Hospital Room.
"I'm Vincent Hall, Gwen's boyfriend. Glad to see you're okay, sir." Vincent extended his hand.
"I'm glad to see you too."
Captain George Stacy shook his hand firmly, his face serious. He was analyzing Vincent with the practiced eye of a veteran cop.
First impressions? Not bad. The kid was polite, well-dressed, and carried himself with a maturity rare for his age. He didn't shrink under the scrutiny.
"And hello to you, ma'am." Vincent turned to Gwen's mother.
"Call me Tracey."
Tracey Stacy smiled warmly, but she looked puzzled. "Have we met before? You look familiar."
Gwen chimed in, "Mom, remember how Mr. Smith sold the penthouse next door? Vincent is the new neighbor."
"Really?" Tracey looked surprised. "You bought the Smith place?"
"Yes, Tracey," Vincent replied, smiling.
Internally, he groaned. Living next door to the Police Commissioner. Why did I do this? It's going to be impossible to be a villain in peace.
George Stacy's eyes narrowed slightly. "That is... quite a coincidence."
As a cop, he didn't believe in coincidences.
"I thought it was a good investment," Vincent said smoothly. "Close to the precinct, safe neighborhood. And knowing the Police Commissioner lives next door... well, I sleep very soundly at night."
"Of course!" Tracey beamed.
George remained skeptical. He knew the property values in this building. Even with the recession, that penthouse was worth millions. For a teenager to buy it outright meant serious money.
I need to run a background check, George decided. Quietly.
"Dad, do you need to rest?" Gwen asked, worried.
"No," George growled, trying to stand up. "That monster is still out there. I need to get back to the precinct."
He cursed under his breath. The Lizard attack was a disaster. 156 dead. 78 children. The pressure from the Mayor and the White House was immense.
"I'm heading back to the station," George said. "Vincent, you should come over for dinner sometime. We can have a proper chat."
"Sir, your arm is injured. Let me drive you," Vincent offered.
Gwen nodded. "It's on the way, Dad. Let Vincent drive."
George agreed.
The Drive.
George sat in the passenger seat of the Lincoln, observing the interior. Luxury car. Expensive watch. But Vincent drove carefully, respectful of the traffic laws.
He seems like a good kid, George thought. But where does the money come from?
Tracey chatted happily with Vincent from the back seat, completely charmed.
When they arrived at the precinct, chaos reigned. Reporters swarmed the entrance.
"Vincent, you must try my Lemon Branzino tonight," Tracey said as they dropped George off.
Vincent blinked. Lemon Branzino? That's the dinner from The Amazing Spider-Man movie.
"I'd love to," Vincent accepted.
The Apartment.
Back in his penthouse, Vincent finally had a moment of peace.
He checked the System.
[Name: Vincent Hall]
[Wealth Points: 487,750,000 (Usable for Upgrades)]
[Desire Points: 8,320,000 (Usable for Limit Break)]
[Abilities: Ice-Ice Fruit (Mastery+), Psychic Immunity (Passive), Hydro-Kinesis (Mastery+)]
[Skills: Baji-Mizong Art (Transcendence)]
[Active Missions:]
Fragrance of Heroes (Infinite): Intimate relations with female heroes yield rewards. Reward: Blue Blind Box (Stackable).Building Prestige (Part 1 - Brotherhood): Confront Magneto. Reward: Blue Blind Box.Building Prestige (Part 2 - SHIELD): Intimidate SHIELD/Harvest 200k Points. Reward: Blue Blind Box.
[Desire Points: +200,000] (From Gwen's "passionate gratitude").
"The Gwen milestone is complete," Vincent noted. "Another Blue Blind Box."
Last time (with Jessica), the Blue Box gave him Psychic Immunity. A god-tier passive.
"I have Black Widow and Mystique circling me. If I... handle them... I can stack more boxes."
The System allowed for synthesis.
2 Blue = 1 Cyan.4 Blue = 1 Red.
"I'll save it," Vincent decided. "Better to aim for a Red Box later."
He looked out the window at the skyline.
Why didn't the System issue a mission for the Lizard?
Maybe the System didn't care about a "failed experiment."
"But I can still harvest Desire Points."
If the Ice Demon appeared and froze the Lizard in front of the world... the awe and terror would be worth millions.
Time to suit up.
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