The narrow alley was dark and secluded, its air thick with the sour stench of rotting garbage.
Peter casually tossed Shocker off his shoulder.
Thud!
The man hit the ground with a heavy impact.
"Ugh..."
Herman felt as though every bone in his body was about to fall apart. He instinctively opened his mouth to cry out, only to find himself staring at the sinister Hollow mask looming over him in the shadows.
He immediately swallowed his scream.
Peter crouched down and roughly tore off Shocker's yellow-and-red mask, revealing an unremarkable middle-aged white man whose face was marked by nervousness and a somewhat shifty expression.
"Your name. Where you got your equipment. And what you're trying to accomplish."
Peter's voice was deep and utterly devoid of emotion.
Herman's eyes darted around before he forced an awkward smile onto his face.
"M-my name is Tom..."
Crack!
Before Shocker could finish, Peter seized his wrist and twisted it slightly.
Another bone snapped.
Herman's entire body convulsed. His face contorted in agony, and he instinctively tried to scream, but Peter covered his mouth before he could make a sound.
Only muffled groans escaped his throat.
"Did you know the human body contains 206 bones?"
Peter delivered the random piece of trivia so casually that Herman felt a chill run through him.
He understood the implication perfectly.
If he dared tell another lie, this lunatic would start breaking every bone in his body!
Once he realized that, Herman abandoned any thought of playing tricks.
"I'LL TALK! I'LL TELL YOU EVERYTHING!"
Tears and mucus streamed down his face as he hurriedly began confessing everything he knew.
He didn't dare conceal the slightest detail.
Over the next several minutes, Shocker—or rather, Herman Schultz—recounted his life story.
In short, he'd been a poor kid who hadn't even finished high school. After discovering his unusual talent for physics, he'd tried to teach himself enough to change his circumstances.
Unfortunately, unscrupulous businessmen had repeatedly stolen the results of his inventions.
When Herman attempted to steal his own work back, he ended up in prison.
After that, he gradually abandoned his principles and became a habitual thief, eventually convincing himself that he could use the equipment he'd invented to obtain money without having to work for it.
Peter listened with only mild interest.
Most Marvel supervillains had remarkably similar origin stories. There was nothing particularly original about another gifted individual getting screwed over by society.
That was until Herman mentioned something unexpected.
"I designed the vibration gauntlets myself! They're powered by a specially developed high-density battery pack..."
"Wait."
For the first time, Peter's voice changed.
He interrupted Herman's explanation without the slightest concern for politeness.
"What did you just say? They're powered by batteries?"
Peter was genuinely stunned.
He'd expected Shocker's equipment to rely on some kind of futuristic energy source.
But he'd never imagined that the technology would be this advanced.
It was practically magic!
A compact battery module capable of generating enough power to release a shock wave that could destroy an entire building?
And the device could be used more than a dozen times before running out of energy?
'What kind of ridiculous battery capacity is that?!'
"Yes! Batteries!"
Seeing Peter's sudden interest, Herman reacted like a drowning man who'd finally found something to grab onto.
He hurriedly began explaining.
"They're miniature high-energy battery cells I developed myself! I discovered the material composition by accident!"
"The amount of energy they can store is more than a hundred times greater than ordinary commercially available batteries..."
Before Herman could finish speaking, Peter abruptly grabbed his red-and-yellow suit and tore it open.
He ripped apart the unfamiliar composite cushioning material beneath the outer fabric.
The next instant, more than a hundred crystal-blue batteries were revealed.
Each was no larger than an ordinary button cell.
'Holy shit...'
Peter drew a sharp breath.
'You absolute madman!'
He pointed at the batteries, his voice rising involuntarily.
"Aren't you afraid these things might short-circuit during a fight? Or get punctured by something?"
"What if they suddenly go boom and turn you into a fireworks display?"
"They won't! Absolutely not!"
Herman's voice was filled with unwavering confidence.
"I ran countless tests while developing these solid-state batteries. They're extremely stable!"
"Even if you drive a nail straight through one, it'll simply stop functioning. It won't catch fire, and it definitely won't explode!"
As Herman continued explaining, Peter felt increasingly overwhelmed.
'You've got technology like this, and you couldn't think of anything better to do with it?!'
If Herman used those batteries in smartphones, manufacturers around the world would be lining up to beg him for the technology!
And if he applied them to electric vehicles, he could revolutionize the entire automotive industry practically overnight!
Yet this idiot had taken such an extraordinary invention and used it to...
'Rob banks?!'
At that moment, Peter wanted nothing more than to transform into the famous military commander Li Yunlong, give Herman an enthusiastic thumbs-up, and shout:
'You really are a damn genius!'
...
Previously, Peter had only considered recruiting Shocker on the off chance that he might prove useful as a subordinate.
But now, his attitude had changed entirely.
Looking down at the supposedly washed-up criminal trembling on the ground from pain and fear, Peter felt as though he'd discovered an enormous gold mine with practically limitless resources.
'Now this is talent!'
If he could bring Herman Schultz and his battery technology firmly under his control, wouldn't the business empire he'd been planning finally have an unshakable foundation?
"Herman Schultz."
After a long silence, Peter finally spoke.
His voice was deep and magnetic, carrying an oddly persuasive quality.
"Do you really believe robbing banks is the only future you have left?"
Herman froze.
He genuinely hadn't expected the monster who'd just broken his wrist without hesitation to suddenly say something like that.
After remaining silent for quite some time, he finally answered with a bitter expression.
"I... I don't have anywhere else to turn."
"I've been imprisoned for theft at least five times. No company is willing to hire me anymore."
"I tried telling them about the technology I've developed, but nobody believed me. They all thought I was crazy..."
If he had another choice, if the world hadn't disappointed him so thoroughly, why would he have chosen to become a wanted criminal who spent his life running from the police?
"I believe you!"
Peter suddenly spoke.
"I've seen what you're capable of."
"And I'm willing to give you an opportunity. A chance to prove your real worth and make sure your talents never go unrecognized again."
For a moment, even the wind passing through the alley seemed to fall silent.
Herman stared at Peter.
His heart was pounding so violently that he could feel every beat.
"W-what do you want me to do?"
His voice trembled with excitement.
Hearing the question, Peter slowly stood.
He looked down at Herman from above, like a god regarding one of his followers.
"Simple. Work for me."
"With your battery technology and a few ideas I've been developing, we can build a business empire that won't be inferior to Oscorp, Hammer Industries, or Stark Industries!"
"I'll make you extraordinarily wealthy. You'll possess riches that 99.99 percent of the world's population could never hope to obtain, no matter how hard they worked throughout their lives."
"People will admire and respect you wherever you go."
"And those who once looked down on you?"
Peter's voice carried absolute confidence.
"One day, they'll be the ones kneeling at your feet, begging for the privilege of licking your shoes!"