"Oh!"
"George, Li, Gwen, Jessica..."
"You all came!"
"Oh... and you, little girl!"
"Your name is Mathilda, right?"
Ben Parker and Aunt May were already waiting at the door. Seeing Ye Li and the others arrive, they greeted them warmly, "Come in quickly! We've been busy since the morning preparing a big meal."
"Hehehe~"
Reuniting with old friends.
George, rarely emotional, handed a farewell gift to Ben Parker with a smile, "We must enjoy this meal properly. It won't be easy to taste your cooking again in the future."
Ye Li patted his shoulder, "Alright, George, don't exaggerate. It's not like we're moving away from New York. Let's go inside."
"Haha!"
Ben Parker agreed, "Li is right, George. We can still meet often."
"Yes, yes..."
George laughed and nodded along.
But deep down, he knew that with his busy work schedule, meeting up often would be impossible...
[...Detected Gwen Stacy's fate-bound enemy... 'Mr. Negative' Martin Li...]
Ye Li glanced inside with an unreadable expression and asked Aunt May, "Are there any other guests?"
"Oh, hehe, it's Mr. Martin from F.E.A.S.T."
Aunt May laughed as she pushed the door open. A middle-aged Asian man in a white suit with a black undershirt was sitting at the table. "He came by for a visit. I volunteer at his shelter. Mr. Martin is a good man, and since I made a big meal, how could I not invite him to join us..."
Martin Li maintained a smile on his face while observing the newly arrived guests. He quickly scanned over Gwen, Ye Li, and Mathilda but let his gaze linger mainly on George and Jessica...
One was the renowned NYPD Commissioner.
The other was the 'Knight Lady,' a superhero ranked over level 760.
Although 'Knight Lady' hadn't appeared in the news for a while, her influence was still significant.
If he could get on good terms with them, it would greatly benefit him.
So, Martin Li's smile grew wider as he stood up from his seat and greeted George first, "Hello, Commissioner George, I'm Martin Li..."
With the introduction from the Parkers,
George assumed Martin Li was a well-meaning philanthropist and spoke with admiration, "I have a vacant room. Maybe a few kind-hearted but homeless people can stay there."
Ye Li secretly thought to himself: Please don't end up housing members of the Demons gang...
He exchanged a look with Gwen.
Gwen didn't understand… She had never encountered Mr. Negative before, so naturally, she hadn't investigated Martin Li's true identity.
Ye Li had no choice but to pull her closer and whisper in her ear, "This Martin Li is not a good person. Don't let your dad be fooled..."
This was the first time Gwen had been this close to Ye Li in front of her father. Blushing slightly, she whispered back, "Li… My dad would rather listen to you..."
Seeing the two whispering so intimately, Ben Parker teased, "Gwen and Li have really grown up~ I just wonder when my nephew Parker will bring home a girlfriend."
Speaking of Peter Parker.
Aunt May looked at Ye Li gratefully, "I know I've said this many times, but thank you, Li, for looking after Peter along with Jessica. How has he been lately?"
Ye Li released Gwen, nodded, and smiled, "He's at the club. Ned is looking after him."
Aunt May was relieved, "That's good... Ned is a good kid too."
"And this is...?"
Seeing that the group's focus was on Ye Li,
Martin Li finally took a serious look at him and noticed that, including 'Knight Lady,' several young women were gathered around this man...
Ben Parker introduced him to Martin Li, "This is Ye Li. He's a well-known painter, a Ph.D. in the arts, and an outstanding young man."
The elders like Aunt May still viewed Ye Li as he was in the past. They were unaware of the influence he now held in the club, believing that his most defining identity was as an artist and that his position as vice president was just a side hobby.
Although Martin Li didn't see Ye Li as particularly important...
He still kept a full smile on his face and extended his hand, "Hello, Mr. Li, what a coincidence. I'm also Chinese and share the same surname. I also have a deep interest in art."
"My surname is Ye."
Ye Li smiled faintly but didn't extend his hand.
He didn't even take Wilson Fisk (Kingpin) seriously, let alone Martin Li.
If Aunt May and the others weren't around, he would have already taken care of this easy reward.
Martin Li's smile froze...
The atmosphere turned a little awkward.
"Sorry about that, Mr. Martin."
Ben Parker and the others quickly stepped in to ease the situation, "You know how artists have some hard-to-understand habits. Li is actually a very nice person."
"Hehe~"
Martin Li withdrew his hand, "Is that so."
He didn't seem angry, but there was an almost imperceptible coldness hidden in his smile—
As the leader of the Demons gang, it had been a long time since anyone had dared to disrespect him like this...
