Practical Combat Begins

Just as Lin Hai and Peter sat down on the crude metal chairs, a rhythmic metallic knocking came from the inner room. As the sound drew closer, an elderly man with a lame leg, gray hair and beard, and a custom cane hobbled out.

"I heard some commotion." The old man's sharp gaze swept over the two strangers. "These two... uh... kids are?" His voice was hoarse yet powerful, every word carrying a distinctive wariness.

Blade made a calming gesture. "They might be partners, but that hasn't been confirmed yet."

He turned to Lin Hai and Peter. "This is Abraham Whistler, my mentor and weaponsmith. He handles support for our two-man team."

Whistler nodded slightly. Though his legs were inconvenient, he still stood ramrod straight. Lin Hai noticed the thick calluses on the web of his right hand, marks left by years of handling weapons.

"As for me," Blade continued, "my name is Eric Brooks. You can call me Eric or Blade. Now it's your turn."

Lin Hai and Peter briefly introduced their team. When Whistler heard about Spider-Power and Life Force, his eyebrows rose in surprise.

"Want to show me?" old Whistler asked curiously, his eyes gleaming with the investigative interest unique to a technical expert.

Peter understood. With one hand, he casually lifted a two-hundred-kilogram weapons crate beside him. Then he raised his arm and fired a strand of Silk from the Web Shooters beneath his sleeve, sticking it precisely to a ceiling beam. He pulled himself upward, nimbly crawled around the ceiling like a spider, then lightly leaped down and landed steadily.

"Your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, at your service." He gave a playful bow. "I'm a little stronger than I look."

This time, Lin Hai took an ordinary seed from his waist pouch. He circulated Life Force