After Genm and Parado escorted Otto back to his laboratory, they left directly, taking Graphite with them.
Graphite was quite curious about Otto and asked Genm, "What's the deal with that guy just now? He should be a human, right?
But being able to coexist with the Bugster virus—was that ability something you gave him?"
"That's right. We gave him a Gaia Memory, allowing him to control the virus," Parado replied with a smile.
"But what's the point of that?" Graphite said dismissively. "He's nothing like those Riders—he doesn't look like a warrior with the potential for great power."
In Graphite's view, Otto, who used a Virus Memory to control the virus, showed no potential for formidable combat strength and was therefore not very interesting.
Genm smiled enigmatically. "Don't underestimate the possibilities of humans. Dr. Otto may not be a powerful warrior,
but he has a strong conviction to explore the unknown. He might be able to create something interesting for us—a game worth playing."
Graphite nodded thoughtfully.
Otto watched as those Bugster beings left without explaining anything to him, without making any demands at all.
He was somewhat baffled. What did this mean? Was it really just for the sake of what they called "interesting"?
Otto shook his head. Perhaps he simply couldn't apply normal human logic to monsters. After all, even though they could take on human forms, they were completely different kinds of beings.
Since that was the case, Otto decided not to waste time and mental effort trying to guess the thoughts of Bugster creatures when he had no information or reference points to work with.
Instead, he would focus on his research. With the Virus Memory granting him the ability to control the virus, he was certain he could uncover the mysterious uses and secrets of this virus.
...
After clearing the Drago Knight Hunter game, Gwen finally had some free time. She made an appointment and came to Jessica's detective agency.
"This Basel really is unusual," Jessica said as she handed the investigation materials to Gwen. "He obtained an item called a Gaia Memory and gained power far beyond that of ordinary people."
After flipping through the files, a look of "just as I suspected" flashed through Gwen's eyes. She asked, "Does the Gaia Memory have a huge impact on the user's personality?"
Jessica nodded. "Based on our observations during this period, we can't say we're one hundred percent certain.
But we're seventy to eighty percent sure that his drastic personality change recently is related to the Gaia Memory.
If Basel continues using the Gaia Memory like this, he'll likely become increasingly dangerous."
"We suggest that it would be best to notify the police. Isn't your father the chief of the New York Police Department?"
Gwen fell silent for a moment after hearing this. Then she spoke seriously, "If I commission you to take the Gaia Memory from Basel and destroy it, can you do it?"
Jessica's gaze sharpened as she looked at Gwen. "After using the Gaia Memory, Basel possesses destructive power far beyond that of an ordinary human…"
The unspoken implication was clear: why did Gwen think Jessica could take the Gaia Memory from Basel?
"I believe you can do it," Gwen said meaningfully.
Jessica looked at Gwen deeply. "Why not go to the police? Why insist on coming to me, a detective?"
Gwen sighed softly. "No matter what, Basel is still our classmate. The college entrance exam is only a few months away, and he hasn't done anything truly irreversible yet.
If we can resolve this without alerting the police, that would obviously be for the best."
Jessica pondered briefly, then nodded. "I'll do my best."
...
Outside Midtown High School.
Peter Parker looked warily at several men blocking his way, who clearly looked like delinquent youths from society. "What do you want?"
To be honest, Peter wasn't very afraid. After being bitten by the spider, he had gained strength and agility far beyond that of a normal human. If these guys were looking for trouble,
Peter was confident he could teach them a solid lesson.
"It's me—do you remember me?" said a young man stepping forward, his entire right arm wrapped in bandages.
Seeing the man's injured right arm, Peter suddenly realized who he was. "You're the gang leader whose right arm Basel broke."
The young man smiled bitterly. "It wasn't just a simple fracture—it was multiple comminuted fractures.
Even if it recovers in the future, my right arm won't be able to do any heavy work anymore."
Peter let out a soft breath, unsure what to say, and could only ask, "Why are you looking for me?"
The young man's expression turned serious. "I came to notify you. The Big Horn Gang has its eyes on the item in Basel's possession—the one that lets him transform into a monster and gain immense power.
They might make a move against his family. I hope you can let him know."
Peter grew angry when he heard this. "Didn't you say before that you'd never provoke Basel again? And now you're still thinking about revenge?!"
Peter instinctively assumed that the young man, out of resentment toward Basel, had tipped off a gang called the Big Horn Gang, hoping to use criminals to get revenge on Basel.
The young man shook his head. "It's not that I want revenge. It's that the Big Horn Gang is coveting the item Basel has—the Gaia Memory.
..."
The young man explained the whole story to Peter.
He and his underlings were really just a group of delinquent youths—not true gang members.
What they did was basically block students and collect protection fees.
But behind them was indeed an actual criminal organization. The group backing them was the Big Horn Gang.
The Big Horn Gang designated activity zones, allowing these kinds of delinquent youths to collect protection fees from students. In return for providing protection, the gang would then collect a cut from them.
Big fish eat small fish; small fish eat shrimp.
Of course, a gang that even treats extorting high school students as a business wasn't anything impressive. It was just one of those insignificant gangs you could find anywhere.
After the young man was beaten by Basel using the Violence Memory, his right arm was ruined. Wanting to quit, he naturally had to report the situation to the Big Horn Gang behind him.
When the Big Horn Gang boss learned that Basel possessed a Gaia Memory, his greed was immediately aroused.
He had already heard rumors about Gaia Memories appearing on New York's underground market—items said to grant people extraordinary power.
Basel had previously been nothing more than an ordinary, even timid, high school student. After obtaining the Gaia Memory, he could ignore firearms entirely and wield superhuman strength.
The boss was extremely envious of such power and planned to seize the Gaia Memory from Basel.
With the power of a Gaia Memory, the Big Horn Gang could rapidly expand, defeat and absorb nearby rival groups,
and might even make the Big Horn Gang famous throughout New York.
In the boss's eyes, Basel was just a high school student. Even if he possessed the power of a Gaia Memory, he was still just a kid.
All they needed to do was grab his parents—there was no way he wouldn't obediently hand over the Memory.
After understanding the whole story, Peter felt puzzled. "Why didn't you notify Basel directly? Why go through me?"
The young man shook his head. "I'm a little worried he'll take it out on me."
Recalling the scene where Basel, transformed into a Dopant, had nearly smashed his head, the young man still felt lingering fear.
Peter nodded. "No matter what, thank you for coming to inform me.
I'll pass the message on to Basel."
The young man gave a forced smile. "I just hope he won't come looking for trouble with me."
Peter shook his head and comforted him. "Don't worry. This isn't your responsibility."
(End of Chapter)