Chapter 2516: Cape Contest (35)

Spider-Man seemed a bit embarrassed because, first of all, his bedroom wasn't very big, and a lot of the decor hadn't entirely shed its childish skin. For example, behind him was a common child's bed with a desk underneath, a small table he used for eating was a hand-me-down coffee table, but the stool was one of those colorful plastic cartoon-shaped stools for kids, all round and cute in appearance, but the paint on the stool's legs had already been worn off.

The posters he hung were also outdated models, because the new ones cost more. He could only rummage through old posters at the newsstands, piecing them together, and his comic books were also old, because he simply couldn't afford the new editions. The carpet even featured a ridiculous pattern of little dogs and was beginning to fuzz from overuse.

There was no doubt that in America's school environment, this would absolutely make him the target of ridicule and bullying. Thus, Spider-Man hadn't invited any friends over to his house, otherwise, he would certainly become the biggest joke of the entire school. He would acquire a nickname like "Baby Peter," even though his current nickname wasn't any better.

Suddenly, with a stranger appearing in his bedroom, Spider-Man acted all flustered. His hands would be behind his back one moment, and then fidgeting in front of him the next. He tried his best to shrink into the corner, leaving as much space as possible for the strapping Jason.

Jason was a bit too burly, and to say it again, he could even corner Arkham Batman in a room, making it hard for him to move. If Jason straightened up a bit, he could easily knock off the lampshade above; if he stretched his limbs a little, the already precarious bunk bed would completely collapse.

Spider-Man had already braced himself for such outcomes, because with the scar on his face, Jason didn't look friendly at all, and he always seemed to frown habitually, looking even more ferocious.

But Jason didn't do any of that; instead, he squatted down in an even more embarrassed posture than Spider-Man, trying to tuck in his limbs as much as possible, and squatted there like a puffball quail.

However, he kept looking around the room, his gaze finally landing on a photo of Spider-Man and his uncle and aunt placed on Spider-Man's desk.

"Are those your parents?" Jason asked.

"No, they're my uncle and aunt." Spider-Man also squatted down, but he curled up in the corner, and his body language screamed that he was a total pushover.

"You've got to be quiet—my aunt is just outside the door. But if she sees you, she'd probably be quite happy. After all, she's always telling me to bring friends over to play." Spider-Man stuck his hands into the gap between his body and knees.

"You've never brought anyone home; you've disappointed her." Jason hit the nail on the head.

"Maybe." Spider-Man shrank his neck back and said, "I don't have many friends at school, and they definitely wouldn't be interested in my room."

Even though Jason hadn't been to school much, he could tell that Peter Parker looked like the classic school nerd, a pushover with no friends, no clique, always alone, someone everyone could pick on.

Jane suddenly sniffed, his eyes falling on the meal on the small coffee table in front, which was different from a traditional American white family's meal. Aunt May had cooked a big steak, baked bread, steaming hot creamed spinach pie, and even a large turkey leg.

"Are you hungry?" asked Spider-Man. "My aunt is used to my big appetite, but actually, I can't eat that much anymore. We could share it if you want."

Jane indeed felt empty inside, so he didn't refuse. He sat down right there, and the small coffee table looked even tinier in front of him. He had to tuck his legs to allow Spider-Man to sit across from him.

"So why are you here? Am I dreaming?"

"I guess that might be it," said Jason. "I've also been dreaming, traveling through many worlds. Someone has been chasing me, and I ran until I pushed open a door and saw you."

Spider-Man appeared hesitant, saying, "Maybe I fell asleep beside your bed, so we both entered the same dream."

Soon he became excited again, saying with a bit of exhilaration, "So, that means my trip to Gotham wasn't a dream, and the photos I took are real. I can post them on forums when I get back?! That's amazing."

Spider-Man was very excited, but Jason frowned, sizing up Spider-Man again and saying, "Don't you have any friends in real life? Not even one?"

"Sort of," said Spider-Man uncertainly. "I know a few classmates at school; they're pretty much like me. I also met a few Spider-Men in the Spider Legion, and they were pretty nice to me. And there's Nick, Nick takes good care of me too."

"Oh, my goodness, Nick!" Spider-Man smacked his forehead as if he had just remembered, "He doesn't even know I've come to Gotham yet. He must be really worried."

Spider-Man was indeed right about that; Nick was almost frantic. After Spider-Man left behind that one anomalous photo and disappeared, both Nick and the other Spider-Men who saw the photo knew this Spider-Man was missing.

It's no wonder they were so anxious. Actually, this Spider-Man was very special because he came from the comic book "Amazing Fantasy" issue #15, that's right, the comic where Spider-Man first appeared. He was the original Spider-Man.

Although Nick and the other Spider-Men didn't know the order of comic book appearances, the Time Management Bureau could use special means to figure out the derivational order of cosmoses and the birth order of superheroes in each universe.

