That night, a dazzling meteor streaked across the sky and crashed into Hell's Kitchen.
When Kingpin opened his eyes again, he'd already been nabbed.
"Who are you people?"
"Senior citizen," Old Man Steve deadpanned.
Kingpin: "…"
Charlie shot Steve a sidelong glance. "How many times are you gonna run that gag?"
Old Man Steve scratched his head. "This is definitely the first time. Took me ages to come up with it.
Not funny enough?"
Carter's face stayed blank. "Stale humor."
"Fine, I'll switch it up next time," Old Man Steve muttered, looking deflated.
Charlie turned his attention to Kingpin. "You should get the picture by now."
"I don't—"
Three minutes later:
"—Okay, I get it."
Kingpin sighed. "Tell me, how do I cooperate?"
"You've got connections to plenty of mercenaries. I need this kept absolutely under wraps," Charlie said.
Kingpin raised an eyebrow. "If you need manpower, I've got plenty."
"I said absolute secrecy. Your people can't be trusted."
"Fair enough. When do you need them?"
"Sooner the better."
"Three days. That's the minimum."
Kingpin pulled a card from his coat. "Use the money on this. No one'll trace our moves."
"Perfect."
Charlie flashed a small smile, handing the task off to Old Man Steve.
The bad gal was right—men got craftier with age. The old man could probably pull this off without a hitch.
Next up: picking the team for the mission.
Charlie's gaze swept over Gwen and Carter before settling on Felicia and Lizard Parker.
"Big kitty, I still don't know what your powers are!" he said.
Felicia blinked. "Kitty? We're not that close, are we?"
Charlie waved it off. "Don't sweat the small stuff. I warm up fast."
Felicia gave him a look of disdain. "I don't have powers."
"None?"
Charlie blinked, surprised. "A normal person swinging on ropes like you would've shredded their muscles by now."
Felicia rolled her eyes. "Spider-Man, ever heard of this little thing called technology?"
She showed off the grappling device on her wrist.
"This took a ton of cash and time to build. With simple controls, I can zip through the city like you.
Plus, I made a combat suit from special materials—think exoskeleton vibes. It keeps my muscles from tearing and cuts down noise when I move."
Charlie grinned, satisfied. "Nice. You're in."
"In?" Felicia frowned.
"Yep. This mission needs someone with zero powers as the star."
"Star?"
Lizard Parker's eyes lit up at the word.
"Me me me me! I wanna be the star too!" He raised his hand.
Charlie sized him up. "You? You up for it?"
"Totally!"
Lizard Parker thumped his chest. "When I'm not transformed, I'm just a regular guy with no powers."
Gwen chimed in. "He's right. I've studied Peter's condition. When he's not transformed, no regen cells show up in tests. Blood samples say he's baseline human."
"That convenient, huh?"
Charlie rubbed his chin. "Guess your transformation's not what I thought—more like an external trigger tweaking your body temporarily."
"Who cares about the details? Can I be the star or not?" Lizard Parker asked, practically bouncing.
"Sure!"
Charlie nodded. "Then you two are running this show."
Lizard Parker whooped with excitement.
Felicia, unimpressed, muttered, "What's he so thrilled about? It's not his resurrection game."
Carter smirked. "You wouldn't get it. When an insecure guy finally feels needed, his whole world says goodbye to the dark."
"Don't relate. I've never been insecure," Felicia said, tossing her hair.
Gwen smiled at Lizard Parker, then whispered to Felicia, "You wouldn't. You're a woman."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing."
Gwen brushed past her, heading to the fridge.
"Peter, congrats! I'll pop some champagne to celebrate."
"Thanks!"
"I want in on that," Felicia said, hurrying over.
"Hold off on celebrating. Go grab weapons first," Charlie called, flipping out the window.
The Black Order's gear was just too good.
Three days later:
Ding-dong~
Cindy rang the bell outside, but no one answered.
"Gwen…"
Her face darkened, muttering the name as hatred simmered in her eyes.
Just as she moved to break in, a cold voice crackled through her earpiece.
"Cindy, someone's breached the base."
"What?!"
Meanwhile, at Osborn Castle:
Old Man Steve and crew struck first. Thor's hammer unleashed a storm of arcs, blasting everything in sight. Armed guards dropped, paralyzed by the electric surge.
Rat-tat-tat!
Behind him, Kingpin led dozens of mercenaries, mowing down stragglers with no mercy.
"Underground entrance is here!"
Old Man Steve slammed the hammer down, and the entryway exploded in a burst of fire.
Kingpin's scalp tingled at the sight.
What a brutal old geezer.
His mercs exchanged wary glances.
These heavy hitters need hired guns? What, they short on applause?
Soon, Old Man Steve's team stormed the underground base. The swarm of Cindys stood no chance against Thor's hammer.
Thor feared lightning—why wouldn't they?
Whether it was Cull Obsidian's axe, Corvus Glaive's blade, or Proxima Midnight's trident, those weapons shredded the Cindys with ease.
The team left a trail of Cindy corpses in their wake, finally breaching Ophelia's room.
"Viper lady, let me take you down!"
Old Man Steve, puffed up and brash, forgot Charlie's warning. The second he charged in, her toxin invaded his system.
Thud~
Thor's hammer hit the floor, and Steve crumpled.
Ophelia, draped in her python robe, loomed over him. "It's Madame Viper, not 'lady.'" She corrected him.
"S-sorry… I… got it wrong," Steve wheezed, sweat beading on his forehead.
"Senile old fool!"
Ophelia sneered, then turned to Kingpin and the mercs piling in.
"You're alive. That's a surprise. But your betrayal? That ticks me off." Her smile was ice-cold.
