Chapter 42: One Should Learn to be a Fountain, Not a Drain
"Oh my! Thank goodness you're okay, Ben."
At the platform of the American Museum of Natural History in New York, Aunt May rushed over upon hearing the news, embracing Uncle Ben tightly.
Uncle Ben had just experienced a life-threatening ordeal on the subway, but he was in relatively good condition.
"Are you hurt, Ben?"
Aunt May quickly checked Uncle Ben's body, understandably worried after the harrowing accident they had just experienced.
"I'm fine, just some scratches."
Uncle Ben smiled wryly as he explained to Aunt May.
"I got your text message, I thought you were leaving me, Ben. You scared me."
"I'm sorry, May."
Uncle Ben pulled out his broken phone screen, "My phone got damaged in the fall, I couldn't make calls, so I could only contact you through text."
As he spoke, he glanced at the battered subway car, sighing, "If it weren't for that mysterious hero, I might not have escaped this accident."
"He saved me and all the passengers on the subway."
Uncle Ben took off his glasses, gazing at the gathering crowd and police officers, speechless for a while.
On the other side,
Gwen stood on the outskirts of the platform, watching the increasing crowd, exhaling softly before turning to leave.
She had left earlier due to feeling nauseous and upon her return, Spider-Man was nowhere to be found.
Although she felt a twinge of disappointment, she quickly adjusted her mood.
Perhaps there would be another chance to meet him.
Just as she turned to leave, her shoulder was suddenly tapped.
Turning back, she found Peter standing in front of her.
"Peter?!"
Gwen looked at her friend with surprise, "Where did you go just now?"
"I ran into some minor trouble, but it's been taken care of."
Peter said nonchalantly.
Although he still felt uncomfortable and weak, compared to almost fainting earlier, he was much better now.
"Alright, knowing you're okay is the best news I've received."
Gwen said as she turned her head towards the subway on the platform.
"Do you see that, Peter? That 'Spider-Man' stopped the disaster."
"Spider-Man?"
Hearing Gwen mention Spider-Man, Peter's eyebrows twitched slightly.
"Yes, don't you think he's like a spider? Shooting webs, stopping the subway and helicopter, he's such a cool superhero!"
"Hmm."
Peter glanced at Gwen's hand, which had been bitten by a spider, and said, "I remember you used to dislike spiders, right?"
After the events with Frank, Gwen had shown fear towards spiders.
"Yes, but today's Spider-Man changed my impression of them."
Gwen smiled at Peter, "Now I'm looking forward to becoming that kind of superhero too."
Peter nodded, murmuring quietly, "That won't be long."
"What?"
Gwen's hearing had also improved, and she asked Peter curiously, "What did you just say, Peter?"
"I said, I'm looking forward to it."
"Alright, although I want to say I won't let you down, it might be a bit challenging."
Evening came.
Gwen dragged her weary body back home.
In addition to feeling nauseous, she also had a fever.
What's wrong with me?
Why was I able to catch Spider-Man falling, and I'm fine?
With a thud, she collapsed onto her bed.
The overhead light gave her a dizzy feeling.
It felt like walking on a rough path, with every step seeming insignificant.
Muscles slowed with each step, and she even wondered if she was dead.
Or maybe, she had become a walking corpse.
"Gwen!"
As she drifted off, the door was knocked, and George Stacy's voice came from outside.
Opening her eyes, Gwen forced herself back from the path and stood up to open the door for her father.
"Good evening, Dad."
"Good evening, Gwen."
George Stacy looked at his daughter, who seemed unwell, with a furrowed brow.
"Are you okay, Gwen?"
"I'm fine, just a bit tired."
George nodded, not suspecting anything.
So much had happened during the day that even he felt mentally exhausted.
The sudden incident on the 7th subway line had caused a huge uproar in New York and across the country.
The emergence of the so-called "Spider-Man," who stopped the speeding train by pulling a helicopter, astonished countless citizens.
Now, turning on the television, all there was was speculation about Spider-Man's identity and analysis of his abilities.
Besides speculating about Spider-Man's identity, there was also condemnation of the New York Police Department.
After such a major incident, the NYPD failed to take any action.
The citizens' anger, especially the passengers on the 7th line subway, was directed towards the NYPD.
Weary George Stacy, finally escaping from the police station, returned home.
"I think we need to talk, Gwen."
George Stacy walked over to his daughter and said, "Both last time at Midtown High and now, you've put yourself in danger, Gwen. I don't want anything to happen to you."
"Sorry, Dad, I just wanted to help."
"But you're not a police officer, Gwen, you're not a superhero either, your abilities are limited."
Rubbing her throbbing temples, Gwen said to her father, "It's not about being special and having responsibilities, right, Dad? It's innate."
George Stacy sighed softly, "You'll get hurt, Gwen, you're not lucky every time."
"I know, so I've been embracing fate. Maybe something unexpected will happen next time, but I won't complain."
Gwen lifted her head and said to her father, "Dad, didn't you tell me before? One should learn to be a fountain, not a drain; to be like the leaves in a stream, flowing freely, not restricted by dams."
Listening to Gwen using his own words to argue, George felt a bit tongue-tied.
After seeing her father off, Gwen collapsed onto her bed, her forehead burning with fever.
As she reached out to touch the notebook placed on the bed, she realized it was stuck to her hand.
Utterly shocked, she stared at her palm.
What is this?!
On the rooftop of the Cross Christian Church in Manhattan,
Harry clutched the cross, shivering.
The cold air was unbearable, especially as the night fell.
"Is anyone there? Help!"
He shouted weakly a couple of times.
What's happening?
Why does it seem like everyone has forgotten about me?