"Tell me, who has been photographing Spider-Man?" Kraven's voice cut through the air like a blade, cold and merciless. "Who knows where to find the web-slinger?"
The hunter's grip on Jameson's collar remained iron-tight as he dangled the publisher over the gaping hole in the building's wall. Far below, the streets of Manhattan stretched out like a concrete canyon, the drop easily spanning dozens of stories. One wrong move, one moment of weakness in Kraven's grasp, and J. Jonah Jameson would become nothing more than a tragic headline in tomorrow's competing newspapers.
Despite the mortal terror coursing through his veins, Jameson's mind remained surprisingly clear. In these potentially final moments, memories flashed through his consciousness like scenes from a film reel: his son John, who had achieved his dream of becoming an astronaut and now worked among the stars; his devoted wife Martha, who never failed to remind him to take his blood pressure medication each morning; the newspaper empire he had built from nothing; the life he had constructed through decades of stubborn determination.
He thought about many things in those suspended seconds, but one thought never crossed his mind—he would never, under any circumstances, speak Peter Parker's name to this savage.
"I don't know," Jameson gasped, his voice strained but defiant. "The photographs arrive anonymously... no return address, no contact information."
Then, with a flash of inspiration born from desperation, he added, "You know what? Maybe the photographer is Spider-Man himself. Why else would he never show his face? Think about it—who else could get those close-up action shots?"
Jameson had no idea that his wild speculation had struck remarkably close to the truth. His only concern was protecting Peter Parker, a young man who was still just a student, from becoming a target for the dangerous criminals that Spider-Man's existence seemed to attract like magnets.
Even suspended over certain death, torn between paralyzing fear and fierce protectiveness, Jameson found his hatred for Spider-Man growing stronger. If that costumed menace had never appeared in New York, his newspaper office wouldn't be under attack right now. Innocent people like Peter Parker wouldn't be dragged into such perilous situations simply because they happened to know the wrong person.
The boy came from obviously modest circumstances—anyone could see that from his clothes and behavior. Poor kid, now facing danger just because he had somehow become connected to Spider-Man's activities.
Kraven's eyes narrowed with skepticism, completely dismissing Jameson's desperate explanation. "Don't waste my time with these pathetic lies, Jameson. I have no patience for games."
At that crucial moment, Robbie Robertson burst through the destroyed doorway, his voice ringing with passionate conviction as he addressed the hunter. "Sir, what Mr. Jameson told you is absolutely true! None of us has any idea who Spider-Man really is or where he can be found."
As both a devoted fan of Spider-Man and a man guided by strong moral principles, Robbie understood exactly what was at stake. Like everyone else in the newsroom, he was aware that Peter Parker maintained some kind of connection to Spider-Man—it was hardly a secret among the staff. But like Jameson, he harbored no intention of revealing this information to someone who clearly meant the young man harm.
Kraven slowly turned his head toward Robbie, but as he did so, he deliberately extended his arm several centimeters further beyond the building's edge. Simultaneously, his powerful fingers tightened their grip around Jameson's throat, making it increasingly difficult for the publisher to draw breath.
The hunter's expression remained utterly indifferent as he spoke. "I wonder if this might help refresh everyone's memory?"
His threat wasn't directed solely at Jameson—it was a clear message to every employee in the newsroom. Each person present understood that their boss's life hung in the balance, dependent entirely on their collective silence.
Jameson desperately tried to catch the eyes of his staff members, blinking and gesturing frantically in an attempt to communicate his determination that they should remain quiet regardless of the consequences. But with so many employees gathered in the newsroom, it was statistically impossible for every single person to possess the same level of courage and moral fortitude. Under Kraven's predatory gaze—eyes that held the cold calculation of a apex predator—someone's resolve inevitably cracked.
"It's Peter Parker!" The voice cut through the tense silence like a gunshot. "He's a student at Midtown High School!"
"Shut your mouth!" Jameson's face flushed bright red with fury and betrayal as he began cursing at the traitor. "I'm going to fire you, you spineless—"
His tirade was cut short when Kraven's massive hand struck him across the face with enough force to render him immediately unconscious. Without ceremony, the hunter tossed Jameson's limp form back through the destroyed wall and into the newsroom as if discarding a piece of unwanted garbage.
Then, with predatory grace, Kraven launched himself from the building's edge and disappeared into the urban landscape below.
