Su Yi answered the urgent call, instantly sensing the distress in Gwen's voice. He knew he had to help, but first, he needed to address the beautiful woman beside him.
He gently pulled away from Vanessa's embrace and sat up. "Vanessa, I need to tell you a secret."
"What is it?" she asked, her curiosity piqued.
"I told you I was helping others, and I remember you accepted that," Su Yi began. "Well, that help is a little more hands-on than I let on. I am a superhero. You might have heard of me: Spider Bully."
Vanessa watched, stunned, as the Symbiote Suit swiftly enveloped Su Yi.
"You..." she breathed, speechless.
Su Yi explained, "My friend ran into serious trouble tonight while dealing with some criminals. I have to leave for a while."
Vanessa, who had merely thought Su Yi was special, was now staring at a true mystery. Yet, now that he had been honest, she had no grounds for objection.
"I understand," she said, her voice steadying. "Go do what you need to do."
"I'm going to teleport away," Su Yi warned her. "Try not to be too surprised."
"Will you come back?" she asked, pulling the blanket around her and fixing him with an intense gaze. "I'll wait for you."
"Wait for me," Su Yi promised, and in a flash of spatial distortion, he vanished. Vanessa, completely alone, stared at the spot where he had been, utterly stunned by the sudden, magical disappearance.
Su Yi's first priority was the footage. He Teleported directly to Matt Murdock's apartment, where Gwen and Peter were already anxiously waiting. Peter, looking overwhelmed, was going through paperwork, ensuring no civilian identities had been compromised during the chaotic escape.
"Su, you're here!" Gwen rushed to him. She sniffed the air subtly, detecting a new, unfamiliar scent, but quickly dismissed it. The immediate crisis was far more important than her boyfriend's latest entanglement.
"I'm here," Su Yi confirmed.
"We've verified all the documents," Gwen reported efficiently. "No identities or personal information were exposed. And the attack on the hostage was recorded clearly from all three drone angles."
"Excellent work," Su Yi said, taking the USB drive Gwen offered. "I'll make sure this gets where it needs to go."
"It's a good thing you had those drones ready," Gwen admitted, a wave of relief washing over her. "Otherwise, the three of us would have become wanted felons."
Su Yi smiled faintly. "It seems Tony's toys are still somewhat useful."
Matt, ever the realist, voiced his concern. "Today's mission failed, and it confirms the severity of Kingpin's corruption. Even if we find the evidence, his connections might be too powerful to be restrained by the law."
Su Yi dismissed the worry with a wave of his hand. "We can worry about the courts later. Our primary task is to get the evidence to force an arrest. Those connections protect him for profit, but the moment they realize he's becoming a liability, those same people will turn on him. They are all greedy and selfish."
After a quick final discussion, Su Yi offered to give Peter and Gwen a lift. He Teleported them to the balcony of Gwen's apartment building. Peter quickly made his way home, leaving Su Yi and Gwen to find her father.
Su Yi and Gwen knocked quietly on Chief George Stacy's door.
"You two," George said sternly, opening the door. "You still dare to show up here after what happened?"
Su Yi calmly presented a USB drive. "This contains the unedited truth of tonight, Chief. The incident was not committed by us, but by personnel within your own organization who have been corrupted by money and framed us. The whole thing was a setup."
George already had a lingering faith in Su Yi, and the idea of the heroes killing a hostage made no logical sense. The appearance of concrete evidence sealed his belief.
"You mean someone inside the NYPD framed you?"
"We are currently investigating a massive criminal organization," Su Yi explained. "This is his retaliation. He wants to turn us into villains to discredit any evidence we find."
George was staggered. "You are collecting evidence to arrest a major criminal through official channels?"
"What else would we do?" Su Yi challenged. "Rush over and punch his head in? While he might deserve to die ten times over for his crimes, I don't want the legal hassle. I'd rather spend time with my girlfriend."
Chief George clutched the drive. "I will use this evidence to clear your names."
"I trust your character, Chief," Su Yi said, his voice dropping slightly. "But you need to be careful. Kingpin's corruption is more serious than you imagine. The last time your daughter was in danger? It was likely his attempt to exert control over you."
George's jaw tightened. "I will be careful. If he dares to harm my family, I will personally see them caught."
"Then, apologies for the late disturbance, Chief George. Goodbye."
Su Yi took Gwen back to her room, where they exchanged a quick, affectionate goodnight. He then vanished to complete the next phase of damage control.
Su Yi Teleported to Betty Brant's house and knocked on Bella's bedroom door. Bella, wearing pajamas, opened the door, surprised to see him.
"Su, how did you get in here?"
"I have the ability to teleport," he explained simply.
"It's so late, is something wrong?"
Su Yi handed her the second USB drive. "Tonight, Daredevil, Spider-Man, and Ghost-Spider fell into a trap. They were framed for killing a hostage and branded as villains."
"This drive contains the raw footage," Su Yi continued. "I need you to write an urgent report to clarify this matter. It needs to be the front-page story in the Hero Daily tomorrow morning."
Bella yawned, stretching languidly in her light pajamas. "I know, and I'd be happy to give you a raise," she said, teasing him.
Su Yi's gaze lingered for a moment, noticing the alluring sight of her in her sleepwear. "Hiss, I am not Cao Cao," he muttered to himself.
He quickly looked away. "If there's nothing else, I'll leave now."
Bella, noticing his sudden panic, smiled. "Goodnight, Su." Watching him Teleport away, she thought, It seems I have indeed become younger and more charming.
Su Yi, wanting to avoid any more awkward situations, decided to return to Vanessa, who was indeed waiting up for him, painting, with the lonely canvas nearby.
The next morning, the city was rocked by two competing headlines.
The main metropolitan newspapers, led by the infamous Daily Bugle, screamed accusations: VIGILANTES EXPOSED AS MURDERERS! SPIDER-MAN, GHOST-SPIDER, AND DAREDEVIL ARE CRIMINALS!
J. Jonah Jameson, the bombastic owner of the Daily Bugle, immediately stepped forward on every broadcast to fan the flames. "They are not heroes! They are dangerous, masked menaces eliminating rivals!"
Public sentiment instantly flipped, turning the heroes into villains overnight.
However, a newly launched paper fought back. The Hero Daily hit the stands with a competing headline: SHOCKING FOOTAGE REVEALS POLICE FRAME-UP: KINGPIN CORRUPTION EXPOSED!
The Hero Daily published stills and quotes from the drone footage, supported by an official statement from Chief George Stacy, who declared that he was launching an internal investigation into the corruption of his officers. The battle for public perception had begun.
The heroes are now wanted, and the media war has started.