"Is this considered driving without a license?" Peter asked, riding behind Silas.
Silas looked ahead at Norman's car. "Don't worry, the traffic police won't stop us. If they stop anyone, they'll stop the guy up front." Their motorcycle was relatively normal, but the sedan ahead was a wreck—all windows were damaged, and the rear door was missing.
The two vehicles raced down the road, with Tony, flying above, constantly analyzing the best rescue plan. Stopping Norman wasn't hard, but rescuing the infant hostage from his hands was incredibly difficult, as the baby girl had no means of resistance.
"Sir, there is a wooden shack ahead. According to our data, there should be no structure there," J.A.R.V.I.S. reported, scanning the terrain.
Tony looked toward the wooden shack ahead. Since J.A.R.V.I.S. said so, the shack must have been built recently.
"What is he up to?" Tony couldn't figure out what the Green Caterpillar was planning, but it looked like that was his destination. Tony immediately accelerated, reaching the shack before the Green Caterpillar and landing.
"J.A.R.V.I.S., check the surroundings." Tony watched the approaching Green Caterpillar.
J.A.R.V.I.S. quickly scanned the area. "The area has been renovated within the last day, and there are traces of recently disturbed soil beneath our feet."
In the Car
Norman saw Stark waiting at the shack from a distance. "How utterly annoying," he muttered.
Clang!
Norman reached the shack, and the car screeched to a halt. Silas and Peter arrived right behind him.
The moment the motorcycle stopped, Peter jumped off and shouted, "Release the girl!"
Click
Norman held the baby girl in one hand and a small knife in the other. "Then come and save her~ ha ha ha!"
"What do we do?" Peter whispered to Silas. The hostage was in Norman's hands; how could they rescue her?
"We wait for an opening," Silas replied. He had a risky idea: letting the Shadowkhan emerge from the car's shadow, stealthily approach Norman, and launch a surprise attack. He was just afraid Norman would react quickly and stab the infant, which would be fatal.
As for summoning the Shadow Eaters, that wasn't a good idea either. The Shadow Eaters couldn't eat a shadow fast enough. Furthermore, while the Shadow Eaters were small, they were still about the size of a teacup. Anyone who wasn't blind, including Norman, would see them.
"Alright, hand over the baby now, Green Caterpillar!" Tony raised one hand, aiming at the Green Caterpillar.
Norman looked at the three people surrounding him. Without panicking, he held up the baby, placing the small knife against her abdomen. "Do you want her? Heh heh ha ha!"
"Waaah! Waaah! Woo!" The baby kept crying.
"Don't move!" Tony's repulsor was ready. If Norman dared to harm the baby, he wouldn't hesitate to blast him.
Peter's body was tense, fearing Norman would make an extreme move.
"What do you want?" Silas asked.
Norman pointed the knife at Silas. "Don't be so stiff. I'll let her go, provided..."
"We let you go!" Peter guessed.
Norman hastily shook his head, slowly walking toward the wooden shack. "No, no, no~ I just want to..."
"...die!" The moment Silas finished his sentence, a Shadowkhan emerged from Norman's shadow and kicked Norman's legs.
Then, another Shadowkhan appeared to catch the infant. However, Norman reacted, kicking the Shadowkhan away just as he hit the ground. This sent the baby flying into the air. Silas seized the small window of opportunity, leaped up, caught the baby with both hands, and landed safely.
The rescue was successful!
"Nicely done!" Tony reacted immediately, rushing toward the Green Caterpillar and delivering a massive punch.
Peter gave Silas a thumbs-up, then rushed over to Norman, webbing his limbs together. "Done."
"Wait, I have something too." Tony raised a small tube on his wrist and sprayed a massive amount of white substance onto the Green Caterpillar.
"What is that, Mr. Stark?" Peter stepped back, disgusted.
Tony stood up. "Never seen it, bug? It's bug spray—what you bugs fear the most." This was one of Tony's malicious jokes, retribution for the bombing of his tower.
"Do you really think you've won?" Norman said, laughing from the ground.
Tony kicked the Green Caterpillar. "Are you actually going to roll yourself up and flee like a Green Caterpillar?"
"There's a bomb buried under here. It has the exact same power as the one that blew up the school~" Norman turned his head to look at Silas and Peter.
Before Silas could speak, Peter confidently stepped forward. "Your petty tricks are so boring."
Peter was so confident because he had witnessed Silas's Shadow Realm. With that, they could easily escape before the bomb detonated.
"What?!" Seeing Peter's relaxed expression, Norman felt uncertain. Could Spider-Man have found a way to counter explosions after the last incident?
"Hmph! Stop acting!" Norman quickly shook his head, recovering. Impossible! Spider-Man must be bluffing.
Peter puffed out his chest and slowly approached Silas. "You can still open that portal thing, right?"
"I can," Silas replied, giving Peter a reassuring look.
Hearing this, Peter relaxed even more. They could just take Norman with them when they escaped. Yes, Peter had softened his heart again, even toward the Green Goblin who had nearly killed him and his friend's family.
"May I interrupt? What exactly are you two talking about?" Tony asked, confused. He felt completely out of the loop.
Norman, meanwhile, rolled around on the ground, shouting, "I don't believe you! You're faking it! Faking it!" If he hadn't been tied up, he would have detonated the bomb already. He wouldn't commit suicide, but he wouldn't hesitate to take them all down with him if he was thoroughly beaten.
"Regardless of what you two are planning, I want to see who this Green Caterpillar is." Tony crouched down, preparing to pull off Norman's mask.
Norman absolutely could not let Stark see his face! Otherwise, his company would face direct targeting from Stark Industries.
"Stay still. If you do something shady, you have to be ready to have your mask removed," Tony said, pinning the Green Caterpillar's chest with his foot to keep him from moving, and began to forcibly remove the mask.
Norman roared and immediately pressed the bomb's detonator switch.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
"Here we go again!" Silas and Peter exchanged a look. They were all too familiar with that sound.
"Mr. Stark! The bomb is going to explode!" Peter warned.
"Explode?" Tony flew rapidly away from Norman and toward Silas and Peter. In his mind, these two couldn't escape quickly, so he had to fly them out to survive.
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