Chapter 38

Although he couldn't see the ethereal Imir, Doctor Octopus's sixth sense was still quite sharp. Perhaps people with extraordinary abilities have a certain intuition about danger; he always felt as if someone was watching him from all around.

And it wasn't the kind of sneaky peeking, but rather a bold scrutiny, even to the point where he could feel the gaze that was sizing him up.

He was already on the rooftop of a high building, with a wide view all around, making it impossible for someone to scrutinize him without being noticed.

Doctor Octopus became alert and pressed the function button on his sunglasses, switching between infrared and telescopic modes. Only a slightly cold breeze blew around him, and not even a bird was in sight.

Could it really be just his nerves acting up?

"What's going on!" The commander in his earpiece noticed Doctor Octopus's unease through the surveillance and switched the channel to him.

Doctor Octopus opened his mouth but shook his head, "Nothing, maybe I'm just being paranoid."

The voice from the control center didn't pay much attention and continued the conversation from before, "The boss wants you to speed up your actions; he wants to see results."

"Understood." Although Doctor Octopus didn't really believe in the boss who had the power to rescue them from prison, he maintained a respectful demeanor.

After all, the boss was the king of the American underworld. If there were no unforeseen circumstances, Doctor Octopus didn't want to make an enemy of such a powerful person.

However, although he agreed to the commander's request, the strange feeling in his heart didn't dissipate.

"Ha ha..."

A mocking laugh came from the air, startling Doctor Octopus. He was a top expert in atomic physics and had knowledge of various so-called mutants with special abilities.

At least he was confident that while some mutants might be able to deceive his instruments in certain aspects, no one could completely "disappear" in front of him.

Moreover, the place from where the laugh came was in mid-air, and he could see that there was nothing there.

Was it a person, or a ghost...

Doctor Octopus turned his head to look at where Imir was floating. The four metal octopus arms behind him sliced through the air with a whistling sound.

However, according to Imir's own measurements, ordinary physical attacks couldn't harm his ethereal body. They were in different dimensions, so they wouldn't intersect.

The tentacles passed through the air without any resistance.

The voice in the earpiece was about to give more instructions but was yanked off by the irritable Doctor Octopus and crushed under his foot.

Imir looked at the alert Doctor Octopus. Indeed, he was different from the old Babu or Red Hair, who he had previously eliminated. No one in the ranks of super-villains was weak. In a sense, the stronger one was, the more dangerous their circle of acquaintances.

For an ordinary civilian in New York, although they had no superpowers, they were the safest under the protection of the police and various superheroes.

Those who ventured into the criminal underworld were usually at a disadvantage in their struggles with the police, but as long as they didn't commit major crimes, their lives were still relatively comfortable.

It was the superheroes and super-criminals with superpowers who were constantly engaged in secret battles.

Unless they retired, they would have to keep fighting.

This was somewhat similar to a saying from Imir's previous life: "Once in the江湖 (jianghu, a term for the underworld or society of martial artists), one cannot control one's own fate." For these Marvel heroes, it was no different; they were in a city's underworld.

Since he couldn't find the person watching him, Doctor Octopus didn't waste more time and walked to the edge of the rooftop, then jumped down.

The subway gate that could stop Spider-Man's escape was no thicker than a piece of paper to Doctor Octopus's metal claws. With a slight thought, his precious tentacles tore through the gate blocking the subway station.

"This is bad!" Without the extra energy to care for Spider-Man, he was wrapped in metal tentacles and dragged away.

In the subway tunnel, the five villains who were enjoying their cat-and-mouse game were stunned. They didn't expect Doctor Octopus to remain hidden until they had control of the situation and then try to snatch the loot from their hands.

These criminals had always been the ones to prey on others, and they couldn't tolerate Doctor Octopus's audacity. They all roared and followed Spider-Man, jumping out of the subway station.

The mysterious figure looked at Doctor Octopus, his helmet flashing twice, "Doctor Octopus, Spider-Man is our prize!"

Doctor Octopus paid no attention to the mysterious figure's accusation and said angrily, "Nonsense, you're just running errands for me!" The arrogant Doctor Octopus didn't consider the others as his companions.

Perhaps, in his growth, he never had the concept of companions. Imir, mingling among them, realized that his ghostly form was indeed extraordinary. At least these capable criminals, including Spider-Man, hadn't noticed his presence.

At the same time, Imir also reflected that being a qualified superhero wasn't easy. To be a hero meant to fight against criminals, and it was easy to become a target for revenge.

Moreover, it seemed that today's Spider-Man wasn't in good form?

Imir also understood that in this world, besides having powerful abilities, a bit of good luck was also necessary. If Peter Parker were in his usual state, even if he couldn't defeat all these super-criminals at once, he should at least have the ability to escape from them.

"Hey, Spider-Man, looks like you have a lot of enemies, huh?" The Sinister Six were still in a standoff, and no one was paying attention to Spider-Man, who was already under Doctor Octopus's control. Imir took the opportunity to float to Spider-Man's ear and whisper to him.

Spider-Man, who had been deep in thought about how to escape, suddenly became excited. He could tell that the person whispering to him, though unknown, was not part of Doctor Octopus's or Rhino's gang.

Spider-Man wasn't a rookie anymore. He knew that in such a situation, he shouldn't make a big fuss. His only option was to wait for the friend lurking in the shadows to help him.