The television news was reporting on the previous night's battle between Spider-Man and Lizard-Man on the bridge.
From military experiments to alien gene modifications, from political parties to capital tycoons, these experts dared to say anything.
Listening to the reports on TV, Zed, who was eating breakfast, felt somewhat agitated. He'd been restless since returning last night, but didn't know why.
Zed took a few deep breaths and then rode his bicycle to school. He didn't notice anything unusual along the way, but as he approached the school, a sudden flash of insight struck him.
The situation was exactly like last time at Matt's place; S.H.I.E.D.'s undercover agents had already surrounded the area. It's just that Zed didn't have Matt's hearing, so he didn't realize it immediately.
Zed was certain that the people around him were S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. What he couldn't be sure of was how much S.H.I.E.L.D. knew.
Was he being routinely investigated because of Peter?
Or had S.H.I.E.L.D. already confirmed his identity?
But no matter what, Zed couldn't reveal his true nature. He wasn't afraid of S.H.I.E.L.D., but he didn't want any complications at this crucial moment; Peter's watch dial was the most important thing.
Once inside the school, Zed abandoned all his plans, fully embracing the role of a lonely young man who didn't like studying. After school, Zed and Ned watched Peter head to Gwen's house for their appointment, forcing Zed to put his surveillance plan on hold.
Natasha and Coulson were sitting in a coffee shop two streets away, directing their agents and monitoring Zed's every move.
Watching Zed on the monitor, who seemed perfectly normal, Natasha said:
"This guy is really composed! He's clearly aware of us!"
Coulson was very puzzled: "What? He knows? We sent out our best agents! How did you find out?"
Natasha simply replied to Coulson, "Woman's intuition," before opening a communication channel with Nick Fury:
"Zed Oleg has discovered that we're monitoring him. What should we do next?"
Nick Fury on the other end of the comms, after fiddling with an old pager, said thoughtfully:
"Natasha! I need you to make contact with him personally. You can choose to accept or decline this mission."
"I accept. Isn't that my job?" Natasha agreed before Nick Fury could continue. Then she got up and walked out of the cafe.
Nick Fury ordered on another channel: "Coulson, keep an eye on her. Don't let anything happen to her."
"Yes, sir!"
Natasha stood in front of Zed and Ned, her gaze provocative and alluring, looking at Zed. Zed didn't react much; Ned was already starstruck.
"What's wrong? Zed! Wasn't one night enough for you to remember me?" Natasha said, her lips parted slightly.
"What! Zed! You're with this beauty! You! You! You make me so jealous!" Ned wasn't really jealous; he was just trying to lighten the mood.
Natasha turned to Ned and said, "Are you Zed's friend? My name is Natasha! What's your name?"
"Ned! My name is Ned!"
With Ned nearby, Zed didn't dare to make a move. Natasha wouldn't miss such a good opportunity. She walked up to Zed, intimately linking her arm through his as they walked along the road together.
Zed and Ned had been friends for so many years, even if he had initially come with ulterior motives. But after so many years, even a stone would have warmed up.
Zed feigned compliance:
"How could I forget you! Natasha~~!"
Zed deliberately dragged out the end of the word, warning Natasha not to make a move on Ned.
Natasha pretended not to understand, and continued:
"Then why are you in such a hurry to leave? Let me buy you both a drink! Juice! We can chat slowly! Right, Ned?"
"Great! Great!"
The three of them entered a restaurant with a beautiful and clean environment. Zed guessed that the guests and waiters had probably already been replaced by S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, just waiting for him to walk right in.
There's no such thing as a free lunch!
Inside the restaurant, Ned took the initiative to order, wanting to leave the two of them alone. Ned, with good intentions, wanted to play wingman and provide support, but he misfired.
Natasha rested her cheek on one hand, smiling, "A good friend!"
"He is. Ned is indeed a good friend." Zed calmed down at this moment; all he could do now was face whatever came.
"You care so much about this friend; you don't seem like a Demon King at all!" Natasha's bright eyes were fixed on Zed's, not missing any detail.
Zed understood the principle of saying too much, especially when facing someone like Natasha, who was a master of psychology. He laid his cards on the table, "What do you want?"
Natasha switched hands and said,
"I should be the one asking that! What does a Demon King like you want?"
Zed raised an eyebrow, staring intently into Natasha's eyes.