After an unpleasant meal.
Martin Li drove away under Aunt May's farewell, but before leaving, he gave Ye Li a deep look....
Standing in front of the Parker house, Ye Li watched the departing black car and let out a slight, disdainful chuckle, "Hmph..."
'A reward delivered right to my doorstep, and you think you can escape?'
[Another pitch! It's a high fly foul ball, keeping the score tied at four-four with the Dodgers.]
An old-fashioned radio was broadcasting a baseball game.
[The score is no surprise. He swings the bat—this young man has the ability to strike out the opposing batter once again!]
Steve Rogers opened his eyes and stared directly at the ceiling fan above him.
Listening to the broadcast in his ears.
His eyes were filled with confusion...
Wasn't this game played in May?
Why is there a live broadcast now?
[This game at Ebbets Field is thrilling! The Phillies have kept the game tied at four-four, with three Dodgers still on base...]
Click.
A nurse in an old-fashioned military uniform walked in, smiling at Rogers, "Good morning."
Steve: "Where am I?"
The nurse maintained her smile, "You're in a post-surgical recovery room in New York."
Steve asked again, "Where am I really?"
The nurse paused briefly, then chuckled, "I don't quite understand what you mean."
"...I was there."
"What?"
…..
Boom—!!
Clang—!!
Metal frames and composite panels crashed onto the floor.
The makeshift vintage-style recovery room was smashed open by Steve, revealing the true form of the S.H.I.E.L.D. base outside...
Steve quickly scanned the unfamiliar environment, then dashed toward the exit—!
"Captain Rogers! Wait!"
The female agent disguised as a nurse watched Steve sprint away and quickly pulled out her communicator, "All agents, alert! Emergency warning...!"
[...Alert]
[...All agents, emergency warning!]
…..
Martin Li was uneasy.
A special ability.
Ever since he left the Lower East Side, he felt an ominous presence lingering around him...
Dressed as the Black Spider, Ye Li overlooked the city from a rooftop.
He didn't bother to block Martin Li from sensing him, deliberately playing cat and mouse.
Mr. Negative was a minor villain... Although an antagonist, he had no personal grudge against Ye Li. He only planned to beat him up for the reward.
However...
He still wanted to have some fun first.
After all, when Martin Li was running human smuggling, he preyed on his own people. Someone like him deserved to suffer a bit...
Martin Li felt the ominous presence growing stronger.
Cold sweat dripped down his forehead... The form of Mr. Negative was about to emerge involuntarily...
He was certain now—
Someone was targeting him!
'Could it be the Maggia gang?'
Martin Li drove with one hand while urgently pulling out his phone with the other, calling his Demons gang subordinates for backup.
Just as he finished the call and sighed in relief—
BANG!
A dark figure landed on his car hood, smashing it into a wreck and forcing it to a stop.
"Black Spider!!"
Martin Li's pupils shrank instantly!
Bang!
Under the intimidation of his notorious reputation.
Martin Li immediately kicked open the car door, rolled out from the driver's seat, and scrambled outside.
At the same time, mercury-like veins spread from his neck, quickly covering his entire body.
Once he involuntarily transformed into Mr. Negative. Martin Li glared at Ye Li in anger, "What do you want?!"
His carefully hidden identity was forced out just like that, making him both furious and humiliated!
"I just want to spar with you, Mr. Martin."
Ye Li spread open his coat and stepped off the car, "I've heard your special effects are pretty good. Care to give me a demonstration?"
He casually kicked backward, sending the wrecked car sliding a short distance away to clear space for the fight.
This was a crowded street. Onlookers who loved excitement had already formed a tight wall of spectators just a few dozen meters away.
Cameras focused on the open battlefield, capturing Black Spider's overwhelming presence and Mr. Negative's irritated expression.
Seeing Ye Li kick his car aside, Mr. Negative felt a jolt of panic—his weapon, an ancient longsword, was still in the trunk...
It seemed Black Spider had come prepared, having thoroughly investigated him… There must be a traitor in the gang leaking information!
Martin Li swore that if he made it out of this, he would conduct a thorough purge within his gang!
Unbeknownst to Ye Li, his casual kick had caused Mr. Negative to imagine an entire espionage conspiracy.
Ye Li clenched his hand.
The ground in front of him began to distort and crack.
Debris and concrete surged upward, gradually forming the shape of a tall, muscular humanoid.
And then.
The power of the Rat Talisman descended upon the stone giant, bringing it to life...
Zing~
Mysterious runes flashed briefly.
The stone giant's eyes lit up with a bright blue glow.
