Chapter 4967

Carter knew Shiler might just be joking. But compared to letting him out of sight, it was better to bring him along to deal with the trouble. Even if they couldn't solve the previous trouble, they wouldn't let him become the creator of another trouble.

Carter sighed and continued asking for more details: "How did the clown escape? The asylum's security..."

"The ice bridge that Ice Man Bobby built on the sea surface earlier was forgotten to be dismantled by the city management department. The clown might have come over from there. As for how he left the hospital, no one knows."

"Wasn't Kingpin already sentenced? How did he come out again?"

"Doctors detected fear toxin components in his body. This made him a victim of the Scarecrow's fear toxin release in Brooklyn last time. He claimed he attacked Spider-Man due to the influence of fear toxin, which got him acquitted."

"Why did the clown go to fight Electro?"

"It was during the previous fight. The clown wanted to blow up the reservoir, and coincidentally ran into Electro, who had been kicked into the water by Spider-Man, and then got electrocuted by him. That might be when they became enemies."

"Not to mention the security department, what is the HR department even doing..."

"The HR department can't handle criminals, chief."

"I mean, in this situation, do they just send Spider-Man?"

"There are others." A buzzing sound came from the walkie-talkie, "Someone from field operations has already gone out. They should arrive before us."

Carter poked his head out the car window to take a look. Ahead, electricity was already flickering. When the first gunshot rang out, the driver slammed on the brakes, and the car came to a steady stop at the street intersection.

Carter immediately got out of the car and drew his sidearm from his waist. Shiler didn't get out of the car; he was really just here to watch the excitement. Mainly, he was curious about how Spider-Man fought the clown.

This universe's Spider-Man is Bruce Wayne, and fighting the clown seems appropriate for him. But after all, he's not Batman, so if he goes to fight the clown, what's wrong with that?

As Carter rushed toward cover, Spider-Man had already landed. His landing point was extremely precise, just right to kick the clown to the ground, but then he took a hit from Electro's electric blast and staggered back a few steps.

However, this clown seemed particularly inept, neither taking the opportunity to get up nor attempting a sneak attack on Spider-Man. After Spider-Man adjusted his stance, he grabbed the clown's collar and unleashed a furious beating.

There was nothing surprising, no special method—just pure Wang Ba fists. Still, it was clear Spider-Man wasn't using his full strength; otherwise, the clown's head should already be rolling on the ground by now.

Just as Spider-Man was beating the clown, Kingpin walked out from behind. Spider-Man then let go of the clown, narrowed his spider eyes, and stared at this big guy.

Carter was about to rush out when a shield flew toward Kingpin from the front. Kingpin dodged, and a strong figure landed at the other end of the street. Kingpin turned his head, and Captain America walked over.

"You think getting off scot-free with fear toxin means you're in the clear?" Captain America retrieved his shield, then said, "Harboring criminals, illegal possession of firearms, and assaulting officers..."

"You know I didn't do any of that," Kingpin said.

"Whether you did or not, you'll have to tell that to the judge." Captain America's tone grew heavy; he looked in a bad mood, seemingly too tired to explain things to this repeatedly evil gang leader. He walked over and slapped handcuffs on Kingpin.

"Take him away." Captain America said to Spider-Man.

"Wait." Spider-Man called out to the departing Captain America, "Or maybe you should take them back. I still have class later."

After saying that, he shot a web that stuck to the nearby building's wall, swung up, and flew away. Captain America looked at the mess on the ground, shook his head helplessly.

At this moment, Carter stepped forward: "You go back first; I'll handle this."

Captain American obviously hadn't expected her to be here. He looked somewhat awkward, like making small talk, and asked: "You have a mission?"

"I'm here to pick someone up." Carter said.

"Pick up who?"

"Shiler Rodriguez."

"Then you take these criminals back, and I'll take him to the hotel."

Carter didn't refuse either; she called her subordinates, handcuffed these people, and put them in the rear vehicle. Meanwhile, Captain American got into the vehicle where Shiler was.

"Hello." Shiler nodded at him. He observed this Captain American, obviously, he was more mature than most Captain Americans, or rather, weathered. His beard looked like it hadn't been trimmed in a few days, growing somewhat wildly.

"Hello." Captain American just greeted him, then reached over, pulled out a bottle of water, took a sip, and started eating crackers. The chewing process seemed especially heavy.

"You haven't eaten properly for a few days, have you?" Shiler said, "Ending a relationship is like bidding farewell to a stage of life. To commemorate it, fasting for a few days is normal."

Captain American successfully choked himself. He coughed violently for a moment, then looked at Shiler and said: "What kind of talk is this?"

"You don't really think that, do you?"

"I just have no appetite."

"Looks like I came at a bad time."

"I heard you're a psychologist." Captain American said, "I might really need to see a psychologist."

"Sorry, you've got the wrong person." Shiler shook his head and said, "I'm not a doctor; I'm a professor. But you should indeed see me, because you probably can't afford a doctor's fees."

Captain American opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but ended up saying nothing. He took a deep breath, adjusted his state, and said: "You're also here to attend that wedding, right?"

