Chapter 1-5

In the end, David managed to clean out the table of gangsters by cutting the numbers down to just the three of them and beating Falco and Marco at the same time.

David saw that both Falco and Marco had 5 and 6 ranking cards and the flop was 9 of Spades, 8 of Hearts, and 9 of Hearts. Everyone checked. And then the turn: 9 of Diamonds. The River: 7 of Clubs.

Marco and Falco went all in with David calling them. Marco and Falco both tied with a straight but David smiled mischievously when he revealed his hand.

8 of Spades and Jack of Clubs.

Full house, nines full of eights, game, set, match.

David collected his money and quickly left. By the time he counted all hsi money, Eddie, Felicia, and Cindy had already cleaned out their table.

David laughed and checked his watch.

Eleven o'clock is not too bad. And with the 8 players I cleared out, I made $16,000 dollars. Not bad. And with Eddie cleaning out the three players in Gin Rummy, that's $6,000. And Felicia managed to clear out two Blackjack tables with five players each. That's $20,000. And Cindy, I saw her beat several players in darts and manage to win $18,000.

We made roughly $60,000 by cheating the mob out of their blood money.

Looks like this Spider-Man won't be going broke or having trouble paying rent anytime soon.

He checks his phone for any updates on Spider-Man. Apparently, people were talking about Spider-Man killing the imposter in front of everyone and people were debating if that fit Spidey's usual code.

He read through the comments.

Thigh_high_boots11: Spiderman is being a hypocrite.

Silkylingerie213: I thought Spider-Man doesn't kill innocent people.

Vandalking101: Say what you want, Spidey did us a favor.

0Blood_from_mouth0: Spidey kills violent criminals; if this Gregg Grace guy went around killing people then he was by definition a violent criminal.

Thigh_high_boots11: What, so we can't kill people in Spiderman's name? That's bullshit.

0Blood_from_mouth0: If you're going to wear a Spider-Man costume, make sure you don't kill people.

Phatfatpatslap: I wear a skintight spider man suit, but not to kill. My husband likes it a lot.

Techanuevo09: This is why we shouldn't have heroes; this is why we shouldn't be hosting events for heroes. Never meet your heroes, bitches, unless you want to be disappointed.

Jack's_Off: I'm going to that Spider-Man rally in three days to show my support for Spider-Man.

BlackstripesMaster: The rally is going to be downtown on 31st street, wear a Spidey outfit to show your support. But make sure that you don't kill anyone.

Dos2Deuce2: If Spider-Man shows up, I have a few words to say to him about him killing Gregg Grace.

BlackstripesMaster: I hope Silk shows up; my wife and I are going to be wearing Silk costume.

Vandalking101: I ship Spider-Man and Silk.

Dos2Deuce2: They were enemies.

Vandalking101: Dos2Deuce2, shut up; I'm allowed to ship whoever I want. Shut your fucking mouth.

Dos2Deuce2: I was just stating a fact, Spider-Man and Silk were enemies so shut the fuck up. I'll make you roadkill, bitch.

Jack's_Off: If Spider-Man and Silk had babies, then the apocalypse will cum sooner rather than later. Baby spiders are gross and disgusting.

CadberryCatepillar: What should Spider-Man and Silk's ship name be? I was thinking Spider-Silk. Or, Spilk.

Jack's_Off: Spilk sounds stupid.

CadberryCatepillar: Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. So, Spider-Silk would do.

Vandalking101: We should start a petition so Spider-Man and Silk can get together.

Dos2Deuce2: Spider-Man and Silk aren't anime characters; you can't just ship them and ask them to be together.

Vandalking101: Isn't that what fans do with celebritries now?

Dos2Deuce2: Spider-Man and Silk aren't celebrities, they're vigialtnes.

Vandalking101: I wrote my on fanfiction on Spider-Silk; they fuck like rabbits. And my two girlfriends are into that sexy roleplay.

David chuckled and turned off his phone.

