Chapter 73: Sunset, Sea of Clouds, Jessica
...
Abandoned Floor.
"How's it going?"
Hawkeye Barton secured himself to the rooftop with a sling and landed beside Barbara.
"I hope I'm not too late."
Barbara glanced at him, expression unreadable.
"You are indeed late, Barton."
Hawkeye stopped reaching for his bow.
"What happened?"
Barbara lowered her telescope.
"It's been taken care of. The Vulture handled it.
I suspect this has something to do with the Black Spider.
The last time I dealt with the Green Goblin, he also appeared with the Black Spider.
It seems the connection between the Black Spider and the Ghost Spider Club may lie with Ethan Lee.
We need to pay closer attention to this Vice President…"
"Is that so?" Hawkeye sheathed his bow.
As someone more focused on combat, he didn't concern himself much with power dynamics.
"Then let's report it to Nick."
---
Bang!
On Top of a Tall Building.
The Purple Man was tossed to Ethan Lee's feet by the Vulture.
The black ring on Ethan's wrist slowly stopped spinning — perfectly timed.
What caught him off guard, however, was—
Aside from the Purple Man, the man the Purple Man had used as a meat shield had also been caught.
His heart had been pierced — he was dead.
Ethan didn't particularly care about the life or death of someone from the U.S., but he recognized the man.
It was "Flash" Thompson — the one possessed by Venom.
It appeared that Venom had abandoned him. Otherwise, Thompson wouldn't have died like this.
According to the original trajectory, Thompson would've become Agent Venom — a half-decent superhero.
Now, that path had ended.
Ethan paid no further attention to the lifeless body and turned his gaze to the Purple Man.
A faint, sinister smile tugged at his lips.
"Guess what I'm going to do?" he asked, amused.
The Purple Man trembled, sweating profusely.
Because Ethan wasn't even wearing his Knight Spider suit, Kilgrave couldn't figure out who he was.
But the presence of the Vulture and Green Goblin beside Ethan gave him a horrifying clue...
The man before him, who could command both the Vulture and Green Goblin—
Was he a mastermind like Kingpin?
"Do you… want my help?" Kilgrave stammered, misjudging Ethan's intentions.
"I can help! Anyone you want to control—officials, millionaires—I can do it!"
He crawled forward like a dog, desperate to appear useful.
There was nothing else he could do.
His power had no effect on anyone here.
Ethan ignored him.
He walked to the edge of the rooftop, gazing into the distance.
"Give our dear Mr. Kilgrave a little gift."
At his command, the Green Goblin stepped forward robotically, grabbed Kilgrave by the neck, and lifted him in front of the Vulture.
Then, under Kilgrave's horrified gaze, the Vulture slowly unfolded his razor-sharp metal wings...
"N-no…!!" Kilgrave screamed.
"!!!"
"!!"
"...."
By the time Ethan turned back around, Kilgrave's voice had faded.
Tears streaked his face. His eyes were vacant from the pain.
The Vulture had kindly performed what one might call…
"The Five-Limb Removal Procedure."
"I heard you enjoy hypnosis and humiliation?" Ethan asked coldly, raising his foot and pressing it down on Kilgrave's face.
"Were you planning to lay hands on my sister?"
Kilgrave's eyes widened in horror.
Only now did he realize why this was happening to him.
"I like cute girls too…" Ethan continued, his voice low and laced with cruelty.
"Maybe we can talk about your favorite tricks?"
Kilgrave couldn't answer. The pain was overwhelming. He could only sob.
"It's alright. You don't have to tell me~"
Ethan removed his foot, turned, and walked away slowly.
He left Kilgrave with one last message:
"I'll tell you my favorite, though —
I like the ones that scream the longest."
The Green Goblin took Ethan's place beside Kilgrave, pulled a pumpkin bomb from his belt, and crouched.
He forced Kilgrave's jaw open and stuffed it inside.
Then, he pulled the pin.
"MMMPHH!!"
In the Purple Man's final, trembling terror—
BOOM!!
Ethan spread his arms. Behind him, fireworks bloomed brilliantly.
---
[You have defeated Jessica Lee's destined enemy. As her "Linked Companion," choose one of the following rewards:]
1. Monetary Reward: $1,000,000
2. Random Reward: Superpower – Absolute Psychic Shield
3. Servant Reward: Convert Zebediah Kilgrave into an absolutely loyal servant...
"Number two," Ethan said before the system could finish.
---
Superpower: Absolute Psychic Shield
Creates a mental shield around yourself or others, making them completely immune to mental manipulation.
You start with 10 shields. One regenerates every set period.
Ethan installed one on himself and planned to install more for Gwen and the others when he returned.
A generous reward, yet...
He didn't feel joy.
If anything, he felt foul.
It's like stepping in dog crap — even if you get new shoes after, the stink lingers.
Fortunately, members of the Shura Society were still out there for him to take it out on.
---
"Hey, Mr. Lee? You zoned out on me?"
Elsewhere.
Matt Murdock paced around the detective agency.
After the Purple Man was captured by the Vulture, Matt turned around and realized Ethan was missing.
"I'm here," Ethan replied, emerging from the bathroom.
Matt blinked.
"There were gunshots outside. Were you in there the whole time?"
"You know," Ethan replied casually, "like watching a movie—
There's always a pee break."
"..." Matt was silent.
Was he saying his battles were boring bathroom breaks?
---
"Daredevil."
A woman's voice came from the entrance.
A figure clad in red ninja armor stood at the door.
It was Elektra — Daredevil's rival, and his complicated lover.
Without hesitation, she and Murdock started an impassioned battle just outside.
