Shaking his head with an amused smile, Tony banked and flew off in another direction.
It was obvious from up here that the guy in the red and silver armor had the situation completely under control.
Tony had zero interest in babysitting a street brawl.
“Talk.
Where is that fat bastard Kingpin?” Holden grabbed a thug with a teardrop tattoo by the collar and slammed him face-first against the window of a parked car.
He pressed the man’s cheek so hard against the glass that the thug let out a series of muffled, pained whines.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about!
Let go!
Ahh, it hurts, it hurts!” the thug groaned through gritted teeth, struggling against the iron grip.
He knew exactly where Kingpin was, but spilling the boss’s secrets was a guaranteed death sentence.
Kingpin was the literal king of the underworld; crossing him was a fate worse than death.
“Sigh.
Can’t we just do this the easy way?” Holden let out a disappointed breath.
His eyes suddenly turned cold.
He hoisted the man up with one hand and slammed him brutally onto the hood of the car.
“Gah!” The thug curled into a tight ball like a shrimp, his entire body trembling uncontrollably.
From that single impact, it felt as though every organ in his body had ruptured.
“Hrrk…
haah…” He gasped for air, the blood vessels in his eyes popping from the sheer agony.
“Still playing tough, huh?
That’s fine.
I have all night.” Holden stared down at the man, his expression completely blank.
He had zero sympathy for street trash like this, especially since this particular guy had clearly ruined lives.
The teardrop tattoo on his face was a dead giveaway—it meant he had murdered at least three people.
Before the thug could catch his breath, Holden grabbed his wrist and squeezed.
SNAP!
“AGHHHH!
I’LL TALK!
I’LL TALK!” The thug absolutely lost his mind.
He couldn’t comprehend how a monster like this had suddenly appeared out of nowhere!
This armored freak was way more ruthless than anyone he had ever met.
He genuinely believed that if he didn’t talk right now, he was going to die a slow, agonizing death.
“See?
Was that so hard?” Holden demanded impatiently.
This street trash was just wasting his time.
“Mr.
Kingpin is at the abandoned FBA warehouse out in the suburbs!
He…
he’s overseeing a massive deal there tonight!” the thug wailed, spilling everything he knew through his tears.
“Good boy.
Thanks for cooperating.” Holden smirked, raised his fist, and drove it hard into the thug’s jaw.
The criminal’s eyes rolled back into his head, and he was out cold before he even hit the hood again.
Honestly, getting information out of this guy didn’t need to be this messy.
With the Phoenix Force, Holden could have easily invaded his mind and plucked the location straight from his brain.
But he wanted to test out the Kabuto suit’s physical specs, so he decided to do things the old-fashioned way.
“By the way, how much longer are you planning to hang out up there?” Holden casually rolled his shoulders, turning around to face the roof of the five-story building across the street.
Thud!
A sleek white figure leaped from the edge, performing a perfect mid-air flip before landing lightly on the pavement.
“How did you spot me?” Gwen asked, staring at the mysterious armored man in astonishment.
She had just arrived, and her movements were practically silent; there was no way she should have been detected.
Plus, her stealth skills were top-notch, yet this guy had pinpointed her exact location without even glancing in her direction.
“I guess my hearing is just a bit sharper than average, Little Spider,” Holden chuckled low in his throat, studying the heroine carefully.
“Speaking of which, what exactly are you peeping at?” “It’s not peeping!
I’m doing reconnaissance!” Gwen awkwardly kicked a loose pebble by her foot.
“Hey, Unicorn, if you’re going after Kingpin, can I tag along?” “Why are you calling me Unicorn?” Holden asked, mildly amused.
“Well, you have a giant horn sticking out of your head, don’t you?” Gwen pointed at the large horn on his helmet.
“It’s a rhinoceros beetle,” Holden corrected, leaning lazily against the parked car.
“Aren’t you worried I might be the bad guy?” This girl was incredibly trusting to propose teaming up after just a single glance.
“The enemy of my enemy is my friend,” Gwen answered without hesitation, her voice firm.
“You have a grudge against Kingpin?” Holden hadn’t expected this universe’s Gwen to have personal beef with the crime lord.
“He…” Gwen hesitated, the words catching in her throat, ultimately choosing to keep her reasons to herself.
“So, are you going or not?” “Sure, hop on.” Holden didn’t push it.
He could hear the distinct grief hidden in her voice.
Even if he didn’t go, he knew Gwen would storm the place anyway.
And in a head-to-head fight, she probably wasn’t a match for Kingpin.
If his memory served him right, Kingpin’s raw physical strength was easily enough to overpower a Spider in a direct confrontation.
Holden walked over to his motorcycle and swung his leg over the seat.
“Come on, Little Spider, get on!” he called out, waving her over.
“No thanks, I can—” Gwen shook her head, ready to refuse and swing there herself, but Holden cut her off.
“We’re in Hell’s Kitchen.
The buildings here are low.
Are you sure you can keep up with me?” Gwen paused, taking a good look at her surroundings.
He was right.
Trying to web-swing through the low-rise tenements of Hell’s Kitchen was basically wishful thinking.
After a moment of internal debate, she gave in and climbed onto the back of Holden’s bike.
Out in the suburbs, surrounded by dense woods, stood an abandoned factory.
Faint yellow lights spilled from the massive lumber yard.
Despite the poor lighting, the silhouettes of heavily armed men patrolling the perimeter were clearly visible.
“Shh…” Holden parked the motorcycle a safe distance away and pressed a finger to the mouthplate of his helmet, gesturing for Gwen to stay quiet.
He brushed his right hand over the bike, and a glowing green emblem of a snake flickered across his gauntlet—the power of the Snake Talisman.
In an instant, the motorcycle completely vanished into thin air.
“Where did the bike go?!
It was just here!” Gwen’s eyes nearly popped out of her head beneath her mask.
The motorcycle had literally disappeared right in front of her!
The craziest part was that she hadn’t sensed a single fluctuation of energy or technology.
Just who the hell was this guy?!
“What, curious?” Holden glanced at her.
“Of course,” Gwen nodded earnestly.
If she had an ability like that, her combat efficiency would skyrocket.
“If you want to learn, I can teach you later.” Holden felt a sudden urge to ruffle her cute head, but managed to hold himself back this time.
“Teach me later?” Even though Holden’s voice was synthesized through his helmet, Gwen felt an odd sense of déjà vu.
‘Where have I heard that before?’