Robbie moved quickly to catch Jameson's unconscious body, then immediately crawled to the blast-created opening and peered down at the street. In the brief span of a few seconds, Kraven had vanished completely, leaving no trace of his passage.
Betty Brant hurried over on her high heels, her professional composure shattered by the crisis. She helped support Jameson's weight while her voice carried urgent worry. "Peter is in terrible danger now. We need to contact the police immediately, or better yet, reach Peter directly and warn him to hide until this blows over."
"It would be even better if we could somehow get word to Spider-Man," Robbie added grimly.
Fortunately, because Peter had been spending considerable time at the Daily Bugle recently as an unofficial photographer, the newspaper maintained his contact information on file despite his lack of formal employment. Betty immediately began dialing Peter's number while Robbie called for an ambulance to transport the unconscious Jameson to the nearest hospital.
Unfortunately, their urgent warnings never reached their intended target. Peter was still sitting in his afternoon classes, his phone silenced according to school policy.
However, another individual received notification of the Daily Bugle attack almost immediately. Eunice contacted Ben within minutes of Kraven's assault, her surveillance systems having flagged the incident as soon as it began.
Since the Daily Bugle maintained constant associations with Spider-Man through its coverage, Ben had included the newspaper building among his priority monitoring targets. The moment Eunice's report reached him, Ben immediately understood what had transpired—someone had failed to locate Spider-Man directly, so they had decided to target Peter as an alternative route.
Before his acquisition of Hammer Industries, such a development would have caused him significant concern. But now, with defensive robots standing ready for deployment, any foolish villains who managed to trace the connection back to his parents would quickly discover the error of their ways. The Iron Guard would provide a very educational—and final—lesson in the consequences of threatening innocent people.
Well, they'll know better in their next life, Ben thought with dark satisfaction.
Of course, if the villains were targeting Peter specifically, that was an entirely different matter. Ben felt no particular worry about that scenario. After all, weren't these criminals seeking alternative approaches precisely because they couldn't defeat Spider-Man in direct confrontation? Instead of concerning himself with Peter's safety, he should probably worry more about Midtown High School, which had only recently completed repairs from their last super-powered incident.
If the school suffered destruction again, the Principal would probably collapse from either joy at the insurance money or despair at the paperwork.
After departing from the Daily Bugle, Kraven immediately transmitted his newly acquired intelligence to Kingpin through their established communication channels. As the undisputed underground emperor of New York City, Wilson Fisk naturally commanded an extensive network of capable operatives, and they quickly compiled all available surface information regarding Peter Parker.
The profile that emerged painted a picture of an ordinary teenage boy from Queens, whose modest background reminded Kingpin of his own impoverished childhood. However, unlike the young Wilson Fisk, this Peter Parker appeared to lack the ruthless ambition necessary to transcend his circumstances.
Kingpin's lips curved into a contemptuous sneer as he reviewed the intelligence. "Capture him and extract Spider-Man's location through whatever means necessary."
Without requiring explicit instructions, this directive aligned perfectly with Kraven's existing intentions. The hunter felt no moral qualms about targeting a powerless student. When hunting dangerous prey, using effective bait represented standard tactical methodology.
Kraven moved through the city with predatory efficiency, leaping between rooftops and fire escapes until he located Midtown High School. Upon first glimpse of the institution's facade, with its elaborate architecture resembling a triumphal arch, he paused in momentary confusion.
This is supposed to be a school? For a brief instant, Kraven wondered if he had somehow taken a wrong turn in his navigation.
Fortunately, it didn't take long for him to notice that behind the impressively luxurious entrance gateway lay the familiar structure of a typical public educational institution. Satisfied that he had reached the correct destination, he abandoned all pretense of stealth and charged directly through the main entrance.
His savage appearance immediately attracted the attention of the school's security personnel, but even armed with riot shields and emergency weapons, they proved as effective as insects attempting to halt a charging rhinoceros. Kraven dispatched all of them with a single devastating sweep of his arm.
He felt no particular concern for the welfare of these ordinary individuals who weren't included on his hunting list, but neither did he deliberately seek to kill them. They were simply obstacles to be removed from his path.
Inside the main academic building, Peter Parker remained unaware of the approaching danger as he sat through another routine afternoon class. Having already mastered the curriculum material being presented, his mind had begun to wander toward more engaging subjects. He found himself contemplating whether he should attempt to design some minor improvements to his Spider-Man equipment.