Shiler nodded and said: "Yes. But also to check out this city."

Bringing up this topic, the gloom in Captain American's brow and eyes also faded. He looked up at the outside through the window, then said: "Not bad, right? You came at just the right time. Earlier might have been a bit chaotic."

"Indeed very beautiful." Shiler sincerely praised, "Completely different style from Krakoa. They are your main competitors, but now it looks like you have the edge."

"Really?" Captain American raised an eyebrow, "I've been busy lately and haven't gone over there to visit."

"It's true, though they might not be very welcoming to Avengers members lately."

"I'm no longer a member of the Avengers." Captain American said somewhat wistfully.

"Looks like this is your main conflict." Shiler suddenly shifted tone, then circled back to personal feelings, "You want to keep the Avengers, but your friends all disagree. You thought Ms. Carter would side with you, but she didn't either."

"She's right." Captain American said, "They're all right."

Shiler stopped speaking, so Captain American turned to look at him. Shiler let out a light sigh and said: "You shouldn't have come to me for marriage counseling."

He extended his hand. Shiler's hand had a ring on it; he showed it to Captain American and said: "I think you might have misunderstood—this isn't a wedding ring."

Captain American blinked, then said: "Sorry."

Seeing his expression, Shiler knew he was genuinely mistaken. Although Shiler's reputation is widespread across the multiverse, his private life is rarely known. Indeed, many superheroes, upon first meeting him, assume he's married.

Now he must explain, because he indeed doesn't do marriage counseling. Greed might be somewhat better—at least he can help with marital asset division. Pride truly rarely involves this area.

Moreover, Captain American and Carter's divorce is obviously not that simple; it's certainly not just everyday petty squabbles, possibly involving irreconcilable rifts like stance issues. Mediating reconciliation is thankless, but pushing for divorce is also somewhat hurtful. As the saying goes, a clean official finds it hard to judge family matters—Shiler doesn't want to wade into this muddy water.

"Why not ask your married friends?" Shiler asked.

"I'm the only one who's married." Captain American shook his head, "Bucky isn't married either, so asking him is useless. Tony is a perpetual bachelor, flirting with ten models a week. Natasha's codename is Black Widow, obviously not an option. Spider-Man..."

Bringing up Spider-Man, Captain American looked troubled: "Although I don't know why our universe's Spider-Man changed from Peter Parker to Bruce Wayne, I truly don't know who could tolerate him. His personality is simply..."

Captain American held back, still didn't speak ill of Spider-Man, and continued listing: "Logan still hasn't caught up with Phoenix Girl. Nick and his alien wife are better off not mentioned..."

Shiler recalled that the romantic histories of the old 616 crowd were also fraught with misfortune. Pepper should have married Tony's bodyguard. Nick Fury's wife was an alien, and he kept her hidden at home. Bruce probably wouldn't find a partner. And Peter Parker, who had dated Gwen, was now his Pope, and seemed to have stopped being a superhero.

Though in the main universe's history, Captain America didn't seem to have married Carter either. But after all, the universe merger caused some effects; the original fate lines might have been altered, and perhaps they only married after the merger.

Counting it up, between the two universes combined, not a single devoted couple could be found. Relationships each have their own hardships, so it's no wonder Captain America has a belly full of bitterness with nowhere to pour it out.

"Perhaps you could look for the bride and groom," Shiler thought for a moment and said. "They should be right at the age where they're eager to solve other people's romantic troubles."

Captain America laughed, as if he could picture that enthusiastic scene. A couple in the throes of passionate love, about to be married, their affection rich enough to sprinkle across the world, never able to bear seeing any situation less than perfect.

"I'll give it a try," Captain America was clearly just humoring him. He took another sip of water and wiped his mouth.

The car stopped at the hotel entrance. Shiler estimated the location; this seemed to be a certain famous luxury hotel in New York, just renamed and renovated now. The exterior style was very uniform, but the interior was even more luxurious.

When they entered, the hotel staff were already waiting. Captain America accompanied Shiler through the check-in procedures. Shiler went up to inspect the room; it was a quite nice suite, with a view overlooking the entire downtown of New York City.

Not long after Captain America left, Peter Parker arrived. He stood outside the door and knocked. Shiler opened the door to let him in, then said, "You didn't appear hanging upside down outside my window — it's actually a bit unusual."

Peter beamed. "That's Bruce Wayne's thing now. I prefer taking the elevator."

"How have things been lately?" Shiler asked.

"Super interesting." Even without his spider powers, Peter was still just as chatty. He said, "A while back, Bruce's dad showed up. Guess what — the two of them had a huge fight, and Bruce was forced by his dad to go to university."

"What's there to gloat about?" Shiler asked.

"The university he's attending just happens to be the one I teach at!" Peter emphasized. "I'm his professor now! I saw him just the day before yesterday when he was handling enrollment! Hahahaha!"

Shiler's hand paused, then he looked at Peter with a gaze of slight sympathy. Clearly, this foolish kid still hadn't realized what kind of job being Bruce Wayne's professor was. But he would probably find out soon enough.