Kingpin, seeing Ophelia for the first time, couldn't believe the mastermind was this seductive stunner.
He froze, dumbstruck.
The mercs hesitated too, caught off-guard by her beauty.
"You idiots—quit gawking! I've got this!"
Lizard Parker shoved through the crowd, decked out in ill-fitting camo, helmet askew.
But his vibe was all confidence. Machine gun in hand, he aimed at Ophelia, ready to unleash hell.
Then she dramatically flopped to the ground, feigning frailty. Lizard Parker's heart melted on the spot.
"Oh my God, how could a lady this gorgeous be the world's destroyer? That loser must've screwed up." He dropped his gun, scurrying to help her up.
"Wait."
Kingpin stopped him. "Let me do it."
Charlie, watching via the mercs' surveillance cams: "???"
His face twisted. "What are you clowns doing? You're here to fight, not flirt!" he barked into the comms.
"Shut up!"
Lizard Parker yanked off his earpiece and spun on Kingpin.
Pointing at his nose, he yelled, "Back off, you fat slob! This kind, fragile, long-legged lady's under my protection!"
Kingpin scowled, then grinned wickedly.
"Trash. Beautiful women belong to the strong. Die!"
His flabby bulk quivered as he swung a meaty fist at Lizard Parker.
Not backing down, Lizard Parker morphed into his reptilian form and brawled with Kingpin.
Chaos erupted. The mercs rushed toward Ophelia.
"Lovely lady, it's too dangerous here! We'll get you out!"
"Thank you—you're all so sweet," Ophelia said, feigning gratitude as she slipped away with them.
Old Man Steve watched, trembling with rage.
"Little spider, mission's a bust. No man can resist her charm," he rasped, tapping his earpiece.
"No worries. Felicia's outside—she won't fall for it," Charlie replied.
Then Carter's shout crackled through. "Felicia's down! The mercs got her!"
Charlie: "…"
"What about you?"
"I—"
Zzt-zzt~
Static cut in. Carter was toast too.
Ophelia was a pro at handling superhumans.
And regular folks? Just toys to her.
Charlie sighed. "Old man, we weren't ready. Mission failed."
"I know."
A chill crept up Charlie's spine, his body weakening fast.
He turned slowly to see Cindy grinning creepily.
"Gotcha."
Charlie collapsed, limp.
As she closed in, he deadpanned, "Next time, switch up your line. I'm sick of hearing it."
Sixteenth resurrection round.
They breached the base, reaching Ophelia's room.
"Wait—follow little spider's orders," Old Man Steve said, holding back Kingpin and the crew.
The mercs nodded, blindfolding themselves with black cloth before unloading a barrage into the room.
Rat-tat-tat!
Bullets turned the door into Swiss cheese.
After emptying several clips, Steve waved them off.
"Enough. I'll check it out."
He shoved the wrecked door aside with ease.
Charlie, watching through Steve's headcam, saw the scene unfold.
"Crap—she's fine!"
Steve's heart sank. Under the green bed, thousands of bullet casings piled into a hill, but a shimmering energy shield stood firm.
The sultry figure on the bed stretched lazily.
"Game over, pitiful men."
Her languid voice filled the room, and the mercs instantly fell under her serpent-charm spell.
"Bunch of morons—step aside!"
This time, it wasn't Lizard Parker but Felicia, hefting a rocket launcher.
"Die, freak!"
She pulled the trigger, and the rocket screamed into the room.
"Shi— I'm still in here!"
Old Man Steve ducked behind his shield.
BOOM!!
The blast obliterated everything in sight.
Caught in the heatwave, Steve stumbled out, disheveled.
"The shield's still up!" he yelled to Felicia.
"Then we hit it again!"
Felicia ditched the launcher, but before she could reload, eerie mist flooded the base.
"Argh!!"
"What is this?!"
"My eyes—"
"Can't breathe!!"
"Help!"
The mercs writhed in the gas. Lizard Parker transformed to fend it off.
"Damn it—that loser's powers are flaky! This gas hits normals harder!" he roared.
Old Man Steve covered his mouth and bolted.
"This isn't her gene toxin—it's man-made biochem gas! Mission's done—pull out!"
"You're not escaping."
The mist swirled, and a graceful figure stepped out.
"Seventy years, and this base still stands. Ever wonder why?"
Ophelia smirked at them. "Too bad. Game's over. You've disappointed me."
She raised a pale hand.
Snap~
A green tinge mixed into the gas, and Steve's team dropped like flies.
The feed cut. Charlie pulled off his headset.
He sat in the control room, waiting for Cindy's inevitable arrival.
Seventeenth resurrection round.
Through Kingpin's channels, Charlie shelled out big for an armor-piercing missile.
Too bad Osborn Castle had an anti-missile system.
Mission failed.
Eighteenth resurrection round.
Another missile plan—this time sneaking it into Ophelia's room to crack the energy shield.
But before it could reach the castle, Charlie's team got boxed in by official forces.
Mission failed again.
Nineteenth resurrection round.
Charlie finally ditched tech-weapon assaults.
Ophelia's intel network was too tight—buying gear couldn't slip past her.
Plus, her apparent ties to the government…
Gene toxin resistance hit 18%, but Charlie's defenses against her venom were still shaky.
Even burning all his restarts, sub-30% resistance would only let him move freely—not reclaim his powers. He'd be no match for her.
From every angle, it looked like a checkmate.
But wait—per the villain principle of "smooth sailing means overconfidence"—maybe there was a way…
An idea sparked. He tracked down Felicia and Lizard Parker.
"I've got a glorious, tough mission for you two. Don't let us down."
After hearing Charlie's plan, Lizard Parker buzzed with excitement.
"I love this!" He shot Charlie a mischievous grin.