"SHWING!"
A dark shadow flashed through the air with deadly precision.
Ben whipped his tail forward, the razor-sharp exoskeletal blade cutting through steel support beams and slicing the air itself like a living sword!
Kraven was forced to dive and roll in desperate evasion, his predatory confidence rapidly dissolving into survival instinct.
"You came here hunting Spider-Man?" Ben's chittering voice carried cold amusement as he pursued the fleeing hunter. "Now tell me—who exactly is the prey in this situation?"
He was essentially toying with Kraven at this point, like a cat playing with a wounded mouse.
With the enhancement provided by his integrated spider genes, Stinkfly's capabilities had been elevated far beyond their normal parameters. The improvements were particularly dramatic in three crucial areas: raw strength, physical endurance, and agility. Each aspect had been enhanced exponentially.
Although his overall destructive potential still couldn't match the overwhelming power of aliens like Four Arms, Heatblast, or Diamondhead, these criminals represented no real challenge to his current form.
Combined with Stinkfly's natural flying maneuverability, Ben's power had reached truly formidable levels.
Ben had complained about Stinkfly's relatively slow flight speed, that assessment depended entirely on the comparison being made.
When Heatblast operated at maximum propulsion power, his velocity could break through atmospheric barriers. Stinkfly naturally couldn't match such extreme performance, but compared to conventional military aircraft, his capabilities were more than adequate.
Kraven had been reduced to the state of a trapped and desperate animal, baring his teeth and snarling ferociously, but his impotent rage only made him appear more pathetic.
He grabbed a nearby oil drum and hurled it toward Ben's position with all his remaining strength.
However, a stream of corrosive mucus erupted from Ben's eyestalks, instantly eating through the metal container the moment it made contact.
If such terrifying acidic power were applied to human flesh, it would probably take only a few seconds to reduce an opponent's body to liquefied remains.
Stinkfly possessed two distinct types of biological weaponry.
The first was a powerful acid capable of corroding through steel plating, while the second lacked significant destructive force but possessed incredible adhesive properties and tensile strength. When exposed to high temperatures, the second type would trigger a violent chemical reaction resulting in explosive detonation.
The principle was similar to methane gas encountering an open flame.
"Don't you ever run out of that slime?" Kraven gasped, his voice hoarse with exertion and growing fear.
From the beginning of their encounter, he couldn't estimate how much biological material Ben had expelled from his alien form.
Honestly, the total volume of these secretions might have already exceeded Ben's apparent body weight, yet he continued spraying without any signs of depletion.
Kraven couldn't help but suspect that the four tentacle-like appendages weren't actually producing the substances themselves, but rather served as dimensional portals allowing Ben to continuously channel mucus from some external source...
It was an imaginative theory, he had to admit.
But unfortunately for the hunter's scientific curiosity...
"I could keep this up all day!" Ben declared with obvious enthusiasm.
Of course, this was purely a figure of speech. He was absolutely certain that no one in this universe would be willing to spend quality time with a giant green insectoid creature that possessed razor-sharp mandibles and expelled gases capable of corroding human skin.
"I'll give you everything I've got!" Ben immediately switched to full automatic mode.
Kraven continued his desperate evasion tactics, using factory obstacles for cover while hurling debris in Ben's direction, hoping to knock the flying predator from the sky through sheer persistence.
But without exception, every projectile was intercepted and destroyed.
Ben wasn't a trained marksman, but with his current enhanced reaction capabilities, watching objects thrown at him was essentially like viewing slow-motion replay footage.
Seeing that his ranged attacks proved completely ineffective, Kraven drew his curved hunting dagger without hesitation and prepared to engage in close-quarters combat.
As a professional hunter, he still possessed that level of courage.
When Kraven swung his blade in a vicious arc, Ben immediately countered with his weaponized tail.
Instantly, sparks erupted from the point of contact! Ben's incredibly tough and sharp exoskeleton, combined with his enhanced physical strength, immediately severed the dagger that Kraven had relied upon for years of successful hunts!
Witnessing this impossible outcome, an expression of utter disbelief flashed across Kraven's weathered features.
"This cannot be happening..."
He knew that his weapon contained trace amounts of vibranium—microscopic quantities, but enough to make the blade virtually indestructible under normal circumstances.
Yet Ben had simply cut through it as if it were made of ordinary steel!
But Kraven had no time to process his shock, because Ben wasn't finished with his assault.
He continued his relentless advance! Stinkfly possessed ten distinct limbs—four translucent wings attached to his back, four spike-like abdominal appendages for ground movement, and two primary arms that terminated in terrifying claws!
SLASH! In the blink of an eye, Ben's razor-sharp talons raked across Kraven's chest, opening deep furrows in the hunter's torso.
The massive wounds across Kraven's chest resembled a canyon carved into flesh, and blood poured from the injuries in torrents.
However, he didn't immediately lose consciousness or collapse.
At the last possible moment, he had managed to throw himself backward and avoid the fate of complete disembowelment.
The excruciating pain caused him to clench his teeth until his jaw ached, and cold sweat soaked through his hair. Kraven no longer resembled the arrogant predator who had terrorized the Daily Bugle and Midtown High School just hours earlier.
He probably never imagined when he launched those confident attacks that he would be reduced to such a pathetic state.
"The hunter has become the wounded prey," Ben observed with cold satisfaction.
The reason he wasn't rushing to deliver the killing blow was partially due to an old Spider-Man animated series he had watched in his previous life, where Kraven had actually assisted Peter during a crucial moment.
But he also understood the fundamental difference between fictional portrayals and current reality.
The two situations couldn't be conflated. Since this version of Kraven had already demonstrated his willingness to kidnap Peter in order to trap and manipulatr Spider-Man, he would undoubtedly target other innocent people in the future.
