Chapter 58: Felicia – "Mom, I'm not a girl anymore"
Ethan Lee looked toward Felicia's house and asked, "Is that window your room?"
Felicia hesitated.
Her father had been arrested and imprisoned—how could she…
"Felicia?" Ethan called again.
"Yes, from…"
Felicia blushed and made a decision. "That's my room…"
This is all for paying back the money, she thought. Mom and Dad won't blame me…
——
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Felicia, are you breaking things?
I heard some noise—are you upset?"
Vanna, wearing a worried expression, stood in front of her daughter's locked bedroom door and gently tried to coax her.
"I know your father's situation has made you emotional, but don't blame him. He…"
Felicia hadn't said a word since returning home.
She went straight to her room, locked the door, and remained silent. Then, the sound of things being smashed came from within…
Vanna understood—Felicia was angry at her father.
She had always been so dazzling in school, and now, out of nowhere, her father had become a thief.
It was a crushing blow to a girl at an age where pride and image meant everything.
"…It's Mom… Just a second…" Felicia whispered, clutching the collar of her shirt with one hand.
The sound of breaking objects stopped.
Then came a hoarse voice from behind the door, "Mom… I'm fine. You don't need to worry about me…"
"Felicia, are you standing behind the door?"
In Vanna's mind, an image surfaced—her daughter leaning silently against the door, tears streaming down her face, eyes lifeless.
"My sweet girl… your voice… are you crying?"
"Don't cry too hard. It's bad for your health. We'll find a way to help your father…"
"No, Mom… I'm not crying. I'm not a little girl anymore…" came the trembling reply from inside.
"Felicia…" Vanna murmured, heart aching.
Her daughter was being forced to grow up because of her father's mistake…
——
Elsewhere, chaos erupted.
Mechanical tentacles smashed into a police car, flinging it toward several S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.
The impact sent one of them flying—he hit the ground hard, coughing up blood, uncertain if he would survive.
Otto Gunther Octavius, nicknamed Doctor Octopus, stood amidst the wreckage.
The four mechanical arms he had invented were monstrously strong.
During a failed experiment, they had fused with his body, giving him complete mental control over them.
If it hadn't been for a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent's electromagnetic pulse device interfering just moments ago, Otto would've already escaped—with the civet cat in tow.
Now?
No one could stop him.
"Who are you?! Why are you arresting me?!"
Walter Hardy struggled in Otto's grasp, panic rising in his chest.
As a veteran thief, Walter knew:
There were fates far worse than being caught by the police.
Otto snorted coldly. "Hmph."
He had no personal interest in Hardy.
If not for the experimental funding he'd received from Kingpin, he wouldn't be involved in any of this nonsense.
> [Sir, the target's trying to escape!]
The S.H.I.E.L.D. agent pressed his communicator urgently.
[Where's our backup?!]
A reply came quickly—just one word:
[Arrived]
Arrived?
The agent frowned slightly.
Then—
Thwip!
An arrow with a rounded head soared through the air, striking one of Otto's mechanical arms—the one gripping Hardy.
The arrow blinked red.
Electricity crackled around the limb.
The arm trembled, then went limp, collapsing to the ground.
Walter took his chance and bolted.
Otto instinctively lunged with another limb to recapture him.
But—
Thwip!
Another arrow flew in, forcing him to deflect it.
Otto's mechanical claws locked onto the arrow midair, aiming to crush it—only for the arrow to detonate in his grasp!
BOOM!!
When the smoke cleared, Otto stood coughing, covered in soot and debris.
The civet cat had run far—too far.
"Damn it!! Who's out there?!" Otto roared, eyes blazing.
High above, Hawkeye ignored the tantrum.
Seeing the civet slipping away, he called in calmly:
> [Target is heading toward your location—4 o'clock. Estimated arrival in 5 minutes. Intercept and extract immediately. I'll hold off the enemy.]
Otto locked onto Hawkeye's position and fired several energy blasts from his mechanical arms.
Biubiubiu—!
The ground exploded with each impact.
Hawkeye rolled to the side, using the terrain for cover, and launched several multifunctional arrows back at Otto.
Otto grimaced.
He didn't want to waste time on Hawkeye.
But the arrows were irritatingly effective.
"Annoying pest! I'll kill you first!"
His previously paralyzed arm twitched—it had reactivated.
With all four limbs mobilized, Otto charged directly at Hawkeye, ready to tear him apart.