Silas said, stepping into the Shadow Realm himself.
The Shadow Realm
The Lizard's eyes were now tinged with black energy, a sign that he was being assimilated by the Shadow Realm. Any living being without a Shadowkhan tattoo who entered the Shadow Realm would gradually be assimilated by the dark energy, eventually turning into a full-fledged monster. The Lizard's inherent strength was the only reason he had lasted this long; an ordinary person would have been consumed long ago.
"Well, well. Your hands grew back?" Silas mocked, sitting on a chair.
The Lizard tried to speak, but he was too weak, unable even to open his mouth.
"Don't worry, you can't die yet. I'm taking you back to the surface right now," Silas said. He summoned a Shadowkhan to grab the Lizard's arms and pull him out of the Shadow Realm.
Hell's Kitchen
Slap!
The Shadowkhan tossed The Lizard, who looked like a dead dog, onto the ground.
Upon returning to the surface, The Lizard greedily sucked in the air, and the black mist in his eyes visibly dissipated.
After a long pause, The Lizard finally spoke. "What exactly do you want? You could have killed me easily, so why let me go?"
"I want you to make the Lizard Serum yourself and inject it," Silas stated his objective.
The Lizard's cloudy eyes narrowed with intelligence. "You want me to turn back into Professor Connors?"
"Aren't you him?" Silas countered.
The Lizard slowly stood up. "I am different from Connors. I may be him, but he is not me. You can understand me as a Connors who has gone berserk, but I have also inherited Connors' intelligence."
"What puzzles me is why you want me to turn back into Connors," The Lizard asked curiously. This was the first time he and Silas had met without fighting. He knew he couldn't beat Silas, and provoking him would only lead to being locked up in that eternal prison again.
"I don't need a reason. I'm just asking if you'll do it?" Silas's tone had become threatening. This was not a negotiation! To be blunt, The Lizard had no right to negotiate with him.
"I need time," The Lizard replied calmly. He knew he had no bargaining power with Silas, but he planned to tamper with the Lizard Serum to ensure he would turn back into The Lizard again.
Unbeknownst to The Lizard, his idea was exactly what Silas wanted.
"I understand that. I will find you a place, and I will procure the materials. You just focus on the manufacturing," Silas said. As soon as he finished speaking, numerous Shadowkhan appeared and carried both of them down into the sewer system.
"This is the place you found for me?" The Lizard couldn't help but complain to Silas. Wasn't this the exact sewer where he had conducted his previous experiments? The shattered tables and instruments were still lying around.
Silas ignored The Lizard. "I will have the Shadowkhan watching you. You can tell them if you need anything. Don't try any tricks, or you will remain in the Shadow Realm forever."
"The Shadow Realm?" The Lizard muttered. "Is that the jail you kept me in? It's a rather nice name."
"I think so too, but it would be even better if I locked someone else in there," Silas threatened.
The Lizard immediately understood Silas's threat and said nothing more, but he filed the grievance away.
"I have one question. Will these Shadowkhan understand the things I need?" The Lizard had good reason to doubt their intelligence.
"You won't get another chance," Silas said, leaving the area, unable to stand the stench.
The Lizard licked his dry lips, then looked at the Shadowkhan. "I need the experimental equipment from the Oscorp Group. Can you bring it?" he asked, his tone full of mockery.
The Shadowkhan vanished and returned shortly with a variety of instruments.
"Impressive. Why don't you guys come work for me?" The Lizard was clearly interested in recruiting these subordinates.
The Shadowkhan simply stood there quietly, giving The Lizard no response.
Oscorp Group
"Who did this!!!" a staff member shouted upon seeing the empty laboratory.
At Home
It was nighttime, and Silas was lying in bed, preparing to sleep, as it wasn't advisable to move too much due to his injury.
Knock, knock, knock~ The window was tapped.
Silas turned his head and saw Peter had returned!
Peter climbed into Silas's room, pulled off his mask, and sighed. "Whew, Misty and Ned were both found, though not by me. They were found by others. They're lucky, they're both fine."
"Thank goodness," Silas said, feigning ignorance. He couldn't let Peter know that he had gone out too, especially since he had promised Peter he would cover for him with Ben Parker. If Peter knew, things would get complicated...
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