Cherreads

Chapter 9 - The Cat, The King, and the Job

As I swung through the city, searching for crimes to stop, a shrill alarm tore through the air. It came from a well-known jewelry store in Manhattan. Without hesitation, I zipped over and landed right in front of the building.

But there was no one in sight.

Just as I scanned the area, a shadow passed over my head. I looked up—and there she was.

She perched effortlessly on the edge of the roof, a silhouette against the moonlight. Her sleek black suit hugged her athletic frame, the white fur around her neck rippling in the breeze. Silver hair framed her face, and when her piercing green eyes met mine, they widened in surprise.

Felicia Hardy.

Black Cat.

She didn't wait. With a quick motion, she pulled herself onto the roof and darted out of view.

"What a troublesome little cat…" I muttered with a smirk, shooting a web at the roof's edge and pulling myself up.

She was fast—really fast. Her steps were light and calculated, barely making a sound. A small pouch bounced against her hip. Clearly full of what she'd just stolen.

I managed to flash in front of her path, but before I could say anything—

WHAM.

A sharp punch connected with my face. She followed it up with a quick, low kick to my knee that made me stumble back.

Didn't even see that coming. My spider-sense didn't warn me, probably because I wasn't treating her as a threat.

She used my shoulders as a springboard, leaping over me, trying to escape again. Not today.

I shot a web at her legs midair and yanked her back toward me.

THUD.

We tumbled across the rooftop, and when we stopped, I was on top of her, pinning her wrists to the ground.

"Stealing is a bad habit, kitty cat," I said, smirking beneath my mask.

"It's none of your business, Spider-Jerk," she hissed, struggling beneath me. When she realized she couldn't break free, she raised one leg—

THWACK.

Right into the family jewels.

"Ugh, f—!" I grunted in pain, rolling off her as she scrambled to her feet.

Before I could recover, she was already gone, her laughter echoing faintly as she vanished into the night.

I groaned and sat up. "Okay… that's a loss. For now."

Still clutching myself, I limped off the edge of the building and swung home.

When I neared the house, I activated my invisibility and slipped in through the window. My suit peeled off with a few tired motions, and I headed for the shower.

[Ding… You earned 150 EXP and 1000 SP from defeating the thugs.]

[Ding… New Mission Initiated — A King's Demise]

Objective: Get evidence that will put Kingpin behind bars once and for all.Rewards: New System Feature · 8000 SP · Instant Skill Level-Up Ticket · 500 EXP

I stared at the mission screen. "King's Demise," huh?

Wilson Fisk—aka Kingpin—wasn't just your average crime boss. He practically ran half the underground in New York. And if I remembered correctly, he lived in the Presidential Hotel. Not exactly a cozy, break-in-and-out kind of place.

Good thing I had stealth.

I only had 15 minutes of invisibility, though. I'd have to be fast, precise, and silent.

After my shower, I crawled into bed and stared at the ceiling. For a moment, my mind wandered back to Felicia. Her voice. Her smile, her damn knee.

"Troublesome little cat…" I whispered, chuckling to myself, before drifting off to sleep.

Elsewhere…

In a dark command room, a bald man with skin like charcoal and a single black eyepatch over his left eye stood watching footage. The screen displayed scenes of Spider-Man battling thugs and helping civilians. His jaw was clenched in thought.

"Do we have anything on him yet, Agent Hill?" he asked.

A blonde woman behind him responded, "No, Director Fury. He seems to vanish from surveillance when we try to track him. But all of his sightings are tied to helping people. Small-time hero work."

Fury narrowed his eye.

"Keep an eye on him. And… add him to the Avengers Initiative. As a candidate."

"Yes, sir."

Meanwhile…

A massive hand slammed down onto a wooden desk, shattering it.

"HOW DID TWO STREET CLOWNS BEAT YOU?!" Kingpin roared, his voice shaking the very walls of his office.

The thugs standing in front of him trembled with fear.

"S-Sir… one of them was invisible! We didn't even see him until it was too late!"

Fisk leaned back in his oversized chair, breathing heavily. His eyes narrowed.

"So… a new fool thinks he can play hero."

He waved his hand dismissively. "Get out of my sight."

The next day passed like a blur. School. Lunch. Quick chat with Felicia—though I pretended nothing had happened last night she obviously doesn't know it was me under the mask 

i went home and instantly went to my room and opened the system

i needed a suit.

Not a makeshift hoodie. Not a mas A real suit. Durable, stealthy, and built for the kind of things I was getting myself into. The night wasn't going to wait—and neither were the enemies that lived in it.

[System Interface: Activated]

A wave of menus appeared in front of my eyes like a floating sci-fi dashboard. I'd seen most of them before—Status, Skills, Inventory, Shop—but one option had always been grayed out.

[Crafting: Unlocked]

Guess it got activated after my latest mission. I hesitated a second, then tapped it.

The world around me dimmed slightly as a glowing virtual workspace appeared—like standing inside a holographic workshop. In front of me hovered a blank humanoid mannequin, waiting for design input.

"Okay… let's see how this works."

I tentatively reached toward the virtual interface, and to my surprise, it responded like second nature—intuitive, like drawing with my thoughts. My fingers moved in the air as glowing lines followed my gestures.

