Chapter 38: Fight with Thugs

Mary Rose felt a surge of relief as she saw her brother Mark and Michael hurrying to help her. Their timely arrival gave her a glimmer of hope in the face of danger.

The drunk man and his buddies now focused on Mark and Michael. Their cocky attitudes turned into hostility as they were confronted with unexpected resistance.

"We're just having a little chat with the lady here," the drunk man mumbled, his words laced with defiance. "Mind your own business, kid.

Are you all an idiots? Did you even hear what I said? She's my sister!" Mark exclaimed angrily.

Mark spoke with strong feelings, his voice breaking through the tense air.

The drunk man sneered, "Oh, so this lady is your sister, huh? should i play with her while you are watching?"

"Hey buddy, I'm right here," I said assertively. "I'm not some ghost you can just ignore." 

"Who's this clown?" the drunk man sneered, his voice sounding mean as he looked at me.

"I'm just a guy who doesn't like seeing a woman being bothered," I said to these man who is in his middle 30 , The man wore a worn-out suit that looked like it had seen better days, with a rumpled shirt and a loosely tied tie. His clothes bore the signs of wear and tear, suggesting that he might not have had the means to afford new attire for quite some time.

The drunk man laughed in a threatening way before moving closer, followed by his companions who stuck to him closely. They approached me slowly, their eyes fixed on me with menacing stares, making me feel even more nervous (to them being beaten ofcourse).

"You got a big mouth, kid," the drunk man spat, taking a step closer. "You wanna get hurt?"

"I've got this, Mark. You go make sure your sister's safe," I said, trying to sound confident despite the situation.

Mark looked unsure, gesturing toward the group of five imposing figures. "You sure you can take on all of them?" he asked, sounding worried.

"Mark, trust me, I can handle this," I replied, my voice firm with confidence. "Remember Brad Larson and his goons? I took them on without hesitation. We've been through thick and thin together since day one. You know I can handle myself."

Mark hesitated for a moment, his eyes flickering between me and the approaching group. Finally, After a moment of uncertainty, he nodded slowly, his face showing his worry "Alright, just be careful," he said quietly, concern evident in his voice.

The drunk man's voice grew louder, filled with anger and resentment. "Do you think I'm just going to stand by and let you take her away from me?" he shouted, sounding drunk. "You think I'm stupid, huh? Are you mocking me, just like my boss?"

As I sprinted toward them, they were taken aback by my speed. With determination in my eyes, I directed Mark to go to his sister while I took charge of the situation.

The drunk man, fueled by anger and alcohol, swung his fist in my direction, aiming to land a punch.

Then , I dodged his punches easily, moving between them like I knew exactly where they would strike.

I quickly hit the nearest guy in the chest with my palm. It made a loud sound, and he stumbled back, gasping for air.

Taking advantage of their confusion, I quickly punched one of them in the stomach. I aimed carefully and hit him hard in the middle, making him bend over in pain for a moment.

As the third person tried to attack me, I knew what he was going to do next. I quickly turned around and kicked him hard in the stomach from behind. He stumbled back, holding his stomach in pain.

Feeling more confident with three of the attackers down, I used my spider sense to predict what the other two would do. When they came at me, I easily avoided their punches and kicks, staying alert to the danger.

Seizing the opportunity, I executed a spinning hook kick and kicked the drunk man hard in the face. He fell down and looked dizzy. His friends got scared seeing their leader fall.

With that in just a short time, I had taken down all five guys, leaving them moaning and nursing their wounds on the ground. My spider sense is really OP for mobs.

Even though I hit them hard, I didn't want to hurt them too badly. I made sure my punches and kicks weren't lethal. I knew they were trouble, but I didn't want to cause any permanent damage. So, I controlled my strength to keep them safe from serious harm.

As they felt the pain from my hits, I could see they were scared. They looked at me differently now, with a mix of fear and respect. They learned not to underestimate me after trying to start a fight.

Then, I commanded them to scram, and without hesitation, they bolted to help their fallen leader, leaving Mary Rose, Mark, and me standing in the aftermath of the confrontation.

Mark's voice broke through the moment, filled with a mix of awe and curiosity. "Every time I see you fight, it gives me chills," he admitted, his eyes fixed on me. "Remember when I asked you three months ago how you knew how to fight? You said you learned it from a pretty strong master."

"Yeah, I remember," I replied, even though I knew I was lying. The truth was, I hadn't learned from any master; it was all thanks to the system. But then again, isn't the system more powerful than any master? I pondered silently to myself.

Then suddenly Mary Rose hugged me tight, showing how thankful she was that I helped her. It felt good to know she felt safe now. "Thank you," she whispered, her voice filled with relief and admiration.

