Chapter 51: Conversation
"I hope you're bringing me good news." Kingpin played with the Antique Gold Coin in his hand, his thick fingers surprisingly nimble as the valuable coin danced between them.
However, he didn't even glance at Lady Bullseye and Gorgon, who were kneeling on one knee.
"After all, your Leader just botched something recently, and I don't want a repeat performance."
"We haven't failed your expectations. Although the process was fraught with difficulties, we still brought back the Goods." Lady Bullseye lowered her head, holding the Briefcase with both hands as she slowly approached Kingpin.
Kingpin stopped playing with the coin and took the Briefcase that Lady Bullseye offered.
"Shocker has already taken a look. There's definitely something inside, but he can't guarantee its authenticity."
"That's for the experts to determine." Kingpin opened the Briefcase, glanced inside, then slowly closed it and handed it to a bodyguard beside him, gesturing for him to take it away.
"However, according to the Intelligence my informant provided, it should be genuine, unless that person is even deceiving his own men. By the way, has everything been cleaned up?"
"It's been taken care of." Lady Bullseye replied respectfully.
"However, there was a slight incident that you might find interesting."
"Oh? What is it?" Kingpin started playing with the coin again, returning to his lazy demeanor, as he considered the main event of the night to be over.
Lady Bullseye immediately recounted the events at the Port from beginning to end.
"Tiger-Man and Masked Woman Heroine?" Kingpin rhythmically tapped his fingers on the chair armrest.
"Yes, they were both petrified by Gorgon's Petrification Ability and left at the Port. Should we bring them back?"
"Seriously injured Shocker and left you feeling helpless? That is indeed a bit interesting." Kingpin stopped playing with the coin.
"First, there were rumors of a Vegetative State Patient, then the Four-Armed Monster that took down Rhino, the Mothman-like creature Matt encountered, and now the Tiger-Man you faced today. New York has really become a breeding ground for all sorts of strange creatures lately."
Kingpin finished speaking and stood up, turning to walk towards the large floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the most bustling area of New York.
Kingpin simply watched in silence, not speaking, and the others could only wait silently for the Underworld Emperor to speak.
"This is clearly not a good thing." After a long silence, Kingpin finally spoke slowly.
"However, danger often comes hand in hand with opportunity, and that's something I've always believed." Kingpin said decisively, his confidence stemming from his life experiences, having climbed to his current position by overcoming one crisis after another.
"Bring back those two Stone Statues. They can perfect my Plan." Kingpin turned and ordered.
"Gorgon, you're responsible for using Magic to undo the Petrification."
"Yes, sir." ×2
Lady Bullseye and Gorgon acknowledged their orders and slowly retreated from the Room.
Once his subordinates had all left, Kingpin turned back to admire the New York nightscape.
"It's almost time," Kingpin said in a low voice.
"Soon, I'll no longer be just an Underworld Emperor, but... the King of the entire World!"
---Divider---
"Looks like we're a step too late," Lady Bullseye said as they returned to the Port.
Gorgon, standing beside her, remained silent, clearly this situation was also beyond his expectations.
"What do you mean? Did scavengers pick them up?" Lady Bullseye asked Gorgon beside her.
"Impossible," Gorgon dismissed Lady Bullseye's guess.
"My eyes turn living beings into actual stone. Those two Stone Statues aren't something Ordinary Person can just lift away. To move them, you'd need at least a forklift, not to mention transporting them. You'd need at least the same setup we have."
Gorgon pointed behind him, where the forklift and Truck they had brought were parked, along with their waiting subordinates.
"We were gone for no more than an hour and a half round trip. Ordinary Person couldn't gather all this equipment in that time."
"So you're saying they had accomplices, and their accomplices moved them?" Lady Bullseye interjected.
"I wouldn't rule out that possibility," Gorgon nodded. "Of course, it's also possible my Petrification Ability failed. Neither of those are good news."
"Looks like we'll have to return empty-handed," Lady Bullseye said helplessly.
Meanwhile, Yang Le and Gwen, the subjects of their discussion, had already returned Home and were preparing to enjoy a Midnight Snack.
Ever since Gwen became Spider-Woman, they'd developed a habit of having a Midnight Snack after returning from fighting crime at night, sometimes making it themselves, sometimes buying takeout.
It had become such a habit that even when they didn't go out fighting crime, Yang Le and Gwen would still habitually have a meal. However, this habit changed after Gwen weighed herself after taking a shower one day.
Normally, a Superhuman's metabolism shouldn't make Gwen gain weight, but you can't deny the calories in most American food, which are directly proportional to its deliciousness.
Plus, Gwen ate a lot, and coupled with the lack of exercise (besides fighting crime), she naturally gained weight over time, and even Yang Le had put on a few pounds.
Today, because they went out for "exercise," they could justifiably enjoy a Midnight Snack.
However, despite this being something that should have been enjoyable, both Yang Le and Gwen seemed a little unenthusiastic.
Yang Le watched Gwen fiddling with her Italian Noodles with a fork. The Italian Noodles had been served for a while, but Gwen hadn't taken more than a few bites, a stark contrast to her usual appetite.
Yang Le asked, "What's wrong, Gwen? Don't you like it?"
Gwen, called by Yang Le, stopped fiddling with her noodles and said weakly.
"No, Habby, I'm just thinking about something."
Gwen stopped there, and Yang Le didn't press her. He knew that at this moment, he should wait patiently, not push.
Sure enough, after five or six minutes of silence, Gwen spoke again.
"I'm just scared by what happened today. Sorry, I don't mean to be discouraging, I just feel like, maybe... sorry."
Gwen, in a low voice, ended with an apology again. For a High School student, experiencing life-and-death situations was definitely too much. Gwen hadn't collapsed outright but instead came Home to confide in him, which was already more than many people could manage.
"I'm the one who should be apologizing," Yang Le said, leaving his seat and walking to Gwen's side, crouching down to look at Gwen's downcast face.
"I'm not saying sorry for not protecting you well, I'm saying sorry because I'm not a good teacher." Yang Le's face was full of guilt.
Gwen quickly comforted him, "How could that be? Habby, you've clearly taught me so much."
(End of Chapter)