When Aunt May saw several burly men suddenly step out of the shadows, panic swept across her face.
The men sized her up from head to toe, grinning lewdly. "Now that's nice. Look at that figure… that waist… I noticed her earlier—mm, she's—"
Before they could finish, Maguire pulled Aunt May behind him. His expression went cold as he stared the thugs down.
"What? Kid, you going to play hero?" one of them sneered.
Maguire thought to himself, If I go all out here, it'll be too brutal—Aunt May might not be able to accept it.
One thug strode up and swung a heavy fist at Maguire. Before the man could react, Maguire's own fist smashed into his skull. He kept the blood-red fireworks from bursting, but the Fruit's power still pulverized bone. The thug crumpled to the pavement.
Seeing this, the others hesitated, frowning and trading uneasy looks.
Aunt May gasped, "They have guns!"
Maguire shook his head. "Is staying alive really that hard?"
He could no longer suppress the killing urge. A white orb formed over his fist. He punched—triggering the Fruit's power. The thugs yanked their triggers; bullets screamed toward Maguire, but under the Quake-Quake Fruit's force, the rounds were batted aside. Vibrational shock tore into the men. Under Maguire's control, the force only shattered their organs—no blood-spray fireworks to ruin the moment for himself and Aunt May.
Aunt May stared, stunned—especially at the white glow that had just flared around his fist.
Maguire turned back to her. Before she could speak, he said softly, "No questions. Don't say anything. I'll take you home."
She nodded, still shaken. He led her to where he'd parked. In the car, she kept staring at him, unable to shake off the fright.
Just as she was about to say something, Maguire's phone rang—Natasha. He had no mood to deal with her; he set the phone aside.
"Why not pick up?" Aunt May asked haltingly.
Maguire smiled. "Just an annoying person. Don't say anything now—let me get you home first." He muttered, "First the Abomination, then a few small fries… damn it. If the tiger doesn't bare its fangs, you take me for some cutesy mascot?"
Aunt May nodded obediently.
Maguire drove to the Holland kid's house. The place was dark—looked like he wasn't home.
"We're here. Head in," Maguire said with a gentle smile.
Aunt May leaned toward his face, then hurriedly popped the door and ran inside.
Feeling the warmth left on his cheek, Maguire allowed himself a satisfied smile. Once she vanished into the house, the smile faded.
Abomination… the Hulk… their strength is at least S-grade, maybe SS-grade, he thought. To make our "friendly exchange" go smoother, let's see what's in the prize pool.
He opened the Bully System interface. A shimmering golden roulette appeared in his mind.
S-grade Item: Sheep Talisman (from the Twelve Talismans)
A-grade Item: Paramecia-type Devil Fruit — Bomb-Bomb Fruit
B-grade Ability: Headflame
Common Item: Emperor Armor Summoner (toy)
B-grade Ability: X-ray Vision
S-grade Summon: Godzilla
He glanced at his 730 Bully Points and spun again.
[Congratulations to the host—S-grade Item obtained: the Sheep Talisman. The Sheep Talisman grants astral projection. The host can also force others' souls to leave their bodies, so long as the target is S-grade or below.]
Maguire's pulse quickened. This Sheep Talisman is that strong—can even rip the soul from an S-grade? Without a soul, what use is a powerful body?
He drove a short distance, got out, and opened the trunk. Inside lay the Venom spider-suit. Seeing Maguire's grim expression, the symbiote fell silent. A heartbeat later, the black suit surged over him.
Hellblood Demon.
Meanwhile, at the military base, an old, sealed lab blazed with light. On the table lay General Ross.
"General, are you sure about gamma irradiation? It could kill you," a lab tech warned.
Ross's expression was unwavering. "Do it. If we don't, there won't be time."
High-frequency gamma rays flooded Ross's body. He howled in agony. The techs killed the power. Ross had passed out.
They rushed to the pod—just as Ross's eyes snapped open. A sinister red light burned in both pupils.
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