That Spider-Man event, I think I'll head there to appease my fans. If I build good public relations with my fanbase, they'll come to my rescue when the time comes. As for these flames wars people have, shipping me with Cindy, I kinda like the idea of people fighting over me and Cindy getting together. I think I'll call Cindy and tell her to meet at the event and that way, we can meet our fans, shake hands, and make the audience happy. I'll tell Cindy she's doing it so those who were inspired by hope can finally meet their heroes.

After making it to the storage unit across town, David reunited with his three companions where they stuffed all the money they had on them into a storage area. They stacked the bills onto a small pyramid that wasn't yet big enough for them to sleep on.

David stepped back and put his hands in his pockets. "That was quite a game night we had, right?"

Everyone was free of their disguises and sighing contently. "Yeah," Eddie answered first.

"Seeing those mob guys cry in pity and pain was exciting enough," Felicia smirked.

"I can't believe I'm saying this but I agree," Cindy clicked her tongue. "I kinda liked taking money from the mob."

David looked over. "Cindy, did you know there's a Spider-Man event coming up where a Spider-Man fanbase is coming together to show their Spider-Man spirit? There are going to be some Silk fans there."

Cindy looked at him. "There are?"

David smiled. "Yeah, there are people who really like you, Cindy. And I was thinking… it would be good for you mentally and emotionally to experience some love."

Not what I was originally going for but this will work.

Cindy looked down at her feet. "Why do you care about me so much emotionally?"

"Well, emotionally, I don't care about you. But… I care for your emotional well-being because all four of us need to be healthy emotionally to be able to function. Out of the four of us, you're the most emotionally damaged. Eddie is a fanatic fanboy, Felicia is a kleptomaniac, I'm a psycho, but you… You're a good girl who has social anxiety and a desire to make up for the five years you've been gone."

Cindy blinked rapidly. "I… uh…"

"You should listen to him," Felicia told, "the most emotionless person in the group is the only one keeping all of us emotional. I say you should go; it would be good to receive a little love. I know you're probably thinking that you should only be giving love but it's okay to be loved."

"I'll be taking pictures of you," Eddie said before wincing. "We will be taking pictures of you. Sorry, Venom is very sensitive about being excluded from a conversation." Eddie looked ahead. "I'm sorry, it's a goodman force of habit, Venom!"

"Also, there a bunch of people who ship us together," David reminded offhandedly.

"I'm not surprised." Felicia smiles. "Maybe I should make myself well-known to New York; it would be a great way to honor my father."

"Do you think he would want you to be a burglar?" Cindy asked.

"My father used to be The Cat, the most notorious cat burglar the world's ever known; to know that hsi daughter is continuing his legacy would make him proud." She checks her watch. "Speaking of which, I'm going to get a move-on; I got a couple of mobsters to rob from."

"Show no mercy," David told.

"Never."

Cindy stared at her.

Felicia stared back. "They're mobsters, Cindy, they deserve it."

Cindy nodded. "They do."

Glad to know Cindy isn't putting up as much of a fight as before.

With Black Cat

Almost one hour later, Felicia put on her catsuit, donned her goggles, and scaled several rooftops. The dark felt like home to her and she wanted nothing more than to soar across the sky under the pale moonlight and steal to her heart's content. This was building with large criminal activity she'd been tracking for about a week and had a bunch of mobsters coming and going even four hours or so. She was near the docks in Chinatown where the mob was holding a bunch of precious valuables. They noticed that there was a steady increase of their valuables being stolen from those museums they fronted so they brought them to this warehouse. Some of the possessions they had were golden silverware, fine china ceramic dishes, and crates full of gold bars. Another crate in their passion had paintings they stole from rival gangs and kept. She also spotted a ceramic statue head being loaded into a crate.

She watched on the roof from a nearby building and licked the back of her hands like a cat, purring before she leaped off. She launches a cable at a streetlight and uses it to swing across. She lands on the ground and sticks to the shadows, planting her back to the twenty-foot-long shipping containers. There were several more shipping containers stacked against each other, giving her additional cover. Once she made it to the end, she climbed to the top and scouted the place out to count the guards.

Two white vans and twelve mobsters in total with the two drivers remaining in the vehicles.

