Spider-Woman (Contracted, Seeking Favorites)

Nighttime in New York City was split into two extremes by the vast wealth gap between its residents.

Just a single street apart, two completely different worlds unfolded.

On one side, a gilded paradise of indulgence. On the other, a struggling hell of suffering.

While countless commoners had already fallen asleep, saving their energy for tomorrow's work, the wealthy district just across the street blazed with lights and bustling activity.

For the rich, the beautiful nightlife was only just beginning.

And for those who wanted something for nothing—a quick score—this place was equally a paradise.

After all, this was a country steeped in "harmony."

Crime unfolded at nearly every moment.

Right now, at the border between the commoner district and the wealthy district, in a secluded alleyway, a group of stylishly dressed young black men had cornered a middle-aged woman against the wall.

"Ah, help! Don't come near me..."

Though she knew full well that in this superficially harmonious city, it was best not to go out alone at night, her family's severe illness and her hungry, barely-year-old child left her no choice but to take the risk, searching for better-paying work after dark.

She had been lucky enough to avoid trouble before, but Lady Luck doesn't favor anyone forever.

Today, she found herself surrounded by a gang of thugs.

"Don't come any closer! I have money—take it all! Please, just let me go. My child is waiting for me at home."

Fumbling frantically, she pulled the spare change she had prepared in advance from her pocket, hoping these men would let her leave.

But she underestimated their greed. A few dozen dollars in small bills wouldn't satisfy so many of them.

A burly man wearing a classic cowboy-style wide-brimmed hat, who seemed to be the gang's leader, slowly took the money from her hands.

Calmly, he straightened each bill one by one, stacked them neatly from largest to smallest denomination, folded them in half, and tucked them into the back pocket of his jeans.

"Heh, ma'am, you didn't think a pittance like this would be enough to send my boys packing, did you?"

As he spoke, he slowly drew a silver revolver from his waistband, twirling it expertly in his hand a few times.

The spinning revolver stopped abruptly, its barrel aimed straight at the woman.

"Hand over your bank cards and anything else valuable. Otherwise, my gun is pretty fast."

"That's right! Our boss is the most famous Quickdraw on this street. You'd better cough up the cash before we have to fish it off your corpse."

Watching their leader's elegant, cowboy-like movements, the other thugs chimed in, flattering him while threatening the woman.

"No, please! My husband and child need that money! I'm begging you..."

Terrified by the gun pointed at her, the woman screamed and wept, pleading for mercy.

But the "Cowboy" holding the gun didn't lower it. Instead, he slowly began to count, one word at a time: "Three..."

Zzzz...

Before he could get to the second number, a silver-white strand of webbing shot out from the darkness, striking his wrist with perfect accuracy.

"Who's there?"

The Cowboy-like gang leader was startled, his usual composure shattered.

But his answer came in the form of a tremendous force pulling on the webbing stuck to his arm.

The sheer strength lifted his entire body off the ground, his bulky frame feeling weightless as the revolver slipped from his grip and clattered to the floor.

The moment he was yanked into the air, a figure burst from the shadows.

A foot slammed hard into his face.

The burly man felt as if his face had been hit head-on by a car.

He flew backward, several teeth mixed with blood spraying from his mouth midair.

He didn't stop until he crashed into the wall behind him, knocked completely unconscious.

"Boss!"

The other thugs hadn't even seen what happened.

They only saw their boss suddenly fly up and slam into the wall, his condition unknown.

Then they noticed someone in a black-and-white skintight suit, wearing a hood with web-like patterns, standing right in front of them.

"Crap, it's Spider-Woman!"

A week ago, the name Spider-Woman had echoed across all of New York City. Every street-level thug knew there was someone who made trouble specifically for them.

Now, they instantly realized that the figure who had appeared was the very vigilante who struck fear into the hearts of New York's criminals—Spider-Woman.

"Everyone, run!"

The remaining thugs scattered, scrambling and crawling out of the alley. Only one young guy seemed frozen in terror, his legs too weak to move, slumped against the wall.

"Haha, that saying really is true—you don't need to outrun the predator, just your companions."

A black guy was running the fastest, far ahead of his buddies, and it looked like he was about to dash out of the alley.

"Great, once I'm out of the alley, I'll be safe."

But before he could even celebrate, he found he could no longer move forward, just one step away from the alley's exit.

And that single step was like an insurmountable chasm.

The next moment, a massive force struck him, and his whole body uncontrollably flew backward.

Then he was slammed by an enormous impact, crashing straight into the wall.

Pfft pfft pfft...

In the next instant, several strands of webbing stuck him to the wall in a humiliating pose.

At the same time, his other companions suffered the same fate one after another.

Before they could escape the alley, they were all webbed up in various strange positions, plastered onto the wall.

Like a bizarre mural.

"Heh, all done."

Having subdued nearly every criminal, Spider-Woman felt no difficulty at all.

"No, there's one more."

But the next moment, her Spider-Sense suddenly triggered, and she spun around almost instinctively, firing a web strand behind her.

"Huh? How is that possible!"

Yet this time, her web, which almost never missed, didn't hit its target.

Because the threat her Spider-Sense had detected—

Was now caught in the grip of a mysterious figure.

A towering silhouette had somehow appeared in the dark alley.

He was holding by the neck the thug who had just been frozen on the ground, then picked up a revolver to ambush her from behind.

With just one hand, he effortlessly lifted a man weighing several dozen kilograms.

"Urgh..."

With his throat clamped by an iron-like arm, the thug felt he was about to suffocate.

But the mysterious man seemed to have completely forgotten he was holding a living person.

Instead, he fixed his gaze on Spider-Woman not far away and spoke in a low, deep voice.

"I've finally found you, Spider-Woman."

This book is now signed. I hope everyone can help bookmark it, throw in some monthly tickets, and those who want to invest can do so with confidence.

Thank you all!