Chapter 61: Settlement Time

At eight in the morning, the hustle and bustle of Manhattan once again reclaimed the streets.

The Mysterio disturbance, lasting only an hour, came suddenly and vanished just as quickly. Broken storefront glass glittered in the sunlight, and police sirens still echoed in the distance, but the city had returned to its usual rhythm.

This brief chaos hadn't claimed any lives; only a few overturned cars and some scorched billboards remained as proof of what had transpired.

Mysterio's objective was clear—he didn't want destruction, but provocation. And now, he had gotten his wish, falling disgracefully at the hands of a superhero, making a messy exit.

On the rooftop of the Osborn Building, Cindy Moon looked at the Manhattan morning, brushing a few stray strands of hair from her forehead. Just as she was about to leave, she heard Peter Parker's voice.

"I wouldn't recommend swinging away with your webs. The Mysterio incident just ended, and all the media are like sharks sniffing blood, fixated on this city. If you swing away right now, tomorrow's Daily Bugle headline might be 'Female Spider-Man Appears in New York!' or worse, 'Spider-Man's True Identity Is a Girl?'"

Cindy turned, catching a can of coffee thrown to her. She saw Spider-Man hanging upside down from the metal framework of the rooftop garden, holding an opened can of coffee, and pulled up his mask to drink.

"I got two cans of coffee from the Osborn Building's vending machine. You don't mind, do you?"

"No, it's fine."

Cindy snapped open her coffee can, looked at Peter, and suddenly asked, "You can drink coffee upside down?"

"What? You can't?"

They both laughed.

After a moment of silence between them, Cindy suddenly asked a question.

"How have you kept going until now?"

"You mean... this suit?"

Peter asked, a little unsure, and Cindy nodded.

"The Daily Bugle slanders you every day, and people online point fingers at you. I've seen the footage of your fight with Shocker. Many people said that if you had defeated him completely the first time, there wouldn't have been so much trouble afterward." She paused. "Most people only see the voices that are against you. Why do you still continue?"

Peter thought for a moment before giving an honest answer.

"I've never felt happy being Spider-Man."

"?"

"I mean, I've never felt like I was the chosen one or something special because I gained spider powers. The reason I became Spider-Man was actually out of fear. I was afraid for a long time after I got my powers."

What he feared wasn't the power itself, but his own choices.

If he hadn't become Spider-Man, what would this world be like? Spider-Man is connected to so many Marvel Universe plotlines, even crucial turning points. What if this universe could have had a Spider-Man, but didn't...?

So Peter Parker kept playing Spider-Man.

"I've always been playing an ideal Spider-Man, the Spider-Man in my heart. I think I've done a pretty good job, but without a doubt, I can't say I'm happy."

Peter communicated this simply and directly.

"But gradually, my attitude changed. Shocker wanted to show others his true self, Karl King told me what would happen if others had this ability, and Mysterio... if I had always just played Spider-Man and never chosen to take off my mask in front of him, maybe I wouldn't have been able to defeat him. I had to tell myself, I am Spider-Man."

It was these people who showed him why his choices were right, why becoming Spider-Man was right.

He jumped down from the ceiling, walked over to Cindy, and leaned on the railing, looking at Manhattan.

"Am I talking too much?"

Cindy replied, without directly answering his question.

"I'm listening."

"I'm increasingly finding that this life actually suits me quite well. Honestly, the happiest part about being Spider-Man is never about putting on this suit and fighting all those strange villains. It's when you're swinging through the city, when no one is in any trouble, when you feel like all of New York doesn't need you."

"That's when I feel the happiest."

Cindy finished her coffee, then jumped onto the railing, spreading her arms.

"I'm going home."

"I just said..."

"I know." Cindy nodded, turned to Peter, and then squatted down: "One more thing, I'm transferring to your school next week, same class schedule as you."

"Oh, huh?"

"Web" fell backward, the whole person dropping from the Osborn Building. Peter shrugged helplessly. It seemed there was no way to avoid the Daily Bugle reporting on two Spider-Men, but it didn't matter. He smiled, leaped, and began swinging through the city, a familiar feeling.

And the good news didn't stop there.

"Hey, Spidey, I've got some good news for you."

Tony Stark's voice echoed in his ear. Iron Man told him something: "Are you free tomorrow? We have a press conference at Avengers Tower about King T'Challa of Wakanda joining the Avengers. Maybe you could attend."

"Do I need to wear a suit, Mr. Stark?"

"No, no, no, you don't. I just think we need to introduce our, you know, doorman security or something during the press conference?"

Tony Stark was silent for a moment before finally speaking.

"We know how you defeated Mysterio. Welcome to the Avengers, kid, if you're willing, come to Avengers Tower tomorrow morning."

"I will, Mr. Stark."

Today really was a good day, wasn't it?

A familiar sensation of weightlessness washed over him. Peter skillfully operated his web-shooters, and the Manhattan sky once again became his stage.

"Is he still alive?"

As the battle between Spider-Man and Mysterio at Osborn Technologies ended, and the Avengers notified the Damage Control Department to clean up, a man of unknown status, unconscious and gravely injured, was carried out of the Osborn Building by medical personnel. In the ambulance, the nurse looked at the doctor, who, after a brief examination of the man's body, shook his head.

"He's not in immediate danger of losing his life, but that bullet pierced his spine, which might cause permanent paralysis. Has his identity been confirmed?"

The unconscious MacDonald Gargan frowned, as if he could never forget that bullet.