The second reason was, naturally, the prospect of obtaining vibranium.
Kraven's weapon just now have a trace of Vibranium from Wakanda, though obviously not through legitimate channels.
Ordinary metals were like tissue paper when confronted with his enhanced tail—they tore apart at the slightest contact. But when Kraven's dagger struck him, although it had still shattered immediately, Ben had definitely felt the resistance of superior metal.
Vibranium commanded astronomical prices on the black market, but more importantly than cost, the material was essentially impossible to acquire through conventional means.
Wakanda maintained extremely strict controls over vibranium exportation.
Not only did they refuse to export the substance, but they treated its very existence as a closely guarded state secret. Only a select few individuals possessed the authorization to remove even small quantities from Wakandan territory.
"If you're willing to help me acquire some vibranium, Kraven, I might consider sparing your life," Ben suggested, rubbing his claws together with fly-like gestures while adding with obvious cunning. "Or even better the heart-shaped herbs."
"You know about Wakanda?" Kraven asked weakly, his voice barely above a whisper.
The hunter had collapsed to the factory floor, growing dizzy and pale from massive blood loss.
But he remained conscious enough to understand the offer being presented.
To prevent him from dying immediately, Ben covered his wounds with a coating of his non-acidic mucus.
Kraven's expression shifted dramatically upon feeling the substance applied to his injuries.
"Don't worry," Ben reassured him as he slowly descended toward the fallen hunter like a predatory plant closing its trap. "Even though it looks disgusting, it's actually completely sterile."
Simultaneously, Ben's tail curved upward and positioned itself against Kraven's chest directly over his heart, resembling a scorpion preparing to deliver a fatal sting.
"The choice is yours, hunter."
Ben harbored no particular animosity toward Wakanda as a nation.
However, any positive feelings he might possess stemmed from his respect for Chadwick Boseman's dignified approach to his own mortality, rather than any attachment to the Black Panther character itself.
He remembered that in the movie, after Killmonger seized power and obtained superhuman abilities through the ritual challenges, the usurper had ordered the destruction of all remaining heart-shaped herbs. Ben had always found that act particularly wasteful.
Ben believed that such unique botanical specimens—capable of granting superhuman abilities when combined with the proper preparations—represented invaluable research opportunities that shouldn't be squandered.
After hearing Ben's proposition, while Kraven felt surprised by the specificity of the demands, he didn't find the general concept particularly shocking.
Exchanging valuable commodities for one's life was a common enough transaction in the criminal underworld.
But he still shook his head weakly.
"I cannot provide those items for you."
It wasn't a matter of unwillingness—he simply lacked the capability.
Both his vibranium supplies and his enhanced physical abilities had originally come from a former Wakandan who had been exiled from his homeland. The two men had since parted ways permanently.
Kraven possessed no independent means of acquiring either the herbs or additional vibranium.
"That's genuinely disappointing," Ben replied with apparent regret.
"As someone who has spent so many years hunting prey, you must be curious about what your victims are thinking during their final moments, correct?"
Having failed to obtain what he wanted through negotiation, Ben no longer saw any reason to maintain restraint.
He drove his weaponized tail directly into Kraven's chest.
Peter, who had been engaged in his own struggle against the Rhino, witnessed this execution and immediately shouted for Ben to stop.
However, the long, spike-tipped appendage still pierced Kraven's torso, lifting the man who had taken such pride in hunting dangerous prey high into the air like a grotesque trophy.
Peter momentarily forgot to control his strength and delivered a kick that sent the Rhino crashing through the factory's concrete wall.
But he had no attention to spare for his defeated opponent.
Instead, he leaped across the distance and landed directly in front of Ben, staring at Kraven's lifeless body with obvious shock and dismay.
"How... how could you kill him?" Peter asked, his voice trembling with emotion.
He looked up at Ben, and his cousin—who had grown up alongside him like a brother—suddenly seemed like a complete stranger.
It wasn't merely the alien appearance that disturbed him.
"Because he was a villain," Ben replied matter-of-factly.
"Why are you so surprised? I've already killed Dr. Animo, Muse and the original Green Goblin. How did you think they died?"
But Peter was in no mood for casual explanations or dark humor.
"We had other options available to stop them from committing crimes," he protested desperately.
"I chose the most efficient solution," Ben interrupted, his four eyestalks turning to focus on Peter simultaneously as he spoke with chilling calm. "Peter, these are adults who should be held responsible for their own actions."
"If someone chooses to become a villain, they shouldn't expect to avoid the consequences indefinitely."
Peter still found the concept difficult to accept, his moral foundations shaken by witnessing such decisive violence.
Fortunately, Ben made no attempt to convince him otherwise. After all, Peter would always be Peter—and that fundamental nature was something Ben had no desire to change.
Witnessing Kraven's brutal execution, Shocker immediately felt overwhelming terror.
Damn it, this giant insect was genuinely willing to commit murder! Even someone as formidable as Kraven was dead—how could an ordinary person like Herman Schultz possibly survive an encounter with such a creature?
These criminals showed no mercy when taking lives themselves, but when they became the prey, they were suddenly filled with paralyzing fear of death.
The remaining villains exchanged desperate glances, and only one thought flashed through their collective minds: Escape at any cost!
But Ben had no intention of allowing their retreat. Not only that, but Harry also refused to let these criminals escape after they had threatened his closest friends!
In an instant, multiple streams of mucus erupted from Ben's eyestalks and struck all three remaining opponents from dozens of meters away, binding them securely in place.
Simultaneously, Harry produced a pumpkin bomb in each hand and hurled them toward both Shocker and Bullseye with precise timing.
BOOM!!! The combination of explosive ordnance and flammable biological material created an instant inferno—bombs and slime detonating together in a massive conflagration!