Chapter Sixty-Two: A Conversation with Peter

Upon hearing Zhong Shenxiu's reply, Peter's wrinkled little face immediately relaxed. He grew quite excited, shifting in his seat several times before saying to Zhong Shenxiu, "I knew it, I just knew it!"

"Shenxiu, what's your superpower? Can you stick to walls too? Can you break a tree with one punch? Can you see things really far away, hear sounds from a great distance?"

Seeing this, Zhong Shenxiu gestured for Peter to calm down, then answered, "Every superhuman's abilities are usually different."

"Really? Then what is your superpower?" Peter nodded his little head, his large eyes fixed on Zhong Shenxiu, a trace of anticipation on his face.

But Zhong Shenxiu had no intention of answering directly. Instead, he diverted the conversation, asking, "Peter, you didn’t come to see me just to ask if I’m a superhuman or what my powers are, did you?"

"Of course not..."

"Then what is it?" Zhong Shenxiu pressed.

"It’s... it’s because..." Peter’s face drooped again, and after a moment’s silence, he continued, "Actually, Shenxiu, I suddenly discovered that I’ve become really strong, and I can hear things I never could before. Last night, I overheard Aunt May and Uncle Ben whispering in bed, talking about which middle school I should attend next. I could even faintly hear noises from upstairs... At first, I was excited—everything felt so new. But then, I began to realize something."

"And that is... am I still human?"

"Will I turn into a monster, and one day, suddenly go mad, eat Uncle Ben and Aunt May, whom I love most, then destroy Ingram Street, then destroy the whole world..."

Kid, you’re overestimating yourself... Zhong Shenxiu thought to himself.

He then patted Peter’s little head and asked, "So, you don’t want to hurt anyone?"

"Mm," Peter nodded.

"So, the reason you came to me is to confirm if I’m a superhuman, and if I am, you want answers? Comfort?" Zhong Shenxiu analyzed.

"Yes, Shenxiu, you’re so smart!" Peter’s eyes widened with delight.

It’s just that you’re too obvious...

Zhong Shenxiu shook his head and replied, "Unfortunately, I can’t give you the answer you want. As I just said, most superhumans have different powers, and from your description, it’s clear our abilities aren’t the same."

"Then..." Hearing this, Peter’s spirits sank again, a bit of disappointment showing.

"But, as someone who’s had superpowers for many years, I think I have enough experience. How about you tell me how you got your abilities, and I’ll help you analyze it," Zhong Shenxiu switched the tone, smiling.

With this approach, Peter would willingly share all the details.

Sure enough, after thinking for a moment, Peter began recounting everything that had happened at that time.

...

He was at Osborn Biotech’s indoor wilderness simulator, participating in a summer camp for wilderness survival.

Peter found his classmates too slow, so he broke away from the group, wanting to survive alone. He went searching for water sources, planning to set up a camp nearby for the month-long outdoor survival.

But as he walked, he unexpectedly ran into someone familiar.

Here, Peter deliberately paused.

"It was Gwen, wasn’t it?" Zhong Shenxiu cut straight to the point.

Peter was so surprised that his mouth hung open for a long time. He countered, "Shenxiu, how did you know? Is your superpower precognition?"

"No, I guessed. Go on."

Peter had always been timid and rarely approached other classes, so anyone he called familiar had to be a classmate. In his entire class, only two students attended Osborn’s summer camp: Peter and Gwen.

So, it really wasn’t hard to guess.

Peter looked curiously at Zhong Shenxiu, then continued.

After meeting Gwen—though he wasn’t sure why she seemed unhappy—Peter eventually teamed up with her. With Gwen’s help, he set up his tent by a creek.

They caught fish together and roasted them.

With Gwen’s expert skills, the fish came out crispy and golden, sprinkled with a bit of salt—the taste was simply...

"Stop, stop!" Zhong Shenxiu quickly halted Peter’s increasingly chatty tale.

"Skip the daily life bits, we’re discussing your superpower now. Get to the point."

"Oh." Peter seemed a bit reluctant, smacking his lips, then organized his thoughts and continued, "After spending a night by the creek with Gwen, I was suddenly awakened by a loud noise the next morning. I quickly crawled out of my tent."

"Gwen came out of her tent at almost the same speed."

"Then, following the direction of the noise, I saw a scene I’ll never forget..." Peter paused again.

"Don’t keep us in suspense, just say it!" Zhong Shenxiu feigned a slight frown.

Peter clearly had a knack for storytelling—even at his young age, he could build suspense.

"I saw a huge hole in the sky!"

"The grayish sky suddenly had a gaping hole filled with thick black smoke, arcs of lightning flickering inside, and glimpses of vast stretches of metal beyond."

"That’s when I realized I was truly inside a massive indoor ecological simulator."

So, Osborn’s ecological simulator was damaged? Or malfunctioned?

Zhong Shenxiu pondered briefly, then looked to Peter, waiting for him to continue.

"Originally, Gwen thought the simulator was broken, and honestly, I thought the same. But then, I saw someone flying in the sky through that hole."

"Someone flying in the sky? What did they look like?" Zhong Shenxiu asked.

"Um... he was all green, standing on something like a skateboard, fire blazing underneath, flying in the sky—so cool!" Peter thought for a moment and answered.

Green, riding something like a flaming skateboard, flying... and it was Osborn’s company.

With these clues, Zhong Shenxiu immediately thought of someone:

One of Spider-Man’s greatest villains—the Green Goblin!