NIP Chapter 500 [3 Chapters Combined] The Modern Succubus Has Unleashed Her Power
Chapter 500 [3 Chapters Combined] The Modern Succubus Has Unleashed Her Power
"You...you..."
Amora stared wide-eyed at Riley, feeling a chill run from her feet to the top of her head. Her lips trembled, and she couldn't utter a word for a long time.
Riley, on the other hand, tilted his head to look at Amora after withdrawing his hand. His eyes held a hint of amusement, and his tone was as innocent as if nothing had just happened.
"Ahem, sorry, I forgot to tell you earlier... I happen to know a little about magic~"
Upon hearing this, Amora's lips twitched involuntarily.
You call slapping my magic "a little bit"?
What about all the magic I've learned over the years? Just child's play?!
But soon, Amora, both shocked and furious, suddenly remembered a message that had been passed to her by an informant lurking in Asgard.
It is said that shortly after her escape, a young man from Midgard began to visit Asgard frequently. And each time he visited, Loki, the god of mischief, would be so frightened that he would find all sorts of excuses to leave Asgard, just to avoid meeting this young man.
Loki didn't have time to dodge, and when he hesitantly called out the other person's name, it seemed to be calling him...
Riley?
It just so happens that I share the same name as the person in front of me...?
Amora's face turned completely pale.
"You...you are...?!"
"Shh, don't shout, I don't want to make too much noise."
Riley had obviously guessed Amora's thoughts, and before the other party could finish speaking, he put a finger to his lips and teased her with a chuckle.
"But to be honest, teasing Loki is much harder than you are. At least he won't be as stupid as you, running over here to 'get killed'."
Upon hearing this, Amora felt dizzy and disoriented.
She just tried to use magic to control this young man, the one even the proud Loki was too afraid to face?!
She actually tried to take him hostage?!
Xiaoyu, who had witnessed Amora's humiliation from the sidelines, finally couldn't hold back any longer and burst into laughter: "Pfft... Hahaha! I don't know whether to call you brave or stupid... Riley is the strongest among us, and you actually wanted to take him hostage? You're asking for trouble, hahaha!"
Although Amora didn't know who the "old man" was, she could tell from his tone that she had been insulted once again.
And he was insulted by a little kid.
Her face turned from red to green, and then from green to white.
As if making a decision, his expression quickly returned to normal, and he took a deep breath, shouting loudly in an almost desperate tone.
"Okay! I agree to your proposal and am willing to cooperate with you!"
Riley paused for a moment.
plan?
What plan?
When did he propose a cooperation plan to Amora?
The thought had barely formed when a powerful warning suddenly exploded in my mind—
Spider-Sense!
Riley's pupils contracted slightly, and almost at the same instant, he sensed something unusual beneath his feet.
The ground is shaking.
It wasn't an ordinary earthquake, but some kind of more bizarre change.
The sand and gravel in the alley began to roll on their own, as if pulled by an invisible force, outlining a rapidly expanding vortex pattern on the bluestone slab.
A sudden gust of wind howled up without warning! Carrying fine yellow sand, it instantly filled the entire alley!
"Xiaoyu!"
Riley reacted extremely quickly, raising his wrist and shooting out two strands of spider silk simultaneously, which stuck to Xiaoyu's waist.
The next second, when he pulled hard and dragged Xiaoyu, who also realized something was wrong, directly into his arms, the wall that Amora was originally pressed against shattered with a crash!
That was eroded by wind and sand.
"Railley! Amora's gone!" Xiaoyu gripped his clothes tightly, her voice filled with shock and uncertainty. "I was definitely choking her the whole time, I didn't let go!"
"I know she used magic to change herself, so of course you can't catch her."
Riley squinted, peering through the swirling yellow sand towards the spot where Amora had just been.
"But the bigger problem now is... someone has come to pick her up."
As they spoke, Amora's body rapidly became transparent, until it turned into a thick green mist that blended into the vast expanse of yellow sand.
Just then, Amora, who thought he was safe, wanted to save face, so he left behind some provocative words as he was about to leave the alley.
"Very well, you dare to oppose the great Enchantress. You'd better pray you stay with your family, or I will make them die...!"
But soon, her voice stopped abruptly.
Because she discovered that she could no longer float.
The green mist seemed to have hit an invisible wall, and could not advance any further when it was less than three meters from the alley entrance.
