Marvel’s Shadowed Knight

As Kingpin entered his private elevator, the two guards stationed at the entrance barely had time to react before a shadowy figure suddenly appeared beside them.

"Thud!"

What happens when two solid heads collide? Naturally, a crisp and satisfying impact.

Who wouldn't appreciate such a sound?

Releasing the now-unconscious guards, Bruce remained expressionless.

When their heads collided, the Spider-Men watching from the ceiling instinctively winced.

"That must have hurt."

Spider-Ham, in particular, was the most affected. He figured that if he ever got hit like that, he'd need a good long rest.

Stepping into the private elevator that had been guarded moments ago, Shadow Spider acted on instinct, raising his foot to kick the doors open.

Given their Spider-Man abilities, they could easily pull it off.

But the Bat stopped him.

With a casual flick of his wrist, Bruce tossed a small device, and the tightly shut elevator doors slid open instantly.

"A handy little gadget," Peter Parker remarked.

Drawing his grappling gun, Bruce fired a line to the top of the elevator shaft and immediately descended.

"Now I think I hate him too," Peter muttered to Gwen.

But Gwen didn't respond. She had a nagging feeling that this Bat still wasn't telling them everything.

The Spider-Men followed suit, flipping down to the bottom of the elevator shaft—only to find that the Bat was already gone.

"Now I'm really starting to believe this guy is the actual Batman," Peter mumbled.

This disappearing act was straight out of a Batman comic.

Even Superman wouldn't be able to tell where Batman vanished to the moment he turned his head.

"Alright, based on what that Bat said, Kingpin is definitely waiting for us with an army," Gwen took a deep breath, hoping things would go as planned.

"Now tell us which one is real," Gwen turned to Peni Parker.

"The ones with three horizontal web strands are real. The ones with four are fake," Peni admitted.

At this point, whether she said it or not hardly mattered—they were about to leave this universe anyway.

Gwen and Peter Parker both pulled out their keys.

"Damn that Bat," Gwen cursed, looking down at her key, then glancing at Peter's.

They were identical—both had three horizontal web strands.

Just as Peni was processing this revelation, her SP//dr mech received an email from the Bat.

"I figured you'd tell them how to differentiate the real key from the fake," the message read. "I can only tell you this—any of the keys in your hands could be real."

"But don't worry. You will return home. And I will destroy the collider."

As Peni read the Bat's email aloud, Gwen clenched her fists, barely holding back the urge to rip off that Bat's mask and teach him a lesson.

"So, what now?" Shadow Spider asked.

Unlike the others, he hadn't just been standing around. He had been scanning the area for any of Kingpin's hidden enforcers.

And he found them.

Several figures in white lab coats—carrying what appeared to be compact rifles.

"Take out anyone who gets in our way," Gwen snapped.

She wasn't just frustrated about the keys. It was the Bat's lack of trust in them that really got under her skin.

While the Spider-Men moved into action, Bruce had already reached his intended position.

Like a shadow, he stood silently in a dark corner of the massive laboratory.

It had been surprisingly easy for Bruce to infiltrate the area.

Truth be told, these villains' love for dimly lit laboratories played right into his hands.

For some reason, supervillain lairs always seemed to have terrible lighting.

Even when they did have lights, they were never bright.

"Initiate the program," Kingpin commanded as he stepped into the lab.

Now, all he had to do was wait for his machine to bring back his family.

"Upload genetic sequences for Vanessa Fisk and Richard Fisk."

"Commence spatial matching search."

In the laboratory, the orderly exchange of information showcased the professionalism of the scientists at work. However, it also allowed the Bat to notice a few rather suspicious individuals.

From the beginning, while these people seemed to be focused on their tasks, they were also engaging in some secretive actions on the side.

In the dimly lit lab, their behavior was difficult to detect.

"Secondary ignition countdown begins... Five, four—"

"Three, two, one."

A surge of powerful energy burst from the collider's twin output ports, colliding violently at the center.

The collider had been activated, and with it, Bruce's long-awaited opportunity had arrived.

A small EMP device appeared in Bruce's hand. According to his calculations, this device would not interfere with the ongoing collision process.

The moment a special containment unit began moving toward the energy collision stream, Bruce tossed the EMP right into the center of the lab.

Clang— Clang—

The metallic sound echoed conspicuously in the otherwise noise-dampened laboratory.

Kingpin, however, remained unfazed. His entire focus was on the collider, completely uninterested in any other disturbances around him.

Whatever happened here didn't seem to concern him.

Tombstone, on the other hand, reacted instantly. Upon hearing the noise, he drew his gun and scanned the surroundings. The only thing he saw was the lab's entrance slowly closing.

When he finally looked down and spotted the device, his first instinct was to get Kingpin out of there.

Unfortunately, he never got the chance.

Doctor Octopus also noticed the small device.

Just as she extended her mechanical tentacles to throw it away—

The EMP detonated.

A wave of destructive broadband electromagnetic radiation instantly engulfed the entire lab.

As a scientist, Doctor Octopus immediately understood what had happened.

What truly shocked her, however, was not the nature of the device—but the fact that someone had managed to build an EMP this small.

"What just happened?" Kingpin turned to look at the now-dark computer screens surrounding him.

Then he glanced at Doctor Octopus, who was struggling to control her disabled tentacles.

At that moment, it was clear—his plan had been sabotaged.

But Kingpin wasn't the only one asking questions.

Outside, as the Spider-Men continued fighting off goons, they noticed something odd—the containment unit had stopped moving.

"What happened?" Spider-Ham asked, puzzled by the sudden stillness.

Gwen looked around. The entire lab had plunged into darkness, save for the flickering light of residual energy illuminating Kingpin's imposing figure.

"Looks like the Bat did it."

(End of Chapter)

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