Chapter 164: Stopping A Train

Although the subway's safety rating is over 99%, some people claim it's pointless unless it's at 1000%.

Unexpected events can happen in a day, and fortunes can change overnight. People can find themselves in dire situations, and today, a group of unlucky riders faced a random event less likely than winning the lottery. From the subway to a dump truck, their final destination could either be a grave or another world.

A reporter from Jiangdu rushed to cover the story, and the news spread quickly, flying through the city thanks to fiber optics and signal waves. The whole city buzzed with attention as eyes glued to the TV and internet, focusing on the runaway train.

Fortunately for the vehicle's owner, a "professional" was also in the city and available to help.

"Let me borrow this!"

Passersby on the sidewalk and patrons at an outdoor café heard a lively voice ringing in their ears, followed by a rush of wind that lifted a little girl's skirt.

The sudden gust caught everyone off guard. The crowd was so engrossed in watching the runaway train that they didn't notice a flash of red and blue zipping by. Even the fastest-reacting onlookers only caught a glimpse of an afterimage heading straight for the subway entrance before it disappeared.

"Excuse me! Spider-Man coming through!"

Those in the subway station heard the voice overhead. When they looked up, they only saw a blur racing past them. Spider-Man flew over the turnstile, darted down the stairs, and reached the platform in a blink, leaving strands of webbing dangling behind him, leaving onlookers bewildered.

What just zipped by?

Chu Cheng, controlling Spider-Man, shot into the platform using his webbing and switched to swinging mode, moving at high speed through the subway tunnel.

Sure, leaving webbing along the way might mess up the city's appearance, but it wasn't a huge deal. In the original stories, Jameson, the owner of New York's top newspaper and Spider-Man's biggest critic, complained about it. But Spider-Man's web dissolves within an hour or two, leaving no harmful residues behind.

"Friday, how far is it to the out-of-control train on Line 9?" Chu Cheng asked while swinging along.

"About three kilometers, that's pretty close," Friday replied. "I've sent the track map to your screen now."

The AI, linked directly to the game system, was incredibly useful. As Friday sent the map, Chu Cheng saw a 3D display of the subway's location. The out-of-control train was marked bright red on Spider-Man's vision, with an exclamation point hovering above it visible from kilometers away.

In three kilometers, it would only take a moment for them to meet head-on. Soon, the rampaging train appeared on screen, roaring like a bull in a Colosseum.

Spider-Man pulled on two strands of webbing, did a double jump to avoid the train, and flipped onto the roof. He turned his head and shot a web to the top of the car, pulling himself up to land.

When he landed at the front of the car, the passengers and conductor were startled.

"Whoa! We're on a runaway train! How did you get on here?"

"The brakes aren't working." Spider-Man asked as he landed.

The conductor was too frantic to pay attention to details and shouted, "The main control command is malfunctioning! The control unit can't receive our braking command, and the electric braking system won't engage!

The brake cylinder's air pressure is too low. It looks like the air compressor might not be working due to a valve leak or a broken pipeline. In short, the air brake is down."

With Friday's help, Chu Cheng grasped the basics, but understanding how to fix the brakes on the spot was still a challenge.

"What about emergency brakes?"

"No response either!" the conductor exclaimed, his tone filled with anger. "It feels like the worst luck ever to have all the brakes fail at once!"

"Okay, don't panic, everyone. I've got some experience with parking. Leave it to the professionals."

The conductor gave Spider-Man a confused look, clearly unsure of what he meant.

Parking? How are you supposed to stop without brakes? Are you going to block the subway with your bare hands?

A quicktime event prompt popped up on Chu Cheng's screen. With Friday's assistance, Spider-Man marked the strongest points along the tunnel structure, and a mouse lock prompt appeared at each location.

Chu Cheng needed to click to specify the precise spots before the train sped by. Each time Spider-Man raised his hand, he shot out a strand of webbing that stuck to various parts of the tunnel.

The passengers in the front compartment watched in confusion as Spider-Man shot the thin white strands. They were beginning to guess his plan but still seemed baffled.

Wait, is he really trying to stop the train with his bare hands?

Is this guy crazy?

Despite the effort it would take and how mad it might make some bigwigs, they watched in disbelief as Spider-Man shot out those thin strands, wondering how that could possibly stop a runaway train.

After quickly securing multiple strands along the tunnel, it was time to pull them tight. This was a classic moment from the game's quick-time event system. The player had to push the game character's strength to the max by tapping the designated button rapidly.

"Everyone, please stand back!"

Spider-Man's muscles tensed as he pressed against the front of the train, gritting his teeth.

"Hold on, it might get bumpy!"

Chu Cheng focused all his attention, employing the skills he had perfected over the years as he furiously clicked the mouse. The strength gauge on the screen surged as Spider-Man's thin body bulged, each thread stretching to its limit.