I began sketching.

First, the base layer—a sleek black bodysuit. I chose an ultra-thin weave that hugged the form like liquid silk but had reinforced durability. I added subtle paneling along the sides, ribs, and inner arms—lines that would absorb sound and reduce friction.

The color? Pitch black, but not dull. The fabric shimmered faintly with a midnight-blue undertone when light touched it just right. Something that wouldn't catch eyes in the dark—but still looked beautiful in motion.

Next came the mask. Sleek. No mouth outline. Just pure shadow with sharp, angular eye lenses. I shaped the lenses with a metallic silver trim—reflective enough to glow faintly like predator eyes, but practical too, with built-in heads-up display potential.

The chest emblem came last.

I didn't want the classic red spider. I drew something new: a thin, symmetrical spider stretched across the chest in a stealthy charcoal gray. Aggressive legs reached over the shoulders and wrapped partway around the back like armor.

"Not bad for a first try," I muttered.

[Design Saved: Shadow Suit Prototype v1.0]

A new panel opened.

[Materials Required]

Obsidian-Weave Fiber x3

Vibration-Dampening Gel x1

FlexiCarbon Thread x2

Adaptive Lens (Silver) x2

Cloaking Mesh Panel x1

Thermal Balance Layer x1

Below that, the shop prices appeared.

Total SP Required: 3,750 SP

I opened the [Shop] tab and scrolled through the listings, eyes widening at the sheer number of materials available. Luckily, the system was smart—it highlighted exactly what I needed.

I hit [Buy All].

[Purchased: All Required Materials – 3,750 SP Deducted]

In front of me, the materials materialized in a whirl of glowing light—sheets of jet-black cloth, coiled threads, reflective lenses, and a transparent mesh that shimmered faintly.

A prompt appeared:

[Begin Crafting?]

I took a breath and tapped Yes.

Suddenly, the materials floated into the air, spinning, twisting, weaving themselves together in a mesmerizing dance. Threads coiled through fabric, mesh sealed to armor, lenses slid into place with mechanical precision.

It was like watching a 3D printer from the future—completely silent, absurdly elegant.

[Crafting: 87%... 92%... 100%]

The light dimmed, and the finished product floated down into my arms.

It was beautiful.

The suit weighed almost nothing, but felt strong—like it was ready to take a punch from Rhino and not even wrinkle. I ran my fingers along the spider emblem on the chest. It was cool, smooth, and faintly reactive to touch.

[New Suit Equipped: Shadow Suit v1.0]

Passive Effects:

+20% Stealth

+10% Invisibility Duration

Minor Impact Resistance

Temperature Regulation Layer: Enabled

now to wear it, As soon as I zipped up the back and pulled the mask over my face, the lenses auto-adjusted to my eyes, flickering slightly as they activated.

Time to test it out.

The city glowed below—ignorant of what was coming for its monsters.

And for the first time… I felt like a true predator of the night. Silent. Deadly. Ready.

swinging throght the streets like a silent death, the flexiblilty , how it feels it all screamed right now i need to head for kingpin

-----------

I was perched on the Presidential Hotel rooftop. Time for the mission.

The vent on the roof was easy to pry open. I slipped inside and started crawling.

After several long minutes of metal tunnel navigation, I found a surveillance room. A lone guard dozed in front of the monitors.

Perfect.

I activated my invisibility, dropped silently onto a web, and descended upside-down just enough to see the screens.

There.

Penthouse level. Fisk's room.

I reeled myself back up, crawled through the vents again, and moved fast. Every second wasted was precious time I didn't have.

When I reached the hallway, I deactivated invisibility to conserve the timer and dropped down quietly. No sound. No alarms.

His room was just ahead.

The door creaked faintly as I pushed it open—thank God it was well-oiled. Otherwise, it would've sounded like a whole Snoop Dogg concert.

There he was. Wilson Fisk. The man himself. Snoring on an industrial-sized bed that probably needed reinforced steel beams.

I tiptoed around the room, checking behind paintings. That's where people always hide safes in movies, right?

Bingo.

I had just found one when I felt movement behind me.

Shit.

I slammed the painting back into place and activated invisibility instantly, freezing in place. Holding my breath.

He stood. Stared. Sniffed the air.

"Huh… thought I heard something."

He approached.

I didn't move an inch. He leaned in… right in front of me. Close enough that I could see the pores on his sweaty face.

But after a long moment, he shook his head and walked away. Back to bed.

I didn't exhale until I was sure he was asleep again.

Carefully, I returned to the safe. With my enhanced hearing, I could pick up the soft ticks as I turned the dial. Left. Tick. Right. Click. Left again.

Clunk.

It opened.

Inside, I found documents. Dozens of them. All clearly detailing illegal business deals, extortion records, names of bribed officials—everything.

"Jackpot," I whispered, stuffing the evidence into a sling I webbed to my back.

I climbed back into the vents and crawled out the way I came. When I finally reached the roof again, I took a deep breath and released the tension in my chest.

Then I launched into the night sky, swinging toward Hell's Kitchen.

Matt Murdock was waiting.

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