Ruthlessness and Information!

After dealing with one of them, Sol's attention was placed onto the 3 other thugs.

The other three were still unaware of their missing friend, but Sol wasn't in the mood to be subtle anymore. Having his best-friend be left in such a state left a horrible taste in his mouth. He launched himself into the air, landing behind the closest thug with a loud thud.

The thug barely had time to react before Sol's fist slammed into his ribs with a sickening, bone-crunching impact. He let out a gurgled cry. The pain he felt was intense.

Sol then grabbed him by the collar and flung him against the wall with a vicious force that left him slumped, unconscious, on the ground.

The remaining two finally realized something was wrong, spinning around to see Sol standing there — his ominous, dark figure looming over them, dark tendrils writhing around him.

Before they could react, Sol was already moving.

One thug had managed to react as he swung at him wildly with a knife, but Sol dodged effortlessly, grabbing his arm and twisting it until the bone snapped with a loud pop. The thug screamed in agony, dropping the knife. Sol's fist brutally connected with his face, sending him crashing into the pavement, his body going limp.

The final thug, now shaking, tried to run. Sol shot a web at his ankle, yanking him back with his savage strength. The man hit the ground hard, knocking the wind out of him, and Sol was on him in an instant. Grabbing the thug by the back of his head, he slammed his face onto the concrete before twisting his body around and lifting him by the neck.

The man's face was bloodied. He had a broken nose and a few missing teeth due to his face getting slammed with so much force. He looked simply pathetic.

Sol's voice was low, but it gave the man chills. "Do you like picking on people who can't fight back... is it fun?"

The thug whimpered, his lip bleeding, too terrified to respond. Sol threw him to the wall, leaving him sprawled on the ground. Seeing the dark figure walking closer to him, he was overwhelmed with fear as he almost hugged the wall behind him.

"I-Im sorr–!"

Bang!

Sol's anger erupted as his fist impacted against the man's face before he could beg, immediately causing him to go unconscious.

Sol stood there for a moment, fists clenched, breathing heavily. His knuckles throbbed from the hits, and the anger in his chest burned hot. He hadn't meant to be so brutal, but seeing Cindy like that… it made him lose some control.

If he wasn't Spider-Man... no, if he wasn't here... he didn't want to think about what would've happened to her.

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. The thugs were out cold, their bodies scattered.

He could hear Cindy's shaky breaths behind him, and when he turned around, she was still standing there, tears streaming down her face. Her expression was weary, her long black hair that flowed down her back were a little messy. Her glasses were slightly askew and her brown eyes held a mix of fear and relief.

Sol felt a great deal of relief that he got here on time. Cindy was his best friend in this life. Similar to him, she was extremely smart. However, she was being bullied before he had met her. As she was someone he knew from the comics, a person that could potentially become Silk — a person with spider-like powers and the closest thing to Spider-Man, he had wanted to get close to her.

After protecting her from her bullies, the two eventually became good friends.

Although she was quite introverted, once he he got to know her, he realised how outgoing she actually was. In front of him, she was too witty and mischievous, causing him some headaches.

Yet now...

She was in such a vulnerable state.

Cindy's legs nearly gave out, and she leaned on the wall, her whole body trembling. Sol moved towards her slowly, unsure of what to do. She had always been the smart, collected type, but now she looked so fragile...

Sol spoke, his voice much softer. "It's okay. You're safe now..."

She didn't seem to register his words at first. Her body shook as she clutched her arms, her face pale and full of negative emotions. She had been moments away from something terrible happening.

Suddenly, Cindy abruptly ran forward, wrapping her arms around Sol's waist, burying her face into his chest. Her sobs were muffled against the dark, shadowy material of his suit, but Sol could feel her trembling, her breath hitching as she cried.

"I was so scared… I thought…" Her voice broke, and she gripped him tighter.

Sol froze, unsure of how to respond. He could feel her hands wrapping around him tightly, her fingers cold and shaky. He wasn't used to this — comforting someone.

But he sympathised with her. Such a thing happening to anyone was sure to be traumatising...

"It's alright," he said, deepening his voice slightly as he was currently a vigilante with a secret identity.

Trying to sound reassuring, he spoke, "They won't hurt you now. You're okay."

Cindy didn't respond, but her grip on him tightened. For a moment, Sol just stood there, awkwardly patting her back. He wasn't sure what to say to his best-friend, but he knew he couldn't let her know who he really was.

After a long minute, Cindy's sobs quieted, and she slowly pulled back, her eyes still red and puffy. She looked up at him, her gaze soft. "Thank you," she whispered, her voice barely audible. She didn't know why, but this menacing person shrouded in darkness felt a little familiar to her. She felt safe around this person.

He reminded her of her best-friend, which was probably why she felt she could embrace him. After all, his black suit and purple spider logo on his chest kind of resembled Sol's appearance, as he had black hair and violet eyes...

Realising that, she felt her cheeks get a little hotter.

She hugged some stranger that looks like a devil from the darkest depths just because he kind of resembled her best-friend...

