"Pleasure working with you." Vanko was surprised that Silas actually let him go. Could someone truly be this confident?
"Take off that armor first." Silas wasn't in a hurry to open the Shadow Realm. He needed Vanko to remove the armor first.
Vanko generously spread his arms. "I'll need a mechanical arm to help me take it off."
"No need." Silas glanced at Little Black.
Little Black immediately understood, summoned dozens of Shadowkhan, stripped Vanko of his armor, and tossed it aside.
"I feel much lighter," Vanko said, twisting his arms.
Soon, at Silas's signal, Little Black led Vanko out of the Shadow Realm and into the same sewer location where the Lizard had been kept.
To aid his learning, Little Black had brought out a computer, and the other Shadowkhan worked together to get the computer connected to the internet.
"Hmph..." Vanko genuinely looked down on Little Black, who was just a black blob beside him. Could this thing actually learn?
Little Black knew Vanko looked down on him, but he would prove his intelligence through action. He, Little Black, was determined to be the most intelligent Shadowkhan under his master.
Silas, for prudence, never revealed his true face and was wearing the Tarakudo Shadow Mask the entire time. Vanko thought the black-clothed man was very similar to the previous black figure, but he also felt they weren't the same person because they wore different masks. Furthermore, he figured those people weren't working together, or why would they openly release him only to secretly recapture him?
The following month was uneventful. After Stark developed the new element, Stark Industries returned to its peak, and its market value continued to increase. Everything returned to peace. Peter went out to be Spider-Man whenever he had free time, always bringing Silas along.
Silas had already guessed that Tony still thought the two black-clothed figures were the same person but couldn't produce any evidence.
Little Black, under Vanko's month-long instruction, successfully completed his apprenticeship. Along the way, he even discovered Vanko typing out some obscure distress codes. Little Black intercepted all of them. This was his chance to test his skills. Vanko was stunned by all the operations, completely astonished by how capable this little thing was.
The Sewer
"Alright, I should go." Vanko had nothing left to teach Little Black.
Little Black stepped aside without a word, making room for Vanko, which greatly surprised Vanko. Little Black was actually letting him leave. From the beginning, Vanko never planned to trust Silas to let him go. As soon as he was released, he constantly sent out mysterious codes for help, but no one ever arrived.
Unknown to him, those who did arrive were completely wiped out by the Shadowkhan Army, and the subsequent codes Vanko sent were all intercepted by Little Black.
"You're very capable, much better than that idiot Hammer." Vanko walked past Little Black, chewing on a toothpick.
Soon, Vanko disappeared around the corner. Big Black saw this and tried to rush forward to stop him, but Little Black blocked him.
"Why?" Big Black looked at Little Black in confusion. Little Black merely pulled down his mask, revealing a wicked smile.
Around the corner, Vanko was relieved at his freedom when a massive creature slowly appeared before his eyes. The behemoth completely blocked the entire sewer. It was pitch black all over, eyeless, with only a massive, gaping maw visible.
"As expected, there was no way out." The toothpick in Vanko's mouth fell to the floor, and the light in his eyes faded, leaving him looking dejected.
This behemoth was a Shadow Eater. From the start, Silas never intended to let Vanko leave alive. Silas had listened to Little Black's suggestion: to inflict severe torture on some enemies to teach them the meaning of fear, and Vanko was the first guinea pig.
Squeak! Squeak!
Two short Shadow Eaters jumped out from behind the large Shadow Eater, licking their mouths with their tongues; they couldn't wait any longer.
Bang!
The giant Shadow Eater moved, swallowing Vanko's body in one gulp. Their Shadow Eater Army didn't just eat shadows. The most astonishing part was that although Vanko was swallowed by the giant Shadow Eater, his shadow remained outside.
This was a new ability developed by the Shadow Eaters as they grew. They were no longer limited to eating shadows. Eating flesh and blood also allowed them to grow, though eating shadows was still faster. However, Vanko's single shadow was far too small for the giant Shadow Eater, so it was better to leave it for the smaller Shadow Eaters.
The two small Shadow Eaters squeaked and ran to the shadow, beginning to gnaw on it, crunching loudly as they ate.
Inside the Shadow Eater's Belly
"I'm not dead?!" Vanko couldn't believe he had been eaten by this giant monster and was still alive! But just as the feeling of surviving a disaster arose, he heard a squeaking sound. Wasn't that the sound of those small creatures?!
It turned out that ten smaller Shadow Eaters were hiding inside the giant Shadow Eater's belly.
"Ah!" Vanko suddenly felt a bite on his arm. He quickly pulled his arm back, putting his hand on the painful spot, and felt some wet liquid—it was blood.
The smell of blood began to spread. In this pitch-black place where one couldn't see anything, there was no light. Vanko could hear but not see, like a blind man. He could only feel the pain of being bitten, unable to fight back. Vanko decided to bite off his own tongue, knowing it would be painful. But it was better than being tortured by these small monsters.
However, the Shadowkhan wouldn't let him have his way. They pounced on Vanko, covering his mouth to prevent him from biting his tongue, while also restraining his hands. The small Shadow Eaters couldn't grow by eating flesh and blood, but that didn't mean they couldn't enjoy a snack!
"Mmmph!" The veins bulged on Vanko's forehead. He just wanted to die.
Silas's Room
"I have to say, Little Black, your method is quite vicious. He was your teacher, after all," Silas said, placing a chess piece. Little Black's idea this time was really good. The next time he needed to extract information, he could use this method of torture.
Little Black placed a chess piece: "Master, that's not the case. Even if he didn't teach me, I could still learn, it would just take longer."
"You're amazing, my Little Black." Silas moved a piece. "You're much smarter than Big Black."
As he spoke, both looked towards Big Black, who was lying on the bed. Big Black felt their gaze and slowly retreated into the Shadow Realm.
Little Black moved a piece: "Big Black is too foolish. If he were part of the Troll Army, being strong and slow-witted would be fine. But as a humanoid ninja, being weak and dull-witted is his problem."
"Ahem, you lose, Little Black." Silas smiled. He was still quite good at chess.
Unbeknownst to Silas, Little Black had become smarter and knew how to better please his master. The first step was always to make his master happy.
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