The private phone line inside Kingpin Tower was the only way Kingpin could contact his secret superior. So if a call came through, it had to be from someone higher up.
Peter quickly arrived at Kingpin's office and winked at the robot-Kingpin, who immediately gestured for him to sit down. Picking up the phone, Peter mimicked the real Kingpin's voice and said, "Hello?"
A cold, emotionless voice replied.
"How are things going? Have you caught the one you mentioned before—Peter Parker?"
The robot-Kingpin turned and looked at Peter, who nodded silently.
"He's been caught. He's sitting right in front of me."
"Are you sure he can take over Curt Connors's position and continue the Lizard Serum research? Don't try to fool me, or the consequences will be severe."
"You can rest assured. I guarantee it with my life."
"Good. I expect good news next month. You'd better succeed—otherwise, you won't have a reason to live."
"I understand. I won't disappoint you. By the way, how should I deliver the research results?"
"You don't need to worry about that. Someone will come for them—and Peter Parker. Keep him safe. If anything happens to him, you'll answer for it."
"Understood. I'll be careful."
The line disconnected.
"What an arrogant guy… Seems like he's got serious backing," Peter muttered. Then he turned to 2B Miss. "Did you find the signal source?"
"I did. It originated from the headquarters of the World Security Council," she said with a nod.
"The World Security Council?"
"Yes."
"Can you identify who it was?"
"I compared the voice data. It matched Alexander Pierce with 100% accuracy. I'm confident it was him."
"Alexander Pierce?" Peter's eyes flashed with surprise. As a transmigrator, he knew who that was. Officially, Pierce was the minister of the World Security Council and an old friend of S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury. But secretly, he was a high-ranking member of Hydra—specifically, the Nine-Headed Hydra—and played a key role in infiltrating S.H.I.E.L.D.
Peter hadn't expected Hydra's influence to extend even to controlling a crime lord like Kingpin. But on second thought, it made sense. If Hydra could worm its way into S.H.I.E.L.D., then manipulating a mere gang leader was trivial.
Now that Hydra had made its move, recent events began to line up. Only Hydra would be so invested in Curt Connors's Lizard Serum. After all, their ultimate goal was world domination—ruling humanity itself.
The Lizard Serum, which could drastically enhance human physical capabilities, was highly attractive to Hydra. Even back in World War II, they had shown an obsession with superhuman enhancement serums. Their leader at the time, Red Skull, had used an early version and gained terrifying power—though it also mutated him into a monstrous figure.
Despite the side effects, Red Skull's transformation proved that the enhancement concept worked. Since then, Hydra had continued researching better versions, even creating weapons like the Winter Soldier. Bucky Barnes—Captain America's friend—was the most famous among them. His strength rivaled that of Cap himself, and after Steve Rogers's apparent death, Bucky even took up the shield.
Unfortunately, the serum formula that created the Winter Soldiers had been lost. That's why Hydra had shifted their focus to Curt Connors's research. Among many enhancement projects, only the Lizard Serum had shown promising, consistent results.
Peter didn't know all of Hydra's internal operations, but now that he had identified the mastermind, he could begin crafting his response. Fortunately, Hydra didn't seem to realize that Kingpin was already dead. That gave Peter a strategic advantage.
For now, he would pretend to go along with their plan. Once they got close, he'd spring the trap.
And tonight… finally, he could rest.
With that thought, Peter left Kingpin Tower alongside 2B Miss and returned to the villa he'd recently purchased.
"Boss, the bathwater is ready," 2B Miss informed him respectfully as she exited the bathroom.
"Great." Peter nodded and headed in. He stripped off his clothes and slid into the steaming bath, letting the warmth ease his tired muscles.
He sighed with pleasure.
After working for three days straight to build the robot-Kingpin, his body was running on fumes. This bath was exactly what he needed.
Just as he closed his eyes to relax, 2B Miss stepped into the bathroom again. This time, she was undressing.
She entered the tub and knelt opposite him.
"Boss, I detected that your body is in a state of abnormal fatigue. Please allow me to perform a massage to relieve muscle tension."