"What's going on?!"
Amora tried to spread out in surprise, but no matter which direction she drifted, she would encounter an indestructible barrier.
Even when she puts all her strength into pushing forward, she will be horrified to find that she has actually crossed space and appeared at the other end of the alley!
The wind and sand are still howling, and the yellow sand is still flying.
But that barrier, like an inverted glass bowl, completely covered the entire alley and the surrounding area of more than ten meters.
Riley carried Xiaoyu and landed steadily in the middle of the alley.
He looked up and around, a smile returning to his face, tinged with a hint of embarrassment.
"Oh, I forgot to mention." He scratched his head, "When you shouted 'Agree to cooperate' just now, I conveniently moved this area to the mirror space. After all, your escape method last time was too fancy, so we had to be prepared this time."
Amora was stunned.
Mirror space?
What is a mirror space?
She had lived for over a thousand years and had never heard of such magic before—
and many more.
She suddenly noticed something unusual about her surroundings.
The alley was still the same alley, and the walls were still the same walls. But the sky above was no longer the azure blue of the afternoon, but a strange, distorted grayish-white.
The exits at both ends of the street no longer lead to familiar street scenes, but rather to endless, layered reflections of buildings.
It's like the whole world has been cut off and stuffed into a separate, enclosed space.
"This...this is..."
"I've only recently learned the tricks of Kamar-Taj, and I'm not very proficient at using them yet."
Riley spoke modestly, then his tone quickly turned cold as he stared intently at Amora, who had transformed back into human form, and continued, enunciating each word clearly.
"Also, if I heard correctly... what are you planning to do to my family?"
Those murderous words made Amora's lips twitch uncontrollably.
You just learned it a short time ago?
Are you not familiar with using it?
Why couldn't she sense the boundaries of this space at all?
Why is it that, with her magical skills, she can't find any way out for the time being?
Does that mean that she will be forced to face the young man's raging fury head-on?
...Sigh! Is it possible to reconcile?
"It's no use, don't waste your energy. He controls this space, we can't get out."
Before she could recover from the shock, another voice suddenly rang out from behind her.
It was a hoarse, resentful male voice.
Amora suddenly turned around.
The yellow sand was gathering behind her, outlining a tall human figure.
First the torso, then the limbs, and finally the face of a weathered middle-aged man.
sand.
It was all sand.
The man was made of pure yellow sand, maintaining his shape in the raging wind, each grain of sand trembling slightly, as if bearing endless rage.
His eyes were fixed on Riley, his gaze devoid of fear, filled only with a deep-seated hatred.
"Sandman, it really is you." Riley spoke, his tone already tinged with anger. "How dare you! After attacking my parents, you actually dare to show your face in front of me... Did you really think I couldn't kill you?!"
"Family? Ha! You actually have the nerve to talk to me about 'family'!"
Upon hearing this, the sandman showed no fear whatsoever; instead, he laughed. His laughter was full of irony and sorrow.
"Do you want to know why I attacked them?"
"I can probably guess, Flint Marko, you held a gun to the teller's head and stole $37,000. I stopped you and sent you and your accomplices to jail... Every wrong has its perpetrator, every debt its debtor. You could have come after me directly for revenge, but you shouldn't have tried to harm my family!"
"I shouldn't? I just did to you what you did to me! What right do you have to accuse me! You hypocritical little man!" The Sandman's voice suddenly rose, and amidst the howling wind, he angrily questioned Riley. "Do you know why I robbed the bank?!"
"My daughter is sick! She has a terminal illness! I need money! Lots and lots of money!"
Before Riley could respond, the Sandman began to speak to himself, his voice trembling uncontrollably.
"Do you think I don't want to find a decent job and earn money? I've desperately looked for work, done odd jobs, done every kind of work I could, even working three jobs a day! But do you know how this country treats people like us?"
"Just because I don't have a fixed address, they assume I have no credit history, and no one is willing to vouch for me!"
"Every penny I earn is taken away by various taxes. After paying the bare minimum for medical expenses, I can't even afford a loaf of bread!"
As he spoke, and with the fluctuations of his emotions, the sandman's form began to swell in the gale. His fists, made of sand, clenched so tightly they cracked.
"Those banks, those loan companies, those so-called charities—I begged them! Do you know what they said? 'Sorry, you don't qualify,' 'Sorry, we need a guarantor,' 'Sorry, you can apply for government assistance'—but even if there are available slots, the waiting list alone is six months long!"
