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[email protected]/Heroicverse
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Boom—
A light rain suddenly began to fall from the sky.
Gwen Stacy, her mood at rock bottom, stood alone and lost in thought before her father's tombstone, oblivious to the rain soaking her clothes.
It wasn't until a sudden clap of thunder startled her awake that she came back to her senses, then slowly moved her feet, stumbling towards home.
"Life is fleeting, and death is unpredictable…"
An elderly man with silver hair, dressed in a meticulous suit, appearing like an old British gentleman, suddenly appeared from nowhere.
He thoughtfully placed his umbrella over Gwen's head and said with a smile:
"Child, I was just passing by and inadvertently noticed the strong desire deep within your heart."
"If I can arrange for you to meet the departed soul of your father, to say your final goodbyes, would you be willing to sign a contract with me, entrusting your soul to my keeping after death?"
As he spoke,
the old man had already pulled out a finely crafted parchment scroll from his embrace, shaking it at Gwen to indicate it was the contract he spoke of.
But the latter clearly didn't believe such wild talk and continued walking forward without lifting her head.
"It seems the time is not yet ripe…"
The old man sighed inwardly, then retracted the scroll, smiling as he handed over the umbrella, saying with eyes full of concern:
"Then at least take this umbrella; it's a kind gift from an elder!"
"No, you keep it for yourself."
Gwen refused expressionlessly, "No matter how much I get drenched, I won't get sick anyway."
"Alas, business is truly getting harder and harder these days. Young people nowadays are all too cautious…"
The old man looked in the direction Gwen had disappeared, pulled out his phone, checked the time, and shook his head helplessly: "I really miss the times before the internet."
"No matter where you went, you could find plenty of brainless fools; one trick, and they were hooked… It seems the good times are truly over."
Then the old man raised his hand, and the umbrella in his hand transformed into an exquisite parchment scroll.
Had Gwen accepted the umbrella, it would have meant she had agreed to the terms of selling her soul in the contract.
In this way, this old man… no, or rather, he should be called Hell Lord Mephisto, would have obtained a high-quality human soul.
And a high-quality soul is far more valuable than a thousand ordinary souls combined.
Whether used to create high-level Hell Demons or as a scarce currency for transactions with other Hell Lords, it is extremely useful!
However, a temporary setback was nothing to Mephisto.
After all, many people had refused him over the years.
And in the end, they still obediently fell for his deception… no, they were moved by his true (cunning) sincerity (scheme) and willingly signed the contract!
Good things come to those who wait.
Gwen Stacy, rest assured, we will meet again soon.
Your soul will never escape my grasp.
But it seems I must first return to Hell and find a couple of multi-level marketing lecturers for a refresher course.
Otherwise, I really won't be able to keep up with the times!
… … … …
… …
Gwen walked home through the light rain.
Holding her father's photo, she sat by the bed, silently weeping.
Gwen actually had no memory of her mother.
She could barely even remember her name.
Because her mother passed away shortly after Gwen was born.
And from then on, Gwen's father acted as both father and mother, doing his utmost to give her a complete and warm childhood…
It's just that death seemed to constantly hover around Gwen, once again shattering her perfect life!
"Damn it, things shouldn't have happened this way…"
Gwen covered her face, letting tears drip from her fingertips, blaming herself with a choked voice:
"If I had secretly followed my father to the crime scene that night, like I used to, that accident would never have happened."
Months ago, after Gwen was accidentally bitten by a spider on her university campus, she gained superpowers similar to a spider.
Not only did she possess powerful strength, speed, endurance, defense, and reaction abilities far beyond ordinary people.
She could also cling to various buildings like an insect and move quickly on those vertical surfaces.
So, after familiarizing herself with these abilities,
Gwen quietly followed her father, going together to various crime scenes.
Whenever they encountered brutal criminals who refused to surrender, she would secretly strike down the culprits during the brief moments when her father called for backup.