And how he effortlessly dealt with those thugs, it made his image more terrifying. Yet she felt no fear towards him in the slightest.

"It's no problem," Sol abruptly said, his tone still unusually low and deep. "Just… be careful, okay? Next time, don't walk alone in places like this."

Cindy nodded weakly, wiping her eyes. She looked exhausted, like the weight of the world had just come crashing down on her all at once.

Sol hesitated, glancing back at the unconscious thugs before speaking again. "You need to get home, at least in the open with other people. I'll deal with these guys."

Cindy nodded again, her voice still shaky. "Okay..."

Sol stepped back, watching her carefully as she started to walk away. He made sure she was steady before shooting a web into the air and pulling himself up to the rooftops.

He then released the man webbed to the wall as he began webbing all the thugs below.

After some time, they eventually began regaining consciousness. Their eyes slowly opened one by one as they tried to move, only to feel helpless as they were currently wrapped up in webs, trapped.

"Hey fellas. Finally up?"

The thugs squirmed against the webs binding them, panic written across their battered faces as they looked up at Sol. He was currently relaxed on the ledge above, casually manipulating his symbiote into odd shapes.

One of the thugs, a big guy with a broken nose and a swelling eye, managed to find his voice first. "Y-you don't know who you're messing with, freak! Our boss—"

"Yeah, yeah," Sol interrupted with a yawn, "let me guess. 'You're gonna regret this,' 'you're dead meat,' or 'do you know who we work for?' Seriously, I've heard it all before."

He shook his head in feigned disappointment. "Guys, please. Be a little original."

Despite his carefree tone and joking nature, the men gulped when they remembered how they were brutally beaten up. Moreover, his shadowy figure made him look like something straight out their nightmares!

The thugs were simply terrified.

"But hey," Sol continued, his tone suddenly shifting, "why don't we try something new? You tell me who this big, scary boss of yours is, and maybe, just maybe, I'll consider letting you go."

The thug blinked, clearly confused by Sol's sudden shift in demeanor. "W-we work for Silas Crane! And if you know what's good for you, you'll back off! He'll—"

"Silas Crane?" Sol interrupted again, his tone now genuinely intrigued. "No way! You're telling me I finally found someone who actually knows who this guy is?" He stood up, his voice almost cheerful. "You have no idea how long I've been looking for this guy! Do you know how many of your... kind... have said: Who? or never heard of him. It's been frustrating, to say the least."

The thugs were truly perplexed. Usually, when they revealed who their big boss was, most people would be scared. But with this vigilante's response, they felt confusion and fear. "Uh… yeah, well, now you found us, so let us go, alright?"

"Not so fast." Sol hopped down from the ledge, landing lightly in front of them. His voice turned cold, the playful edge gone. "You see, I'm in search for some good information, and I'm hoping you can help me out. So, why don't you tell me exactly what Silas Crane is up to?"

The thug swallowed hard, glancing at his companions, who were still groaning and struggling against their bindings. "L-Look, I don't know much, okay? He's just the guy giving us orders. We do what he says, we get paid, that's it!"

Sol tilted his head, feigning a thoughtful expression. "Orders to do what exactly? I mean, robbing and assaulting people isn't exactly a high-level operation. What's Crane's big plan?"

The thug hesitated, clearly weighing his options. Sol gave him an encouraging nod, his tone shifting to a mockingly friendly one. "C'mon, I promise I won't bite."

"He's… he's working for Tombstone, alright?" the thug finally blurted out, his voice cracking. "They've got some deal going on — smuggling weapons, drugs, you name it. We're just the foot soldiers. We do what we're told..."

"Tombstone?" Sol repeated, his interest piqued. "And what's Silas's role in all this?"

"He's, uh, managing the lower-level stuff," the thug stammered. "Recruiting, organizing street deals, that kind of thing. Keeps him off Tombstone's radar while still pulling the strings. He's been moving product through the city, keeping the cops busy with small-time operations while the big shipments go unnoticed."

"Sounds like Silas is playing a risky game." Sol's voice turned serious. "And you're telling me this is all for Tombstone? What's he planning next?"

The thug hesitated again, but he was too afraid to keep silent. "I-I don't know the details! Silas just gives us the orders. But I heard something about a big deal going down soon. Some kind of shipment they're bringing in. Supposed to be huge, like, game-changing for the whole operation."

Sol nodded slowly, processing the information. "A big shipment, huh? Sounds like something I should look into." He straightened up, glancing down at the thugs. "Thanks for the tip. For a bunch of scum, you've been surprisingly helpful."

"Y-you're not gonna kill us, are you?" the thug asked, his voice barely a whisper.

"Kill you?" Sol chuckled, shaking his head. "Nah, not my style." He shot a web over the thug's mouth, silencing him before he could respond. "But if I were you, I'd seriously consider a career change."

After silencing him and getting a bit more information from the rest of the thugs on where Silas Crane is at, Sol departed.

He finally found where his target was hiding!