"My daughter can't wait six months! Not even a week!"
"So you went and robbed a bank."
Riley's voice remained calm.
"Yes! I stole it! So what! It's all because of people like you that I was forced into this!"
The sandman roared, his words filled with resentment and bitterness towards the world.
"That's my only chance! I know with you, this so-called superhero, around, I'll definitely get arrested and go to jail... but I'm willing to do anything to save her!"
He paused, and his voice suddenly lowered.
"But I didn't have time. I had just gotten the money bag into my hand when, in the blink of an eye, I was on the prison van heading to jail..."
He didn't finish speaking.
But everyone understood what he meant.
In this outwardly glamorous country that prides itself on freedom and democracy, but is in reality rife with a cannibalistic system, a little girl who has lost her only source of income and is suffering from a terminal illness is destined to die young.
Even more so, if we think about something even darker...
The daughter of the Sandman may have already been dismembered and dismantled, becoming a "part" of someone else's body.
This is not surprising. Sandman only served one prison sentence, so why does he harbor such deep resentment towards Spider-Man and Riley?
"Spider-Man, you claim to be a great hero who punishes evil and promotes good, but where were you when those people drove my daughter and me to the brink of despair?"
After a brief silence, the Sandman stared intently at Riley, gritting his teeth as he continued speaking.
"Superhero? Ha... You're nothing but a cowardly bully who only has a hollow reputation! If you really wanted to change the world, why don't you dare to take action against the elite? You're just afraid of their retaliation!"
Riley looked at him, his eyes expressionless.
Do you want to hear the truth?
The Sandman didn't speak, but his eyes were fixed on Riley, which gave him his answer.
"You're right, this country is absolutely rotten."
Riley spoke, his tone as calm as if he were discussing the weather.
"Banks, loan companies, charities, government aid—all these things that are supposed to help ordinary people are actually exploiting them. You have no fixed address, no credit history, no guarantor, so you deserve to watch your daughter die. That's the game they set."
"...Huh? No... wait a minute... is that something you should be saying?!"
The sandman was stunned.
He hadn't expected Riley to say that.
He had assumed that Riley, who was nominally under District 13, was just as hypocritical and despicable as the officials who exploited the common people.
Unexpectedly, the person in front of him not only did not defend the country, but also deeply agreed with his views.
This made the Sandman, who was seething with anger, feel like he had punched cotton, unable to exert any force at all. His brain went blank on the spot, and even his eyes became much clearer.
"What's wrong with that? When have I ever forgotten the 'friendly neighbor' prefix when publicizing my identity as someone I've rescued? Besides, since you know my true identity, where did you get the idea that I have status or background, or that I come from some higher class?"
Riley continued, his words resounding and leaving the Sandman speechless.
"I also rose from the ranks of the common people, and I have witnessed firsthand the darkness and despair you speak of."
He took a step forward.
"So I understand your anger, I understand your despair, I understand why you were driven to pick up a gun and rob that bank."
The sandman's expression became complicated.
"But you shouldn't have taken your suffering out on other innocent people. And you definitely shouldn't have laid a hand on my family."
Riley abruptly changed the subject, his eyes suddenly sharpening.
"Moreover, there's one thing you said wrong."
"What is it?"
"You say I'm a hypocrite for not daring to lay a hand on the elite," Riley said, emphasizing each word. "But the truth is, everything I've done since the first day I became Spider-Man has been for one goal."
He raised his hand, pointed to the sky, his eyes clear and fearless, his tone calm.
"To change this world little by little, in whatever way I can."
The sandman was stunned.
"What do you think my collaboration with District 13 is for? Money? Fame?"
Riley's voice remained calm, but every word pierced the Sandman's heart like nails, shattering his anger and hatred bit by bit.
"Those petty thieves, street thugs, and robbers I arrest every day—where do you think they got there? Most of them, like you, have their own unspeakable hardships, driven to desperation by this world! Arresting them doesn't mean I agree with these 'rules of the game,' it's simply because they chose the wrong path. But I will also investigate who drove them down this path!"
"Now that you're out of prison, you should have heard about the recent raid in District 13 that wiped out the entire leadership of the energy company... And yet, how dare you tell me I wouldn't dare go against the 'elite class'?"
