Chapter 128: Experimenting on Big Black
"Big Black, it's time for your training," Little Black said, smiling as he took off the sensor bracelet.
Big Black shook his head and carefully backed away. He sensed things were not that simple.
"Stay!" Little Black grabbed the sensor, ready to put it on Big Black's wrist. But Big Black, despite being clumsy, was fast. Little Black chased Big Black around the Shadow Realm for an hour without catching him.
"In the name of Tara, I command you, Big Black! Come back here!" Little Black stopped and shouted. This was a privilege Silas had granted him, and he didn't believe Big Black would dare to defy it.
Sure enough, Big Black stopped when he heard the command. He stiffly turned to face Little Black. "He always uses Master to boss me around."
"Whose fault is it for not following orders? Don't worry, it won't hurt," Little Black said, smiling, as he approached Big Black and fastened the sensor onto his wrist. Little Black then lightly tapped the button on the sensor, quickly jumped away, and declared, "Second experiment, begin!"
As soon as he spoke, scattered pieces of metal armor flew toward Big Black.
"No!" Big Black's eyes widened. He knew this meant trouble. Just as he was about to run, the armor pieces reached him.
Puff! Big Black dissolved into a cloud of black smoke.
"Hmm... It seems the cushioning force needs to be reduced when the armor approaches a subject," Little Black said. He had realized this when he died earlier, but he wanted to see how Big Black would die.
Little Black squatted next to the armor, took out the sensor, and as soon as he turned it off, the armor pieces attached to it fell off. Then, five Shadowkhan ninjas appeared, carrying an experimental table and a stool. Little Black placed the device on the table and sat alone on the stool to conduct his research.
Outside
"Have you seen Teacher Klein lately?" Peter walked up to Silas and asked. It was after school. Three days had passed since the Battle of New York. Fortunately, the war hadn't affected the school; otherwise, they would have gotten another holiday.
In the past three days, Klein had taken a leave of absence and hadn't come to work for unknown reasons. Peter was worried and went to look for him, but Klein wasn't home. Peter didn't know where he had gone.
"How should I know? If I were his family, maybe, but the problem is I'm just a student like you," Silas said, exasperated. How could he know where Klein went?
Peter nudged Silas with his elbow. "Don't you have the Shadowkhan? You could send them to look for him."
"I did yesterday, and there's no news yet. Besides, what if he's not even in New York?" Silas had obviously already thought of this. Yesterday, after hearing no news of Klein, he specifically sent a thousand Shadowkhan ninjas to search New York City. Yes, only New York City. If Klein wasn't there, finding him would be like looking for a needle in a haystack, and Silas wouldn't waste his time.
"I really don't know where the teacher went," Peter worried. After months of fighting alongside the teacher, being alone again felt unfamiliar. And Silas wouldn't go with him every day.
Silas wrapped his right arm around Peter's shoulder to comfort him. "Don't worry. Teacher Klein is so powerful now; how could anything happen to him? Instead of worrying about Teacher Klein, you should worry more about others."
"But what if..." Peter still felt something was wrong.
"There are no 'what ifs.' If Teacher really had a problem, he would tell us, wouldn't he, Spider-Man?" Silas kept the last part particularly quiet.
"Mmm." Peter nodded. Worrying now wouldn't help, so it was better to relax.
Silas smiled, seeing Peter's mood finally improve. Still, there was something fishy about Klein's absence. If Klein had helped clean up the invaders during the Battle of New York, he would have gained the Avengers' goodwill.
Just like Silas. Stark had been suspicious of him, but after this incident, Stark was completely trusting. Regardless of whether Silas was the one who took the Arc Reactor Mk. II before, he had now saved Stark's life, making him Stark's benefactor.
"By the way, Silas, these new web-shooters are really useful. Dealing with enemies is so much easier," Peter said excitedly. Now, if he wanted to capture someone, he could shoot a micro-electric web to stun the criminal and take them to the police station. It was much better than manually subduing a constantly shouting criminal. He also found the super-sticky webs useful for intercepting a getaway car; shooting the web into the tire would immediately stick the wheel, preventing the criminal from escaping.
"Good that they work. It's Little Black's invention," Silas said. He was quite impressed with Little Black, who had managed to make improvements soon after getting his hands on a web-shooter. Little Black said he was currently working on a suit, and progress was good, though it was costing Big Black some grief.
Silas was looking forward to the suit. Since he didn't have the Dog and Horse Talismans yet, a battlesuit would provide an extra means of self-preservation and attack.
"Are you still going to Hell's Kitchen tonight?" Silas asked.
"Yeah. With Teacher Klein gone, the arrest efficiency there has dropped, and criminals are becoming active again," Peter replied.
"Do you want me to send some Shadowkhan to help you?" Silas offered. Peter had been asking for the Shadowkhan's help for quite some time.
"Really? Of course, I do!" Peter's eyes lit up. He had wanted the Shadowkhan for ages. At one point, Peter tried everything to convince Silas, serving him tea and water and treating him kindly, only to be told by Silas that the Shadowkhan were "not suitable" for him.
"Mmm, how about I lend you ten Shadowkhan ninjas?" Silas figured ten should be enough. They wouldn't be too much of a help.
"No," Peter leaned close to Silas. "Could I have a hundred?"
"No," Silas refused without hesitation.
"Then ten it is," Peter quickly conceded.
Silas nodded. "That's better. Why would you need so many?" Silas didn't want the Shadowkhan to stunt Peter's personal growth. Ten was just right—not too many, not too few—and could also train Peter's leadership skills.
"Can I dress them all in red clothes?" Peter asked.
"Red clothes?" Silas frowned. "Why do they need to wear that?"
"Because that's how people will know they're with Spider-Man! Plus, isn't it cool!" Peter was excited just imagining himself leading ten little red-clad subordinates.
"Suit yourself," Silas said. He was handing these ten Shadowkhan ninjas over to Peter, so if Peter got them killed, it wouldn't be his fault.
"This is great!" Peter shouted, instantly drawing the attention of everyone nearby.
"Uh... sorry," Peter apologized sheepishly.
"Hmm?" Silas nudged Peter and looked ahead. "There's a blind man over there."
Peter followed Silas's gaze and saw a blind man in a suit, holding a cane and wearing dark glasses, preparing to cross the street at the traffic light.
"Hey, wait!" Peter hurried forward.
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