A third van pulled up and a new person stepped out wearing a white suit. Black Cat's head tilts when she sees the appearance of this man and rubs her eyes. This man had a glowing white suit and glowing pitch-black skin.

The gangsters that were on-site immediately put down the crates and possessions and addressed this glowing man with respect. Black Cat moved in closer so she could hear the conversation more.

"What is going on here?" the glowing man asked.

"Sir," the lead gangster began, "we were just moving our prized possessions to our warehouse. We notice a steady increase of our precious valuables being stolen so-"

"So you decided to bring it here, Luigi? Are you positive these valuables can survive here?"

"Yes, we are fully confident that our valuables can survive in this warehouse; we have the best security systems set up inside."

"I expect those valuables to be returned to where you got them from... but if it will boost morale, then by all means, keep the valuables here for the time being."

"Thank you, sir."

"Do you have my device ready?"

"Yes sir, all that awaits is your negative energy, sir."

The glowing man nodded. "Carmine, go retrieve my property for me, please?"

"Yes, sir." Carmine went into the warehouse to retrieve whatever the glowing man demanded.

The rest of the gang finished loading their valuables into the warehouse, taking about ten minutes to finish before they got into their vans and drove off. Carmine came back holding a briefcase and handed it to the glowing man.

The glowing man opened the briefcase and beamed at the flashlight and four C batteries inside. The glowing man closed the case. "Thank you very much."

The glowing man got in the car with his right-hand man and drove off.

Black Cat had already made it to the top of the warehouse and was overlooking the place through the skylight. She picked the lock holding the skylight to the roof and lifted the pane off. She attached a rope to the roof and made sure the rope was secure around her hip. She lowers herself down and stops shy of just five feet above the ground. She reaches into her utility belt and pulls out a spray can of smoke. She sprays the smoke below her, revealing several red lasers before she pockets the can. She swung her way to the wall where there was a junction box. She lands on the wall, feet-first with the rope keeping her suspended and she opens the box. Instead of shutting down the power, she checks the junction box for the hidden thumb drive she installs behind several big wires. Once she noticed it was still there, she took out a smartphone of hers, opened an app she developed, and pressed a button.

The lasers in the building shut off and allowed her to walk across the room freely. She checked the app for any other security systems the warehouse might have in store before sighing.

She knew she shouldn't expect too much; these were mobsters, not rich businessmen. The lasers were off and the cameras were under her control; everything in the building being run by the security system was under her control. She had installed a virus into the security system a week ago and installed a backdoor, allowing her to access the security system from her phone.

With the security system no longer a threat, she hops to the ground and walks over to the crates in the middle of the room. Most of the crates had been sealed shut with a lock but she brought the right tools. A paperclip had more uses than clipping papers together, especially when it came to locks. After unlocking the padlock with the paperclip, she opens the crate and takes a peek inside. Inside was the ceramic statue head from earlier. She held it up in her hands for a brief moment before dropping it, deciding that it wasn't worth it. She dug through more of the crates before she spotted a golden flower vase.

"Damn, what's the point of having a vase if you have no intention of putting flowers in them?" She put the vase under her armpits and searched the crates more. Just one more item and she can leave. She could steal everything in her but if she did, then she would have nothing to look forward to with these mob guys so shaking their confidence and humiliating them by stealing a small number of their precious valuables will have to do for now. She searched through the crates to find anything worth stealing but came up short-handed until she noticed a workbench across from her.

She heads over to it and finds several flashlights with the batteries spilling out. What was even more peculiar was that there seemed to be gunpower, clay, and wires all laid out on the workbench. She narrows her eyes before she jumps slightly.

The front door was being opened from the outside; a mobster was coming inside and she didn't yet finish her heist and she only had half of her intended under her armpit.

She leaps onto a shelf and climbs all the way up before lying down and keeping her head down.

Several mobsters flooded into the room, relaxed and easy-going until they spotted the open crates.

"What the hell?" one of them gasped. They drew their guns. "Someone broke in here, boys." He pulls a black-and-white Chinese character mask. "The laser system is off; search around and cut off their heads."

"Yes," another nodded. They pulled on their mask as well.

