Chapter 172: Shocker

Twip.

Twip.

Twip.

Officers, including the current captain of the New York Police Department, looked up and saw the person whose arrival sent a wave of relief through their hearts. They all noticed something strange about the vigilante.

"Sorry I am late. I stopped a few attempted crimes and a robbery or two."

"Late? You are five minutes early," Dan said, impressed. "By the way, you look like hell."

Apparently no one here knows what happened a few moments ago. Better. Less attention for me.

"I want a report on the situation, Espinoza."

"One of the wounded officers gave me enough information that may be useful to you," Dan said, making him pay close attention.

"A man disguised in what appears to be a pineapple-themed outfit, with weapons on his hands resembling gloves that launch some kind of sound waves, has several hostages inside the bank.

Several of my men tried to stop him, but we failed. We now have several wounded."

He quickly ran through a mental profile search, and only one man came to mind based on the description, making him frown as he realized who they were talking about.

Dan asked one of the officers for something, then handed him a tablet showing the security recordings. Thanks to the footage, he was able to confirm who it was.

"Okay. From now on, I will take care of this. Have your officers and paramedics ready. These people may be suffering from severe shock. We also need to know if they are injured. I will go through the vents and make my way to the suspect."

Dan nodded, and then he shot a web at the ventilation shaft.

"You heard the man. Get ready!"

"Sir! You need to see this!" An officer showed Dan the latest news on the tablet.

"Good Lord."

Dan’s eyes widened in shock, and each officer slowly learned about the events that had unfolded just a few minutes earlier.

....

As he moved through the ventilation system, he used his radar to navigate toward the hostages, who were being held in an area far from the vault.

After running some simulations in his head and making a few calculations, he knew that none of them would be harmed if a battle broke out without precautions, but he still did not want to take unnecessary risks.

Emerging from the ventilation shaft, he saw the disguised man accompanied by several others wearing similar masks and carrying M16 rifles, which they were pointing at the hostages.

Searching for optimal vantage points, he began to move through the dark areas that concealed his presence. He launched a web in one direction, causing one of the group to separate from the others to investigate the sound.

He waited for the right moment and manually activated the trap web, ensnaring the criminal in a cocoon.

He launched another web to lure another man closer. Once he was close enough, Spider-Man punched him in the face, knocking him unconscious, and pinned him to the wall.

Three more to go.

Using the shadows as an ally, he repeated the same tactic, drawing out and capturing the criminals one by one.

With all four now knocked out, he signaled for the hostages to remain calm and silent, which they did without complaint.

Stepping back into the shadows, he waited for the boss to come out.

Once he did, Spider-Man shot two webs at the money bags and pulled them out of his hands. When the man realized who had done it, he merely grunted in annoyance and looked around for his accomplices, only to huff when he saw that none of them were there.

So he searched for the vigilante and found him hidden in the shadows. If Spider-Man had not revealed his position, he doubted he would have found him at all.

"Spider-Man! The boss thought that with the earlier gift he could eliminate you, but I see my colleagues could not do their job. I had to wait for him, but even so, I believed they would be enough. But as the saying goes, do not send idiots to do a man’s job."

"Herman Schultz, surrender peacefully. Last chance. I hope you take advantage of my kindness rather than doing what Rhino did," Spider-Man said.

"Rhino? So that crazy Russian changed his name, huh? It suits him after becoming that creature. Maybe I could do the same. Herman does not inspire much respect."

Then he looked at his gloves, and an idea struck him.

"Vermin! Herman has gone on sabbatical! But the Shocker can pass on the message!"

While he was distracting Shocker, the hostages took advantage of the opportunity to escape, which Shocker noticed.

Very annoyed at seeing his leverage slipping away, he raised his gloves in their direction, but he never got the chance to fire because Spider-Man lunged at him, sending them both into the vault.

Before Shocker could get up, Spider-Man shot a web behind him, sealing the vault door.

"HAHAHAHA! YOU ARE AN IDIOT! NOW YOU ARE TRAPPED WITH YOUR FUTURE EXECUTIONER!"

He played something fierce and percussive through his mask speakers, low enough that only the two of them could hear, just to set the right atmosphere.

"No, Shocker." He bent slightly, mimicking a particular famous pose. "I am not locked in here with you... you are locked in here with me."