Chapter 281: The Avengers Are Stealing Money?
"Huh?" Peter opened his eyes groalily. He had only just lain down; how could it be time to wake up already?
"It's eight o'clock in the morning. Don't be late on the first day of university," Silas said to Peter, who was still sprawled on the bed.
Peter's eyes snapped wide. It finally hit him—today was the day he had to report for the new semester.
"Oh no!" Peter acted as if he'd been injected with adrenaline. He practically levitated off the bed, grabbed the clothes hanging on the bedpost, and scrambled into them.
"Why didn't my alarm go off?" Peter picked up the clock on his nightstand and shook it confusedly.
Beep-beep-beep! Beep-beep-beep!
"Fine, it's ringing now." Peter set the clock down, exasperated. If he hadn't been so distracted by his mission last night, he would have been home much earlier.
Last night, Peter had spent hours tracking those two strange individuals all the way to their home. To his surprise, he discovered they were a father and daughter—vigilantes fighting crime. They weren't high-tech armored heroes or beings with super-strength; they were just agile, highly-trained ordinary people with a drive for justice.
Once he confirmed they weren't a threat, Peter had left Hell's Kitchen, only to stumble upon a group of people destroying an ATM in the middle of the night. Naturally, he stepped in to help, but he hadn't expected...
Last Night
"Wait, is someone still open for business this late?" Peter had been passing an ATM vestibule when he spotted a group of armed men trying to pry open the machines.
"Hey! Shouldn't you guys be in bed by now?" Peter kicked through the door.
Thud!
One robber was sent flying, slamming into a machine and clutching his back in pain.
"Wait a second... Iron Man? Thor? Hulk? Cap? Black Widow? Though, your physique doesn't quite match hers." Peter stared in disbelief at the robbers.
There were five of them, and each wore a mask resembling a member of the Avengers.
"Spider-Man?" the man in the Iron Man mask muttered.
"Thanks for recognizing me. By the way, where's my mask?" Peter joked.
"Do it!" the man in the Hulk mask roared.
"Whoa, you've got a temper just like the big guy," Peter laughed. He didn't take them seriously at first. To him, they were just ordinary humans who could be easily wrapped up and handed over to the police.
However, he was stunned when their strange weapons suddenly discharged a blast of intense, glowing blue laser energy. Peter's Spider-Sense flared, and he dodged just in time. The laser sliced through the concrete and steel of the building like a hot knife through butter, nearly cutting the structure in half.
CRASH!
The building partially collapsed. The group managed to escape with their weapons and the cash. Peter was pinned by a large piece of debris; luckily, his super-strength allowed him to hold the weight. An ordinary person would have been crushed instantly.
"What kind of weapons are those?!" Peter threw the rubble aside. He wanted to pursue them, but there was a small convenience store connected to the building with customers and a clerk inside.
Forced to let the robbers go, Peter deployed his Spider-Drones to search for their trail while he switched into his Rescue Suit from the Shadow Kingdom. He successfully saved the civilians and stabilized their wounds with web-bandages.
By the time he finished, the criminals were long gone. His micro-drones had a limited flight speed and couldn't keep up with their getaway vehicle. This was why Peter hadn't made it back to his room until 5:00 AM.
The technology in those weapons haunted him—it didn't belong to this era. It reminded him vividly of the Chitauri weapons from the invasion of New York.
The Present
"Hooo... so tired." Peter yawned. He was exhausted. After a night of heavy lifting and no sleep, he was running on fumes.
"Peter, you don't look very well," Aunt May noted, seeing the heavy dark circles under his eyes.
"Really? Haha, I just had some bad dreams last night. Didn't sleep well," Peter explained. He wasn't lying—last night was a nightmare in its own way.
"Young people need their rest. Don't let your mind wander to... distractions," Ben Parker said, peering over his newspaper. He seemed to be dropping a subtle hint.
"I know, Uncle Ben." Peter assumed Ben was referring to him playing video games.
Silas, sitting nearby, saw right through it. Ben Parker already knew Peter's secret identity, yet Peter still thought he was hiding it perfectly. In this house, Aunt May was the only one left in the dark. Ben hadn't told her, primarily to save her the worry.
"Eat up. Your Uncle Ben is going to drive you," May urged. It was already 8:30 AM.
Silas and Peter finished their breakfast, downed their milk, and grabbed their bags.
"We're done!" they said in unison.
Ben grabbed his keys. "Let's go, boys!"
Peter and Silas slung their empty backpacks—containing only their acceptance letters—over their shoulders. Aunt May waved them off as they headed to the car.
On the Road
"Excited, boys?" Ben asked with a chuckle.
"Yeah! I'm curious to see what university is like," Peter said, his fatigue temporarily masked by excitement.
"Silas, you should look into joining a club. It's good for networking and finding friends with shared interests," Ben advised.
"I will, Uncle Ben," Silas nodded.
After a short drive and a bit of advice, they arrived at the university gates. Peter and Silas hopped out. Ben leaned out the window and smiled. "Good luck! Go make some new friends."
"We will! Bye, Uncle Ben!" Peter waved as Ben drove away.
"Whew... I'm actually really nervous, Silas," Peter said, feeling his heart race.
"Relax, Peter. Just treat it like high school, only bigger," Silas said calmly. Having lived two lives, he didn't share Peter's jitters. "University, here we come!"
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