One of them pumped a shotgun. "Come out, bitch, and maybe we'll show you a little mercy."

Black Cat snickered and shook her head jokingly. Oh, this was going to be easy. She pulled out her smartphone, double-checked to make sure it was set to vibrate, and turned on the laser system. The four mobsters in the room stepped into the lasers and a blaring alarm and flashing red light went off, making them fire their guns on reflex. They look around and the fourth one aims at the junction box and shoots it. The gun jammed on him.

"No," he gasped before checking his pistol. "How could it have jammed?"

Black Cat snickered once again. Oh, did she accidentally use her bad luck powers on him, how unfortunate!

"Forget it." The fourth one threw his hand out and a glowing energy of black and white beams shot from his hand and at the junction box. "Yes." He looked up at the ceiling and smiled as he noticed the alarm and light deactivated. "Perfect."

"Franco," the lead mobster called out, "don't use your power up."

"I won't, Angelo," Franco vowed.

Black Cat scooted back. Well, if this guy had superpowers, then this certainly changes things. But still, how could she resist an opportunity, especially when they were right there? She was going to mess with them one more time. She winked at them, inducing bad luck on them.

The light bulb from above disconnected from the ceiling and the bulb shattered on the top of Franco's skull. Franco groaned but quickly shrugged it off. He discarded his gun and pulled out a glowing sword emitting black smoke. "Come out!"

The four mobsters dispersed with Angelo heading to the workbench and retrieving the flashlight and batteries. Franco went over to the shelves and began knocking them over. When he made it to the shelf Black Cat was hiding on, she leaped up into the rafters just as he used his glowing sword to cut the shelf in two. Franco looked up in the air, catching Black Cat's silhouette, and went wide-eyed behind his mask.

"Intruder!" He lobs the sword into the ceiling, cutting a few lights and metal beams on the ceiling but missing Black Cat entirely.

"Sorry boys, was this an invite-only, party? I think I left my invitation in my other pants."

Franco pulled out another glowing sword and threw it at Black Cat. She simply dodges and uses her cable to swing to the bottom.

The other three mobsters tried firing at her but their guns jammed on them.

Landing behind Franco, the glowing mobster's hands glowed up and he attempted to backhand the cat burglar, only for his hand to connect to a wall and leave a big dent behind. Black Cat had managed to jerk her head back in an instant as Franco's fist was about to connect to her and she smiled mockingly at him. He threw several more punches at her, all missing before she delivered a strong uppercut kick to his jaw with enough force to almost break his neck but she was much more merciful than that. Franco staggered back and lunged for her. She sidesteps him and trips him to the ground, only for him to get back up. Black Cat front flips over him and runs out the front door.

"Sorry boys, but it's past my curfew."

The kind of excitement was the kind she couldn't get from playing it safe, especially as she ran away from the incoming mobster.

"We're going to blow you up, bitch!" Franco chased after her. Black Cat climbed a car leaped off the hood and used a cable connecting to a streetlight to swing across. Franco and the three mobsters got in their cars and quickly chased after her.

Black Cat stuck to the rooftops when she was escaping and she quickly hid the golden vase she took on one of the rooftops, opting to come back for it later.

The mobster's car plows through the docks to get after her and she outmaneuvers them by using the rooftops to her advantage. She used parkour and her cable to get across but the car continued to chase after them from below.

"Persistence," she commented, "I hate persistent mobsters."

When Black Cat made it a rooftop overlooking an entrance into an underground subway, she decided to use that to her advantage. She swings down, landing near the stairs before rushing down.

The car spins to a violent stop near a parked taxi before the occupants inside get out and give chase.

Black Cat slides down the rails on the escalators leading down and makes it to the bottom as a subway car pulls up. There were people in the station, some boarding, some disembarking, but there weren't a lot, compared to how packed it was in the morning. The subway car doors open and Black Cat quickly sprints inside. The four mobsters are descending downstairs in a messy, unorganized fashion given how close together they were, which made it perfect when Black Cat winked at them.

