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"Oh no—Sylas!" Peter had already arrived at the scene.
---
Ten Minutes Earlier
Peter had just webbed up a petty bike thief when the sudden wail of police sirens caught his attention. His eyes lit up.
"Finally, something serious!"
He swung high above the rooftops, following the flashing red-and-blue lights until he reached the downtown district where officers had surrounded a small electronics store.
Just as he was about to crawl through a window and catch the robbers off guard, a bus suddenly came barreling through the cordon.
"What the—?" Peter perched on a lamppost, using his sharp Spider-Sense and enhanced sight to scan the vehicle.
Inside, chaos. Hostages, A gunman,
And Sylas.
"Great. Just great," Peter muttered. "Of all people to get caught in this mess…"
From his high vantage, he could see everything the terrified passengers, the gunman surrounded by elderly women as human shields.
If he broke a window and went in fast, he might save Sylas. But one wrong move, one startled trigger pull, and innocent people could die.
"Come on, Parker, think!" he whispered, gripping his mask. "What's the play here?"
He could use the streetlights to swing across, but the sound would give him away. Every second of hesitation weighed on him like a brick.
Meanwhile, on the ground, police officers were methodically clearing a path.
The commanding officer shouted through a megaphone, "Listen up! You can come out now! But keep your hands where we can see them!"
If it were just one or two hostages, he'd risk a takedown. But with over a dozen civilians inside, one mistake could cost him his badge maybe more.
---
Inside the Store
"About time," sneered the gang leader. "Thought that punk wasn't coming back."
"Relax," another thug laughed, patting the cash-stuffed bag. "With this kind of haul, nobody's running anywhere."
Calling them "robbers" was generous they were armed maniacs. Submachine guns. Homemade explosives.
Real psychos.
"I was hoping those cops would storm in," the leader smirked, stroking the barrel of his gun. "Would've been one hell of a surprise."
He signaled to his crew. "Move out!"
There were eleven of them in total. The store's owner hadn't been so lucky he'd been killed minutes ago for being "useless leverage."
The door swung open. The gunmen stepped out, weapons raised toward the wall of officers.
"Drop your weapons!" the commander barked. "You're surrounded! Do as we say and no one gets hurt!"
The leader chuckled, flashing a bright grin. "Of course, officer. We're law-abiding citizens, after all."
One by one, the thugs lowered their guns. The commander exhaled quietly.
Good, no bloodshed, at least not yet.
And then—
"Ahhhhh!"
A bloodcurdling scream ripped through the night, echoing from the hijacked bus.
Every cop froze. The robbers panicked, raising their weapons again. The Police instantly responded in kind.
---
One Minute Earlier — Inside the Bus
Sylas had summoned the Shadow Ninja.
Through the gunman's shadow, the inky figure emerged, flicking a spectral shuriken that sliced through the man's finger.
The gun clattered away as agony ripped through him. His limbs stiffened, controlled by the ninja's shadow-bind. He collapsed, howling in pain.
Sylas had been worried that stray bullets might hit Missy but when the gunman had forced four passengers to stand as shields, it actually worked in her favor. No line of fire could reach her now.
The Shadow Ninja slid fully from the darkness, mirroring Sylas's build, its face hidden behind a blank mask.
From a nearby rooftop, Peter's eyes widened. "Whoa… a guy in black just took that gunman down."
He exhaled. "Okay… maybe things aren't as bad as I thought."
He clenched his fists. "Guess it's my turn to dance."
---
"Damn it, what's happening?!" the police commander shouted.
Gunfire erupted.
RATATAT!
Bullets tore through the street as cops ducked behind squad cars.
BANG!
A sniper fired back. One of the robbers went down instantly, his head snapping back.
"Sniper! Back inside! Take the alley exit!" the gang leader yelled.
Another shot another body dropped.
From above, Peter swung down, smashing through a window and landing in the store like a ghost.
With the distraction outside, the robbers were perfectly disorganized.
"Let's even the odds," he muttered.
He fired a rapid burst of webbing.
Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!
Five guns ripped from their owners' hands.
"Guns are dangerous, boys. You'll shoot your eyes out," he quipped, leaping forward.
A flying kick sent one thug into a shelf; a follow-up punch dropped another.
"Get him!" one shouted.
The man with a backpack pulled the pin on a grenade.
"Oh no you don't!" Peter dove, snatching it midair and hurling it out the window.
BOOM!
A police car outside flipped over in a burst of flame.
"They're using grenades?!" the commander barked into his radio. "Move that bus out of the line of fire! Then breach, now!"
Unaware that the danger was already over.
Inside the shop, every last robber was webbed up cocooned like bugs, mouths sealed shut, dangling from the ceiling.
Peter dusted his gloves. "Alright, gents. Be good citizens next time. Well… assuming you ever get out."
He turned to leave, paused, then fired a few quick shots of webbing onto the wall.
A message formed in shiny white letters:
"Don't thank me—I'm your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man."
Peter grinned beneath his mask.
"Perfect."
He slipped back out the window, vanishing into the night.
---
Minutes later, the police cautiously entered the store, finding the criminals neatly wrapped up like gift packages.
"Sir," one officer said, holding a flashlight, "they're all restrained. And, uh… there's a message on the wall."
The commander squinted. "'Don't thank me I'm your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man'?"
He blinked. "You've got to be kidding me."
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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