Chapter 49: I Shouldn't Own a Cat

"Yes, just as bad as you imagined, Peter. Maggie is dead already. She's been sitting by the window for days. She had no family, so no one came to look after her, or her cats."

Peter pictured Uncle Ben entering the room, witnessing the gruesome scene.

The woman named Maggie, her body must have been ravaged by the cats.

"That's enough, Ben, the rest of the story isn't suitable for teenagers."

A timely interruption from Aunt May.

"Perhaps you're right, May."

Uncle Ben nodded in agreement with Aunt May and shrugged at Peter. "These kinds of dark topics, I have to consider your age, Peter, or you'll have nightmares tonight."

"But..."

Uncle Ben changed the subject, "I can tell you a bit more about what happened next."

"Hmm, so what happened next, Uncle?" Peter inquired.

"People found Maggie's body, but they didn't deal with the cats."

After taking a sip of coffee, Uncle Ben continued, "As a result, they kept multiplying, becoming a formidable army, turning the house into a paradise for those stray cats."

"People couldn't stand it, until eventually, someone set fire to the house, burning it along with all those stray cats."

Uncle Ben concluded, "That was a story from my newspaper delivery days, not a pleasant experience, I must say."

"Right."

Peter nodded in agreement, "Indeed, it's a chilling story."

He could even imagine the sound of flames crackling as the house was set ablaze, and the heart-wrenching cries of the cats.

"You always stray off topic, Ben."

Aunt May expressed her dissatisfaction, "We were discussing household expenses."

"Not my fault."

Uncle Ben defended himself, "You brought up the topic first."

"Fine, you always have a point. Now, because of your story, I have a negative impression of cats, so..."

Aunt May turned to Peter, looking very serious. "Peter, if you ever think of getting a cat, I'll refuse."

"Get a cat?"

Peter was surprised by Aunt May's association with this topic. Had he mentioned to Aunt May his idea of owning a cat in the past?

After a moment of bewilderment, he shook his head and said, "Actually, I haven't had such thoughts."

"You don't like cats?"

"No, I don't like cats."

"Meow!"

In the dark city buildings, a cold wind blew.

The crows made annoying noises as they flew through the night.

In a secluded alley near City Hall, several black cats scavenged for food in trash bins.

As winter approached, it became increasingly difficult for these stray animals to find food.

Suddenly!

A black shadow pierced the silence of the night.

With cat-like agility, the shadow swooshed overhead.

The startled black cats emitted piercing meows, jumping out of the trash bins, cautiously looking up.

But they found nothing above their heads.

With limited intelligence, the black cats hesitated for a moment, licked their paws, and resumed searching for food in the trash bins.

The next day, in the early morning.

Mayor's Office of New York City.

"Mr. Murdoch, no traces found, everything has been wiped clean."

A burly man in a suit reported to the black-suited young man standing in front of the office floor-to-ceiling window.

Upon hearing the report, he turned around, a glint flashing in his red sunglasses.

The man with the red sunglasses, holding a white cane, was none other than Peter had encountered in the hospital, the blind man.

Matt Murdock, a lawyer by profession, but also known as "Matt Murdock, the Murderer" by some.

"No evidence found about the thief, not even the faintest clue."

Despite searching extensively nearby and accessing all possible surveillance footage, they couldn't find a trace of the thief.

The dignified Mayor of New York City had his office burgled, yet they couldn't even catch a glimpse of the thief.

This left the investigating team feeling quite frustrated.

"I don't understand, why would the thief steal the Mayor's belt when there are more valuable items here?"

His subordinate asked Matt puzzled.

"It's not surprising."

Matt adjusted his tie calmly, "Some thieves aren't interested in money; they only steal things that can't be locked up, things their owners can't retrieve."

As he spoke, he walked out without saying goodbye, leaving his puzzled subordinate to follow.

"Sir, are we not continuing the investigation?"

"No need, I already know who the thief is."

Matt pushed open the door and said to his subordinate, "Just a thief with a ridiculous ideology, ignore her. Right now, we have more important matters to attend to."

"Understood."

His subordinate immediately followed his footsteps.

Back at his law firm, Matt began a busy day.

His job wasn't like that of an ordinary lawyer, dealing with lawsuits and client requests; instead, he specialized in handling troubles for his employer's company.

Retrieving a cassette tape from the filing cabinet, he placed it into the recorder.

Amidst the noisy and chaotic sounds emanating from the device, he listened attentively.

Although the sounds were chaotic, he listened exceptionally carefully, capturing every tiny detail.

If Peter were here, he would recognize the audio as being from the incident at Midtown High School's football field.

It began with sounds of celebration—cheers, excited shouts from the cheerleaders, fireworks exploding.

Then the unexpected happened; as the suspect entered, the field descended into panicked screams.

Listening to the tape, Matt quickly identified a crucial point.

"It's Gwen Stacy again?!"

Uttering the name softly, he pressed the pause button on the recorder.

The employer he served had close ties to the Hand, which was why he meticulously investigated everything related to the incident at Midtown High.

The transformation of Frank and his connection to the Hand couldn't be overlooked.

Could Gwen Stacy, who lacked any powers, really have killed someone as powerful as the mutated Frank?

He doubted what had truly transpired.

Who could it be?

Matt wanted to obtain relevant information from the NYPD, but the obstinate George Stacy refused to divulge any information.

Standing up, he looked out the window.

His eyes felt the stimulation of bright light, and his phone suddenly rang.

Answering the phone, his expression became serious.

"I'll be there immediately."