However, upon further reflection, he realized that the suit Ben had created for him already incorporated every conceivable enhancement. Even if he wanted to upgrade the technology, he couldn't identify any areas that required improvement.
His thoughts then drifted toward Dr. Connors's genetic research, and he wondered what results might emerge if someone used a genetic mutator on spider DNA. The theoretical possibilities seemed both fascinating and terrifying.
Suddenly, an electric current seemed to flash through his brain, causing every nerve in his body to tingle with warning. Peter's spider-sense had activated with unprecedented intensity.
He stood up abruptly, drawing the attention of every student and the teacher in the classroom. The instructor regarded him with obvious disapproval—while Peter's excellent academic performance usually earned him considerable leeway regarding minor classroom disruptions, his sudden outburst had seriously interrupted the lesson.
"Peter?" Mary Jane Watson, who shared several classes with him, noticed his apparent distraction and attempted to whisper a gentle reminder. "What's wrong?"
But Peter ignored her concern entirely. After months of experience as Spider-Man, he had learned to trust his spider-sense implicitly. The way his danger detection was currently screaming told him that something catastrophic was about to occur.
"CRASH!" The sound of shattering glass filled the air as fragments exploded across the classroom floor.
A powerfully built figure burst through the window with explosive force, sending students and furniture flying in all directions!
Instantly, the entire classroom erupted into panic as students and their teacher were confronted by this sudden, violent intrusion. However, living in a country where armed conflicts could erupt over the smallest disagreements had taught them well. With practiced efficiency, everyone immediately dropped to the floor and sought cover beneath desks and tables, their heads protected by their hands.
Unlike Dr. Connors's previous attack on the school, which had been driven by madness and lack of clear objectives, Kraven possessed laser-focused purpose and maintained complete rational control. He wouldn't allow himself to be distracted by the presence of ordinary students. From the moment he entered the room, he had only one target—Peter Parker.
Coincidentally, Peter remained the only person still standing in the entire classroom.
Mary Jane crouched behind an overturned desk, using it as protective cover while she attempted to reach Peter's position. Her plan was to grab the stubborn member of the Parker family and force him to take cover like everyone else.
Unfortunately, she was positioned too far away from Peter, and before she could take more than a few steps toward him, Kraven moved first.
"You are Peter Parker?" Kraven's voice carried the cold certainty of a predator who had finally cornered his prey.
The hunter pounced forward with frightening speed, his muscular arms seizing Peter's collar and lifting the teenager off his feet as if he weighed nothing at all.
The moment Peter laid eyes on Kraven, he immediately recognized him as one of the villains who had appeared during the courthouse incident. Every instinct urged him to fight back, to use his spider-powers to escape this dangerous situation.
But this was neither the time nor the place for such action. In full view of his classmates and teacher, he was Peter Parker—an ordinary high school student with no special abilities. Spider-Man's identity had to remain secret at all costs.
"So tell me, boy," Kraven continued, his grip tightening, "where can Spider-Man be found?"
Peter's mind raced as he formulated a response that might defuse the situation. "I don't know where he lives or anything like that, but I can help you contact him! How about this—why don't you tell me when and where you want to meet, then go back and wait for my message? I'll pass along your request to him."
The stark contrast between Peter's slight frame and Kraven's imposing physique made the teenager appear impossibly fragile in the hunter's grasp.
"There's no need for such complicated arrangements," Kraven replied with predatory satisfaction. "If I simply capture you, Spider-Man will come to me anyway!"
Kraven prepared to carry out his plan immediately, but at that crucial moment, the sound of something cutting through the air caused him to duck instinctively. A classroom chair flew over his head, missing him by mere inches.
Flash Thompson had risen from his hiding place behind an overturned desk. The school's notorious bully wearing unlicensed Spider-Man merchandise, and his face showed an expression of genuine heroic determination as he confronted the dangerous intruder.
"Let Peter go right now, or I'll beat the living hell out of you!" Flash declared with surprising courage.
"Wait, Flash, don't do this!" Peter called out, genuinely stunned by this unexpected development. He couldn't have imagined that Flash Thompson, of all people, would stand up to defend him in such a dangerous situation. While he felt touched by the gesture, he was also deeply worried about Flash's safety.
Although Kraven and Flash possessed similar physical builds, the hunter's enhanced strength likely exceeded even Captain America's capabilities. Flash was just an ordinary teenager who would be seriously injured—or worse—if he attempted to fight such a formidable opponent.
