Chapter 406: The Son of the Richest Man
A man walked into the convenience store with his head held high and a look of absolute confidence. The only thing out of place was the Iron Man mask he was wearing.
"Ten thousand dollars? Kid, you think wearing that mask makes you a hero?" Chris quickly spun his handgun and pointed it at the newcomer.
"A mask? No, no, no. I just happened to pass by a stall, thought it looked cool, and bought it on a whim."
The man took off the mask, revealing a young, handsome face and a calm, collected smile.
"Boss Chris, that's Gabriel Kennedy, the son of the Kennedy Group's CEO," one of the thugs whispered, immediately recognizing him.
The Kennedy Group was the most famous conglomerate in San Francisco, controlled by Seth Kennedy—the city's richest man. Gabriel was his only son, a pampered socialite well-known throughout San Francisco.
"I didn't realize I was so famous," Gabriel chuckled, setting the Iron Man mask aside.
"So, he really can afford ten thousand dollars?!" Chris's eyes lit up. He didn't care about the name; he only heard the word "money."
"Naturally. I have plenty of that."
Gabriel ignored the dark muzzle of the gun and walked slowly toward Chris. With a light hop, he sat naturally on the checkout counter.
"You don't seem afraid of me?" Chris felt insulted. He was the one holding the weapon!
"Am I? Oh... sorry, Boss Chris. Forgive my behavior, please~" Gabriel's acting was comical; there wasn't a hint of fear in his voice, only provocation.
"You're playing with me!" Chris roared, his anger boiling over.
Snap!
Suddenly, Gabriel raised his right foot and kicked the gun right out of Chris's hand.
"Ah!" Chris clutched his bruised hand. "Kill him! Hack him to pieces!"
"But... but Boss, if we hurt him, Seth Kennedy will never let us go," the thugs hesitated. Gabriel was the sole heir; hurting him meant facing the full wrath of San Francisco's wealthiest man.
"Damn it! You think if you don't act today, they won't find you anyway?!" Chris screamed. "I've been shielding you while you loot and steal, and now you're too scared to hit a rich kid?"
The thugs realized he was right. If they let Gabriel go now, they were finished anyway.
"We'll kidnap him! Demand a ransom from Seth! The world is big; we can find a place to hide with that kind of money!" Chris gazed at Gabriel with greedy, wolf-like eyes.
The hesitation vanished. Gabriel was no longer a person to them; he was a walking ATM.
"Grab him!" They lunged forward.
"What do we do, Venom?" Eddie asked, unsure of how to intervene.
"Don't be in a hurry, Eddie. This human is strange," Venom replied, smelling a familiar scent on Gabriel.
Gabriel sat on the counter, looking down at the charging thugs with utter indifference. His face was as still as a pond, unruffled by the scene.
"Hmm~" Gabriel stretched and let out a bored yawn. "Is that it? This is getting tedious."
"Shut up!" One thug reached out to drag Gabriel off the counter, intending to beat that arrogant smirk off his face.
Swish!
Just before the hand touched Gabriel, a black claw intercepted it.
Dark figures emerged from the shadow beneath Gabriel. Their most striking features were their massive, eagle-like claws and the giant, bat-like wings on their backs. Like the Ninja Corps, their eyes were red, glowing in a V-shape.
The Bat Corps had arrived!
"What... what is this monster?!" The thug tried to pull his hand back, but the claw held him like an iron vise.
The Bat Ninja lifted the thug effortlessly and tossed him like trash into a nearby shelf.
CRASH!
The shelf collapsed, scattering products everywhere.
"Don't worry, I'll buy the store. I'll cover all damages," Gabriel said to the stunned clerk with a light smile.
"Go on, take care of these pests," Gabriel commanded, looking at the thugs.
The Bat Ninjas nodded and took flight, swooping into the crowd like wolves into a flock of sheep. They weren't just fast; they were lethal. Soon, three more Bat Ninjas emerged from the shadows to join the fray.
Chris, seeing things go south, lunged for his dropped handgun.
A Bat Ninja saw him, raised its hand, and flicked its wrist. A bolt of deep blue energy shot out!
BOOM!
Before Chris could touch the weapon, an explosion rocked the floor. He was blown backward as the gun was reduced to scrap metal.
In less than a minute, the thugs were piled together on the floor. A Bat Ninja shot a green beam from its hands, binding them all tightly together. The Bat Corps were the only flyers in the shadow army, capable of energy blasts, aerial combat, and binding enemies—inferior only to the Claw Corps in raw melee, but far more versatile.
Now, only Eddie remained standing in the store.
"Who are you?" Gabriel asked. He hadn't sent the ninjas after Eddie because Eddie hadn't attacked, and he had clearly been at odds with Chris earlier. However, Eddie's lack of fear was surprising.
"I'm Eddie Brock," Eddie introduced himself.
"Eddie? What are you doing here? Buying chocolate?" Gabriel noticed the bags near Eddie.
"Yes. But we also had another goal," Eddie said.
"A goal? Is it me?" Gabriel joked.
"Yes. You, Shadow General Gabriel," Eddie said, looking at the Bat Ninjas. There was no doubt now.
"Shadow General? You know about that?" Gabriel's brow furrowed.
Gabriel had been a normal socialite, rich but bored. That changed when the Avengers appeared. He watched them defeat aliens in New York and crush Ultron. He was obsessed—not with their heroism, but with their power. He had even tried to pay people to build him an Iron Man suit, but failed miserably.
And then...
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