บท 42: Side Story: The Amazing Spider-Man (Part 7)

Outside Oscorp, the group had gathered: Spider-Man in his red-and-blue suit, Kurumi leaning casually against a lamppost with her signature smirk, Dick Grayson (Batman Junior) checking his gadgets, and Kazuma slouching while complaining.

"Alright," Peter began, addressing the group. "We've got a serious problem. Four cross-species have escaped: Vermin, Rhino, Scorpion, and others. Each of them is infected with a deadly virus that can spread to humans."

Kazuma raised his hand lazily. "Yeah, uh, I'm a regular dude. So... Don't expect me to charge headfirst into battle. I'm strictly support!"

Kurumi giggled. "Oh, but Kazuma-san, do you want a delicate woman like me to be in front and protecting you? You really are a gentleman~"

"In my dictionary, men and women are equal! After all, I'm a follower of gender equality and I don't want to die!" Kazuma said with a straight face.

Peter, standing with his arms crossed, cut in. "We don't have time for bickering. We need to strategize. Vermin, Rhino, and Scorpion aren't just dangerous because of their strength; they're spreading this virus everywhere they go."

"Agreed," Dick Grayson said, pacing. "Here's what we know about each of them:

Vermin: Fast, aggressive, and able to command rats. He's likely hiding in the sewers or underground areas.

Rhino: Pure brute force. Once he gets going, nothing can stop him. He'll be heading for open spaces where he can cause the most destruction.

Scorpion: Agile and venomous. He'll probably stay in high places, waiting for an ambush."

Kurumi tilted her head thoughtfully. "Three very different hunting styles. How do you propose we handle them, Peter-kun?"

Peter nodded and activated a hologram on his Os-Phone, showing a map of the city. "We'll split into teams to maximize efficiency. Here's the plan:

Kurumi and Kazuma: You two will go after Vermin. Kurumi, your clone abilities and time manipulation make you perfect for handling his speed and rat swarms. Kazuma, you'll coordinate traps and environmental hazards to corner him.

Dick and Me: We'll take on Rhino. He's a walking tank, but if we outmaneuver him and use his strength against him, we can bring him down."

Kazuma groaned. "Wait, why am I with Kurumi? She's terrifying!"

Kurumi smirked. "Oh, don't worry, Kazuma-san. I'll protect you... or at least make sure you have a front-row seat to the chaos."

Peter ignored the banter. "Finally, once Rhino and Vermin are taken care of, we'll regroup to deal with Scorpion together. He's too unpredictable to take on solo."

Dick nodded approvingly. "Good plan, Spider. I'll set up drones to track their movements and relay any changes in their locations."

Peter clapped his hands together. "Alright, let's move. Time is running out!"

•

Kurumi and Kazuma made their way into the city's underground sewer system. The air was damp, and the faint sound of rats skittering echoed through the tunnels.

Kazuma shivered. "Why do I always end up in the gross places? Why couldn't we trade? I would've taken Rhino!"

Kurumi walked confidently, her red-and-black clock eye glowing faintly. "Oh, Kazuma-san, you should feel honored to be with me. Besides, I find this little game of hide-and-seek quite amusing."

Suddenly, Vermin appeared from the shadows, his grotesque rat-like form snarling. "You dare enter my domain? This city belongs to me now!"

Kurumi smiled darkly. "Oh, this will be fun." She summoned her flintlock pistols and began firing precise shots, forcing Vermin to retreat deeper into the tunnels.

"Don't just stand there, Kazuma!" Kurumi shouted.

Kazuma muttered, "Why me?" before activating his Create Water skill, sending a flood down the tunnel to slow Vermin's escape. "There, happy?!"

"Quite," Kurumi replied, sending a clone ahead to cut off Vermin's escape route.

•

Meanwhile, Peter and Dick tracked Rhino to a construction site. The massive brute was smashing through steel beams, roaring with frustration.

"Spider!" Rhino bellowed. "Come out and face me, coward!"

Peter turned to Dick. "We need to lure him into a trap. Got any ideas?"

Dick smirked. "Plenty." He threw a series of explosive batarangs, creating a controlled collapse of debris around Rhino, limiting his movement.

Rhino charged at them, but Peter swung in and shot webbing at his eyes, temporarily blinding him.

"Over here, big guy!" Peter taunted, dodging Rhino's wild punches.

