Chapter 100: Willingly Unmasking

"Whoosh!"

A crow flew out from the woods, disturbing countless fallen leaves.

Peter stood on the rooftop of Sinai Hospital, suddenly looking towards the distance.

His gaze was obstructed by layers of buildings, casting shadows onto the indistinct mountains.

Retracting his gaze, Peter stood at the edge of the rooftop, his mask slowly slipping away from his face.

He hadn't found the body of the deceased that Dr. Ryan had mentioned in the hospital.

He searched through the morgue's body catalog, but found nothing.

Had the hospital really disposed of the body?

Chin in hand, he pondered.

Below him, in the dark alley, a stray cat rummaging through a trash can seemed to notice something and looked up.

"Meow!"

Curious meows emitted from the cat's mouth as it tilted its head in confusion at the passing shadow overhead.

"Thud!"

The black shadow landed on the rooftop, feet touching down lazily like a cat, hands leaving the ground.

Beneath the silver hair, her eyes gleamed in the night.

Standing on the rooftop, looking down at the buildings below, the shadow took a leap forward.

As her body rapidly descended, her arm grabbed onto a metal rod protruding from the wall, swinging into the balcony with a gymnastic move.

The balcony's perimeter was sealed off, belonging to a jewelry company.

The shadow casually placed a device on the bulletproof glass, then pressed the center, tracing a circle around the glass, creating a circular gap.

Slipping her hand inside, she twisted the anti-theft door switch, effortlessly gaining entry.

Once inside the room, the shadow approached the safe, swiftly opening it with the assistance of her device.

The safe contained glowing jewels, eliciting a smirk from the shadow.

Successfully pocketing the jewels, just as she was about to leave, she turned around and saw someone standing in front of her.

"Do you enjoy startling people like that, Parker?"

Unfazed by Peter's appearance, she took a step back.

Peter remarked blandly to the shadow, "Perhaps I have a habit of quietly approaching people."

The thief before him was none other than Black Cat.

"Is this the beginning of a standoff, Parker?"

"No."

Peter shook his head, "I'm not particularly interested in playing the role of a righteous avenger, but you won't have an easy time getting away."

"I know."

Black Cat approached Peter, placing her hand on his shoulder, lazily saying, "There's a tracking device in here, I just want to see if I can pull off the heist as well as you."

"Do you know the fate of a curious cat?"

Peter caught the paw that Black Cat extended towards him.

Like a curious cat, extending its paw towards him, she seemed intrigued.

"Yes, but I know how to turn the tables."

With that, Black Cat twisted her hand out of Peter's grasp, circling behind him and swiftly grabbing his neck.

Being choked, Peter grabbed her arm, pulling her down to the ground.

Black Cat's back landed with a thud on the ground.

As Peter hadn't exerted full force, Black Cat was unharmed.

Lying on her back, she didn't resist, instead looking up at Peter and asking, "Did you come here to capture me, or do you want to discuss something else?"

"Or perhaps, you want to talk about something else?"

Peter lowered his gaze to Black Cat, who was posing seductively, and asked her, "Have you heard about the recent monster sightings on Bear Mountain?"

Black Cat sat up from the ground, "Is that all you want to talk to me about?"

"What else do you want to talk about?"

Black Cat wore a regretful expression, her mesmerizing eyes not hidden by the pale yellow glasses. "I just thought we could get along well, considering you wanted to talk to me about life."

Peter frowned, "Talk to you about life?"

"Of course, even though I didn't bring red wine and cheese."

Black Cat stood up, leaping back to the edge of the rooftop, raising her left leg.

"Sorry, I don't currently have plans to discuss life with you, Miss Haddie."

"Miss Haddie? We're wearing masks, let's not get too intimate. But I forgive you."

Black Cat accused Peter of being too intimate without blushing or skipping a beat.

"Okay, let's get back to business."

Seeing Peter's impatience, Black Cat smoothly steered the conversation back on track.

She leaned back a bit on the rooftop's edge and said to Peter, "Regarding the Bear Mountain monster you mentioned, I have indeed heard of it, but many people consider it an urban legend."

"Urban legend?"

"Yes, just like 'Black Cat' is now an urban myth. People always attribute things beyond their understanding to impossibility or the result of rumors, comforting themselves by saying it's just the mischief of bored individuals."

Black Cat shifted her raised long legs into a different position, her intense gaze fixed on Peter. "Here's a freebie for you: there have been quite a few people missing in New York recently."

She quickly added, "The New York Police Department probably noticed, but I guess their attention has shifted back to you and your spider girlfriend. After all, your actions have been quite prominent."

After a moment of contemplation, Peter asked Black Cat, "Do you know the identities of these missing people?"

"No, of course not."

Black Cat exaggerated her expression, "Do you think I'm a prophet? Or that I can predict the future?"

"Anything else?"

Peter continued to inquire.

"I'll have to think about it."

Black Cat put her legs down, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Also, there are some things hidden in the darkness of this city that are starting to stir."

"Things hidden in the darkness?"

Peter asked Black Cat, "What do you mean?"

"I don't know, werewolves, vampires, goblins, Bigfoot, or things that come out of 'Goosebumps.' As long as you use your imagination, they can be anything."

Black Cat shrugged, saying, "Although I can't see them, I can feel that there are things lurking in the darkness. I can even feel their gaze."

Peter didn't say anything after hearing this, just wore a pensive expression.

Although Black Cat might not be knowledgeable about vampires, her feeling might be correct.

After all, a cat's senses are always sharper than those of other creatures.

"Alright."

After saying this, Black Cat jumped lightly from the rooftop's edge.

As she leaped down the building, she shot out her grappling hook, swiftly pulling herself away.

Watching Black Cat's departing figure, Peter picked up the card in his hand and looked up.

The night sky was completely covered by the incoming black clouds, making the entire sky even darker.

The next day.

Midtown High School.

As Peter entered the school, he heard many people in the hallway discussing the Brooklyn Bridge incident.

Norman Osborn was also brought into the conversation.

Many speculated about his death, associating it with Spider-Man and Spider-Girl.

"Your beats were offbeat just now."

Glory said to Gwen as they walked in together.

"Sorry, Glory."

Gwen, wearing a white trendy hoodie and carrying a backpack, exhaled a breath of white air and said to Glory, "I'm the drummer, theoretically the beat should be my job."

"Maybe you've been putting too much pressure on yourself lately."

Gwen's friend and the band's bassist, Betty Brant, said to Gwen, "Maybe you could use a corn dog."

Betty Brant, with short hair and thick black-framed glasses, although her appearance was mostly concealed by the glasses, Gwen still considered her one of the cutest girls.

"Thanks, Betty, but I don't think I'll need a corn dog for breakfast."

Gwen thanked Betty.

Glory interjected, "We're all sorry about what happened at Liz's house, but thankfully no one was seriously injured. That should be the best outcome."

"I know, I'm just worried."

She listened to the students around her discussing Harry, feeling a bit down.

Spotting Peter in the hallway, Gwen's eyes lit up. "Sorry, girls, I'll catch up with you later."

Watching Gwen run towards Peter's back, Betty and Glory exchanged glances.

Glory shrugged, "Gwen seems willingly falling in love."