I hugged her back, feeling really good about helping out. "No problem," I said gently, feeling proud of what I'd done.

Then Mark's voice carried a hint of playful teasing as he spoke. "Looks like you're more eager to hug him than your own brother, huh?"

Mary blushed and stammered, "N-no, it's not like that. I-I was just worried about him. What if he got hurt fighting those bad guys?" She offered her excuse, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

"Yeah, yeah, I hear you," Mark replied with a chuckle, giving Mary a knowing look before turning his attention back to me.

"Thanks again, Michael," Mark expressed his gratitude before adding, "And please, do share more about this master you mentioned before sometime soon, alright?"

"Sure thing, Mark," I replied with a nod, feeling a bit guilty for my shameless lie.

"So this is it, huh? Then bye guys," I said with a relief

"Yeah, see you tomorrow," Mark replied, his tone is voice filled with thanks and respect for what I had done.

"And Mary, um, take care, okay?" I added, my voice soft and sincere. I wanted her to understand that I cared about her safety and wanted her to be well.

Mary's expression softened, and she nodded with a gentle smile. "I will, Michael. Thank you," she said warmly, her voice filled with appreciation.

Mark smiled between us as if he were looking at a pair of lovebirds.

"Hey, don't give me that look," I laughed nervously, feeling a blush rising in my cheeks. "And, well, it's not what you think," I quickly clarified, hoping to divert any assumptions. But despite my efforts to push the thought away, there was a lingering warmth in my heart, a mix of feelings that I couldn't quite define.

Mark chuckled at what I said, looking at me with a playful grin. "Alright, Michael, whatever you say," he teased, giving me a friendly nudge. We exchanged a knowing glance before parting ways, leaving behind for tommorow come.

After I got home, I sat down with my dad in our cozy living room,watching the TV.

Suddenly, the TV report shifted to a serious tone as a female reporter appeared on the screen and also the date, September 9, 1947, flashed on the screen. "Hello and welcome to NYBC (New York Broadcasting Company)," she began, her voice grave. "Today's date is September 9, 1947."

My father and I exchanged concerned glances, the news gripping our attention as the reporter delved into the recent events. "We are talking about the news regarding the recent attack two weeks ago in Midtown High," she continued, and said "Rumors suggest that the terrorists targeted the school due to their resentment towards the government."

"So what can you say about that, Mayor?" the reporter asked.

"Well, the only thing I could say is that if they really hate the government, they might likely be the survivors of that war in 1932," the Mayor responded.

Listening to the conversation, I started to feel uneasy. The news about the school attack brought back memories of my fight with Jord Hos, the bad guy who talked about hating the government.

When I took down Jord Hos as Spider-Man, he was in agony and barely hanging on. In his final moments, he said to me was about his boss avenging him

As I thought about it more, I felt a strong sense of duty. If Jord Hos's boss was going to keep causing trouble for the government, it would put innocent people at risk. I couldn't just ignore that possibility.

The mayor's voice crackled through the TV, his tone heavy with the weight of history. "The devastation caused by the Nazis and Japanese forces, especially by the likes of Adolf Hitler, was truly catastrophic," he remarked solemnly.

I nodded in agreement, the memories of wartime horrors documentary still fresh in my mind. "Yeah, it was a dark time for humanity," I muttered, my gaze fixed on the screen. "I mean, I wasn't even born yet in 1932. After all, considering I'm only 15 years old now (1947) , it means that I was born in 1932, which is pretty shitty, considering it's a war."

"But in all the mess, there were heroes," the mayor said, sounding like he really respected them. "The Howling Commandos, led by Dum Dum Dugan, were like a light in the darkness, fighting against the bad guys."

"Damn, yeah, I know they were the Howling Commandos, but without Captain America and Nick Fury.... pretty fucked up right But I assumed that Wolverine would be there in the Howling Commandos. After all, I learned that mutants existed in this world, Well, that's just my speculation, I guess" I muttered to myself, lost in my thoughts. "As for why I know about the Howling Commandos, you know, the timeskip four months ago."

"I have to head to my room now. I already know what they'll be talking about; it's been the same government stuff for the past two weeks. So yeah, I need to go and upgrade some skills or buy some new ones," I thought to myself, already planning my next moves.

Then I said to my dad, "Dad, I gotta head to my room now. You know, just trying to find some alone time. Goodnight, dad."

Dad Edward Wilson nodded, understandingly. "Goodnight, son," he responded, his tone gentle yet slightly puzzled as he watched me leave the room.

Once Im in my room, I sat down in my bedroom, feeling the usual excitement as the status window popped up in front of me I clicked through to my stats, examining them carefully. It was time for some upgrades.

To be continued