Chapter 4214

"Hello, checking out." A man in a police uniform, holding two packs of chocolate and a bottle of mineral water, walked up to the gas station store counter. Bruce, standing behind the counter, picked up the items to ring them up. He paused when he looked up at the customer.

The other man also paused when he saw him, but he just cleared his throat and said, "I'm Peter Parker, a new officer at the Westview Police Department. Just call me Parker."

"Alright, Officer Parker. That will be six dollars."

Peter took out his wallet to pay. He didn't move his head, but his eyes scanned the surroundings, asking casually, "Is this gas station yours?"

"Only the store. My father passed it down to me."

"That's nice. Give me a pack of cigarettes, too."

Bruce instinctively glanced at his fingers, but said nothing, just turning back to get the cigarettes. After taking the money, the man turned and left, while Bruce stood behind the counter, watching his back with a deep, contemplative look in his eyes.

After leaving the gas station, Peter returned to his car. A red-haired woman sat in the back seat, her belly protruding—she was pregnant. Peter drove all the way back and dropped her off at a motel.

As soon as they entered the room, the woman unzipped her coat and pulled a pillow out from under it. The belly that had been protruding just moments ago vanished instantly.

Peter looked back, handed her one of the chocolate bars he had just bought, and said, "Hard work. Once I figure out the situation at the police station, we'll head to the town."

"It's nothing," the woman said, smoothing her hair. "I'm just worried about my cousin. Auntie says she's been getting crazier and crazier. We should go back and check on her sooner."

"Don't worry too much. Cousin Linda will be fine. By the way, did you see the clerk at the gas station store?"

"No, I couldn't see from the car. What about him?"

"Nothing, I just thought he was quite handsome. He looked a bit like a male model for some luxury brand, had a pair of blue eyes. And I felt he looked a bit like you."

The woman called Kate raised an eyebrow slightly and said, "Is that so? I should have gone down to take a look. But I only have one aunt, and I've never heard of her having a son. Maybe it's just a coincidence."

Leaving the motel, Peter returned to the police station. After completing all the onboarding paperwork, the sheriff called him into his office.

"Taking your wife back to her hometown?"

"Yes. We don't want to keep her aunt waiting too long. After all, she's very welcoming and can't wait to see her niece."

"How far along is she?"

"Over eight months. She's expected to give birth before Christmas."

"Oh, that's wonderful. Do you know if it's a boy or a girl?"

"We don't know yet. We want to keep the surprise until the end."

"Young people are always like that." The sheriff shook his head slightly.

"Oh, right." Peter took out the pack of cigarettes he had just bought, placed it on the sheriff's desk, and said, "I'm new here and don't know anything. I'm sorry to be asking for leave on my first day. I don't smoke, so I just had the gas station employee pick one out for me..."

The sheriff took the cigarettes, looked at them, and said, "It's nothing. This isn't Chicago; our small-town police station isn't that busy. Taking care of your wife is the priority."

Peter nodded and turned to leave. Just then, the sheriff called him back and said, "Be careful driving over there. The highway doesn't lead to the town; there's only a country road, and it might be very bumpy. Also, try to stay away from the water. It would be trouble if you slipped and fell in."

"Thank you for your concern, Sheriff. Once we're settled, I'll be back immediately."

"I said it's not busy here. You don't need to be in such a rush. A pregnant woman's mood is very important; spend a few more days with her."

Peter paused, but nodded and walked out of the office. Even after he left, he could still feel the sheriff's gaze locked onto him.

"Big Creek Town..." he whispered to himself.

Leaving the station, he drove back to the motel to pick up Kate. Peter took out the map, and sure enough, as the sheriff had said, there was no national highway leading to the town, only a country lane. The path wound through a forest and a valley before reaching the small town.

"It's really remote here," Peter said, "and this road is too narrow; it can't accommodate two cars at once. If a car comes out from the village, we'll have to pull over to let them pass."

"I hope there won't be too many cars." Kate gently touched her belly and said, "I can't wait to see my aunt."

On the pitch-black highway, an old blue Ford sped along. The vegetation on both sides of the road grew denser, and the air became humid. Peter was watching the raindrops falling on the windshield when, in a flash, another car appeared ahead.

The other car wasn't moving fast, and eventually, it slowed to a stop, its hazard lights flashing. Peter had no choice but to slow down and stop behind it. He saw a figure step out of the driver's side, open the car's hood, and seem to be inspecting it.

Peter pushed open the car door and stepped out. He narrowed his eyes, focusing his vision to look in that direction, but the hood blocked the man's face, and he couldn't see what he looked like. He had no choice but to walk over slowly.

"Hey, need some help?" He kept one hand lightly on his holster while waving the other.

The man inspecting the car straightened up. When Peter saw the face appearing above the hood, his hand tightened around his holster.

"Are you a patrol officer?" the man asked.

