7.Confusion

A week had passed since Noah's last date with Gwen, and their relationship was slowly evolving.

On Sunday morning, Noah rarely slept in. It wasn't because he was too tired, but he always felt that weekends were incomplete if he woke up too early.

After waking up and washing up, he went downstairs for breakfast. Chef Luke's cooking was still as amazing as ever, and just the smell made everyone's mouths water.

Noah ate breakfast eagerly, almost about to drop his face into his bowl, when suddenly, he was pulled back by Luke's voice.

Sighing, Luke complained, "Hey, this seems too small." He was holding the newspaper and looking at the news about a murder that had happened the previous day, lamenting the lack of security and the rise in crime.

Then, he looked at Mia and said, "Sweetheart, you have to wait for me to pick you up every day. You can't come home by yourself, and you're not allowed to do overtime after dark. Public safety is so bad now."

Mia smiled gently when she heard this and said, "You know, I will definitely wait for my hero to pick me up every day."

Noah could no longer complain about his parents' daily displays of affection.

He was also curious about the news his father had just mentioned, so he reached for the newspaper on the table and started reading it.

The paper was full of daily news, and he also saw reports about himself, with everyone vigorously debating whether he was a masked hero or a criminal.

Noah kept reading and flipping through the pages, and suddenly, his pupils tightened. He suppressed his emotions and continued reading.

A headline read, "A man in his twenties was killed during a robbery in an alley, and the killer was a former criminal who had been released from prison, according to witnesses who recognized his photo. Despite the identification, the killer is still at large."

The reason for Noah's loss of composure was that he recognized the killer. It was the same criminal who had been robbing someone with a knife in a dark alley in Queens, leaving the victim unconscious, hanging from a streetlamp with a note about what he had done.

Noah didn't remember how he got back to his room. He was confused, exhausted, and full of regret.

He lay on his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

"Should I blame myself for being so incompetent, or should I admit that I'm not a superhero and can't be perfect?"

"Why can a gangster still commit such a crime? Isn't he supposed to have been arrested by the police?"

"If only I had taught him a lesson that day, warned him, maybe this tragedy wouldn't have happened."

"If I had sent him to the police station instead of leaving him hanging from the streetlamp, there wouldn't have been a tragedy."

"Or if I had been harsher and beaten him until he couldn't move, maybe there wouldn't have been a tragedy."

Noah was wrapped up in the blanket, his mind swirling with assumptions and questions that couldn't be repeated, his heart full of regret and self-blame.

It seemed he was thinking about these matters in too simple a way, not just because he hadn't thought clearly about the methods he wanted to carry out.

He seemed to not understand the responsibilities and burdens that came with doing so.

I thought it would be easy, just like Spider-Man in the movies.

But reality had slapped him hard, making him face consequences he had never imagined.

At this moment, there was a knock on Noah's door, and Luke's voice came from outside, "Noah, can I come in?"

The couple had sensed something was wrong with Noah for a while.

They had discussed it for a long time and finally decided that Luke should go up and talk to Noah, even though they didn't know the exact reason.

When Luke saw no one answered, he waited a moment before opening the door.

The curtains were drawn tightly, and Noah could only be faintly seen, wrapped in the blanket.

Seeing this, Luke sat by the bed and quietly said to Noah, "Your mother and I know you've been through something bad. Can we talk?"

"Although I may not have all the answers, as long as you talk to me, it will be okay."

"I can be your listener, the person you talk to."

"Your mother is also very worried about you. You need to know that we, your parents, will always be with you and support you."

"So, if you have something on your mind, don't keep it to yourself. Your mom and I will always have your back."

After Luke finished speaking, he looked at his son, but Noah was still wrapped in the blanket.

After a while, a dry voice came from the blanket.

"If there was something you could have done at the time, but didn't because you didn't expect anything to happen."

"And as a result, there were severe consequences from this incident, so severe that there was no way to make up for it or correct it."

"What should I do if something like this happens?"

After hearing Noah's question, Luke didn't ask about the cause. He just thought silently for a moment.

For a moment, the room was quiet, with only the sounds of their breathing.

After a while, Luke said, "Even though I don't know exactly what happened, I know you must be very regretful now, and that's why you're so sad."

"What I want to say is that once things have happened and the results have shown, those are things we can't change, no matter what. The only thing we can change is ourselves."

"We can only learn from the lessons and let the consequences serve as a wake-up call in our minds."

"Then, when something similar happens in the future, you should do your best. Only by doing your best can you not have any regrets."

After he finished speaking, the room fell silent again. Luke wasn't in a hurry. He waited by the bed, knowing that Noah needed time to think about his words.

After a while, Noah finally emerged from the blanket, and his eyes met Luke's firmly.

"Dad, thank you. I think I understand what I need to do."

Luke smiled when he heard this. "Just understand. Remember to tell your parents if something's on your mind in the future. Don't keep it to yourself."

After saying that, Luke patted Noah's head and left to report the situation and reassure Mia.

Noah stood in the room at that time, next to the mirror, staring at himself inside, his eyes full of determination.

At this moment, he had already thought clearly about the path he hadn't considered before, the consequences he had to bear, and the responsibilities he had to take on.

He let go of the fantasy because reality wasn't a movie—it was much harsher than a film.

Superheroes in movies can't kill people, but they can be good citizens with principles and good neighbors.

You can fall in love with villains and befriend them, fighting those few enemies throughout your life.

But reality doesn't work that way.

If Noah had punished the killer that night, a murder wouldn't have occurred.

How absurd it was to let a criminal go, costing an innocent life.

He was clearly capable, but he failed to prevent this tragedy.

Now that he had decided to fight crime, he must bear the corresponding responsibilities and make decisions about how to fight it.

Not for fame, wealth, or honor, but for the belief that he would fight crime until the end without taking risks.

Because the law has loopholes and can't work perfectly 100%, heroes were born.

They exist to fill these gaps and judge criminals who cannot be prosecuted under the law.

If they acted in full compliance with the law, all of this would be meaningless, including their existence.

He was fully immersed in the poison, and the pale eyes under the cover emitted an eerie white light.

Noah looked at the ghost-like figure in the mirror and spoke firmly in his heart.

"From now on, I'm the real ghost, the ghost that makes these criminals and lawbreakers tremble." 

"I'm Venom"

[I waited 6 chapters to say this. What do you think of the chapter? Add the power stone, it is necessary for this novel to continue.

Noah's picture in the novel review. Go see it and add a good review if you like what you read.]