And of course—
The Hand's ninjas weren't far behind. They began jumping out from the shadows to assist.
Ethan smiled.
He didn't even have to go looking for targets today.
They came right to him.
So—
Vulture.
[Summoned.]
Green Goblin.
[Summoned.]
Electro.
[Summoned.]
A few minutes later—
The Vulture's metal wings stretched wide, dripping with blood. Several Hand ninjas were skewered and hanging from them.
The Green Goblin slammed two ninjas into an alley wall and used his glider to grind them mercilessly along the surface.
The ninjas could barely fight off Vulture and Goblin...
But when Electro joined the fight, it became a slaughter.
Lightning scorched the battlefield. Ninjas fell by the dozens.
Eventually, only Elektra remained.
She escaped—not because she was lucky, but because she wasn't a regular Hand member.
Even she couldn't bear the humiliation and fled in disgrace.
"Again?" Matt muttered, breathless.
Trouble just kept following him today...
If Matt were Chinese, maybe he'd start to wonder—
Was he the main character in some insane cultivation novel?
With a mysterious boss-type ally watching his back at all times?
At sunset, Jessica blinked her big eyes and asked, "Brother, what did you see?"
Ethan Lee nodded. "I saw it with my own eyes."
"Ethan, you should stay away from their fight," Jessica warned, wrapping her arm around him. "That's too dangerous."
He shrugged. "But they fought near the detective agency."
"Ah? Is that so…" Jessica felt a twinge of guilt. "I thought it wasn't so dangerous outside Hell's Kitchen. Sorry, brother…"
"So how are you going to make it up to me?" Ethan thought of the purple man he had just dealt with, gently touching Jessica's head. "Do you know how much your brother worries about you?"
"Uh…" Jessica blushed. "Then I'll wear the detective's clothes today. You… you said you liked that…"
The golden glow of the sunset reflected off her rosy cheeks, making her look beautiful.
"Jessica…" Ethan stopped and placed his hands on her shoulders, his expression serious. "I think… we can take that step…"
"This… this won't work…" Jessica buried her face in his arms, her voice barely above a whisper. "We… we are brother and sister."
"Not by blood…" Ethan hugged Jessica and gently stroked her back, simultaneously giving her an absolute mental shield. "Besides that step, we've done everything else, right?"
Jessica remained silent, her head still buried in his arms. The two shadows gradually lengthened in the sunset. Finally, she raised her head, her eyes more captivating than ever. "Then wait for me!"
With that, she broke free from Ethan's embrace and ran home.
Ethan was left confused.
Later, after school, Felicia returned home before Ethan and Jessica, watching TV. She had no cat ears or tail; she could control that, or else her identity as the black cat would be revealed.
Suddenly, Felicia saw a figure fly past her. "Jessica?"
"Brother, it's okay, come in…" Jessica's rare timid voice reached Ethan as he turned the doorknob and walked into the room.
Inside, Jessica had changed into a refreshing outfit made of chiffon. The setting sun poured through the window, casting a warm glow on her fair skin, giving it a unique wheat color. She wore a black off-shoulder tube top that accentuated her slender waist, but her cute little belly button was concealed by high-waisted black shorts that reached just above her knees, lending her outfit a more conservative, girlish look.
Ethan secretly admired the soft texture of the fabric, one that could easily be pulled off if needed…
"Leave," Jessica said, focused solely on him. It was as if there were no one else in the room. She pursed her moist lower lip and spoke softly. "I want to be in a special place…"
"Something special?" Ethan was becoming increasingly confused.
"Follow me," Jessica said, stepping lightly to the window. She opened it wide, and the breeze lifted her black hair as she floated gracefully. "Come here."
"Jessica, you don't want to go out like this, do you?" Ethan approached cautiously. Suddenly, his sister hugged him tightly.
Jessica wrapped her arms around his waist, winking playfully. "It's okay; we're not walking on the ground anyway."
A silver light formed a ribbon connecting the window to the sky. The wind whistled past them as they climbed higher and higher… until—Bang! They burst through the clouds, standing above a vast sea of clouds.
In the distance, the setting sun bathed the sea of clouds in golden hues. The scenery was breathtaking, and silence enveloped them, with only the sound of the wind breaking the tranquility. It felt as if they were the only two souls in existence.
"How is it, brother? It's nice here, isn't it?" Jessica exclaimed, her slender hand reaching through the invisible white clouds, the mist swirling around her fingers.
Ethan reached out to grasp the mist as well, pondering what to do if his sister started harboring romantic feelings for him. He needed to think of a way to regain control of the situation.
"Jessica."
"Um?" Her voice held a hint of nervousness as she turned to face him.
The mist in Jessica's hands dissipated as she asked, "Is… is it time to start?"
Ethan leaned in closer, whispering in her ear, "I found a strangely shaped cloud right behind you. Do you want to take a look?"
"Brother, you're really… like a child, looking at the clouds at a time like this. How weird can it be?" Jessica responded, though her curiosity got the better of her, and she turned to look.
To her surprise, she saw a golden love cloud, more dazzling than the sunset. Its perfect shape stood out among the sea of clouds, as if a painter had crafted it.
"Wow!" she gasped, her eyes sparkling with wonder.
"Nature is amazing!"
Jessica was captivated, her usual carefree nature shining through.
"Don't look at the cloud just yet, Jessica. There are even more amazing things…" Ethan gently turned her head, and the wind pushed them closer together.
As the sun set, the sea of clouds rolled beneath them, concealing their pink limbs and jade arms. They connected in the ethereal mist, their hearts intertwined.
Ethan didn't forget to use his powers to ensure that those below wouldn't suspect anything unusual—after all, today's weather forecast was wrong…