The area where Herman was located had already been cleared.
Ordinary people had scattered in all directions, guided by S.H.I.E.L.D. agents as they rushed toward safety.
"Hey, buddy! What's going on over there?"
A masked figure swung into view, clinging to a web—the city's hero, Spider-Man. For the panicked citizens, it was like seeing a savior.
"Spider-Man! It's Spider-Man!"
"There's a terrifying monster over there!"
"Oh my God! That monster can breathe fire! Spider-Man, please help!"
Cries rose all around him. By now, Spider-Man had earned quite a reputation in New York.
"Alright, everyone, stay safe."
He glanced toward the source of the chaos, then fired webs rapidly from his wrist-mounted shooters, vaulting between skyscrapers with practiced ease.
"Look at that—just a bunch of annoying agents!"
Spotting Coulson and his team managing the evacuation, Spider-Man tossed out a snarky jab before swinging toward the wrecked street.
"Rude youngster," Coulson muttered with a sigh.
As a top-level S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, he knew Spider-Man's identity well enough, but he wasn't about to quibble with a high school kid.
"No contact with the Homelander?"
"Understood."
Through his earpiece, Coulson exchanged a few quick words with Nick Fury. With a nod to his men, he signaled the withdrawal.
The agents, trained to precision, piled into Chevrolet SUVs. Coulson cast one last look toward Herman's direction before getting in himself. A line of black vehicles turned around and left the area.
Cleanup, reconstruction, rebuilding the road and structures—none of that was S.H.I.E.L.D.'s problem.
"What do we have here? Some filthy guy. Is he the one behind all this?"
Spider-Man, as talkative as ever—like Deadpool with a cleaner mouth—kept up his commentary. The moment he saw Herman, he fired a web.
"Hey, stranger. Wrecking a city isn't a great career choice."
He expected the webbing to strike its target without issue.
But instead, it froze midair, as if caught by an unseen force. The sudden resistance left Spider-Man stunned.
"Superpowers?"
His voice carried genuine surprise.
"Spidey."
Herman tilted his head slightly, gazing at the boy hanging upside down from a nearby building. A smile spread across his face.
"If you don't hurry home, your aunt's going to be mad at you."
Just that one sentence sent chills racing through Spider-Man. The hairs on his arms stood on end.
What was happening?
Had his identity been exposed?
"Sorry, I don't know what you're talking about… What I mean is, let's not change the subject. We're talking about your crimes."
His voice cracked slightly. He was clearly rattled.
"Crimes? I'd say I'm stopping crime. Look. This is the criminal."
Herman nudged the body lying on the ground.
"You killed him!?"
Only then did Spider-Man notice the corpse. It was so caked in mud it blended with the street itself.
"This is called stopping crime in time. Like a cop shooting a dangerous suspect. Didn't you see those agents tacitly approving my actions?"
Herman crouched by a broken fire hydrant, washing blood from his face.
"Huh? Is that… really how it is?"
For a moment, Spider-Man felt Herman's logic actually made sense.
But something about it was still off.
"Of course. Crimes involving superhumans should be handled by professionals, right?" Herman continued smoothly, wiping water from his face.
Before Spider-Man could press further, Herman added, "Peter Parker, if you don't get back to your homework, I'll have to call your aunt."
He pulled a packet of tissues from his suit pocket, wiping his face as he spoke with deliberate calm.
The playful tone and knowing look shattered Spider-Man's composure instantly. There was no longer any doubt—this man knew who he really was.
"You..."
Spider-Man froze the moment he saw Herman's freshly washed face.
He recognized him.
His aunt's new boss.
He'd long suspected Aunt May might be involved with her boss—how else could she land such a high-paying, laid-back job?
So he had secretly looked into Herman's company. Naturally, he knew what Herman looked like.
"Alright, sir, I'll head back immediately!"
Faced with Herman—who might very well become his uncle-in-law—Spider-Man still had countless doubts, but he didn't dare linger. Peter Parker genuinely feared Herman might actually call his aunt, so he swung away in a hurry, webs carrying him back the way he came.
The Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man had arrived.
The Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man left.
And he hadn't done a damn thing...
Watching his retreating figure, Herman felt both amused and exasperated. Did this Peter Parker really think he was having an affair with Aunt May?
Reading Peter's thoughts the whole time, Herman knew exactly what was running through his head. What a joke. Did he think Herman was some kind of degenerate?
"Young people these days have seriously twisted imaginations."
He had finished off the augmented human cleanly.
And sent Spider-Man on his way.
Now Herman needed to find a place to change clothes.
His fine, tailored suit... ruined.
Earlier, he had sensed dangerous intent in the augmented human's mind and acted decisively. He knew Centipede Soldiers had the ability to self-destruct.
He wasn't worried about getting hurt himself, but he had no intention of giving the augmented human the chance to go out in a blaze of glory. He hadn't expected that choice to cost him a suit.
Showing up at his new company in bloodstained clothes was out of the question. So Herman stepped into a nearby mall and swapped into a clean set of men's wear.
"I've paid my dues," he muttered, tossing aside the ruined suit before heading to the empty cashier's desk. He pulled out two hundred-dollars bills and dropped them into the register.
Just as he turned to leave, he noticed two small figures hiding in a corner of the mall, moving stealthily as they slipped food off the shelves.
"Shoplifting?"
Herman walked over curiously.
Then he saw them clearly—two filthy, ragged siblings.