The Thor template had given Ye Li some knowledge of runes. While not particularly useful on its own, when combined with the Rat Talisman, it granted his creations some magic resistance.
"What is this?! Magic?"
The crowd gasped in shock, "He just created a stone giant!"
"Is Black Spider also a sorcerer?!"
"Spread the word! Black Spider is a magic warrior—both martial and magical!"
"Hey! You've played too many games."
"Magic and gods don't exist! I only believe in the power of technology!"
Just as this tech-believer finished speaking—
"Urgh! Ugh!!"
Mr. Negative let out a beast-like roar!
He unleashed a massive surge of Negative Energy, forming a gigantic half-bodied Japanese-style demon behind him—one that rivaled Ye Li's stone giant in size!
"Oh my god..."
The tech-believer was utterly dumbfounded, "Oh my god..."
"So, you want a fight?!"
Using his burst of energy, Mr. Negative hovered briefly in the air, controlling the demonic Negative Energy to slam a giant palm down on the stone giant!
At that moment—
He felt his momentum return!
BOOM!!
Rumble~——~
The Negative Energy palm strike sent some chunks of concrete and debris tumbling to the ground.
And then.
The demon's projection dissipated...
Mr. Negative also dropped back to the ground.
He couldn't maintain this attack continuously; he could only use it intermittently, or else he'd exhaust his Negative Energy too quickly.
Ye Li clapped his hands and praised, "Not bad, the special effects live up to the reputation."
To put it bluntly.
It looked flashy, but in terms of power, it was weak...
Negative Energy was more about affecting emotions.
Its physical attack power...
Was really mediocre.
But Mr. Negative didn't see it that way—he thought the effect of his ultimate move was already pretty good.
Black Spider was avoiding direct melee combat and instead using a stone giant—this had to mean he feared Mr. Negative's ability to manipulate emotions.
If he kept using his ultimate move to wear down the stone giant, then got close for hand-to-hand combat, the balance of victory would tip in his favor!
The undefeated legend of Black Spider would be shattered by none other than him! The great Mr. Negative!
By then, his reputation in the underworld would skyrocket!
Bang! Bang!
Just as Mr. Negative was fantasizing about his triumph.
The stone giant took massive strides forward and smashed down a powerful punch toward him—
Martin quickly used a small trick—shaping his black-and-white Negative Energy into several decoy clones to create a distraction while he retreated.
Then came an array of dazzling attacks—Negative Energy Shockwaves, Negative Energy Beams, Negative Energy Blasts...
Mr. Negative showcased all his tricks, occasionally summoning his demonic aura to slap the stone giant whenever he had the chance.
"Wow! Who is this superpowered guy?"
"His abilities look so cool!"
"Yeah, flashy for sure... but why does it look kinda weak...?"
Martin had been "scraping" away at the stone giant for quite some time, and the crowd of spectators kept growing.
Watching his spectacular performance.
Newcomers who didn't understand the situation even assumed the stone giant was the villainous boss and started cheering for Mr. Negative—
"Go for it! Scraping big bro!"
"You got this! Take down the stone monster!"
Boom—!!
Finally.
With the crowd's cheers and all his hard work.
Martin unleashed another ultimate move, finally smashing the stone giant into pieces on the ground.
"Haha! Haha...!"
Mr. Negative laughed like a 200-pound child, excitedly declaring, "Victory will be mine!"
With that said.
He raised his palm toward Ye Li and fired a beam of Negative Energy.
Martin was confident—if this beam hit Black Spider, he would be able to control him instantly!
At that point, who in the underground world could oppose him?
Kingpin?
That guy was nothing!
Just someone who got his ass kicked by Black Spider!
"You seem pretty excited."
Ye Li casually flicked his coat in front of him, and with a crackling sound, the Negative Energy beam dissipated into nothing.
Seeing this.
Martin stopped wasting his dwindling Negative Energy on ranged attacks.
He chose to walk up to Ye Li, grinning arrogantly, "Come on, hit me. Do you even dare?"
As long as his opponent made physical contact, his Negative Energy would seep in! This ability had never failed him—Black Spider wouldn't be an exception!
"Heh~"
A twin-tiger pattern flickered briefly on Ye Li's palm—against someone like Mr. Negative, whose power inverted emotions, the Tiger Talisman was the perfect counter...
PANG—!!
Martin's ribs instantly shattered, and he was sent flying, crashing outside the battle ring and into the crowd.
Had Ye Li not held back, Martin would already be dead.
"Cough! How is this possible!?"
Mr. Negative coughed up black-and-white blood, the immense gap in power leaving him in disbelief, "Why?! Why doesn't my power work on you?!"