Ripjaws!
15: Chapter 15: The Low-Key Alien Hero!
Ripjaws!
Owen Vance hadn’t intended to hurt Johnny in the first place.
Once again, his goal was to unlock Heatblast, not to kill anyone.
Dormammu alone was enough of a headache for Owen right now; a smart guy wouldn’t be stupid enough to make enemies everywhere.
With his goal accomplished, it was naturally time to hit the road.
Late at night, Wildvine burrowed out from beneath the green belt, stashed the stolen motorcycle safely away, and slunk back to the basement to sleep!
…
Gwen watched her dad drive off into the distance.
Just as she was about to close the door, her eyes caught a dark shadow lurking in the green belt.
Her super-senses told her it was a motorcycle.
Instantly, the robber featured on the morning news flashed through her mind.
Closing the door, Gwen walked back inside absently, head lowered.
Where did a motorcycle come from?
First, rule out her own house.
If a neighbor had bought it, there was no way they would hide it in a bush.
Thinking of Owen Vance down in the basement, Gwen paused.
Could the thief from last night be Otto?
Gwen thought about it and felt the likelihood was low.
He had been sleeping in the basement the whole time, so he shouldn’t have had time to run that far to steal something.
Yet considering mutant abilities, Gwen didn’t completely dismiss her suspicion.
As things stood, he was the prime suspect.
If it really was him, she would be beyond furious!
Stealing something and hiding the loot at the home of her dad, the police chief!
If word got out, what would happen to her father’s reputation?
Once Owen Vance emerged from the basement, Gwen began observing him in secret.
Owen stuck his head out first, looking around cautiously.
“Is your dad gone?” Gwen said crossly, “Thanks to a petty crime-loving criminal, he has to work even on weekends.” Having gotten his answer, Owen ignored the jab and headed outside, beaming with delight.
“Come here, Gwen.
Follow me, I want to show you a treasure.” Seeing Owen walk toward the green belt, Gwen hesitated before following.
Behind the bushes.
“Ta-da~” Owen pointed with both hands at the motorcycle, his face lit up with joy.
“Look.
Cool, isn’t it?” Startled, Gwen said, “This bike is yours?” “Yeah, a gift from someone.” “So, cool, right?” As he spoke, Owen squatted down and joyfully wiped away the dirt on the motorcycle.
How could he not be happy about getting a free bike?
*Johnny, you sure are generous, buddy.
Sweet!* Gwen blinked rapidly to process everything, swallowing her emotions.
As the police chief’s daughter, she knew that evidence was what mattered most in an investigation.
Maybe this guy really did have a mysterious local friend who gave him a motorcycle.
Taking a deep breath, Gwen squeezed out a smile.
“So what do you plan to do with this motorcycle next?” Glancing upward, Owen thought about it seriously.
Johnny had seen this motorcycle.
If he rode it out like this, he might get spotted.
Having made up his mind, Owen stroked the motorcycle and spoke truthfully.
“First, give it a new paint job.” Gwen’s heart sank.
“A paint job?” Owen tilted his head back to look at the license plate.
“Yeah, and then swap out the plate.” Remembering his current status, Owen added in a lower voice, “A fake plate, of course.” Owen had no official identity and no driver’s license.
Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t get a real one.
In Gwen’s ears, however, this sounded completely wrong.
!!!
Repaint it first, then put on a fake license plate—was that how an honest person treated a newly acquired motorcycle?!
Gwen was so angry her breathing grew ragged.
She had provided him with food and shelter, and on his very first night, he went out stealing?!
Without a word, Gwen tackled Owen.
Without transforming into an alien hero, Owen’s physical body was no match for Spider-Man.
After rolling twice, he was easily subdued by Gwen.
Looking at Gwen sitting on top of him, pressing one hand firmly against his chest, Owen raised both hands innocently.
It was baffling—why had this girl suddenly exploded in rage?
Gwen was so blinded by anger that she tried several times to speak before she could form a complete sentence.
All she could do was take deep breaths to regain her composure.
Owen didn’t know if Gwen was on her period or infected by Venom.
Seeing her so agitated, he could only ask softly, “Gwen, why are you…” Before he could finish, Gwen cut him off with a harsh rebuke.
“Shut up!!” Owen aggrievedly shut his mouth.
Glancing sideways at his shirt, which she had torn at the shoulder, he sniffled fearfully, sounding just like a wronged young bride harassed by a hoodlum.
“Gwen, you’re not…
overcome by lust and trying to force yourself on me, are you…?” “I—!@#$!!” Closing her eyes, Gwen clenched her teeth tightly until she could finally speak a full sentence.
“Are you Scott Miller?!” Hearing the fake name he had used last night, Owen felt an ominous foreboding.
“Tell me what this is about first.” “Ha!
Is there a difference?” “Of course there is!” “If it’s something good, I definitely did it!
If it’s something bad…” Owen’s voice softened.
“…then it wasn’t me.” “I swear to—!” …
Standing in front of the TV, pointing at Johnny on the news talking about last night’s robbery, Owen turned indignantly.
“Slander!
That’s complete slander!” Now Owen was the one too furious to speak.
*I treated you like a brother, and you used me to balance your books?
You sleeping with your boss’s wife gets pinned on me too?
Johnny, damn you!* On the sofa, Gwen crossed her legs and let out a cold sneer.
“Even the name you gave me was fake.
Keep acting.
Go on.” By now, Gwen had zero trust left in the rascal before her.
She had never forgotten how Owen “picked up” someone’s wallet at the very start.
Gwen also knew that the top priority was returning the motorcycle to prevent the police from tracing it here.
And after that?
Gwen ground her teeth—after that, she’d settle scores with Otto—no, with Scott Miller!
Just as Gwen was pondering how to handle it, the news updated.
The police found that the chain of evidence didn’t add up and locked onto Johnny.
At his place, they found the stolen expensive motorcycle.
Following the trail, they confirmed that everything the informant had reported was actually his own doing.
Then the news cut to the boss’s wife, who was crying and wailing that she and Johnny were true love.
Gwen froze on the spot in sheer awkwardness.
Her gaze shifted from her phone to Owen.
Owen glared back at her, and Gwen instinctively stood up under his stare.
Owen walked over aggressively and sat down.
“I told you, I’m innocent!” Gwen scratched her head, chuckling awkwardly.
She really hadn’t expected that a single true word could actually come out of this guy’s mouth!
Now this was embarrassing.
After venting with a few curses to blow off steam, Owen’s expression gradually grew strange.
His gaze drifted away aimlessly.
Just as Gwen was wondering what was wrong with him, Owen looked at her with utter seriousness.
“Gwen, do you want to continue?” With that, Owen proactively unbuttoned his collar.
“…” Afterward, as expected, the famous billionaire Reed bailed Johnny out.
…
At the dinner table, Owen scarfed down his food like a whirlwind.
Gwen sat to the side, flipping through mugshots of criminals.
Owen glanced over occasionally.
When Gwen looked at the picture of the Lizard, the silhouette of Ripjaws in Owen’s mind trembled slightly.
However, Owen ignored it.
There was no helping it—Ripjaws simply had the lowest presence among them.
Besides, he could only display his full power in specific environments.
Was there water in Dormammu’s Dark Dimension?
If not, Dormammu would probably blast this West Lake Vinegar Fish into mush with a single blow.
However, the supervillain in another photograph successfully caught Owen’s attention.