Suddenly, the passengers watched in disbelief as it worked!

The strands tightened, and the immense force that could crush any normal creature on Earth focused on Spider-Man's slight frame at the front of the train.

He let out a strained growl as the carriage and body behind him began to twist and bend, the windows shattering in a shower of glass.

Countless eyes stared at the skinny hero in stunned amazement, jaws dropped, and expressions filled with shock.

What just happened?!

Many began recording the moment on their phones, capturing this shocking scene.

Even some who thought they were facing certain death began to view Spider-Man as their savior.

But it wasn't enough.

One by one, the strands began to snap. Some couldn't withstand the tremendous force and broke, while others tore off from the tunnel walls.

As more threads broke, the remaining ones faced double the pressure. In moments, all the remaining strands snapped. Spider-Man felt the impact, and a red injury indicator popped up on Chu Cheng's screen as Spider-Man was thrown from the front of the train.

But another quick-time event prompt appeared, and Chu Cheng quickly pressed the key. Spider-Man raised his hand mid-air, grabbed a thread, and swung back to the front of the train with an acrobatic twist.

The sudden change sent a wave of panic through the cockpit. Many clapped and cheered as they saw Spider-Man land skillfully.

Although the first attempt seemed to fail, this display elevated the geek in tights to near-savior status in their eyes, rekindling hope in those who had been gripped by panic and despair.

The train's speed decreased significantly. If he performed the same move again, there was a real chance he could stop it.

That's exactly what Chu Cheng planned. Until Friday's voice broke through his thoughts.

"The front is about to reach the end of the track. If you use the webbing to buffer, you'll reach the end before the train slows down completely."

"What?" Chu Cheng raised his eyebrows.

No way! It's coming up so fast?

That's not fair; Spider-Man in the movie had more room to buffer!

Fortunately, he had played enough superhero games to remember a level from "Marvel Spider-Man," released 17 years ago. One level featured a runaway subway train, paying homage to the classic scene where Spider-Man stopped a train with his bare hands in 2004.

The situation Spider-Man faced back then was similar to now—there wasn't enough distance to stop the train. So, he had to come up with a new tactic.

As a seasoned player who cleared that level without taking damage, Chu Cheng recalled that moment.

Instead of imitating the movie, he'd reference a classic game.

"Friday, check all monitoring conditions on the road ahead for any empty spaces."

"Within a kilometer, there's a construction zone," Friday reported.

"Got it; mark that section on my screen. Then, show me the weakest point for impact."

As he spoke, Chu Cheng adjusted his plan.

"Everyone, get back in the train as far as possible and hold on tight!" Spider-Man commanded.

While unsure what was happening, the passengers trusted the hero in tights and followed his instructions without hesitation.

Everyone quickly moved away from the cab and huddled in the rear compartment.

At the same time, they saw Spider-Man jumping out of the train, flinging a web, and flying forward with the momentum of his swing, heading toward the speeding subway.

He then attached a web to the tunnel's ceiling, hanging upside down like a spider.

With both hands free, he began shooting webbing continuously, creating strands that stuck to either side of the track ahead.

Everyone stared in confusion.

Didn't he just want to brake with his arms?

What was he doing now?

A new wave of quick-time events appeared, and Chu Cheng felt his hands moving so fast they were a blur. Spider-Man's power gauge climbed rapidly once again.

In the next moment, in front of an audience shocked

 At how crazy this hero was, the whole train rushed straight for the sticky webbing Spider-Man had just shot.

**Bam!**

The train smashed into the web, and just like a real spider spinning its web, the threads flexed, absorbing the impact.

The train finally screeched to a halt in the construction area.

But for Spider-Man, who had been holding onto the ceiling, this could have meant disaster.

He'd only managed to absorb the shock, but he quickly let go of the web, somehow falling backward to land on his feet. He braced himself for the inevitable crash as he hit the ground, tumbling down like a tossed rag doll.

The train stopped with a crash, and the sudden halt sent the remaining passengers flying forward.

Yet, despite all that, everyone was silent, hardly believing what they'd witnessed. Even those who had seen Spider-Man in action before couldn't fathom his skills.

Did he just stop a speeding train?

As the dust settled and the echoes of the crash faded, disbelief turned into cheers.

The first to break the silence was the conductor, who cried, "We're safe! We're safe! Thank you, Spider-Man!"

Cheers erupted as gratitude flooded the air.

What had started as a tragedy turned into an incredible show of heroism. The subway station crowd, alerted by the news, gathered near the construction site, eager to witness the aftermath.

The tension melted away as people waved at Spider-Man, some even begging for selfies.

As the police finally arrived, Spider-Man slipped away, heading to the nearest rooftop to plan his next move.