"Keep him busy," Dick said, setting up a sonic device. "This should disrupt his balance long enough to take him down."

The plan worked; the sonic waves disoriented Rhino, and Peter used the opportunity to web him to the ground.

"One down, two to go," Peter said, high-fiving Dick.

•

After regrouping, the team tracked Scorpion to the top of a skyscraper. The villain hissed, his poisonous tail swaying menacingly.

"You've come far, Spider-Man. Too bad you won't go any further!" Scorpion lunged at Peter, who barely dodged.

"Careful!" Dick warned, throwing smoke pellets to obscure Scorpion's vision.

Kurumi appeared out of the shadows with a clone, firing shots to force Scorpion into the open. Kazuma, hiding behind a barrier, used his Steal skill to momentarily disarm Scorpion's tail mechanism.

"What the—!" Scorpion hissed, now vulnerable.

Peter capitalized, webbing Scorpion's limbs and pinning him to the rooftop. "That's game over for you!"

With the cross-species captured, the group reconvened at Oscorp to secure the containment protocols. Gwen contacted Peter through the Os-Phone.

"Did you catch them?"

"Yeah, all wrapped up," Peter replied. "But now we need to figure out how to stop the virus completely."

Kurumi stretched. "That was entertaining. Let's do it again sometime."

Kazuma slumped. "Let's not."

Dick smirked. "Good work, everyone. Now, what's our next move?"

Kurumi leaned against a railing, her dark, teasing smile playing across her lips. "You know," she began, twirling her flintlock pistol in her hand, "it would save us all a lot of trouble if we just... killed them."

The casualness of her tone sent a chill through the group.

Kazuma nearly dropped his water bottle. "Wait, what?! Are you crazy?! You can't just go around suggesting stuff like that!"

Kurumi raised an eyebrow at him. "Oh, please. These creatures are nothing but walking disasters. They're infected, dangerous, and let's be honest—nobody's going to miss them. Killing them now would save us from future headaches."

Dick Grayson, now standing between Kurumi and the restrained cross-species, spoke firmly. "No. That's not how we do things."

Kurumi tilted her head, her golden clock eye glinting mischievously. "And why not? Are you really going to waste more time, risk more lives, just to let these monsters breathe a little longer?"

Dick's expression hardened. "We're heroes. Not executioners. We protect life—even when it's complicated or dangerous. If we kill them, we're no better than the villains we fight."

The tension was thick. Kazuma awkwardly shuffled backward, not wanting to get involved, while Spider-Man watched the exchange silently, his mask hiding his worried frown.

Kurumi chuckled softly, her smirk widening. "Heroes, huh? You and I are not the same, Batman JR. You talk about honor and morality, but I prefer results. Why let them live, knowing they'll only bring harm?"

Dick stepped closer, his stance unwavering. "Because redemption is possible. We've seen it before, and we'll see it again. If we give up on them, we give up on what makes us better."

Kurumi's smirk faltered for a moment, a flicker of something unreadable crossing her face, but it was gone as quickly as it appeared. "So idealistic," she said, her voice laced with sarcasm. "Fine, play your little hero game. But don't come crying to me when this decision backfires."

Before the argument could escalate further, Spider-Man stepped between them, holding up his hands. "Enough, both of you!" Peter's voice was calm but firm.

"Kurumi," he said, turning to her. "I get it. You're pragmatic, and I know you think this is the quickest solution. But we can't just take lives because it's convenient."

Kurumi crossed her arms, her smirk returning. "So what's your brilliant plan, Peter-kun?"

Peter gestured to the subdued cross-species. "We're going to contain them and find a cure for the virus. Dr. Connors is already working on an antidote, and I trust him to come through."

Kurumi sighed dramatically. "Such a waste of effort. But fine, I'll play nice—for now."

Peter then turned to Dick. "And you, thanks for standing your ground, but let's focus on what's next. We've got bigger problems ahead, like Smythe and the virus itself."

Dick nodded, his serious demeanor softening slightly. "Agreed. Let's move."

Kazuma exhaled loudly. "Thank god that's over. I thought we were about to have a villain-on-villain showdown."

Kurumi glanced at him, her smirk sharp. "Oh, don't tempt me, Kazuma-san."

He immediately backed away. "Nope! Not getting involved!"

Side End.