This not only helped her father earn merits and promotions but also fulfilled a teenage girl's superhero dream.
Until an incident more than a month ago changed her mind.
One night, Gwen secretly snuck out after her dad fell asleep to punish evil and promote good.
Unexpectedly, in a dark alley, she caught a criminal who was committing a robbery.
After successfully subduing him, Gwen, as usual, hung the criminal and the weapon upside down on a lamppost at the entrance of the Queens Police Station.
Afterward, she inadvertently learned from her father that
the criminal she caught that day was actually the true culprit behind twelve serial murders committed six months prior.
But what was dramatic was that—
A reporter from the Daily Globe had previously easily believed the lies of a swindler who wanted to become famous by impersonating a serial killer, without verifying the truth.
And based on his "revelations," he specifically wrote a series of special reports, thus gaining fame and fortune, and was promoted to the most popular top-tier reporter in New York.
Then, the police, who had been unable to solve the case for a long time, were pressured by strong public opinion.
They had no choice but to pressure the reporter named Eddie Brock to reveal the true identity of the serial killer.
So Eddie Brock finally had to expose the "imposter."
But who would have thought that just a few months later, the real serial killer was accidentally caught by Gwen.
And Eddie Brock quickly fell from grace due to his previous false reports and his malicious act of providing incorrect information to the police, and was tragically fired by his old employer, the Daily Globe.
After this incident, Gwen was greatly encouraged and became even more determined to "fight for justice."
So from that day on, she decided not to continue being a tag-along behind her father, George Stacy.
Instead, she officially began her "solo" mode.
Every night, like a ghostly phantom, she roamed among the skyscrapers of Queens.
It was precisely because of this that Gwen felt such self-blame and regret at this moment.
She even thought in an extreme way that if she hadn't made that change, she wouldn't have missed the best opportunity to save her father.
"Gwen, it's time to act…"
At this moment, a voice full of power suddenly resonated in Gwen's mind, which was naturally Khorne.
"Who's there?!"
Gwen was startled, but looking around, the room was empty except for herself.
Was it an auditory hallucination?
It must be, after all, even her Spider-Sense hadn't activated!
Perhaps it was because she hadn't slept for two days and two nights?
Or was it due to excessive grief?
Forget it, it doesn't matter what it is…
The girl wiped away her tears, smiling bitterly and shaking her head, "If Dad were home, knowing I hadn't slept for so long, he would definitely put on a stern face, lecture me, then give me a big hug, and personally watch over me to make sure I went to sleep quickly…"
By the end of her sentence, tears flowed again, uncontrollably.
"Gwen, I'm disappointed by the weakness you're showing…"
"If you truly want to be a hero, then the first person you need to save is yourself!"
Khorne's powerful voice rang out again.
"Hero?"
Gwen seemed to have accepted this voice as her own hallucination. Far from being afraid, she even regarded it as an outlet to release her inner pressure and said with great self-mockery:
"Have you ever seen a useless hero who can't even save her own father?"
"So the truth is… I can't save anyone!"
"But you can avenge him, and let his soul rest in peace."
"Your father was a good man; he shouldn't have been treated so cruelly… Of course, that's assuming you have the courage and strength."
Khorne continued to encourage her… or perhaps, to tempt her?
"That's right, my father was so righteous, so kind… He shouldn't have died, it's not fair, not fair!!"
Gwen felt the anger suppressed deep within her heart ignite instantly. She stood up abruptly, clenching her fists and saying:
"I am Spider-Woman, I have the ability to avenge my father, and that bastard's crime is absolutely unforgivable… Never!!"
"Very good."
Khorne was very pleased to see this.
"Go, go and take your revenge in your own way… Remember, you are not fighting alone; when you need to fight, I will lend you strength!!"
…
Midnight.
A white silhouette, like a ghost, silently landed on the rooftop of the Queens Police Station, swinging with the aid of webs.
