MARVEL: CARD EXTRACTION SYSTEM

Chapter 8 – The Spider Caught in the Web.



"Get her!" One of the criminals shouted as Gwen landed in the middle of them in the backyard of the illegal shed.

But they were just ordinary criminals, extras who quickly fell in front of Gwen. She was agile and had a dexterity that would make even the best Olympic gymnasts jealous.

The criminals could barely follow her movements with their eyes, let alone their limited bodies. When two men attempted to attack her from the side, she leapt ten feet into the air, dodging both of them, and launched two lengths of webbing from the ground, then used them like a slingshot to hurl herself at them. A sharp kick from her to the ribs of the first man sent him crashing to the ground, while the other was hit by one of her heels and knocked out.

I watched from behind a dumpster as Gwen took them down one by one with ease. When they were all down and unconscious, Gwen breathed a sigh of relief and clapped her hands together, dusting them off.

"Whew! There were a lot of them. I even broke out in a sweat." She said as she approached the truck loaded with crates. "Now let's find out what you were carrying..."

Gwen got into the truck and just as she was about to open one of the crates, I saw her take a step back. Because she was sure that I had defeated everyone, her spider-sense was slowed for an instant, and that was crucial.

There was a man hiding behind a false wall made of the crates, and he knocked the crates over. This man reached out a metal tail and hit Gwen with a powerful electric shock. The shock was so strong that even with her super powers, her body twitched and Gwen fell to the ground motionless.

'Gwen!' I mentally shouted as I watched the scene unfold.

Seconds later, the man with the bat came out of the truck, carrying Gwen's unconscious body on his shoulders. He looked proud as he flashed a broad smile across his thickly mustached face.

"No more pretending, boys. Get up, our plan worked." He said with a mocking tone.

To my surprise, the men Gwen had just defeated started to get up. Some of them were still groaning in pain, for the blows she had dealt them had been real, but they didn't look as incapacitated as they should have.

"This was a trap from the beginning... They're not here for the shipment, they're here to capture Gwen."

The man with the flat nose, the one who had looked like the leader earlier, approached the man with the shock baton.

"I knew she was strong, but that kick was unexpected." He said, looking at Gwen's hooded face and smiling mischievously. "Now we finally get to see who's behind the mask."

He reached for Gwen's mask, but the man with the stick - clearly the true leader of the group - moved to stop him.

"No. That's not for us. The boss wants to do it first."

"But..."

"Our job was to catch them, not expose them."

"Let's just take a look, no one here will say anything. After all, we risked our lives to carry out your plan."

"You risked your lives? Shut up. You know Spider-Woman doesn't kill. Now, instead of being curious, call the boss. Tell him the job is done and he can come."

The man with the flat nose grumbled, but did as he was told. He took a phone out of his pocket and stepped back while the leader, still holding Gwen, looked at the rest of the group and ordered:

"Come on, get things ready in the shed. We need everything in order to make sure she doesn't escape."

I was completely frozen as I watched the scene unfold.

The men entered the shed carrying Gwen as if she were a trophy. At that moment, the system gave me a new quest.

[Side Quest: The Spider Caught in the Web.

Description: You've seen men working for Mr. Murdock, an organized crime boss in New York of Earth-65, capture Spider-Woman, or rather, Gwen Stacy. It would be a very bad thing if the city lost one of its few heroines.

Objective: Help Gwen Stacy escape before Mr. Murdock arrives.

Time Limit: 15 minutes.

Rewards:

+300 Card Points.

+5 Daily Spins for 5 days.

+1 Mysterious Unique Skill Card.]

My mind was racing. I only had 15 minutes to help Gwen escape. However, acting recklessly could not only put me in danger, but also make things worse for her. I had no choice but to think strategically, something I had always prided myself on doing, but which was now much more difficult under the pressure of time.

First, I analyzed the shed where the criminals had taken Gwen. It was an old, abandoned building that had probably been used by the criminals as a warehouse for a long time. It had large rusty metal doors and windows covered with wooden boards. There were a few possible entrances, but all of them would leave me directly exposed to anyone inside. I needed a plan before I acted.

I had already bought my 10 free spins on the daily roulette wheel, so I couldn't spin any more and try to get other skills or items. So the only way to get other alternatives for action was the store.

"System, is there anything in the shop that can help me?" I whispered.

[There are millions of items available.]

"Okay, and is there anything that can help me with a stealth action?"

[The store has invisibility potions of various durations, silenced weapons, and even costumes like the villain "Ghost" that can help you in stealth quests, but you don't have enough Card Points to buy these items yet.]

"You sound like you're mocking me when you talk like that..."

Fortunately, the quest didn't require me to eliminate or neutralize the criminals. Perhaps, instead of concentrating on defeating them, I could act stealthily just to create a distraction for the criminals and then act. It was then that I had a new idea.

"System, do you have any smoke bombs for sale?"

[Yes, low-spreading smoke bombs are available for 200 Card Points each.]

[Please note: Due to supply and demand, the price of each item may increase after you purchase two units.]

"I want to buy a smoke bomb," I decided quickly. It would cost me 200 CP, which was all I had, and I only wanted to buy it because I knew that this smoke bomb would be the difference between success and failure in this quest.

[Purchase completed. 200 CPs deducted.]

[1 unit of "Smoke Bomb" added to inventory.]

Now I had something to work with. The Smoke Bomb could give me the cover I needed to get to Gwen and get her out of there.

The Sharingan would help me see through the smoke better than most of my enemies. What about the Iron Pickaxe from Minecraft? Well, I knew the mechanics of Minecraft well - I spent hours playing it, after all - and I knew that the pickaxe was capable of breaking blocks and opening paths, but there were very few situations where it would be good as a weapon. It would be best to use my own fists when necessary.

Finally, I had to find another way to get to the balcony.

"This shed looks old... Buildings used to have an exit on the terrace to let people out to smoke and fix the ventilation pipes. The top door shouldn't be locked and there shouldn't be anyone watching, so I could get in through there without any problems. But... how am I going to get up there?" I thought, remembering the item I had just discarded for battle, but which could be very useful now.

[Weapon Card "Minecraft Iron Pickaxe" is equipped.]

[⅔ slots of your deck are filled.]

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