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*****
Feeling a tap on his shoulder, Max, a Black man, opened his eyes with a look of utter confusion. He had been working overtime for several days straight, pulled an all-nighter just last night, and since today was Sunday, he had planned to get some solid sleep on his way home.
He had only just drifted off when someone nudged him awake. As he sat there dazed, Luke gave him a bright smile and said loudly, "Hey! Sir, I finally found you!"
Max let out a yawn, blinking in bewilderment. "Who are you?"
Luke glanced at the pickpocket who had already retreated a short distance away and smiled. "Who I am isn't important. What matters is..." He leaned down and picked up a phone from the floor. "...you almost had your phone stolen."
Almost stolen?
Max stared at the phone in Luke's hand and lunged for it. He thanked Luke repeatedly, carefully wiping away a speck of invisible dust from the screen. This phone held a massive amount of his data; if it had been lost, he would have been in serious trouble.
"Thank you so much. My name is Max!"
Max introduced himself, extending his hand. He quickly wiped his palm on his clothes before offering it again. Luke chuckled, shook his hand, and said, "Watch yourself. Goodbye, Mr. Max!"
"Goodbye!"
Max stood up and watched Luke walk away, a smile appearing on his face. There really are plenty of good people in this world, he thought. To prevent any further mishaps, he forced himself to stay alert, deciding he wouldn't sleep until he was safely home.
Meanwhile, Luke walked back to Gwen's side and grinned. "Well? Was my performance just now heroic or what?"
Gwen gave him a thumbs-up. "Extremely dashing."
"Heh heh!" Luke tilted his chin up, letting out a satisfied laugh. Helping others always gave him a sense of fulfillment.
"But looking at that guy, I don't think he's going to let this go," Gwen said softly, a cold glint flashing in her eyes.
Luke cracked his knuckles and sneered. "My hands have been itching for a fight anyway."
While his specific abilities weren't world-breaking against ordinary people, he had never slackened in his combat and physical training. Perhaps due to the nature of his powers, his body seemed to have undergone a degree of enhancement. While he wasn't quite at the level of Captain America, his strength and reflexes were far beyond the average person's. Most importantly, his power was still steadily growing.
Gwen smiled, not taking the threat seriously. If that guy came looking for trouble, it would be like carrying a lantern into a latrine—looking for "sh*t" (trouble).
Interestingly, over the next few stops, both of them felt a lingering gaze drifting toward them from time to time. Far from making them nervous, it actually made them quite happy.
"This is our stop!" Gwen whispered. She and Luke exchanged a knowing look and stepped off the train, chatting and laughing as they went.
The pickpocket sneered and followed them with large strides. He was determined to teach that kid a lesson today for meddling in his business.
He trailed them down the main street, wondering how to lure them into a corner, when he saw them turn into a secluded side street. He hurried after them and watched them duck into a narrow alleyway. A cruel smirk crossed his face. He didn't care why these two youngsters were heading into such a desolate spot; it suited his purposes perfectly.
He reached the mouth of the alley with a vicious grin, but before he could even see inside, a hand reached out and yanked him in with startling force.
What followed was the sound of a rhythmic beating, punctuated by miserable screams that would have moved a witness to tears.
Half a minute later, Gwen and Luke walked out of the alley looking refreshed. Humming a nursery rhyme they had learned as children, they headed toward Harry's house.
Near the Osborn estate, Peter and Mary Jane were waiting quietly. Peter was on his phone, scrolling through recent news and scientific reports, while Mary Jane paced back and forth, occasionally glancing at the massive mansion.
Finally, she couldn't help but ask, "How do you think Harry has been doing lately?"
"We'll find out in a bit." Peter calmly pushed up his glasses and offered a small smile.
Mary Jane nodded, then worriedly added, "Do you think he'll be happy to see us since we didn't call ahead? Do you think we're welcome?"
Peter thought for a moment. "He'll welcome us." And if he doesn't, Gwen will probably beat him until he does.
Mary Jane managed a relaxed smile but then continued, "Peter, do you think Harry has lost weight? Do you think he..."
"Mary!" Peter sighed, turning off his phone. He looked at the girl—who looked like a rose about to bloom—and said, "When exactly are you planning to confess to Harry?"
"Ah!" Mary Jane's face instantly turned bright red. Scratching her cheek awkwardly, she stammered, "Wh-what confession? Don't talk nonsense!"
"Don't you like Harry? No way, I don't think I've misread you," Peter said curiously.
Mary Jane's head was buzzing. She glared at Peter and suddenly countered, "Then when are you going to confess to Gwen?"
Peter's face instantly matched Mary Jane's in shade. "What are you talking about? I... I..."
"Don't you like Gwen? No way!? I don't think I've misread you!" Mary Jane looked at him triumphantly. That's what you get for teasing me!
Peter let out a helpless laugh. He met Mary Jane's eyes, bit his lip, and said, "I'll confess to Gwen when you confess to Harry!"
Mary Jane fell silent for a moment. "We'll talk about that later." She paused, then whispered, "This is our secret, right?"
Peter nodded. Because they were both harboring secret crushes, they had accidentally stumbled upon each other's hidden feelings. Looking at one another, they felt a strange sense of relief.
However...
To the approaching Gwen and Luke, the scene looked quite different. From their perspective, Peter and Mary Jane were standing there with flushed faces, gazing into each other's eyes with apparent sweetness.
Gwen and Luke shared a look of shock.
"Are you saying... Peter and Mary Jane...?" Luke lowered his voice.
Gwen smiled excitedly. "It certainly looks like it! What should we do? Should we try to set them up?"
Luke rubbed his chin and nodded solemnly. "We must help them fulfill their love!"
