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*****
"Aaagh!"
Amidst a piercing, wretched shriek, the ghostly doll was reduced to a heap of grey ash.
"Hmph. Trash," Gwen remarked coldly. The swirling vortex of flames in her eyes flickered and vanished, yet a lingering chill—the icy residue of a soul being incinerated—still clung to her form.
She is... so incredibly cool! Peter cheered silently.
The mere thought that this version of Gwen had actually agreed to go out with him made his heart soar even higher.
Gwen turned around, catching the look of pure, star-struck infatuation in Peter's eyes. Her cheeks flushed a faint crimson. "What are you staring at?"
"You," Peter blurted out without a second thought.
Gwen froze for a moment, then a playful smile tugged at her lips. She teased him mischievously, "Peter, you've certainly grown a lot bolder lately, haven't you?"
Upon hearing this, Peter didn't show his usual shy or flustered expression. Instead, he met Gwen's gaze with even more daring intensity.
"I want to look at you for the rest of my life. I want to carve your image into my very soul."
Gwen's face instantly turned bright red. Peter really was different than before—more confident, and definitely more... aggressive.
Gwen brushed a stray lock of hair from her forehead, shifting her gaze toward the pile of ash that used to be the doll. "He was Charles Lee Ray, alright. But 'Charles Lee Ray' was the only thing he was honest about."
She paused, then continued, "He was a serial killer. When the police had him cornered and he had no way out, he remembered a dark incantation he'd stumbled upon. With a 'nothing left to lose' attitude, he recited the spell and tethered his soul to that toy."
"So that's how it happened?" Peter murmured.
No wonder Gwen's Penance Stare had burned him to a crisp.
"Hmph! That bastard... even after possessing a doll, he didn't stop. He kept killing to satisfy his sick, twisted urges. He was even kidnapping and murdering innocent children just to find a 'suitable' body to transfer his soul into."
Peter stiffened, his brow furrowing in disgust. "Then he truly got exactly what he deserved."
"This time, he messed up while trying to target a group of kids, which is how he ended up in that pathetic state. Those children thought they had finished him off, so they buried him under that tree... until we happened upon him."
Peter nodded, a small smile returning to his face. "Well, regardless, he's dealt with now. This whole ordeal is over."
"Over? No." Gwen shook her head. "He is gone, but I managed to pull a piece of information from his soul—something that poses a constant threat to the lives of thousands of children."
At those words, Peter's expression turned grave. He asked urgently, "What is it?"
"It's about these dolls."
"The dolls?" Peter was confused. Hadn't the serial killer's soul already been reduced to cinders by the hellfire?
"Yes, these dolls," Gwen said with a cold sneer. "The person manufacturing these toys isn't exactly a law-abiding citizen."
"Wait, what do you mean?"
"These dolls might look like ordinary toys on the surface, but in reality, they can be turned into killing machines or tools for kidnapping at any moment!"
"These things..." Peter felt a jolt of shock. "Are they being remotely controlled?"
Gwen nodded. "Exactly. The manufacturer can manipulate these toys at will, using them as leverage to kidnap children and extort massive amounts of illegal wealth."
"Damn it! How could they? These are toys meant for children!" Peter was incensed.
Toys were supposed to bring children joy and happiness. The idea that they were being used as weapons to threaten their lives was sickening. Peter couldn't even begin to imagine the trauma that would cause.
Gwen's voice was icy. "If we hadn't stumbled across that scumbag today..." She trailed off, a hint of lingering fear in her own voice.
"So, what do we do now?" Peter asked, looking to Gwen for direction.
Gwen smiled. "It's still early. We're going to solve this problem tonight."
Peter nodded firmly. "How do we start?"
"How?" Gwen rubbed her chin, muttering to herself, "If we handle it all on our own, it's going to take quite a bit of time..."
Peter blinked, looking at Gwen expectantly. From a personal standpoint, he really wanted a "duo mission" with Gwen, just the two of them. However, he also understood that this needed to be settled immediately. It was a ticking time bomb; every second they delayed was a second another child might be put in danger.
He sighed resignedly. "I guess we should find someone to help us settle this as quickly as possible."
Gwen laughed and patted Peter on the head, feigning surprise. "Wow! Peter, you're so smart!"
Peter looked at her helplessly and couldn't help but retort, "Your acting is way too fake!"
"Is it now?" Gwen touched her own face before suddenly reaching out and pinching Peter's cheek. She huffed, "Next time, don't just call me out like that! You're making me lose face!"
"Hehe." Peter looked at Gwen and gave a silly grin, but he reached out and caught her hand in his.
Their eyes met, smiles spreading across their faces. After a few seconds, both of their faces began to heat up, and they quickly turned their attention back to the task at hand.
To solve this with maximum speed, the easiest way was to attack via the network—seize control of all the toys directly, and then track down the mastermind to bring them in... or just take them out.
When it came to the best person for the job, Gwen immediately thought of her brother, Eric. However, Eric was currently buried in work for Future Tech, and Jor-El was busy managing Planet Kent...
Gwen hesitated for a moment before muttering, "Better just leave it to Tony Stark."
Peter nodded without hesitation, a look of excitement flashing across his face. Tony Stark was, after all, his idol.
Gwen pulled out her phone and dialed Tony's number immediately.
"Hey, Uncle Tony—"
"Call me 'Big Brother'!"
Gwen: "..."
Hearing the response, Peter actually looked at Gwen with a hint of envy.
Gwen: "..." What is there to be envious of?
Gwen rolled her eyes internally and spoke quickly, "I need your help with something!"
Without waiting for Tony to interrupt, she laid out the situation regarding the ghost doll and the fact that the entire line of toys was being remotely controlled.
Tony's tone turned serious instantly. The moment Gwen finished speaking, he replied, "I'll start investigating those dolls right now and seize control of their systems immediately!"
Clearly, he had grasped the gravity of the situation in an instant.
"Peter and I will wait for your update."
"Don't worry, it won't take long," Tony said confidently before hanging up.
The room fell into a sudden, heavy silence. Gwen and Peter both felt a wave of awkwardness wash over them. More accurately, they became hyper-aware of the sound of a heartbeat—a heart beating specifically for the person standing right in front of them.
Thump, thump...
Suddenly, Gwen's phone rang again. The sharp sound jolted them both out of the intoxicating rhythm of their racing hearts. Realizing they were standing at a rather "dangerous" proximity to one another, both of their faces turned beet red.
Peter scrambled backward in a panic, while Gwen clumsily grabbed her phone. Looking at the caller ID, she gasped, "Oh no, I totally forgot about Laura!"
(End of Chapter)