"What I want is simple—freedom! Absolute freedom! I don't like ruling others, but I hate being ruled even more. Anyone who stands in my way, I'll destroy them. Simple, isn't it?"
This answer was almost exactly what Natasha had guessed. Seeing that Zed was willing to talk, Natasha continued,
"That's no different from making the whole world your enemy."
Zed didn't answer directly. "So, you know about my power, right?"
"Although the Power of Time is strong, you can't use it without limit!" Natasha continued to spar with Zed.
"There are many limitations, yes." Zed admitted generously. "But seeing a little bit of the future is no problem. For example, your death date! I'm not threatening you. I'm saying you have less than fifteen years left to live."
Natasha didn't panic; instead, she smiled.
"So, I'm not going to die here today, then!"
"That's right! You'll die on some alien planet, not Earth," Zed countered.
"Alien?"
"A very distant place, a cold and desolate place. I don't know if you'd like that kind of ending."
Zed took a sip of water and observed Natasha's reaction. A hint of panic and unwillingness flashed across her face.
If Zed hadn't known what kind of person Natasha was beforehand, he would have been completely fooled.
These agents are all so calculating!
Zed was almost completely defeated in this verbal battle, having gained no useful information. Natasha, on the other hand, had surely gotten a lot.
Zed could only bring out his last resort:
"S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't a match for me. If you want to deal with me, send someone who can actually fight. If you don't have anyone like that? I can recommend someone for you!"
"Who is it?"
"An old popsicle! This old popsicle only fights with a shield, and there's a star on the shield. I don't know if you need him, but if you don't, he's mine," Zed replied slowly.
"Captain America? He's still alive! Where is he?" Natasha asked, following Nick Fury's instructions.
Peter, holding flowers, came to Gwen's apartment building and looked up. Then, he climbed the wall and flipped into Gwen's room.
No one could understand why Peter would climb the wall and enter a girl's house the first time he visited. Not only did it scare Gwen, but the flowers in his hand had already wilted during the climb.
"Uh! Sorry! These flowers... uh..." Peter was at a loss, embarrassed.
Gwen slapped her forehead and said, "Why did you climb in here? Couldn't you use the front door?"
"I just wanted to surprise you. Sorry, Gwen!" Peter quickly apologized.
Gwen didn't intend to make a big deal out of it.
"Alright, Peter. Don't do that again. That wasn't a surprise, that was a scare!"
"Who's there?"
Gwen's father, George Stacy, heard the commotion and opened Gwen's bedroom door, just in time to see Peter, holding the ruined flowers, standing in his daughter's room.
"Peter? What are you doing here? I didn't see you come in?" George, being the police chief, started to pry, the occupational hazard kicking in.
Gwen, knowing her father, naturally sided with the boy she liked, and pushed George out the door.
"I opened the door, you guys just didn't see us in the kitchen."
George had already figured out that Peter had climbed in through the window, but to save his daughter's face, he didn't press the issue.
The three of them went to the dining table. Gwen's mother had just finished serving dinner, and a family dinner began.
Gwen's mother had a very good impression of Peter. For a high school student, getting an internship at Osborn Industries' lab was a significant achievement.
But at the same time, the lab was disbanded soon after Peter started, which made Gwen's mother feel sorry for him. She comforted him, saying:
"It's okay! Don't lose confidence! The internal adjustments at Osborn have nothing to do with you; it was just bad luck. There will definitely be better opportunities next time."
Peter didn't mind the situation anymore. With Gwen's mother's comfort, he felt more at ease: "Thank you!"
So far, the atmosphere of the dinner was very pleasant, until George brought up the topic of Spider-Man.
George, as the New York Police Department Commissioner, was a truly good cop. Not only did he hate evil, but he also loathed vigilantes who didn't abide by the law.
"Spider-Man only creates bigger problems. Doesn't he know how much trouble he's caused? Only the law can protect the citizens! Daredevil, Spider-Man, these people are all lawless and unstable elements!"
Young and spirited, Peter couldn't accept that his hard work and dedication were being dismissed so easily. He genuinely wanted to help people. He voiced his support for Spider-Man to George.
George, already suspicious of the kid who broke into people's homes, now saw a serious problem with his sense of right and wrong. He immediately began to lecture Peter.
The conversation turned into a lecture, and the lecture escalated into an argument.
A pleasant dinner party was ruined.
Heartbroken and frustrated, Peter swung between buildings, venting his discontent without realizing he was being targeted.
-----------------------
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(End of Chapter)