Silas skillfully opened the Shadow Realm, handed the Infant Girl to a Shadowkhan, and instructed Peter, "Get in, quick."
The Shadowkhan nodded and entered the Shadow Realm with the Infant Girl.
Tony had flown right next to Peter and Silas, intending to grab them both and fly away.
Peter immediately shouted, "Mr. Stark, get in here quickly!"
"This black, pitch-dark thing?" Tony didn't understand, but he remembered Silas always disappeared by entering this shadow.
"And you, too." Peter shot a web, intending to pull Norman back.
Boom! Boom!
Unexpectedly, an explosion erupted right where Norman was!
Silas quickly shoved Peter into the Shadow Realm and entered himself. Peter's web shot out and attached to Tony's chest, pulling Tony into the shadow as well.
Explosions sounded one after another in the empty field. The car and motorcycle parked there were instantly blown to smithereens.
A Green Goblin mask was launched into the air by the blast, flipping over and revealing its smile.
New York City
"We're back already?" Tony emerged from the Shadow Realm, stunned by the sight of New York City before him.
What was the principle behind this? Using that shadow to teleport? And the space they were just in had seemed vast and endless. If this ability were used to store weapons and equipment, or even nuclear missiles, appearing in another country's capital, it would be utterly devastating.
"Mr. Stark, are you alright?" Peter walked over to Tony and asked.
Tony flipped up his iron mask. "Do I look like I'm not alright?"
"Uh... as long as you're okay." Peter stepped back. He was too green and completely overwhelmed by Tony's imposing demeanor.
"What exactly is your ability?" Tony asked Silas.
"Superpower," Silas replied before vanishing.
"Hey!" Peter was dismayed that Silas was so heartless, leaving without him!
"Are you two close?" Tony turned to ask Peter. Tony had already figured out Peter's identity, and now all that remained was the mysterious Man in Black. Perhaps Peter could be the breakthrough point.
"We're not close!" Peter finished, shot a web, and swung away—but not for long.
A moment later, Tony heard Peter's pained shout, "No more webbing!"
"J.A.R.V.I.S., what do you think their relationship is?" Tony put his mask back on and flew back to Freedom City.
"Based on their physical contact, tone of voice, and behavior, there is a high probability they are friends, and close friends of many years," J.A.R.V.I.S. analyzed. If they had just met, they wouldn't have such seamless teamwork or seem so familiar with each other's abilities.
"Then tell me, why didn't the Man in Black take Pajama Baby with him?" Tony asked.
"To avoid exposing himself," Tony and J.A.R.V.I.S. said simultaneously.
Elsewhere
Peter climbed out of a cardboard box, looking messy. Luckily, he hadn't been swinging too high, or the outcome would have been tragic.
"Silas is ridiculous, leaving without me." Peter twisted his arm. When Tony was around, he and Silas had a tacit understanding not to speak each other's names, precisely to protect their identities.
Suddenly, Peter felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see a Shadowkhan!
At Home
"That's great, Silas. I thought you had abandoned me." Without webbing, getting back was quite a hassle for Peter.
"How could I? Though, I feel like Stark has already figured out your identity," Silas said.
Peter listened, disbelieving. "No way, I thought I did a really good job of hiding it."
"The way you didn't hide your traces, Stark's artificial intelligence, J.A.R.V.I.S., can absolutely find you," Silas said, lying on his bed, annoyed. His own identity was safe for now, but once Peter's identity was exposed, his own discovery wouldn't be far behind. After all, he and Peter were brothers and lived in the same house. If Stark visited to question Peter, Peter might accidentally expose Silas as well.
Silas was most wary of J.A.R.V.I.S. because it was difficult to completely control one's physical habits. Things that seemed insignificant to human eyes would be different to J.A.R.V.I.S. J.A.R.V.I.S. could compare the Man in Black's typical behavior and mannerisms to Silas's to determine his identity.
"I have to figure out a plan," Silas thought. Hiding his identity from Stark was impossible; it was only a matter of time. The most important thing now was to deal with the Tara Mask he had used for his previous misdeeds. Previously, Silas had worn the Tara Mask for everything he did, only switching to the Mingta Mask after the Hulk incident. Peter hadn't asked about the masks because he just assumed Silas had two masks and occasionally swapped them.
"Well, Silas, I'm going back to my room now." Peter left, feeling nervous. The thought of Silas's guess that his identity had been compromised made him anxious. What if Mr. Stark told Uncle Ben? Or told Aunt May?! That would be terrible.
"Heh heh heh~" The sound of a baby girl giggling reached Silas's ears.
Silas quickly turned around and saw the Shadowkhan holding the Infant Girl, who was laughing happily at him.
"Crap... dang..." Silas couldn't help but utter the names of a plant and a metal from his previous life. He had completely forgotten about the Infant Girl!
"Forget it. It's not too late to return her now." Silas took the Infant Girl from the Shadowkhan's arms and saw her looking up at him, smiling cheerfully. Her chubby little mouth was extremely cute.
"She's quite cute. Her name was Jenny, right?" Silas smiled slightly.
Upon hearing "Jenny," the Infant Girl became even happier, not at all like a recently rescued hostage. Children's moods were truly unpredictable. Jenny stuck her thumb in her mouth and began to suck.
"Are you hungry?" Silas realized Jenny was hungry, but he didn't have any baby formula.
Silas opened the Shadow Realm. "Little one, I'm taking you to find your mother now."
Just as he was about to step through, Silas paused, returned to the table, and quickly wrote on a piece of paper: Leave New York. The Chitauri Army invasion of Earth was going to happen in New York, which would cause huge casualties, and the superheroes wouldn't be able to protect everyone.
He wrote the note entirely because the Infant Girl's smile had touched him; he wanted Jenny to survive. Whether her parents listened was up to them.
"It's fate." Silas, wearing his mask, entered the Shadow Realm, delivered the Infant Girl to the Police Station, and left the rest for the police to handle.
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