Marvel’s Shadowed Knight

"Shouldn't we just walk in from here?"

Peter Parker directed the question at Batman.

"If you really think Fisk won't recognize you just because of your so-called disguises, then he wouldn't have survived this long." Batman, who had been walking in another direction, paused for a moment.

"Besides, he already held a Spider-Man memorial once—why would he do it again?"

Turning to see Peter's confused expression, Batman sighed.

"Because he knows we're coming."

Gwen suddenly realized the truth.

"Mm-hmm."

Batman resumed his pace, heading toward the location he had initially identified.

"Then this whole thing is a trap meant for us?" Noir Spider-Man caught on.

Fisk had already set everything in motion, just waiting for them to walk right into it.

And yet, they had no choice but to go.

"So what do we do now?" Spider-Ham stroked his chin, deep in thought.

"There's no way around it. It's an obvious trap, but we have to walk in." Peter Parker's intelligence seemed to be gradually returning in this world.

"If we don't, Fisk will activate the collider anyway, and once he accomplishes his goal, we'll be stuck here with no way back to our own worlds."

Gwen picked up where Peter left off.

"Which means we'll have no choice but to wait for our cells to deteriorate and die."

"A pretty painful way to go, I'd imagine."

Noir Spider-Man finally understood the source of the pain they had been feeling earlier—this world was rejecting them.

If they didn't return to their own dimensions in time, death was inevitable.

"So what are you all standing around for?"

Batman had already pulled open a hidden passage, revealing a ladder leading downward.

"Whoa! How did you even know about this?"

Seeing the passage, Peter Parker turned to Batman, his excitement evident.

They had planned to enter the building through a different route—by climbing in through one of the lower-level windows.

The event hall had an open ceiling stretching over three stories high. Entering from below would place them on the edge of the gathering, allowing them to blend in with minimal disguise.

But now, Bruce had found them an even better way in.

"The Spider-Man of this world stored Fisk Tower's blueprints in his computer. Anyone paying close enough attention could have found them."

Batman's words left the surrounding Spider-People feeling a little awkward.

To be fair, in their own worlds, they all acted as Spider-Man.

But very few of them had ever taken it to the level of this world's Peter Parker—

Owning an actual Spider-Cave.

Of course, it made perfect sense that Batman would know these things.

After all, Batman had his own Batcave.

Naturally, he'd investigate every piece of equipment inside the Spider-Cave.

"Honestly, I'm starting to think you're not just some over-the-top fan. You wouldn't happen to be Batman from another world, stranded here like us, would you?"

Peter Parker suddenly threw an arm around Batman's shoulder. Even as his body flickered with that familiar, unstable distortion, his curiosity about Batman didn't waver for a second.

Batman simply gave him a look.

Without a word, he dropped down the passage.

Thanks to his cape absorbing the impact, he landed without making a sound.

"Oh, I will figure it out," Peter muttered, convinced that Batman's silence spoke volumes.

"Enough of that. Let's focus on the mission."

Gwen, for her part, didn't seem too concerned with Batman's true identity.

She just wanted to get home.

Peter Parker shrugged. "I just wanted to learn more about his real identity. Don't tell me you're not at least a little curious."

His words made Gwen press her lips together, but she didn't respond.

Instead, she simply slipped into the passageway, moving forward in silence.

"Looks like I hit the mark," Peter chuckled before effortlessly dropping down after her.

"I'd say everyone's at least a little curious about what's behind that mask," Spider-Ham chimed in.

"As a journalist, uncovering the face behind a vigilante's mask would definitely boost newspaper sales."

As he spoke, he exaggerated his expression in an almost cartoonish way, clearly imagining the kind of media frenzy such a reveal would cause.

But that was just a fantasy.

As a vigilante himself, he knew all too well how important a mask was.

"He kind of reminds me of my dad," Peni said bluntly, sharing her thoughts before jumping in.

"Emmm..."

For a moment, Spider-Ham didn't know what to say. Instead, he shot out a web and latched onto Peni's SP//dr mech, swinging along behind her.

Only Noir Spider-Man remained silent.

After all, he was one of the few who had actually seen Batman's real face.

That wasn't what intrigued him anymore.

Like the other Peter Parker, what he truly wanted to know was—

Was this Batman really just like them?

As they moved forward, a deep tremor rippled through the surrounding walls, sending vibrations up their bodies.

It reached all the Spider-People—

And Bruce.

But Bruce remained completely calm.

"They've started." His voice was indifferent.

"So what's the plan?" Peter Parker asked. At this point, he didn't mind having someone around who actually knew what to do.

It made things a lot easier.

"We wait until our generous philanthropist finishes his speech. And—" Bruce turned his head slightly, looking at the Spider-People clinging to the ceiling.

"We'll need to split up soon. You each know what to do."

With that, Bruce said nothing more.

Instead, he focused on the holographic projection on his wrist—

Displaying Kingpin, just as he finished his speech in the main hall.

And the tombstone.

The one that had long since disappeared—

Now lying in wait at the lowest level, ready to deliver a crushing blow to any uninvited guests.

As for Kingpin himself, he was already making his way out of the hall.

Everything was unfolding exactly as Bruce had anticipated.

Everyone's movements—right on schedule.

(End of Chapter)

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