Marvel: Superman Strength in a World of Heroes

『Carl』: (chuckling lightly)

"I guess you could say that."

Narration:

Of course, he knew exactly what that woman was trying to do.

Even though she had changed outfits, Carl could still recognize her in an instant.

No doubt about it

That was Black Widow.

And judging by the lengths she'd gone to just to get close to him…

Her mission definitely involved him.

Most likely connected to Kingpin… or Obadiah.

Looking back, it was obvious now that her earlier visit to the restaurant was targeted.

But there was still one thing Carl couldn't quite figure out:

Why was S.H.I.E.L.D. involved?

From what he understood…

Obadiah's death didn't seem like the kind of incident S.H.I.E.L.D. would handle.

They usually dealt with the supernatural, the extraordinary.

If every corporate death or political assassination came under their jurisdiction,

the FBI might as well not exist.

Obadiah's case should've been handled by local law enforcement or federal agents.

So why had S.H.I.E.L.D. taken such a sudden interest?

It didn't add up.

And yet, here she was.

Black Widow, sent by S.H.I.E.L.D., on his tail.

『Erika』 (muttering, clearly annoyed):

"Unbelievable. Are people really this bold nowadays?"

"I was walking right next to you and she still had the nerve to flirt that blatantly!"

Narration:

Just a moment ago, she had genuinely worried the woman might've been hurt.

But now?

Finding out the woman had slipped her boyfriend a phone number?

She was not pleased.

Felt like she'd been made a fool of.

『Carl』 (smiling casually):

"Maybe it's just the price of being this charming."

Narration:

He knew, of course, that Black Widow's approach wasn't what Erika imagined.

But explaining all that… would only complicate things.

『Erika』 (grumbling):

"Alright, whatever..."

Narration:

And the two continued walking toward home.

Narration:

A few hundred meters away,

Black Widow stood concealed in the shadows, binoculars in hand.

Only after confirming Carl and Erika had moved on did she finally let out a long breath.

『Black Widow』 (irritated):

"What the hell just happened?"

"The intel said he had tons of girlfriends."

"A classic playboy."

"So how did giving him my number end like this?"

Narration:

Her original plan was simple:

Bump into Carl, strike up a natural conversation, and exchange contact information.

The paper with her number was meant as a backup,

A fallback in case her approach didn't go perfectly.

But what she hadn't expected…

Was that she wouldn't even manage to touch him.

And even worse?

The number that should have discreetly stayed in his pocket…

Carl had immediately handed it over to his girlfriend.

She hadn't gone far yet at that point,

And she heard their entire exchange loud and clear.

『Black Widow』 (thinking):

"Am I… not attractive enough?"

Narration:

Impossible.

She didn't believe for a second that she'd miscalculated.

She had done her homework,

Used the Bureau's intel network to dig up everything on Carl.

She knew he was a flirt.

That's why she had chosen this approach.

If he had been a loyal, devoted boyfriend,

she never would've tried something so risky.

This plan was tailored to his personality.

And it had still crashed and burned.

Black Widow's heart was burning with frustration.

She honestly had no idea which part had gone wrong.

In truth…

The problem was her.

The moment Carl saw her,

he didn't need any mind-reading powers,

He instantly knew S.H.I.E.L.D. was involved.

If they had sent some no-name junior agent,

maybe, maybe, he might have played along.

But this?

『Black Widow』 (muttering):

"Looks like they've gone home..."

"So now what? Keep following them?"

"Or fall back and regroup?"

Narration:

No point in wasting the groundwork she'd laid tonight.

She packed up her gear

and began walking toward Erika's apartment, following the route she had already memorized.

Narration:

Meanwhile,

Carl and Erika hadn't gone home immediately.

They decided to take a walk after dinner.

Eventually, they wandered into a quiet, expansive park.

Central Park, right in the heart of Manhattan.

Four kilometers long, nearly one kilometer wide,

Over 840 acres of lush greenery. A rare oasis in the concrete jungle.

The moonlight filtered softly through the trees, casting shadows on the path ahead.

After strolling around for a while, the two finally made their way back to Erika's apartment.

But just as they arrived,

『Carl』:

"You head up first. I need to stop by the store."

『Erika』 (blinking):

"Huh? What are you getting?"

『Carl』 (grinning):

"Something nice."

Narration:

He turned and walked off.

He didn't take the elevator.

Nor did he fly straight to the supermarket.

Instead, he made his way toward the emergency stairwell.

Over thirty floors.

No ordinary person would ever choose the stairs.

But in that stairwell…

He found someone.

Black Widow.

She was on her phone, speaking in a low voice,

Reporting intel.

The voice on the other end was updating her on Carl's movements in real time.

The moment she saw him, her pupils contracted slightly.

『Black Widow』 (thinking):

"Wasn't he supposed to be upstairs with his girlfriend?"

"What's he doing here?"

Narration:

To her credit, she was a seasoned field agent.

She instantly composed herself and hung up the call.

Turning to Carl, she put on a surprised smile.

『Black Widow』 (feigning surprise):

"What a coincidence. You live here too?"

『Carl』 (raising an eyebrow):

"Coincidence?"

『Black Widow』:

"Yeah, I live on the 35th floor. What about you?"

『Carl』 (smiling slightly):

"Is that so…"

Narration:

Seeing his relaxed reaction, Black Widow quietly sighed in relief.

Looks like he really was just some clueless playboy.

Didn't suspect a thing.

Or so she thought,

Until Carl spoke again, his voice smooth but cold beneath the surface.

『Carl』 (calmly):

"Black Widow, I'm kind of in a rush.

I don't have time to play games."

Narration:

The smile never left his face.

But his words sent a chill down Natasha's spine.

『Carl』:

"It's best if you leave. Now."

"And tell S.H.I.E.L.D. to stop bothering me."

"Or you'll end up just like Obadiah."

Narration:

He didn't move.

He just stood there, staring calmly.

『Black Widow』 (forcing a smile):

"You… what are you talking about?"

Narration:

But her hands moved fast.

A pistol appeared in her grip, a sleek, suppressed black model.

She pointed it directly at him.

『Black Widow』 (firmly):

"Carl Smith. Don't move!"

Narration:

She wasn't sure how much Carl knew about S.H.I.E.L.D.,

but the fact that he called her by her codename made one thing very clear:

Her cover… was completely blown.

The disguise. The playful approach.

All of it, worthless now.

At this point, only one option remained,

Force.

But before she could even react,

Carl vanished from sight.

In the blink of an eye, he was in front of her.

She barely saw the movement before he had already disarmed her,

The pistol gone from her hand.

『Carl』 (calmly):

"I suggest you don't do anything reckless."

Narration:

Black Widow's heart skipped a beat.

She hadn't even seen him move.

The intel said he was an ordinary man.

This speed?

Ordinary her ass.

Still, she wasn't giving up.

Raising her hands slowly in a gesture of surrender,

『Black Widow』:

"Don't shoot… I'm not resisting…"

Narration:

But mid-sentence,

She activated her Widow's Bite.

A slim bracelet on her wrist emitted a sharp buzz.

In an instant, a surge of high-voltage electricity launched straight toward Carl.

Crack!

But,

The world flipped upside down.

Her face slammed hard into the floor.

Pain exploded in her head.

She couldn't even tell how she had hit the ground.

Someone had already pinned her down, face-first, immobilized.

And behind her, a calm, amused voice said:

『Carl』:

"Still haven't learned your lesson, have you?"

End of chapter...

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