Chapter 276: We Meet Again, Stall Owner
"Yes, Hell's Kitchen." Silas planned to have Peter seek out those Shadow Generals.
"Why are you suggesting I look around Hell's Kitchen?" Peter asked curiously, hopping onto Silas's desk to sit.
Silas explained, "Haven't you been watching the news lately?"
"The news?" Peter thought for a moment. He really hadn't been paying attention to local headlines recently. He had been so consumed with the plan to capture Venom that he completely forgot to check the media.
Silas proceeded to tell Peter all about the recent reports of Shadow Generals appearing in the Hell's Kitchen district.
"So you mean I should go find those Shadow Generals and ask for help?" Peter understood Silas's implication. However, he wondered if that group of Shadow Generals would actually help. He wasn't exactly close with them, and who would take on such a thankless task?
"You won't know until you try." Silas shrugged and headed downstairs. Today was his last day for a date with Misty before school started, and he couldn't be late.
Peter sat on the desk lost in thought, rubbing his chin. It seemed like a method worth testing; he had nothing to lose. Just then, Aunt May's voice drifted from downstairs, calling Peter for breakfast.
"Coming, Aunt May!" Peter snapped out of it, jumped off the desk, and headed down.
Downstairs
The family sat down for breakfast, but Peter was the only one whose mind wasn't on the food.
"I'm finished, so I'll be heading out now." Silas had already explained his plans to Ben and May.
Ben Parker, as per their tradition, pulled out his wallet and handed Silas money for the date. "Good luck, young man!"
"Thanks, Uncle Ben!" Silas took the cash and departed.
Click.
The front door closed, and silence returned to the house. Ben Parker sipped his milk, his eyes darting toward Peter. This kid was acting strange.
"I'm done too. I'm going up." Peter pushed his chair back and walked upstairs with a furrowed brow.
"What's wrong with Peter?" Aunt May sat next to Ben as soon as Peter was out of sight.
"I'd guess he's fallen for a girl," Ben speculated.
"Fallen for a girl? Then he shouldn't have that expression. He should be happy," Aunt May said, shaking her head. She didn't agree with Ben's guess.
Ben wore the expression of someone who had seen it all. "That's where you're wrong. He must like the girl, but she doesn't like him back. That's why he's moping."
"Really?" May asked skeptically.
"Of course. I'm a master of psychology. When it comes to young guys like Peter, my guesses are always spot on," Ben said, patting his chest.
Aunt May gave him a speechless roll of the eyes. She really shouldn't have listened to Ben's nonsense. The moment he claimed to be a "master," she knew he was just blowing smoke.
"Why don't you believe me?" Ben insisted, truly believing his intuition.
"Forget it. You need to get to work, and I need to wash the dishes." May stood up to clear the table, ignoring Ben's further chatter.
"Hmph." Ben let out an indignant huff.
Hell's Kitchen
"Hell's Kitchen!" Peter was already swinging through the skyscrapers, on his way to the district. He had decided to follow Silas's advice and look for the so-called Shadow Generals.
"Woohoo! Your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is here!" Peter shouted excitedly, performing a high-difficulty mid-air somersault.
It had been a while since he visited Hell's Kitchen. Since returning to New York, his attention had been entirely stolen by Venom. Now, he was finally back.
"I'll find a friend first to get the lay of the land." Peter landed on a rooftop. He was going to see if he could find Daredevil. This was Daredevil's turf; he was the most familiar with Hell's Kitchen and would likely know something about the Shadow Generals.
However, finding Daredevil in the middle of the day required a bit of luck. Peter decided to spend the day clearing out some petty crime in the area and wait until nightfall to try and cross paths with the Man Without Fear.
The Date
"Where are we going today?" Misty asked, standing next to Silas with a charming smile.
Silas thought for a moment. "Let's go back to that amusement park. It's where we had our first date."
"Mm, good idea." Misty felt that place was special and worth a revisit.
Upon arriving at the park, they were greeted by a familiar voice. A stall owner shouted, "Hey! You two good-looking kids! Want to give it a shot?"
"Heh." Silas smiled. He hadn't expected to run into the same stall owner. Misty remembered him too and glanced up at Silas.
"Let's go," Silas said, leading Misty by the hand to the stall.
"Whoa—you two look familiar." The stall owner rubbed his head. He felt a strong sense of deja vu. "Have you been here before?"
He picked up a toy gun and handed it to Silas. Silas took it, feeling the weight. "Yeah, I think we were here last year."
"Last year?" The owner couldn't recall. It was too long ago.
Misty smiled without saying a word, quietly pointing to the largest teddy bear in the display.
"Oh? You want the big guy? That requires some serious skill," the owner chuckled, about to state the price.
Silas beat him to it, holding up five dollars. "Five dollars for ten shots."
"Well, you really are a regular." The owner took the five dollars. "But the price went up to six dollars this year."
"You're heartless." Silas pulled out another dollar and handed it over.
The owner grinned as he took the money. "Can't help it. Got a family to feed, and the rent for this stall went up too."
Bang!
While the owner was busy explaining, Silas pulled the trigger. A pellet flew out, striking the number plate for the giant bear.
"..." The owner pursed his lips and took off his hat to fan himself. "Lucky shot, kid."
"It was alright," Silas said with a humble smirk. Last year he didn't have powers. This year, with his abilities, this was child's play.
"Nine shots left," the owner reminded him. This year was different; his friend with the plush factory had gone bankrupt, so he had to buy the prizes himself. That was the real reason for the price hike.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Silas fired three times in rapid succession. Every single shot hit the grand prize.
"..." The stall owner began to look very uneasy.
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