Marvel’s Shadowed Knight

At that moment, the wandering Spider-Man suddenly felt a slight tingling in his spider-sense.

He quickly stopped and looked around, checking to see if someone in the shadows was scheming against him again.

But all around, there was no familiar figure in sight.

This left Spider-Man a bit confused. Still, he stayed alert in case someone truly was lurking, waiting to catch him off guard.

Looking up at Wayne Tower in front of him, Spider-Man couldn't help but sigh a little.

He wondered how that other universe's Bat was doing.

He figured things were probably fine.

After all, he was Batman.

Thinking about that, Spider-Man turned and left, heading toward his previous objective.

Of course, he didn't forget about the earlier tingling in his spider-sense and kept it in mind.

As for the person who had triggered Spider-Man's alertness, they had already withdrawn their gaze.

Bruce hadn't expected this Spider-Man's spider-sense to be so sharp—it was on a completely different level compared to when Miles had faced him.

Naturally, Bruce wasn't about to admit that he'd just been plotting how to deal with this particular Spider.

"How long do we have to stay here?" Jessica asked Bruce, clearly a bit bored.

After all, there wasn't much she could contribute in this kind of situation, even though she had undergone some specialized training in preparation.

But to be honest, she hadn't really paid attention to the business-related stuff, never imagining she'd be dealing with this kind of scenario one day.

In Jessica's eyes, as long as she could accurately and efficiently complete her missions as a special agent, she was doing fine.

A little violence didn't matter—in fact, that was exactly where Jessica excelled.

"We won't be here long. We just need to wait for Stark's party to start," Bruce said, clearly noticing Jessica's restlessness.

"Fine," Jessica replied, a little helplessly.

Her personality didn't allow her to just sit around doing nothing. If she hadn't seen Spider-Man flash past the window earlier, she might not have remembered that there were still things she could do. But now, her thoughts were stirred.

Bruce poured two glasses of ginger ale and handed one to Jessica.

"If you really can't sit still, go out and see if any petty criminals need dealing with. I assume you brought the nano-suit with you?" Bruce asked as he sat down again with his own ginger ale and resumed reviewing data from Wayne Enterprises.

Jessica paused mid-reach for the ginger ale, staring at Bruce with disbelief.

"Seriously?" she asked, clearly thrilled.

She looked at Bruce earnestly and placed her drink back on the table.

"Just make sure you're back before the party starts. I can afford to be a little late—but not too much," Bruce said, still reviewing the Wayne Enterprises data without looking up.

Hearing that, Jessica became visibly excited and began changing into her suit right there in Bruce's office.

Of course, there was no dramatic transformation scene—thanks to the nano-suit, she didn't need to do much of anything.

Once she finished changing, Jessica looked at Bruce a bit uncertainly.

"There's a concealed exit in the lounge that leads directly to a hidden location. You can head out from there. Just handle the rest on your own," Bruce said without looking up.

Hearing that, Jessica turned and ran toward the lounge. But then, as if remembering something, she darted back, left a kiss on Bruce's cheek, and ran off again.

After Jessica left, Bruce brought up a program on his computer—a comprehensive system to monitor Jessica's current vital signs and track her movements.

Although the nano-suit was extremely useful and convenient in many scenarios, it also had its limitations.

Bruce was now recording all of Jessica's data so he could later design a tailored combat suit—or even armor—for her, using this data as a foundation.

For the people of Manhattan, superheroes were a common sight by now, but that didn't mean they could stay calm when a brand-new superhero appeared.

Jessica's figure quickly went viral across social media. Everyone saw the woman in the crimson battle suit—this new Spider-Woman.

Of course, "Spider-Woman" was just the temporary title being used for Jessica. After all, another Spider-Woman already existed in this world.

So they needed to come up with a new codename for her. But until that codename was officially adopted, people referred to her as "Spider-Woman No. 2."

As for the idea that the original Spider-Woman had somehow changed her appearance and was now roaming Manhattan—no one believed that. The fighting style and suit design of the two were completely different.

Not to mention Jessica's striking blonde hair—it was impossible to ignore.

Everyone knew the original Spider-Woman had jet-black hair—nothing like this.

Peter Parker, who had been heading to his company at the time, also received news about the new Spider-Woman. He decided to go check her out.

But unfortunately, just before he arrived at the location where he had detected her earlier, she had already vanished—leaving behind only a few petty thieves webbed up to a lamppost after attempting a theft.

"Hey, guys, looks like you've been up to no good again. I suggest you find a better path in life," Peter Parker quipped as he swung past, speaking to the tied-up crooks—who could only glare furiously at the red-and-blue figure disappearing into the distance.

Peter landed on a nearby rooftop and started analyzing the possible paths the new Spider-Woman might have taken.

"Well then, let's see where she ran off to, shall we?"

Unfortunately, it seemed that Spider-Woman's appearance had only been to take care of those few petty thieves. She had already disappeared again, and even with all of Peter's surveillance drones, he couldn't find a single trace of her.