Nick could of course recognize that Spider-Man was the original one, so he took extra care of him. Once he let something slip, and the other Spider-Men found out, they had a special affection for this Little Spider.

However, since the Spider Man introduced in "Amazing Fantasy" is actually the well-known introverted high school student who nobody likes at school, poor little thing, Peter often seemed very lonely, but once he put on the Spider Man suit, he would get overly excited, which made it difficult for him to make any close friends.

Now, Nick was frantically searching for the missing Spider Man. As soon as he saw that series of trap buttons, he knew Shiller must have been the one who set it up. Other than him, no one could grasp Spider Man's psyche so precisely. However, what was strange was that Shiller couldn't be contacted now either.

Getting back to Spider Man, he and Jason chatted as they ate. Although both of them had no idea how they had come to this dreamland, nor did they know who the person constantly chasing Jason was, they sure had plenty to talk about.

The people Spider Man usually talked to always chose school matters for conversation, since there wasn't much else to talk about with teenagers of that age.

But this always troubled Spider Man because he really didn't have much of a school life to talk about. His entire school life consisted of attending classes, doing homework, and as soon as school ended, he would dive straight into his bedroom to read comics. No friends, no activities, nothing interesting at all.

When he meekly failed to engage, the others would think he didn't want to chat, so they could only leave. Spider Man wanted to keep them there, but indeed, he really didn't have any interesting topics to offer.

Jason wasn't a great conversation partner since he tended to be sharp-tongued, but during certain parts of their conversation, he always led the topics, and he seemed to have lots to talk about. Just life in Gotham alone, he could go on for months.

How he used to run errands in a nightclub as a kid, which mob boss was hooking up with which stripper, how a certain tycoon's wife stormed into a nightclub to catch her cheating husband, how their small gang dealt with those cunning fences during price haggling...

Through Jason's stories, Spider Man learned about a more real and vivid Gotham, which he silently took note of, planning to write his own version of "Gotham Travel Notes."

As Jason's stories progressed from his childhood to adulthood, Batman inevitably made an appearance. There was not much to tell about his story with Batman; basically, one day he was picked up by Batman while prying off a tire on the street, and then the two of them fought crime together.

The story abruptly ended right there. Spider Man, who had been listening intently and found the adventures with Batman more thrilling than most of the old comics he read, stopped eating and eagerly waited, his eyes wide with anticipation, for Jason to continue.

Jason started to eat in silence.

"Please," Spider Man raised his pitch, "you can't leave the story hanging there. And then? You two certainly caught that bastard and threw him in jail, right? Batman wouldn't let that Joker guy provoke him like that; you must have beaten him up good..."

"Quite the opposite," Jason said. "Whether what comes next is a good story or not, it's not for you to hear. It ends here."

"Don't do this!!!" Spider Man wailed. "You have to tell me, or I'll be upset like when I can't get the ending of a comic!!!"

"This is no comic, and it doesn't quite fit with the narrative needs of the comic creation process; it's more like a ghost story," Jason pursed his lips, biting off the last piece of meat on the turkey leg, grabbed some paper from beside him, wiped his hands, and said, "For the sake of your mental well-being, you're better off not knowing."

After finishing his meal, he stood up and said, "Now we should figure out why we're here, and who that person who's been after me, who even blew up your rubber duck in the bathtub, really is."

Spider Man hung his head in dissatisfaction, but there wasn't much he could do except to stand there, resting his chin in his hand, and say, "Do you think they're the same person?"

"Of course," Jason frowned in recollection. "I don't quite remember those chaotic dreams from before, but I vaguely remember that the guy chasing me seemed to have a pair of metal claws."

"Metal claws?"

"Yes, his fingers were different from a normal person's," Jason recounted. "They seemed to have turned into sharp daggers, and they looked pretty terrifying."

Spider Man laughed and said, "I didn't think you'd find anything terrifying."

Jason was taken aback, staring down at Spider Man and asking, "What do you mean? Why wouldn't I find it terrifying?"

"Well, I mean," Spider Man exaggerated with a teasing tone and gesturing hands, "you look so strong, even stronger than the strongest guy at our school, Thompson. You look like a giant. Wouldn't you be scared of some monster with fingers like daggers?"

Jason thought Spider Man was making no sense at all. After pausing, he said, "What are you trying to say, that a tall person should have skin like Metal Armor, impervious to a dagger, or that you think I won't bleed if I get cut by a dagger?"

"Er, that's not what I meant. But I figured people as naturally strong as you must have a lot more courage than others," Spider Man scratched his head. "Like Thompson, he seems to fear nothing, always strutting around boastfully."

"Not like me," Spider Man sighed. "I'm not short, but just too thin, not strong, lacking athletic skills, bullied at school and unable to fight back, and not good with words, not sure how to retort to them."

Jason looked at him speechless, almost grinding his teeth as he said, "Spider Man not strong, without athletic skills, not good with words???"