As they spoke, they both felt the "heavy burden" of responsibility on their shoulders. Just then, Peter and Mary Jane spotted them. The pair quickly looked away and waved. Gwen and Luke walked over wearing "knowing" smiles that made Peter and Mary Jane feel inexplicably uncomfortable.
"Ahem! Have you guys been here long?" Gwen asked, her gaze darting between them.
Peter's skin crawled under the scrutiny. He blurted out, "Not too long, maybe ten minutes."
"Sorry!" Luke chuckled. "We ran into a little 'accident' on the way."
"An accident?" Mary Jane asked curiously, taking a step back from Luke's overly "affectionate" gaze.
Luke nodded and gave them a brief rundown of the encounter with the pickpocket.
"Ha! That jerk was too weak. I didn't even have to do anything; Luke gave him a thorough thrashing!" Gwen laughed, punching the air. "And that wasn't all—we tied him up and called the police!"
Peter said quickly, "Did they see your faces? If the police ask..."
"Don't worry! I'm a professional!" Gwen's eyes sparkled with mischief. "The moment we pulled him into the alley, I jammed a trash can over his head. Plus, there were no cameras where we chose to do it!"
A professional? Why do you sound more like a mugger than a hero? Peter laughed and said, "Let's go. Don't forget why we're here today."
"The main event! Heh heh heh!" Gwen and Luke laughed weirdly at each other. Peter and Mary Jane shared a look of confusion; they definitely felt that Gwen and Luke were acting strange.
They reached the gates of the Osborn villa but were stopped by security.
"Hello, we're here to see Harry," Gwen said politely.
"Harry?" The guard blinked. "Which Harry?"
Gwen smiled. "Harry Osborn. We're his friends!"
"The young master?" The guard looked them over and replied politely, "If you're his friends, you can call him directly."
"We can't get a hold of him. Could you help us find him?" Mary Jane asked anxiously.
The guard shook his head. "I can't. The Master gave strict orders that the young master is not to be disturbed, nor is he allowed to leave. If you're truly his friends, please contact him yourselves." He gestured toward the gate, signaling them to leave.
"But we really—"
"Mary!" Gwen pulled Mary Jane back and shook her head. "Let's go. We shouldn't make things difficult for Grandpa Security."
The guard, who wasn't even twenty-five: "..."
The group moved around the corner. Peter, Mary Jane, and Luke all looked at Gwen. Gwen shrugged. "Well, it looks like we'll have to use some... 'unconventional' methods."
"Unconventional methods? Like what?"
Gwen grinned. She checked the surroundings to ensure no cameras were watching, and faint sparks began to flicker on her skin. In the next second, a flaming skeleton flashed briefly before vanishing from sight.
A moment later, before the others even realized she had moved, Gwen appeared behind them like a ghostly blue phantom. "Done!" she whispered.
The three of them jumped. Peter and the others gulped hard. Luke asked suspiciously, "How did you do that?"
"Heh heh!" Gwen deactivated her power and smiled. "You'll see when you get over there."
They shared a bewildered look. Moments later, when they saw the unconscious security guard, their lips twitched in unison. So, this is what you meant by 'done'?
"Don't worry, anyone in our way has been... heh heh!" Gwen explained.
That's not the point! the three screamed internally. Won't we be charged with trespassing?
"Don't just stand there, move! It'll be bad if someone catches us and calls it trespassing!" Gwen urged them.
The three: "!" Wait, you actually know trespassing is wrong?
With their expressions nearly collapsing, they followed Gwen into the Osborn home. The path was clear because Gwen had "cleaned up" everyone in their way. She had even professionally disabled all the security cameras.
Peter and the others followed cautiously, but Gwen walked through the mansion as if it were her own home. She asked Luke, "Did Harry tell you where his room is?"
Luke shook his head. Gwen wore a look of intellectual superiority. "Ha! Good thing I knocked almost everyone out!"
The three gasped. Man, you really went all out! If Harry's father came home now, he'd think the house had suffered a terrorist attack.
Noticing their expressions, Gwen shrugged. "Did you have a better idea?"
The three remained silent and kept walking. Gwen led the way until they heard Harry's voice coming from a room. The youngsters pressed their ears against the door. They could hear a man talking to Harry.
Confirmed, it's Harry! The four nodded.
Gwen placed her hand on the door. What are you doing? the others asked with their eyes.
Gwen gave them a smile and tapped on the door with a quick, rhythmic pattern. It was a secret code they had established long ago. Sure enough, hearing the knock, Harry paused. Before he could speak, the old man who was tutoring him rubbed his bald head in confusion and opened the door.
Immediately, everything went black for the old man, and he slumped over. Before he could hit the floor, Luke caught him. "Are you sure you didn't kill him?" Luke asked Gwen, terrified.
Gwen nodded, but a tiny wisp of blue flame still drifted from her fingertip and settled on the old man. "Now it's foolproof!"
She looked up and locked eyes with Harry, who was staring at them in stunned silence. A huge grin broke across her face. "Hi!" Gwen waved. Peter and the others looked nervous but clearly relieved.
Harry buried his face in his hand, his lips twitching into an unstoppable smile. "You guys are crazy!" he whispered.
The five of them looked at each other and burst into laughter. Harry walked over and hugged them all. After watching Luke lay his tutor onto a nearby sofa, he couldn't help but ask, "How did you guys get here?"
"You haven't been around for so long and we couldn't reach you. We were really worried, so we came," Mary Jane said quickly.
Harry bit his lip. "You guys really are..." He suddenly realized something and asked worriedly, "Wait, how did you get in?"
Gwen raised her fist.
Harry: (⊙_⊙)
(End of Chapter)