"Shut up, Parker," Flash replied, his voice carrying unusual seriousness as he raised his fists in a boxer's stance. "I'm not doing this to save you specifically. I'm doing what Spider-Man would do in this situation."
He fixed Kraven with a defiant glare and continued, "Let Peter go. He doesn't know anything useful about Spider-Man. I'm a true fan—I'm the one you should be questioning!"
Kraven regarded Flash with obvious disdain, but the teenager couldn't tolerate being dismissed so casually. More importantly, he refused to accept that this criminal believed Peter Parker understood Spider-Man better than he did.
Without further consideration, Flash charged forward and threw a powerful punch directly at Kraven's face.
The result was entirely predictable—Flash was immediately knocked unconscious and collapsed to the floor.
Kraven laughed contemptuously at the pathetic display and prepared to leave with his captured prize when Kingpin's voice crackled through his communication device.
"Peter Parker has a brother," the crime lord's voice carried cold calculation. "Bring him to me as well."
Kingpin understood the psychology of so-called superheroes all too well. These costumed vigilantes consistently demonstrated a willingness to sacrifice themselves for others' welfare. Not only that, but the people who lived alongside them day after day inevitably became influenced by similar moral principles.
Just like the Daily Bugle's editor-in-chief and that reporter Robbie—both had chosen to risk their own lives rather than reveal Peter Parker's involvement with Spider-Man.
Therefore, Kingpin suspected that Peter himself might prove equally stubborn under interrogation. Every person possessed weaknesses that could be exploited. Perhaps threatening Peter Parker's own life wouldn't produce the desired results, but threatening him with harm to his loved ones represented an entirely different approach.
After listening to Kingpin's strategic analysis, Kraven immediately recognized the wisdom in this approach. During his brief encounter with Peter, he had detected something in the boy's eyes—a strength of character that suggested he wouldn't break easily under pressure.
He doesn't seem like the kind of spineless person who would be easily defeated, Kraven mused.
Without hesitation, the hunter smashed through the classroom wall and proceeded toward his secondary target, carrying Peter like a piece of unwanted luggage.
Originally, the students in Ben's classroom had only heard distant sounds of destruction and remained unaware of the specific nature of the threat. Now, faced with the same explosive entrance, the entire room fell into identical panic.
Kraven surveyed the cowering students while maintaining his grip on Peter, then called out in a commanding voice, "Which one of you is Ben Parker?"
No verbal response was necessary—Kraven quickly discovered that courage seemed to run in the Parker family bloodline.
He studied Ben's composed expression and felt his lips curve into a predatory smile. "It appears I've found you."
Ben completely ignored the hunter's intimidating presence, instead focusing his attention on the captured Peter. Peter could only offer an awkward, apologetic smile in response.
Mary Jane Watson, who had witnessed Kraven demolish a solid wall with his bare hands before targeting Ben, abandoned her cover and rushed forward while shouting a desperate warning.
"He's here to get you!"
Her cry caused Felicia Hardy to go pale with terror. She immediately grabbed Ben's arm and attempted to pull him toward the nearest exit, her usual confident demeanor completely shattered by the unfolding crisis.
Ben gently placed his hand over Felicia's to provide comfort and reassurance, while simultaneously making eye contact with Mary Jane and the other students behind Kraven. His expression clearly communicated that they should avoid any rash actions that might result in injury.
Gwen Stacy, still struggling to comprehend the rapidly developing situation, quickly began dialing her father's number on her cell phone. What she didn't realize was that Police Captain George Stacy was already en route to the school, having been alerted by the initial security breach.
When Ben heard Mary Jane's warning about Kraven's intentions, his reaction was one of complete bewilderment rather than fear.
He had never imagined that Kraven would be targeting him specifically. The revelation was so unexpected that it struck him as almost comical rather than threatening.
Okay, okay, after all this time, you're actually coming for me? Rather than feeling anger or concern, Ben found himself genuinely amused by the irony of the situation.
In fact, when Kraven first appeared before him, even Ben had been momentarily stunned by the development. After all the careful preparations he had made to protect his parents from being targeted by Spider-Man's enemies, these villains had somehow decided to focus their attention on him instead.
Out of all the potential targets they could have chosen—they had selected him, the one person in Peter's circle who possessed the greatest capacity for retaliation.
You really do have a death wish, don't you?