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"She's so beautiful…" Annie muttered as she stared at Spider-Shadow, who was quietly reading. She had never seen a girl that pretty before—she looked like an angel.
Looking around, Annie noticed that most people in the room were also sneaking glances at Spider-Shadow. The phrase "a beauty that brings trouble" popped into her head.
She turned to Jasper and asked, "What do you think of her?"
Jasper knew right away that Annie was talking about Spider-Shadow. There was no question—she was stunning. So beautiful that you couldn't look away.
"She's insanely beautiful," Jasper admitted.
Annie chuckled and teased, "Why don't you go for her? You're not bad-looking, you might actually have a shot."
Jasper shook his head and said, "Not interested. Anyway, I've got stuff to do. See you tomorrow."
He waved and walked off.
Annie waved back. Then after one last glance at Spider-Shadow, she turned and left as well.
Spider-Shadow noticed Jasper leaving and quietly stood up to follow him. She didn't walk fast—mostly because Jasper wasn't walking fast either.
She didn't plan to walk with him, though. It wasn't that she didn't want to—it was just that Jasper hated being the center of attention. He preferred to stay low-key.
If she suddenly showed up beside him on the street, it would definitely cause a scene.
So, she kept a bit of distance between them.
Suddenly, gunshots rang out on the street.
Jasper frowned. Before he could react, a group of armed men burst out of a nearby bank. One of them pointed a gun straight at Jasper's head and barked, "You! Come with us!"
Were they trying to take him hostage?
Jasper raised his hands and let them drag him off. He didn't resist. Not yet. If he showed any sign of his powers now, it'd just bring unnecessary trouble.
I'll wait a little longer.
The robbers dragged Jasper away.
Some time passed.
They brought him to an old, abandoned factory. The robbers were busy counting their stolen cash, so hyped up they basically forgot Jasper was even there.
Meanwhile—
Hawkeye and Black Widow had received their orders: retrieve the stolen money.
The two of them moved quickly in the direction the robbers had escaped.
In just a few minutes, they tracked down the hideout.
They crept in quietly, keeping low and scanning for Jasper. Their first priority was making sure he was safe.
BOOM!
A loud crash shook the place—one of the robbers went flying into a wall and passed out cold from the impact.
Hearing the noise, Black Widow and Hawkeye instantly hid themselves again.
Jasper rolled his wrist and said calmly, "Alright, let's do this."
The robbers panicked and pulled their triggers, trying to shoot him dead—but with his spider-sense, Jasper dodged every single bullet like it was nothing.
He dashed forward.
"Damn it!!" One of the robbers tried to smash him with the butt of his gun.
Jasper caught it mid-swing and clenched.
CRACK!
The gunstock shattered in his grip.
The robber's eyes widened in shock—right before Jasper punched him across the room.
The rest of the robbers didn't last much longer. Jasper took them all down with ease.
Then his eyes landed on the bag full of cash.
He reached for it—
SWOOSH—!
Danger. His senses flared.
He dodged fast.
THUNK!
An arrow slammed into the exact spot where he'd just been standing.
Seriously? Who still uses a bow and arrow?
As Jasper stared in confusion, the arrow released a cloud of red gas.
Poison? Jasper held his breath.
Suddenly, someone lunged at him from behind.
He twisted to the side—just in time to see a red-haired woman stabbing at him with a knife.
Jasper frowned and threw a punch.
She raised both arms to block—but his strength was too much. She couldn't handle it.
The woman went flying from the impact, pain shooting through her arms—she was pretty sure something cracked.
BANG!
She hit the wall hard.
Just as she got her footing back, Jasper appeared right in front of her, fist already coming at her again.
She ducked fast.
BOOM!
Jasper's punch smashed a massive dent into the wall behind her.
Getting hit by that would've been brutal.
SWISH!
Another arrow flew straight at Jasper's head.
He tilted his head slightly and dodged it.
Black Widow leapt forward, trying to land a powerful kick.
"Boring," Jasper muttered.
He moved faster—much faster—and kicked her midair before she could even reach him.
She went flying.
The hit left her dazed and dizzy.
Hawkeye readied another shot—but suddenly, Spider-Shadow appeared from the darkness.
Her surprise attack was impossible to avoid. In seconds, she had him wrapped up in webbing.
She casually tossed him in front of Jasper.
Black Widow was about to retaliate—but the next moment, sharp, spear-like spider legs extended from Spider-Shadow and hovered right at her throat.
One wrong move, and they'd pierce straight through.
The fight was over.
Jasper looked down at Hawkeye and Black Widow. "Wow… you guys are kinda weak."
Neither of them said anything.
Jasper tilted his head. "Look, I don't wanna be your enemy. The only reason I attacked just now was because you started it. So don't come messing with me again."
He narrowed his eyes.
"If you piss me off… there's no telling what I'll do. So don't try me."
With that, Jasper turned and walked away. He figured they probably already knew who he was. But he wasn't worried.
If they dared to come after him—he wouldn't hesitate to storm the White House and punch the President himself.
"....."