Peter stared fixedly at those gray eyes for a long moment before replying, "No. I'm just taking my wife home."

"What a good husband," the man said inexplicably, then went back to inspecting the car.

The atmosphere grew heavy. Peter rubbed the casing of his handgun and said, "Although I'm not on patrol, I am a police officer, and I'm on duty. I'm asking you to stop for an inspection. Please cooperate."

"Gladly." The man finally stepped out from behind the hood. He was wearing a black shirt, and his complexion was slightly pale. His eyes were a hollow gray with no hint of color, appearing somewhat terrifying.

At that moment, another figure stepped out of the car. He wore a dark brown turtleneck cashmere sweater, a light beige casual suit jacket, his hair was combed back meticulously, and he wore rimless glasses. His skin was slightly darker, with some sunspots. These were very typical features of an old-school wealthy European.

"Hello." The man spoke with a hint of a British accent. "Officer, is something the matter?"

Only when the man stepped forward did Peter realize that he looked almost exactly like the man in the black shirt, their features nearly identical, but their temperaments were so different that they were easy to distinguish.

"That's what I'm asking you," Peter said. "Your car stopped suddenly. Is something wrong?"

"Ah, our car is having some trouble." He adjusted his glasses. "What a nuisance. How should I address you?"

"Peter Parker. Just call me Parker."

"Alright, Officer Parker. Schiller Rodriguez, and this is my brother. Our car might be low on antifreeze; do you happen to have any spare?"

Peter shook his head. "Not at the moment. But what are you two planning to do? If you're not in a rush, there's a gas station not far from here; they should have some."

"We're not in much of a rush, just on vacation. Have you heard of Big Creek Town?"

"That's my wife's hometown. We're heading there for her to rest during her pregnancy. You two are going there for vacation?"

"Yes." He smiled. "I've heard the scenery is nice; it used to be a famous tourist spot. We're just traveling around here and wanted to go play for a few days. Since our destination is the same, why don't you give us a ride? We'll pay for the fare."

"That's fine, but what about your car?"

"Do you know any employees at the gas station? Or do you have any colleagues you could call to come and help me drive the car to a motel? I'll pay them. How about that?"

"Alright, I'll try calling a colleague. You two get in the car first."

Peter stood outside the car to make the call. Kate stepped out and moved to the passenger seat, while Schiller and his brother sat in the back.

The car drove forward, and Schiller kept trying to strike up a conversation, asking about the baby and chatting about the scenery in Westview. Peter answered distractedly, while Kate remained silent, constantly looking out the window.

The car sped along the highway, the vegetation around them growing denser until it became a vast forest. Even though it was winter, the evergreen pines remained a thick, deep green, wrapping the road in a chill.

As they ventured deeper into the forest, the temperature began to drop. White mist crept onto the windshield. Peter turned the steering wheel, and just as they entered a curve, he suddenly heard a scream.

"Ahhhhhhhh!!!!"

Whatever Peter saw, he slammed on the brakes, the car spun out of control, flew off the road, and flipped over into the forest. The occupants were battered and bruised, but they managed to crawl out of the car.

Suddenly, the sound of a motorcycle engine roared, and a bike pulled over to the side of the road. Two people stepped off the motorcycle. The leader wore a black leather jacket, and the one behind him wore a trench coat and carried a travel case.

Peter wiped the blood from his forehead, struggling to lift his eyelids to look in that direction, and through his blurred vision, he saw the owner of the gas station store from the other day.

"Are you all alright?" The two walked toward the edge of the road. Bruce walked over first and helped up the pregnant woman. When he saw her face, his movements paused for a second, and then his gaze fell on her belly.

Kate was surprisingly unharmed, not even a bruise. However, the other three in the car were more or less injured; Peter's forehead was cut, and Schiller had scrapes on his body.

The two helped everyone up from the car, and then they worked together to flip the vehicle back over. The car wasn't broken and could still be driven, but the delay had cost them time. The light in the forest began to fade.

"We have to get there before nightfall," Peter said, "otherwise Kate's aunt will be very worried."

"We'll lead the way," Bruce said. "You follow behind us. Drive carefully; the country road isn't easy to navigate, better to take it slow."

And so, the group got back into the car, driving slowly along the country lane in the night. And Schiller, sitting in the back, saw those blue eyes observing him through the motorcycle's rearview mirror.

"Batman, didn't expect to see me here, did you?" Schiller's thoughts uploaded to their shared memory bank, to be seen by his other self. "Looks like this is the movie Batman, Ben Affleck? Then this must be the famous Henry Cavill Superman. As for Spider-Man, apart from Noir Spider-Man, no other Peter Parker would be this serious..."

And this one—Schiller looked at the red-haired woman sitting in the passenger seat, thinking silently—Katherine Kane, Batman's cousin. What a gathering of heroes.