Angelo tripped on his leg and fell down the stairs, taking the other two mobsters down with him when he rolled down. Franco tripped and fell on his back, hitting his shoulder on the second to last step but he managed to recover and sprint for the subway cars. At the very very last second, the doors closed on him and he was reduced to a helpless state as all he could do was watch as Black Cat stared at him with a smug smile on her face.

"No!" he shouted before taking out a third sword, powered it up, and cut through the subway doors as the train car took off.

Black Cat backed away until she was a good ten feet away from Franco. The civilians on the train stared at the exchange between the two costumed people and some looked shocked with awe while others looked outright horrified. Some of them took out their phones to record everything just as Franco twirled his glowing sword in his hands.

"Nice mask, design it yourself?" Black Cat smiles. "I would say I'm jealous... but that would be a lie."

Franco swings the sword at her. Black Cat jerks her head back and kicks him in the stomach. Franco swings a few times and slices through a metal pole when he misses his target again. Black Cat punched his elbow before grabbing his hands. Franco kicks her in the stomach and turns her around. Black Cat turns and folds over so she can flip him over her shoulder and onto the ground. She keeps her hands on the sword to keep it at bay. Franco backhands her and pushes her off. Black Cat kicks him in the face but the mask offers a little protection. She backflips when he attempts to swipe at her feet. He gets to his feet. She uses two handlebars from above to lift herself up and deliver a double front kick to his chest. He swipes at her, cutting through the window behind her before punching her.

Black Cat takes out the spray can of uses it on his face. The mask protects him but it distracts him enough for her to punch him and use a melee weapon disarming trick her father taught her on Franco and make him drop his head. She pulls out her swinging cable, wraps it around his neck, and gets behind him. She yanks on him, making him cough and gag before tripping his feet out from him. With him lying flat on the ground, she grabs his glowing sword and stakes it through his left shoulder, impaling him to the ground.

Franco screams and winces before shoving Black Cat off of him and going for the sword but he hesitates.

"Don't worry," Black Cat reassures him, "pulling the sword out of your shoulder will only cause you to bleed from a couple of large blood vessels."

The civilians quickly disembarked off the train as soon as the doors opened and Black Cat followed, leaving Franco impaled on the train floor. "This is what happens when you cross a black cat."

Mozambique

Just a little more strength, that's all he was asking for. Just a little more strength to pry this lion's mouth wide open.

The man kept the lion at bay who was trying to gnarl at him by pushing him back using his bare hands. His hands cupped the bottom of the lion's jaw and its snout and he began pulling in opposite directions.

More, more, more, and...

The lion's mouth snapped open and it fell to the ground. The man leaped on the lion, got on its back, wrapped its arms tightly around its throat, and gave a powerful twist, ending the fierce predator's time on this earth prematurely, and permanently.

He ripped the skull from the apex predator and carried it with him back home. When he made it back to his cabin, he quickly skinned it and hung it above his mantle, where there were other predators and prey of all kinds on the wall.

The man sat down in a leather chair poured himself a cup of scotch on the rocks and took a big gulp. He reached over, took out a vial of blood, and downed it like a shot. He washed it down with the scotch before wincing. He suddenly started coughing and covered his mouth with his hands.

Blood sprayed on the palm of his hands but he quickly wiped it away with a napkin.

The door to his small cabin opened and a bald man with sunken skin peered inside.

"Sergei," the sunken-skinned man called out, "I see you came back from your most recent hunt."

"It went faster than before this time around," Sergei admitted, "not much of a challenge, Dimitri."

"Oh, don't worry; there are a bunch of animals out there, still waiting to be killed by you."

"Those animals do not concern me." He points to a painting above his mantle, a painting of the Spider-Man of New York City. "That animal... he is the true predator of this world." He convulsed and began coughing once more. Blood landed on the animal-skin carpet and Dimitri quickly went to his side and took out another vial of blood. He helped his half-brother down the blood before patting him on the back.

"Sergei-"

"Spider-Man is the ultimate predator." He puts down his scotch glass and stands up after feeling his breath come back. "No man or animal alive could measure up to him."

"Sergei, his kill count is over three hundred!"

