Chapter 23: Heroes are Mortals (Part 2)_2

Peter felt terrified and desperate, he felt a bitter sadness and anger for the fragility of a hero's life, but most importantly, an overwhelming sense of guilt and self-blame engulfed him.

An ordinary man without any superpowers had saved him by fighting in an underground boxing ring, yet when he heard those criminals scheming, he felt it wasn't his business and left, allowing his good friend, a real hero, to suffer such great pain, and he was on the verge of death.

Matt was a real hero, and he was not.

This intense emotion made his spider-sense buzz, and in an instant, Peter's spider powers were amplified to the maximum. That intense emotion surged in his heart, and in his eyes, the whole world looked different.

Erica immediately activated her escape technique, concealing herself, but Peter's eyes were bloodshot, and he instantly locked onto her position.

The boy who had just been clumsy a moment ago disappeared in an instant, and then, a huge force slammed Erica against the wall. She coughed up a mouthful of blood, used the last of her strength to flee with her escape technique. When Shiller returned to the hospital, he saw Peter sitting under a nearly shattered wall, his eyes bloodshot.

Strange walked into the operating room, by then, it had completely turned dark outside. Shiller stood opposite to Spider Man.

"Peter. I didn't expect our meeting to be under these circumstances." Shiller said.

Peter was a little slow to react, he didn't understand what Shiller meant. Shiller squatted down, looked into Peter's eyes, and said, "I'm sorry, I didn't accompany you for that physical examination. As you can see, I no longer work at this hospital."

Peter's mind cleared a bit, he said, "It's you, you are that doctor."

Obviously, he remembered that doctor whom he had always been chatting with online.

Shiller said, "Yes, it's me."

Peter lowered his head in silence and said, "I must have disappointed you. I'm not as good as I seemed when we chatted. I've made a lot of mistakes and almost killed my friend."

Shiller said, "I think you've understood some things."

"Yes, yes..." Peter said in a hoarse voice: "The greatest truth I've learned is that it really hurts to get hurt."

"It hurts so much, but he still went and did it," Peter said softly, "He's a hero, and I'm not. Perhaps I'll never be a hero."

Shiller's voice was still very calm. Peter couldn't hear a hint of blame in his tone. He just said peacefully, "Perhaps you've realized, if the people in this world with abilities do not save others, then no one will come to save you."

"Perhaps you think your current life is not good, but even such a life is built by people who are willing to give for you."

"Even such beggar-like lives are only possible after Night Devil has cleaned up the thugs on their streets."

"Peter. Perhaps these words should not be spoken by me, but now, I'm afraid only I can say them in their stead." Shiller said.

"With great power, comes great responsibility."

Spider Man closed his eyes in silence.

At the darkest time before dawn, Strange walked out of the operating room, removing his gloves, announcing, "Congratulations, the surgery was successful. There is an 80% chance that his nerves will fully recover."

When Peter heard this, he finally let out a scream, as if he wanted to vent all the emotions pent up in his chest all at once. He jumped straight out of the window, quickly climbing up the wall of the building to the rooftop, and then began to shuttle rapidly across the rooftops of New York City.

He saw that golden red Mecha again, as if it was leading him to some place, always circling around him. Peter followed the Mecha, leaping and sprinting all the way to the New York TV Tower.

Both of them stood at the top of the New York TV Tower.

Peter desperately wanted to scream, but not a single sound could escape his throat. All his emotions were trapped in his chest. It was driving him mad.

Stark's face guard rose, revealing his true countenance. Peter looked at him in shock and exclaimed, "You're Stark! Iron Man is Stark!"

"That shouldn't be a surprise, kid. Apart from the owner of the Stark Group, who else could invent such a Mech?" Stark responded.

"But the news said you were kidnapped, taken to Afghanistan."

"Yes, but do you want to know how I escaped?"

As Peter looked at him, Stark continued, "I built an energy core and installed it right here." Stark pointed to his chest.

"Now there's still an Ark Reactor in here."

"In a cave in Afghanistan, I cut open my chest and stuffed a metal object in. My own blood soaked my pants."

Just imagining that scene made Peter's chest ache. He commented, "That must've felt horrible."

"Of course, it hurt," Stark said nonchalantly, but Peter could hear the slight tremor in his voice. It seemed he didn't want to recall that day either.

"You have to split your chest open with a bone knife that isn't sharp at all, then stitch the wires into your flesh."

Peter shivered at the thought.

He really hadn't expected the playboy Stark, who always appeared so carefree and lavishly portrayed in the media, a billionaire seemingly living a life of unbounded luxury, had also endured such agonizing past - he too, had shed much blood and experienced pain almost unbearable for ordinary people.

"Although I love to call myself a genius, I'm very clear-headed. I know that if I get hit by a bullet, I will bleed a lot. If a shard tears my heart, I will undoubtedly die. If I lose a leg, I will no longer be able to walk."

"But I've done many things that would place me at such risks. Was I simply seeking thrill?" Stark mused.

"I'm the richest man in the world and have powers that most people lack. I have absolutely no reason to don my costly armor to save ordinary people who can't even afford a single screw on my body, let alone take such substantial risks."

Spider Man closed his eyes thoughtfully. After a pause, he echoed the words, "... with great power comes great responsibility, right?"

Stark didn't respond. He just pointed at his own heart.

But Peter understood his meaning. He believed his heart had provided the answer.

Against the dawn skyline of New York City, Peter and Stark stood at the very top of the TV tower, watching as the golden gleam of light split the clouds, coating every building in New York with a brilliant gold.

From this day forward, Peter Parker, Spider Man, understood a truth -

Heroes are humans too. They feel pain, they get injured, they bleed, they feel loneliness and confusion. The only thing that sets them apart from ordinary people is their sense of duty and unwavering commitment to uphold justice 'til their final breath.

No one is born capable of withstanding such intense pain. They navigate through the dark, transforming the agony etched into their bones and blood into a resilient armor. And when dawn comes, they use their iron will to save the world.

For the first time, Spider Man rose from the iron framework of the TV tower. He hadn't put on his Spider Man suit yet. He wasn't as tall or robust, but his spirit stood tall. The raging emotions in his chest were transformed into a force that spread throughout his entire body from his wound.

Facing the first ray of the morning sun, he thought, it's dawn -

It's time to save the world.