Chapter 198: Diego de la Vega

Upon entering the cockpit, he changed into his Spider-Man suit without removing the bracelet.

Walking over to a compartment near the cockpit, he pressed a hidden button.

A hatch beneath him opened, dropping him out of the ship.

While falling through the air, he removed the bracelet and stored it in one of the compartments on his utility belt.

Twip.

Twip.

Twip.

Firing a web, he swung toward the warehouse where he, Silver, Dan, and Black Cat had met previously so they could continue the plan they had devised.

In the dark, dimly lit warehouse, four people waited impatiently.

One of them considerably more than the others.

"Will he come?" Black Cat asked.

"Yes," Silver replied.

"What is wrong with the mask?" Trish asked.

"I brought it," Silver answered curtly.

Thump.

Everyone turned toward the sound.

The final person they had been waiting for had arrived.

"Let us begin," Spider-Man said.

"You took longer than usual," Dan remarked.

Silver shot the vigilante an annoyed look.

"I was rescuing a colleague’s daughter from a facility where she was being tortured and experimented on so she could be turned into a weapon."

"Just as they nearly did to her father."

Everyone’s eyes widened.

The sudden revelation tightened each of their chests.

Just as they were about to apologize, Spider-Man gave them a single cold look.

Every one of them closed their mouths.

"Next time..."

"Do not judge."

"Everyone has something important in their lives."

"No one can be everywhere for everyone."

His voice remained dry and detached before he immediately returned to business.

"Silver."

"The mask."

Without wasting another second, Silver handed him the face mask.

Spider-Man gave it to Trish.

After she put it on, her appearance gradually changed over the next few minutes.

Black Cat clearly approved of the result, judging by the appreciative look she gave Trish.

"Meeting place," Spider-Man ordered.

"A restaurant he frequents."

"He took me there a couple of times."

"This mission starts now."

"Failure is not an option."

Without another word, he turned and left.

"Is he always like this?" Black Cat asked.

"Dark, mysterious, and cold?"

"Not always," Trish replied.

"When we first met, he had the aura of a charismatic, self-aware psychopath."

"He would occasionally make sarcastic or mocking remarks."

"That has gradually disappeared and become... whatever you just witnessed."

"I have no idea what happened to cause such a dramatic change."

Silver and Black Cat exchanged surprised glances.

Neither of them could imagine the current Spider-Man making sarcastic jokes.

....

Felicia Sara Hardy, also known as Black Cat, was extremely pleased with the current situation.

Why?

Simple.

She had a date with an incredibly attractive woman.

Trish was exactly her type.

The mask Silver had provided altered Trish’s appearance just enough to create a slightly different version of her.

Oddly enough...

Felicia found this version even more attractive.

Not that the original had been lacking.

Far from it.

Felicia and Trish...who had been instructed by Spider-Man to use the alias Pamela Isley entered the restaurant.

Felicia remained in her Black Cat costume since revealing her real identity was out of the question.

Pamela wore a green dress that perfectly accentuated her figure, causing more than a few people inside the restaurant to glance her way.

Felicia smiled when she spotted her mentor sitting quietly with a glass of wine.

"You have gotten quite old, Master," she teased.

The elderly man looked up.

He had brown eyes, neatly combed brown hair, and a carefully maintained mustache.

Felicia often thought he could easily pass as an elegant butler.

Given his profession...

She would not have been surprised if he actually had.

"Oh, Kitty."

"It has been quite some time."

"How have you been?"

He smiled at her with the warmth of a grandfather greeting his granddaughter.

His appearance radiated harmlessness.

Felicia knew better.

"In perfect condition."

She sat down.

Pamela followed, taking the seat beside her.

"And this lovely young lady?"

"I am Pamela."

"Pamela Isley."

"Kitty’s girlfriend," Trish answered.

The instant she introduced herself, she felt as though someone was watching her.

Looking around, she noticed a stunning red-haired woman wearing a red dress observing her from another table across the restaurant.

The old man’s eyes widened slightly before returning to their usual warm expression.

"So..."

"You have finally grown up."

Black Fox¹ had recently stolen valuable jewels from Symkaria and intended to sell them during a private gathering later that day.

However, after receiving a message from his student the previous night, he postponed the transaction and came immediately to see Felicia.

He might have been elderly.

He might have been motivated by greed.

But he genuinely loved Felicia as though she were his own granddaughter.

He had known about her preferences for years.

It had never mattered to him.

Smiling kindly, he inclined his head toward Pamela.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Pamela."

"I hope Kitty is treating you well."

Pamela nodded politely.

A faint blush colored her cheeks.

Felicia lightly tapped the table, equally embarrassed.

"Hahaha."

"My apologies."

