Having made up his mind to put an end to the monster's murderous spree, Peter swung through the air on his webs, immediately giving chase to the Leopard Gurongi.
However, the Leopard Gurongi ran with incredible speed, surpassing even professional race cars on a track. It could navigate through streets and alleys in the blink of an eye.
Of course, if it were merely a matter of speed, Peter—swinging from the sky—wasn't slow either. By utilizing his aerial advantage, he should have been able to keep up. But the Leopard Gurongi's speed was entirely unaffected by its environment. Once it sensed Peter tailing it, the creature specifically ducked into the narrow alleys between skyscrapers.
This prevented Peter from attaching his webs to the high points of adjacent buildings for large, sweeping swings. His momentum naturally slowed down, and he could only watch helplessly as the Leopard Gurongi vanished from his sight.
The Leopard Gurongi wasn't particularly interested in Peter. Since he wasn't a target of her game, he held no value. She didn't want to waste time or energy on a random interloper. This was especially true because, in the modern human environment, the rules of the Gegel had been adjusted with additional conditions.
New York is a modern metropolis with immense population density. Even for the lowest-ranked Xu-Group Gurongi, a killing game with no restrictions beyond a target number would be trivial.
While the Xu-Group lacked special supernatural abilities, their base physical stats alone granted them strength far surpassing a Super Soldier like Captain America. They were only slightly inferior to Spider-Man's fifteen-to-twenty tons of superhuman strength.
The Gurongi cells—created by combining Hulk cells with dark energy—were stronger and held more potential than the mutation seen in the late Abomination. These were beings capable of killing a human with a single punch.
If the goal were simply to reach a body count, a Gurongi would only need to find a high-density area like a subway station. If they started a slaughter there, killing dozens of people would be incredibly simple and would likely take less than ten minutes. Whether Kuuga or the police could arrive before the Gurongi finished and left was another matter entirely.
Thus, the Gegel game was designed to include additional rules based on the circumstances. A game without challenge held no meaning for them.
For an agile Gurongi with supernatural speed like the Leopard, a game without conditions would be over too quickly. Without restrictions, she could arguably reach her target count just by sprinting down a crowded sidewalk; at hundreds of kilometers per hour, anyone she brushed against would be mangled or killed. While saying she could turn a human to dust by colliding with them might be an exaggeration, she would certainly shatter every bone in their body. Her physical durability, which completely eclipsed that of a normal human, wouldn't even be affected by the impact.
After completely losing the Gurongi's trail, Peter was forced to abandon the chase for the moment. However, his anxiety didn't fade. Though he didn't know the reason behind the killings, he knew that if left unchecked, many more innocent lives would be lost.
But the Leopard monster was too fast. If Peter faced her alone again, he doubted he could stop her.
"Maybe I need to find some backup," Peter muttered to himself after a moment of thought.
"Peter? What brings you here?" At the detective agency, Jessica looked at Peter with some curiosity as she prepared to head out.
"If it's not something urgent, let's talk when we get back. We finally have a lead on a case," Luke Cage added from beside her.
The agency had just received a call from the director of an orphanage they had been helping. The orphanage had received a massive, mysterious donation—likely funds sent by Jim, who had been missing for a long time.
After Jim obtained a "Money" Gaia Memory, he had been working at a casino under Kingpin and hadn't returned to the orphanage. Given the vague results Jessica and Luke had turned up during their initial investigation, the old director had grown increasingly worried.
Now, having established a massive "Dream Casino" with Kingpin's backing and earning a fortune, Jim had immediately sent a large donation back home. The director was almost certain it was from Jim and had contacted the duo to track him down.
Jessica and Luke suspected that Jim had been taken by the "Emperor of Fear," the leader of the organization selling Gaia Memories. If they could follow the trail to Jim, they might be able to uncover the entire distribution network.
Peter shook his head. "I have something very important to ask of you. It's a life-or-death situation!"
Jessica and Luke exchanged a look, hearing the urgency in his voice. "What happened?"
"Have you heard about those falling deaths in Queens?" Peter asked, his expression grim.
After Peter explained the situation, Jessica and Luke looked at each other, hesitating over which way to go. Peter's problem was massive—people were already dying, and leaving it alone could result in a catastrophe.
"How about this: Jessica, you go with Peter to find that killing monster," Luke Cage suggested after a moment's thought. "Based on Peter's description, this Leopard freak is too fast. Even if I go, I might not be much help. But your flight might allow you to keep up with it."
Jessica nodded, seeing the logic, but remained hesitant. "But what about Jim? It could be dangerous. Are you going alone?"
After all, Jim was connected to the mastermind behind the Gaia Memories. Investigating him meant they could run into "Dopants" at any time. While Luke Cage had skin as tough as titanium, he might still be at a disadvantage against the exotic powers of a Gaia Memory.
Luke gave her a reassuring smile. "It's just an investigation for now. I might not even find anything. Even if I do, it doesn't mean I'll take action immediately. And if things get hairy and I have to move, I'll call Danny first. I won't go in blindly."
Jessica nodded. Danny Rand, with the power of the Iron Fist, was arguably stronger than her; with him as backup, she didn't need to worry too much.
"Then let's go find this Leopard monster. Where is it?" Jessica turned to Peter.
Peter scratched his head. "I only know the general direction she headed. She's too fast for me to track on the ground, so I need you in the air to lock onto her position so she doesn't slip away again."
"She?" Jessica asked, surprised.
Peter nodded. "From the silhouette, it definitely has female characteristics."
(End of Chapter)