Scratching his head, Peter was puzzled—why was there a new Spider-Woman active in New York City now?

Before he could figure it out, a ringtone interrupted his thoughts—a call from S.H.I.E.L.D.

"Spider-Man, did you locate the new Spider-Woman?" came the voice of Maria Hill, the current Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., from the other end.

"Unfortunately, no. I didn't even get close—I was just eating her dust," Peter replied casually, unconcerned about being outmatched. After all, what hero hadn't been humbled at some point?

"We've lost track of her even with our satellites. She was clearly visible on our satellite feed earlier, but then she vanished—as if she became invisible. There's almost no chance anyone could spot her now. We suspect that the suit she's wearing utilizes some form of cloaking technology."

Hill clearly couldn't wrap her head around it. In a place like Manhattan, where superheroes were everywhere, why would someone go out of their way to hide their identity?

This made Hill rather confused, and at the same time, she began to grow cautious of this suddenly-appearing Spider-Woman.

If this Spider-Woman turned out to be an enemy, then the very least they needed to do was to find a way to break through her current invisibility.

After hearing Maria Hill's words, Peter Parker finally understood why his little spider drone had lost sight of the Spider-Woman. If she could evade S.H.I.E.L.D.'s satellites, slipping past his drone would be child's play.

"Then I think you should consult Mr. Stark and the others, see if they can come up with a way to counter it," Peter Parker said. Just as he finished speaking, he received an alert from his spider drone—an armed robbery had taken place just a block away.

"Sorry, I have to go to work now."

Without giving Hill any chance to respond, Peter Parker immediately ended the call and swung toward the robbery scene.

And he had a hunch—he'd probably see the Spider-Woman there.

When he arrived at the scene, Peter couldn't help but shake his head. For the first time, his instincts had failed him. The Spider-Woman had already handled the robbers and tied them to a lamppost, just like last time.

"Hey! Spider-Man, you're late!" a passerby shouted jokingly at Peter Parker. It wasn't mockery, just a light-hearted jab at New York's friendly neighborhood hero.

"I know—I'm trying hard to keep up with her. She's way too fast. But trust me, I'll catch up soon," Peter replied with a smile before swinging away with his web. There wasn't much left for him to do there anyway.

Originally, he had planned to continue searching for the Spider-Woman, but just then, a notification sound chimed.

Pulling out his phone, Peter saw the reminder—it was almost time for Stark Industries' gala.

As the current chairman of Parker Industries, attending the gala was mandatory for him.

As for the Spider-Woman, he figured she would show up again sooner or later.

Besides, based on her actions so far, she didn't seem like a dangerous criminal. If anything, she was acting more like a hero. So why not just let her keep doing her thing?

Of course, there was another major reason he didn't want to miss the gala—this time, the guest of honor was none other than the man behind the Batman legend.

Meeting Bruce Wayne in person was an incredibly tempting prospect for Peter Parker.

Even though he had already worked with a version of Batman in another universe, this was different.

Back at Parker Industries, Peter quickly changed out of his Spider-Man suit and into a formal outfit.

"Mr. Parker, it's time to go."

His secretary knocked and entered his office, speaking with concern. He was genuinely worried Peter had forgotten about the event—as he often did.

Peter Parker smiled and reassured him, "Relax, I haven't forgotten." Then he headed straight for the underground parking lot.

By the time Peter arrived at the Stark Industries gala, the place was already packed. Reporters had long staked out the venue, ready to capture shots of all the big names invited by Stark.

"It's Peter Parker, chairman of Parker Industries!"

One sharp-eyed reporter immediately recognized his car and called over the others to start snapping photos.

Perhaps because he heard Peter had arrived, Stark soon appeared within Peter's line of sight.

But before the two could speak, a collective gasp spread through the crowd, drawing everyone's attention—including Stark and Peter's.

Bruce Wayne had arrived, accompanied by Jessica. The camera shutters nearly smoked from overuse.

Previously, when rumors spread about a woman being seen with the Wayne Enterprises chairman, the media had been shocked. Even with a photo of the two alongside a police officer as evidence, no major outlet dared publish the story without seeing them walk side by side—unless, of course, you counted the tabloids.

Some joked that if a penny fell from the sky over Manhattan, half of it would belong to Wayne Enterprises. The other half might be divided among the rest of the city's powerful conglomerates.

It was just a joke—but it also highlighted the immense wealth and influence of Wayne Enterprises.

Now, the woman seen beside Bruce Wayne would almost certainly be regarded as his future partner.

"I honestly never thought I'd see the day when a woman would appear at his side. It kind of shatters people's expectations," Stark said, suddenly appearing beside Peter Parker.

Peter nodded in agreement, though his eyes weren't on Bruce. Even the fact that Bruce was the inspiration behind Batman couldn't pull his gaze away.

Because just a moment ago, when Peter briefly made eye contact with the woman beside Bruce, his spider-sense was triggered—not from danger, but from the unmistakable presence of someone like him.

In other words, Peter now knew who the mysterious Spider-Woman in Manhattan truly was.

(End of Chapter)

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