13 unexpected encounter

(POV: Noah)

I gazed at the high school where Peter Parker used to study, lost in thought about various matters. I had caused quite a bit of chaos recently, and S.H.I.E.L.D. would likely have already caught wind of my actions. When I unleashed that carnage in the nightclub, someone probably captured it on video. I'm not naive; though I felt exhilarated, I also craved more challenges and desired to confront formidable opponents.

But S.H.I.E.L.D. posed a significant problem—a far greater one than Kingpin. If I wanted, I could go after Kingpin and eliminate him. I even contemplated utilizing Jeff's formidable ability to its fullest extent and demolishing the entire building. His ability granted me the strength of a green-colored card for a limited duration.

"Hey, do you study here?" a voice startled me from behind. I turned around to see a blonde girl with short hair, clad in a jacket against the cold.

"Ah... no, I was just admiring the school. It looks interesting," I replied with a smile. Was this Gwen Stacy? She's blonde, but then again, there are plenty of blondes in New York.

"Ah, I'm sorry," she said with an awkward laugh. "It's just that since it's vacation, I thought you were a student here..."

"No worries," I reassured her with a smile. "I'm actually visiting New York with my mother to see my uncles. By the way, my name is Noah Williams."

"Gwen Stacy, nice to meet you!" she said with a smile. It seems it was indeed Gwen Stacy. Bingo...

"Do you study here?" I asked with a smile, attempting to gather information from her, or at least give it a shot. If she was indeed Spiderwoman, she probably had the power to incapacitate me with just a blow to the face.

"Yeah..." she replied with a faint smile, seeming somewhat melancholic. Ah, right, Peter.

"And what's school like...?" I inquired with genuine interest.

"Well... I heard they once found dead bodies on the roof. It's pretty scary, to be honest. I don't really want to talk about it..." she trailed off, her smile fading. I wondered if the original Gwen Stacy was like this. This wasn't a universe I was familiar with. Damn it, Tom, you've thrown me into an interesting yet bloody dangerous universe. Still, I couldn't deny I was having fun.

"Wow, corpses...? That's terrifying," I exclaimed with a surprised expression. Gwen glanced at me and replied, "Yes... it's... disgusting..." Her tone sent a shiver down my spine.

"Yes, it's truly horrifying. But putting that aside, what brings you here? I thought nobody wanted to be near the school during vacation, hehe," I remarked, attempting to steer the conversation away from such unsettling topics with a smile.

"Well, pretty typical, you know? Lots of studying and more studying. Luckily, it's vacation now, so I can finally relax at home. Although sometimes I have to venture out to take care of a few things," Gwen said with a smile, her gaze drifting towards the school.

"Yes, relaxing is fantastic. It's such a good way to unwind at home. It's just a shame that I have to leave New York in a few weeks..." I said with a genuine smile tinged with sadness. I wanted to continue enjoying New York and causing chaos. There were still so many things I wanted to try.

"Ah, right..." Gwen replied with a slightly awkward smile.

"Well, I should head home. Don't want any thieves breaking in," I said as I began to walk away.

"Ah, yes... bye," Gwen responded, but then a voice called out to me, "You know, if you want, we can talk another day! Same place!" I was surprised, but thankfully Gwen didn't catch the wide grin on my face. She had unwittingly provided me with quite an interesting opportunity.

"Of course!" I replied as I walked away.

I hadn't expected her to suggest that, but now things were going to be much easier for me.

I hope we meet again... little spider...

///

I found myself staring at a building nestled among the alleys, its presence recently catching my attention. Through various hacks, I unearthed intriguing information about mutants—mutants with the Gene X, not those engineered by scientists.

It appears I may have to confront the X-Men in the future, a prospect that sounds simultaneously intriguing and terrifying. They would likely obliterate me within seconds, their powers far surpassing mine.

If it were Wolverine, I might consider engaging in a fight, although his extreme healing factor would pose a formidable challenge.

The building before me was a secluded and covert establishment—a hidden bar for mutants. It piqued my curiosity; I had never imagined such a place existed in New York. Nevertheless, curiosity beckoned me, and I also desired to acquire XP. Killing mutants promised a substantial amount of XP.

With Jeff's card in use, I wouldn't dare approach without its power activated. It felt like a suicidal move, but I pressed on nonetheless. Knocking on the iron door, I waited impatiently. After a few moments, a small sliding hatch opened, revealing eyes that seemed to size me up like a lion assessing its prey. I greeted the person on the other side with a smile, though they didn't appear intimidated by my presence. Either they were genuinely strong or merely believed themselves to be. Either way, it was of little concern to me.

"Password..." came the hoarse voice from the other side of the hatch.

"Bad water," I replied with a smile, recalling the amusing password that had initially made me chuckle.

The guy behind the hatch closed it momentarily, and I heard the sound of various locks being undone. Finally, the metal door swung open, revealing the guy's peculiar appearance—his hands were shaped like those of a lion, a fascinating sight indeed. He entered slowly.

"Don't cause any trouble or we'll kick you out, got it...?" his voice carried a stern warning. I simply nodded in understanding and proceeded down the hallway. The interior of the place seemed much larger than its exterior—typical of an underground establishment.

Descending down the deep stairs, I entered a rather intriguing place. People were toasting and drinking beer, some with animal heads that reminded me of furries. Others had abnormally long necks, and there were even individuals who could spit fire from their mouths. It was certainly a fascinating sight.