Peter blinked. "Wait… is this a proper massage?"
"Are there proper and improper massages?" 2B Miss looked confused.
"Well, yes. A proper massage doesn't require nudity. An improper one… does."
"Then this must be an improper massage," 2B Miss said seriously and began massaging his chest and shoulders with expert precision.
Peter was surprised by her technique—it was impressively professional.
Wrapped in warmth and soothed by her hands, Peter drifted into a nap.
But after a while, he felt something strange. A sound—wet, rhythmic, faintly familiar—woke him. Alongside it came an unfamiliar yet unmistakable physical sensation.
His eyes snapped open in alarm.
Kneeling before him was 2B Miss, clearly doing something far beyond a massage.
"What the hell?!"
He tried to stop her, but his body wasn't responding. It was like a switch had been flipped, and control had been taken from him.
"A request has been fulfilled successfully," 2B said calmly.
"Boss, has your fatigue been relieved?"
"Relieved? I feel more exhausted now!" Peter said angrily.
"That doesn't make sense," 2B replied with a puzzled expression.
Peter sighed. "Where did you even learn this? And who told you to do it?"
"Boss, you triggered a request in your sleep. I asked you for confirmation, but received no reply. Following android guidelines, I executed it automatically. As for the technique—I learned it from Sister Felicia."
"…Felicia?" Peter froze. "You mean you spied on us?"
"Unless Boss is in danger, I am prohibited from using X-ray vision or surveillance. That would be an invasion of privacy," 2B replied dutifully.
"Then how did you learn from Felicia?"
"She taught me directly. She was worried you wouldn't be well cared for while she was away. So she gave me instructions—and I optimized the techniques afterward."
"So Felicia taught you… all of that… willingly?"
"Yes. She said I'm her best friend and that I must take good care of you."
"'Best friend,' huh?" Peter muttered. "She really went all in…"
"Yes, Sister Felicia said that androids can also have friends."
Peter shook his head. "You know, 2B… emotions are complicated. 'Like' can mean friendship, love, or even family. You can't understand them with logic alone."
"Understood. But I'd like to learn," 2B said earnestly.
Peter didn't answer. He got out of the bath and returned to his room, towel draped over his shoulder.
Behind him, 2B remained thoughtful, her eyes distant. What calculations were running through her synthetic brain, Peter could only guess.
The night passed uneventfully.
The next morning, Peter finally got some proper rest.
"Boss, breakfast is ready," 2B Miss announced, knocking gently on the door in her maid outfit.
Peter yawned and stretched. Her cheerful tone made waking up feel pleasant. He opened the door wearing only shorts and walked out.
Ever since he built her, life had become dramatically easier. 2B handled the housework, cooked delicious meals, and always obeyed without complaint. To Peter, she was the perfect partner—even if she wasn't human.
No ordinary woman could match her loyalty and efficiency.
"Boss, another request has been triggered. Shall I fulfill it?" she asked with a smile, eyes glinting.
Peter immediately waved his hand. "Nope! It's just a normal morning reaction—don't mess with me! Even if I were made of iron, I couldn't survive your 'care' every day."
"Understood. Then, would you like me to prepare a loving lunch? You mentioned visiting Gwen at the Osborn Group today."
Peter smiled. "Yes, that'd be great. I think she'll like your cooking."
"What time are you leaving?"
"Around eleven."
"I'll start preparing at 10:30 and have it ready by then."
"Perfect. Thanks, 2B."
"This is my duty," she said with a bow.
By 11:00 AM, Peter was ready. Holding the lunch 2B had prepared, he got into his car and drove toward the Osborn Group building. He hadn't told Gwen in advance—he wanted to surprise her.
But just as he parked near the building, a violent explosion shook the area.
Glass shattered. Steel beams flew. Debris rained down like a storm.
Peter reacted instinctively, flinging open the car door and diving out just in time. The wreckage smashed his car into twisted metal.
Staring at the ruined vehicle, Peter's face went pale.
Then, from above, a chilling, high-pitched laugh echoed across the sky.
For more chapters
patreon.com/Robertt45