Then, Gwen used her hands and feet, clinging to the vertical wall like a spider, and quickly reached the northwest corner of the 4th floor, the investigation area where Sheriff Frank was located.
Her father used to work in this area too, but now…
However, since Sheriff Frank, as the case officer, was unwilling to tell her the information about the murderer who killed her father, she would find it herself from the computer…
Gwen slipped into the room through an open window and, following the location she had noted when she previously came to find her father, successfully found her father's desk.
On the desk was a large cardboard box filled with George Stacy's personal belongings. At the very top was a photo frame containing a picture of Gwen and her father laughing happily at the camera.
Gwen's eyes reddened. She picked up the photo, gently wiped her father's side, and then reluctantly put it back.
Presumably, in a few days, the police department would send someone to return these items to her, right?
"I hope Dad's password still works…"
Gwen turned on the computer on the desk, just about to use her father's account and password to log into the police internal network to query relevant information.
A strong beam of light shot from behind her, "Spider-Woman, I suggest you immediately cease your illegal activities!!"
A middle-aged female officer, who happened to be patrolling there, held a tactical flashlight in her left hand, aiming it at Gwen, while her right hand rested on the revolver at her waist.
If the other party made any aggressive moves, she would immediately draw her gun and fire.
"Spider-Woman, do you know what you are doing?"
"Sneaking into the police station and hacking into police computers is a serious crime. If you can't give me a reasonable explanation, I'm afraid your identity will immediately change from a Queens vigilante to a wanted criminal!"
Clearly,
Gwen's previous actions in helping the Queens Police Station apprehend criminals had earned her the praise of most officers, which is why the middle-aged female officer did not shoot her immediately!
"Please let me explain…"
Gwen obediently raised her hands and made no aggressive moves.
Because her Spider-Sense did not indicate danger.
Therefore, it meant that the female officer behind her did not pose a subjective threat to her.
"I heard Sheriff Stacy was killed. He was a very good person… I feel like I should do something for him… but I need to know more about the killer!"
Upon hearing this, the middle-aged female officer's tense expression softened considerably, but she still maintained her vigilance and asked:
"So, you plan to find clues from the police and then bring that damned monster to justice?"
"No."
Gwen shook her head vigorously, her voice incredibly firm as she said, "This time, I don't want to see him go to jail; I want him to pay blood for blood!!"
As she spoke, the anger Gwen inadvertently exuded caused the middle-aged female officer to feel a strange sense of anxiety and unease in her heart.
After a brief silence,
"Alright…"
The middle-aged female officer seemed to sense something, sighing with a complex expression, then put down her flashlight and sat down at the computer.
While entering her own account and password, she said:
"Strictly speaking, the police station building is also open to the public on weekdays, so from a technical standpoint, you are not breaking the law until you log into the police's internal network!!"
"Alright, back to the point, as of now, the killer's identity is still a mystery. We only have a few videos related to the killer, but the content might be a bit too brutal…"
As she spoke,
the middle-aged female officer had already pulled up the footage of the officers encountering Anti-Venom on the day of the incident.
When she saw Anti-Venom bite off her father's head in one gulp, Gwen's youthful face beneath her mask instantly contorted.
"This guy looks as terrifying as a monster; no one knows where it came from…"
The middle-aged female officer reminded her meaningfully, "But one thing is certain: this guy is exceptionally powerful; even bullets cannot cause any effective damage to it."
"So even you… Spider-Woman, I still don't recommend you go after it alone."
However,
Gwen at this moment could hear nothing but revenge. She immediately pulled out a USB drive and said:
"Please copy this video for me. I have a hacker friend who might be able to help find some clues."
The middle-aged female officer said nothing more, took the USB drive, and copied the video onto it.
Then, looking at the white silhouette that hastily said "Thank you" and then leaped out the window, she shook her head helplessly and with concern:
"You must stay safe… Little Gwen!"