"And that is why he is the ultimate predator." Blood seeps down his lips.

Noticing the blood streaming down his half-brother's lips, Dimitri looked at the ground. "Then come with me. I am flying to New York City tomorrow morning for a job."

"What kind of job?"

Dimitri pulled something out of his back pocket. He pulled on a skin-tight mask... a mask perfectly replicating Sergei Kravenoff's face. Dimitri smiled with the Sergei mask on before removing it.

"I see."

"But if we are going to New York, Sergei, then we need to gather more blood vials so you can-"

"No point," Sergei cut him off. "I have only three more vials left and time has shown that it is pointless to try and find more, as these blood potions are about to go extinct." He coughs once more but manages to keep it down to two or three hacks. "Dimitri, shall I kill the ultimate predator then there is nothing more for me to hunt; this may very well be my last hunt." He grabs his brother's hand. "This will be Kraven's Last Hunt, Dimitri."

Two Days Later

F.E.A.S.T. Shelter

Martin Li sat down in his office pulled out several pieces of paper and laid them on his desk. He pretended to look through them before his assistant came into the office and told them that he had two visitors coming to see him. He told them to come in and Carmine and Franco walked in, masks off.

Martin looked at them with a smile. After making sure the door was locked and the blinds closed, he got down to business.

"Where's my second flashlight?" Martin asked.

Franco pulled it out of his pocket. "Right here, sir."

Martin saw a bandage on Franco's shoulder just under his suit. "Negative experience last night?"

"Very much, sir," Franco winced. "A bimbo broke into one of our warehouses and stole one of our precious valuables. That bitch is going to pay when I find her." He holds his shoulder. "But those swords work." He smiles. "Thank you for giving me your power, Mr. Li."

"My pleasure." Taking the two flashlights, he hid one in his drawer after playing around with it for a few seconds and locked the drawer tightly. He played with the other flashlight in his hand.

"Boss," Carmine spoke up, "what are we going to do with that flashlight, sir?"

Martin looks at him. "There's a Spider-Man event coming up; this flashlight is going to be..." He goes quiet real fast. "Wait a second, I told you my plan numerous times; why are you asking again?"

Carmine hesitated before answering. "I've been out of it for a few days, sir."

"Out of it?" Martin glared at him and stood up. "Did you forget what I did to your boys down in the warehouse? Do you remember what I did at that mob meeting?"

Carmine's eyes widened. "How could I forget?"

"What did I tell you?"

Carmine shrugs. "I forget."

Martin narrows his eyes. After studying Carmine for a few seconds, his eyes widened. "Oh, I see now; you're not Carmine."

"What makes you say that?"

"Take off your mask, Chameleon."

Carmine smiles before pulling his face off. Franco gasps and pulls out a glowing sword before Martin holds his hand out.

"Stand out, Franco, this is just the man I requested."

The Chameleon smiles, his face painted paper-white and his grin beaming at Martin. "What gave me away?"

"Chameleon, I must say, you almost had me believing you were my right-hand man... but you botched it at the very last second."

"I'm a curious chameleon."

Franco lowers his sword. "What's going on here?"

"That's need-to-know, Franco and all you need to know is that this master of disguise in on our side."

"Amazing," Franco awed.

Chameleon folded his arms over his chest. "I thought the normal meet-and-greet would be boring so I decided to spice things up. My performance could've been better if I had gotten to know my target."

"Yes." Martin sits down in his chair.

"I've read over the contract and I understand the terms, Mr. Li. However, I must mention something so there is no inconsistency between us. My brother, Mr. Sergei Kravenoff, is also here in new York City."

"Sergei Kravinoff?" Martin's eyes widened. "The Sergei Kravenoff?"

"My brother, yes."

"By all means, what is Kraven the Hunter doing here in New York?"

"To turn the ultimate hunter into the hunted. But don't worry, money is not a problem and he will not charge you anything."

"I was going to say because Mr. Kravinoff is too expensive, even for someone like me." Martin sinks deeper into his leather chair. "I have the world's best master of disguise and the world's deadliest hunter in my pocket... Spider-Man truly is out of his element here."