"You want to beat the shit out of everybody?" One of them asked incredulously.
The gang members exchanged confused glances. This wasn't how robberies usually went.
Who did this guy think he was, trying to act tough like that?
Just as they were about to attack, Johnson asked, "You guys are trying to rob me, right?"
"...So what if we are?"
"Well, in that case, I can claim self-defense."
They looked at each other in confusion — was this guy an idiot?
"Cut the crap." The leader snarled, pulling out a battle-worn Glock 17 covered in scratches. He pointed its dark barrel at Johnson, "Hand over all your money!"
One minute later.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Intense gunfire echoed through Brooklyn — the sound of a true practitioner of American shooting, emptying an entire magazine in one second.
In the alley.
Johnson stood with one hand in his pocket, the other raised with fingers spread.
His black coat billowed without wind, making him look like Neo from The Matrix minus the sunglasses.
When the shots rang out, the gang members' sneering faces turned from mockery to horror as they watched the big man seemingly attempt to catch bullets with his body.
The bullets hung suspended in the air as if caught in quicksand, and their vicious grins transformed into expressions of pure terror.
As Johnson left the alley, five bruised and battered gang members stood respectfully behind him, insisting on contributing their pocket money and phones, repeatedly promising to become better people and sit at the kids' table when eating.
Unable to refuse, he had to accept it all. At least he now had operating funds and equipment for the next few days.
Meanwhile, poor Peter was still mopping the floor at the closed burger joint...
With the phones, Johnson was no longer in the dark. Connected to this world's internet, a vast sea of information appeared before him.
Using multiple phones to search simultaneously, he quickly scanned through New York's local news. As he dug deeper, he discovered that the epicenter of Brooklyn's earthquake was directly beneath a building called the Fisk Tower.
Seeing the building owner's name, he became even more certain he was on the right track. Kingpin.
Real name Wilson Fisk, a Marvel supervillain and one of Daredevil and Spider-Man's archenemies.
So, Johnson made another trip to Hell's Kitchen on Manhattan's west side, sweeping the entire district with his mental power, but couldn't find the neighborhood-loving Daredevil.
Similarly, this New York lacked the flashy Stark Tower, and there was no mention of the Avengers online. Given that MCU Peter had also crossed over, this world appeared to be exclusively Spider-Man's territory.
✱✱✱✱✱✱✱✱✱✱
The scene returns to Brooklyn in the early morning.
Melody Coffee Shop sat near the heart of Brooklyn — not quite Manhattan's equal, but still one of the district's most prosperous areas.
Across the street loomed a towering commercial building, crowned by a luxurious banquet hall that dwarfed the surrounding structures.
This was Fisk Tower, private property of Kingpin, New York's underworld emperor.
A traditional Spider-Man would likely tackle this investigation through disguise, infiltration, combat, and theft of core secrets.
But as a psychic-powered individual, Johnson's methods proved far more elegant. Just as when searching for Daredevil the previous night, invisible Psychic Power rippled through the city sky, silently enveloping the entire building.
The busy employees inside noticed nothing unusual.
From Johnson's perspective, the building appeared ordinary enough. His psychic viewpoint descended from the top-floor banquet hall through various department offices, where employees hustled between floors, maximizing every moment to earn profits for their boss.
He sensed it all — conversations, scoldings, arguments, cursing, high heels clicking on marble, keyboards rapidly tapping, and in one bathroom stall, a man and woman doing... well...
In that moment, his Psychic Power processed all the information throughout the building, converting it into clear sounds and images in his mind.
After reviewing everything, he gained a comprehensive understanding of Kingpin's business empire — from its financial status to the number of competitors eliminated just yesterday.
Johnson had to admit, for a company with underworld ties, the operation seemed surprisingly ordinary.
Since the earthquake's epicenter was underground, he probed deeper. His Psychic Power penetrated through an airtight concrete layer, and suddenly a hidden world revealed itself.
The building's underground parking garage stretched down to Brooklyn's abandoned subway station, where they had built an enormous experimental facility beneath the city — a space spanning four or five football fields.
Within this vast underground cavity, a massive particle collider had been secretly constructed. Its two opposing emitters resembled large-caliber cannons — the potential energy output was staggering!
Case solved — this behemoth was clearly responsible for the space-time disturbance and earthquake!
A central control room perched along the ceiling of the space. Through the partition, hundreds of researchers worked intently at their computers. Their leader, a thin woman doctor with wild, frizzy hair and a white coat, gestured animatedly as she explained something to an exceptionally tall, bald man.
Just like in the original, everything above ground served as mere camouflage — Dr. Genus next door would certainly approve of their methods.
{T/N: Because the House of Evolution in One Punch Man was completely underground, while the destroyed building above was just for show.}
"Listen, boss, we're just one step away from success. Yesterday's experiment..." Dr. Olivia Octavius's enthusiastic explanation cut off abruptly as she glanced around suspiciously.
Kingpin's physique was massive yet solid — his custom black suit stretched across his muscular frame, making him resemble a bulletproof wall wherever he stood.
Noticing the pause in her explanation, he lowered his head slightly, following her gaze around the room with cold eyes.
"What's wrong, Doctor?" He asked in a deep voice.
"Umm..." Finding nothing unusual, the female version of Doc Ock furrowed her brow and withdrew her gaze, "Just now, did you feel... how should I put it... like being wrapped in liquid?"
Hmm?
In the coffee shop, monitoring everyone, Johnson raised an eyebrow.
Olivia could actually sense the presence of Psychic Power, however faintly — as expected of a top scientist. Though she might be up to no good, her talent in certain areas far exceeded ordinary people.
If this were in the One Punch Man world, she'd probably mutate into a tech-type monster in no time.