"Moreover, in New York City recently, the ever-increasing number of community centers, affordable healthcare, jobs with meals and accommodation provided, low-cost housing, and welfare institutions—aren't all these public welfare projects directly targeting the 'elite class'?"
"Why would Norman Osborn, who prioritizes profit above all else, suddenly choose to invest in public welfare projects? It was because I offered him benefits he couldn't refuse that he agreed to cooperate with District 13!"
"Why do you think Osborn was able to partner with Stark Industries to promote clean energy throughout New York and further alleviate the burden on ordinary people's daily lives? It was me who acted as the go-between!"
"Why do you think those banks and loan companies have become much more restrained lately? It's because we're investigating them one by one, making them pay the price!"
"If you have any sense at all, you should remember that I once conducted a large-scale purge of criminal gangs in New York City!"
"So, open your eyes wide and take a good look at New York right now! Do you dare say that the crime rate hasn't significantly decreased compared to the past, and living conditions haven't significantly improved?!"
The sandman's expression changed, his lips trembled, and he subconsciously wanted to refute the person in front of him.
But in the end, reason told him that Riley was telling the truth, so he silently looked away, not even having the courage to meet the eyes of the young man in front of him.
"Change takes time; it cannot be achieved overnight, much less with legislation today and substantial progress tomorrow."
The Sandman's attitude softened Riley's gaze somewhat, but he had no intention of letting him off the hook. Arms crossed, he launched into a series of soul-searching questions at the Sandman.
"But thankfully, the number of partners willing to walk the same path with me and change the world with their own hands is gradually increasing..."
He paused, looking at the sandman.
"And you, Flint Marko, what have you done?"
The sandman opened his mouth, but could not speak.
"You chose to rob a bank, pointing a gun at the heads of innocent tellers, almost hurting people who had nothing to do with your predicament."
"Even after your release from prison, you didn't think of using this superpower for good. Instead, for your own selfish reasons, you caused the deaths of so many comrades who were willing to stand with ordinary people and fight for a better tomorrow!"
"You say no one is willing to help you, and you're really desperate... But is this the first time you've heard of Spider-Man? If you hadn't gone to rob a bank, but instead came to me—to Spider-Man—to tell me about your situation, to tell me about your daughter's illness, do you think I would have stood idly by?"
Answer me! Look in my eyes!
The sandman fell silent, and even subconsciously shrank his neck.
"You don't know, or rather, because of your pathetic pride, you never even considered this solution. You only think about 'I need money,' 'I must get the money,' so as to prove to your daughter that you are a reliable 'father.'"
"But you didn't think about the consequences, you didn't think about the way out, and you didn't even think about whether your daughter would be able to accept this treatment fee tainted with sin after learning what you did, even if you succeed."
"You think you're saving your daughter, but you've already completely lost hope for her recovery. You're just trying to ease your conscience when she leaves, trying to find some peace of mind!"
These words struck the Sandman like a heavy hammer blow to the chest.
His figure began to shrink, from ten meters to eight meters, from eight meters to five meters. The angry, burning hatred gradually cooled with Riley's words.
Instead, a deeper despair prevailed.
"I..." His voice was hoarse as he knelt on the ground, his hands burying his head in his hands, muttering to himself. "I didn't mean to hurt anyone, really... At that time, all I knew was that I had to find a way to get the money... I had to be quick... really..."
"I know it's hard for people to think calmly when they're in dire straits, I understand that. But one thing at a time, the sins you committed are real, and you can't just let it go like that."
Looking at the person in front of him, Riley would be lying if he said he felt no sympathy whatsoever.
But Riley's experience as a narcotics officer in his previous life taught him that when enforcing the law, he must be absolutely impartial and cannot let personal feelings interfere, much less trample on the law or distort the truth.
"...That's true, it was my own choice..."
The Sandman raised his head and looked at Riley, his eyes no longer filled with the initial anger and madness.
"So, what are you planning to do? Arrest me and send me back to prison?"
Riley was silent for a few seconds.
"Before that, you can choose to tell me who helped you become like this. Who told you my true identity? Who told you where my parents live? Who provided you with the information? Confess and you'll be treated leniently; resist and you'll be punished severely..."
"Furthermore, I can promise you right now that after this matter is resolved, I will arrange for people to search for your daughter. If she is alive, that would be wonderful, but if she is... then at least you will be able to see her one last time."