Taking a seat at the drink counter, I noticed someone interesting sitting beside me—a guy with disheveled, greasy hair who seemed to be drinking non-stop.

I signaled to the worker and requested a good bottle of Coca-Cola. I never acquired a taste for beer; the one time I tried it, I promptly spat it out.

I took a sip from the bottle of Coke as I observed the scene around me.

"Damn you, James... you really need to cut back on the drinking," remarked the worker as he cleaned a glass that had contained beer.

"Shut your mouth and pour me another one... I still enjoy the taste," replied James, the guy with the greasy hair. His name seemed familiar, reminding me of someone.

I watched in disbelief as one guy struck another, escalating into a fight. One combatant had sharp claws for hands, while the other boasted immensely large hands and fists.

"Haa... shit... LET ME DRINK, FUCK!!" James's voice echoed loudly through the bar, breaking the tense silence. But another voice swiftly retorted, "Shut the fuck up, dead wolf!"

I heard James, the guy next to me, start growling. Could it be...? Was he who I suspected he was...?

The muscular guy who had taunted James seemed to find the situation amusing, laughing heartily.

My heart skipped a beat as I witnessed sharp claws protruding from James's knuckles. Shit... he's Wolverine.

But to my surprise, he quickly retracted them, sighing heavily before calmly requesting, "Serve me another beer..."

The claws that retracted appeared to be made of adamantium. Shit... there's no way I could even begin to counter that. Adamantium is an absurdly hard material, capable of withstanding multiple nuclear explosions without breaking a sweat. Nemesis would be sliced into pieces effortlessly. Perhaps Jeff's card could prove useful in some way, but killing him with my current abilities is utterly impossible.

As I contemplated the idea of eliminating everyone present to gain XP, a wave of hesitation washed over me. Wolverine posed a significant threat, and the risk of engaging him in combat was far too great. This time, perhaps these people were spared from my intentions.

I sighed and took another sip of my Coke, trying to calm my nerves. Wolverine, seated next to me, began to drink more from his own beer

"You're pretty young to be in a bar..." he remarked, his eyes showing a hint of curiosity as he glanced at me.

"Yeah... but I wanted to check this place out," I replied with a smile. Wolverine's expression twisted slightly, perhaps in disgust, likely noticing something off about my mouth. But hey, it's not like I could change that.

"Why are you really here...?" Wolverine pressed, his tone serious.

"Just curiosity," I replied casually, trying to play it cool as I took another sip of my drink.

"Lie... you smell like blood," he stated bluntly, sending a shiver down my spine. Shit... I didn't want to have to face off against this guy.

"Well... I'm sure people here kill too, so why would I be any different...?" I replied with a forced smile, hoping my response would suffice. It was the best excuse I could come up with on the spot.

Wolverine glanced at me and muttered, "You have a point..." before returning his focus to his drink. I breathed a silent sigh of relief. Damn, that was a close call. I decided to stay a little longer, but I made a mental note to leave soon. It wasn't worth risking another encounter with Wolverine.

As I made my way towards the exit, a voice called out to me. It was the guy who had been bothering Wolverine earlier.

"Hey, kid, you shouldn't be in a place like this..." he warned.

I turned to him and replied nonchalantly, "Haa... shit, what a bother. Well, I was leaving anyway."

The guy chuckled, and some others nearby joined in. I sighed inwardly and, without hesitation, grabbed him by the head and slammed him hard against the table. Blood began to trickle, but fortunately, I hadn't killed him. The room fell into a stunned silence as I turned and made my exit. As I left, I couldn't help but notice some security cameras in the establishment. Interesting...

As I made my way through the hallway and stepped outside, the guy held the door open for me. "That's annoying. If Wolverine wasn't around, this would be easier..." I muttered to myself, feeling a sense of frustration.

As I continued on my way, I found myself whistling softly. Deciding that it was time to call it a day, I made my way home.

///

As I walked home, my phone vibrated with a notification, interrupting my thoughts.

"Now what...?" I muttered irritably, pulling my phone out of my pocket to check the message.

It was a notification from a deep web page. Recently, I had been searching various sources for information about Kingpin. Decision made, I resolved to go after that bastard. He was proving to be a pain in the ass.

I decided to head home to formulate a plan to utterly annihilate Kingpin. I'm determined to obliterate him completely, that bastard. I'll make sure his head is displayed for all to see.

I arrived home and greeted my mother warmly. We enjoyed delicious fried chicken; She cooked it and it was delicious. After a while, I retired to my room.

Grabbing my laptop, I dove into creating various plans. I couldn't shake the feeling that S.H.I.E.L.D. It could appear at any time.

With a sigh, I began to come up with various strategies. Fortunately, he had plans of buildings near the tower where the Kingpin resides. Naturally, he had pointed out its location. It was a bit of a long walk, but doable. The success of the plan depended on many variables. Furthermore, he needed to level up to acquire more cards. I craved something more psychologically strategic. He had a plan brewing that could skyrocket or crash disastrously, maybe even crash. But I needed a partner, a second in command, my own Robin. Having a trusted ally by my side would add an element of excitement to the plan.

"Hmm... I'm eager to leave now, but the timing isn't right. Maybe I'll look for a partner once I've accumulated more cards. Yeah, that sounds like a solid plan," I murmured with a smile. I had a few names in mind, but only a few would be suitable.

"Before I leave New York, I'm going to accomplish something monumental...something truly spectacular," I whispered with a smile.

"That day they will remember me..." I declared with a wide smile. That day it would probably appear on television, it's quite likely.