"I completely forgot to introduce myself to such a lovely young lady."

"I am Diego de la Vega¹."

"It is a pleasure to meet you."

After the introductions were finished, they ordered dinner and spent the evening talking comfortably.

Every so often, Pamela caught the mysterious red-haired woman at the other table still quietly watching her.

....

"Phase Two begins," Spider-Man said before moving in.

He and Silver immediately launched into a carefully choreographed fight, each dodging the other’s attacks with practiced precision.

Silver drew a knife from the sheath strapped to her thigh, but before she could use it, Spider-Man caught it with a web.

He pulled the weapon toward himself and attempted several strikes, all of which Silver evaded.

During one deliberately careless opening, she reclaimed the knife, and the fight transitioned into close-quarters combat.

Spider-Man intentionally allowed her to land several blows through carefully manufactured openings, while Silver responded with convincing force, using every bit of her combat training.

One particularly powerful strike sent Spider-Man crashing through the restaurant’s front windows.

He performed a smooth forward roll and immediately regained his footing.

"This is the last time you interfere with my operations, Spider-Man."

"I will not allow you to create chaos in my city or endanger innocent civilians," he replied with cold conviction, sending a chill through several onlookers.

Everything was proceeding according to plan.

Felicia could never convincingly ask Black Fox to accompany her somewhere secluded without immediately arousing his suspicion.

That was why they had chosen a public restaurant.

A direct approach would almost certainly cause him to flee.

A battle between Silver and Spider-Man created the perfect distraction.

Silver appeared determined to capture the thief.

Spider-Man appeared equally determined to stop her.

The fight had to look perfectly balanced.

The slightest hint that either of them was holding back would ruin the entire operation.

As they fought, they gradually maneuvered closer to Black Fox’s table.

At one point, Silver picked up a fallen knife and slashed toward Spider-Man.

He backflipped away.

Using that brief opening, Silver grabbed Pamela, who froze in genuine fear.

At the very same moment, hidden from everyone’s view, Spider-Man discreetly attached a small tracking device beneath Black Fox’s table.

"No!" Black Cat cried as she saw Silver draw one of her pistols and press it against Pamela’s head.

"Save her!" she pleaded, looking desperately at Spider-Man.

"The trigger mechanism on that weapon is highly sensitive."

"One involuntary movement..."

"And this evening becomes significantly more complicated for everyone."

His sharp warning made Black Cat gasp.

"Black Fox," Silver said, her voice calm but firm.

"The jewels."

"Now."

Diego looked at her without changing his expression.

After a quiet sigh, he accepted reality.

If Silver Sable had managed to find him...

He had become careless.

He had no intention of surrendering the jewels merely because someone had taken a hostage.

Then he looked at Felicia.

"Diego..."

Tears welled in Felicia’s eyes.

"Please..."

"I do not want to lose Pamela."

"She is the last thing I have."

Her voice barely rose above a whisper.

Diego looked at her.

Then at Pamela, trembling in Silver’s grasp.

After several tense moments, he let out a quiet, bitter laugh.

He really had grown soft.

Giving Felicia one last kind smile, he reached into his jacket and carefully placed the stolen jewelry onto the table.

Jewels meant nothing compared to Felicia’s happiness.

Especially after everything she had already endured because of Walter Hardy.

"Here, Silver."

"Take your jewels."

"But let the girl go."

"She has nothing to do with this."

Silver studied him for a long moment before gesturing for Felicia to retrieve the jewelry.

Felicia carefully picked it up and handed it to Silver.

Pamela was released immediately.

She rushed straight into Felicia’s arms.

Diego smiled softly.

He had made the right choice.

His expression then hardened.

He already knew what came next.

A smoke bomb struck the floor.

In an instant, thick smoke engulfed the restaurant.

Amid the confusion, Diego slipped outside with the effortless grace that only decades of experience could produce.

He knew Silver well enough to understand that, now the jewels had been recovered, she would never waste time pursuing either Felicia or Pamela.

And if, for some reason, she did...

Spider-Man would deal with her.

He silently offered a prayer for Silver if she was foolish enough to provoke the arachnid.

I really am growing soft, Diego thought.

....

Silver frowned deeply before forcing herself to regain her composure.

This was not the time to dwell on frustration.

She looked toward Black Cat and Trish.

None of this had been their fault.

The three women watched as Spider-Man helped a visibly shaken waiter back to his feet.

"We apologize for the inconvenience."

"I believe this should cover the property damage..."

"...as well as any lost business."

He removed a small item from his utility belt and handed it to the waiter.

The man accepted it with a dazed nod before walking away almost mechanically.

"Go."

"We will meet at the rendezvous point."

The three women nodded and departed together.

....