Watching Black Widow Natasha's back as she left, Nick Fury nodded solemnly.
Half a month later, in New York, Midtown High was holding its graduation ceremony.
Maguire stood there smiling at Uncle Ben and Aunt May. Their faces were full of pride. The reason was simple: Maguire had been admitted to a prestigious university. As for how he'd gotten in—well, by whatever means it took.
Uncle Ben patted Maguire's shoulder and said, "Peter, from this moment on, you're a man who stands on his own two feet. You've grown up, and you have your own ideas. Your aunt and I are proud of you, but I want to tell you a few things. You've got some money now, and you've gotten into a prestigious university. If you have the ability, help others as much as you can—remember, the greater the power, the greater the responsibility."
Hearing the words he'd long known, Maguire felt a different kind of understanding. "Yeah—the greater the power, the greater the responsibility. Then I'll be a Bully with a sense of responsibility."
Just then, a pleasant voice rang out. "Maguire, there you are."
Maguire turned toward the voice; it was the blonde Gwen. Because they'd been preparing for exams, she and Maguire hadn't spent much time together lately. Seeing him now, she was extra affectionate. If Aunt May and Uncle Ben, and Gwen's own parents, hadn't been right there, she would've thrown herself into his arms.
Gwen's parents, George and Helen, had finally accepted Maguire. Spotting their soon-to-be in-laws, they hurried over to greet Uncle Ben and Aunt May.
At that moment, Garfield and Holland came over with two other students. Soon they were standing in front of Maguire. Holland hurried to introduce them. "Maguire, let me introduce you. These are my two good friends—this chubby guy is Ned, and this—"
Maguire said with a teasing look, "I know—this is your girlfriend, right?"
Holland flushed bright red. "Don't talk nonsense, Maguire. She's my friend too. Her name is Michelle Jones."
Michelle Jones smiled at Maguire. "Just call me Jones from now on. And I'm not Holland's girlfriend."
"Only for now," Maguire quipped.
Just then, another young man approached—Harry. The gloom on his face had completely lifted; he'd recovered his old ease and nonchalance. He walked up to Maguire and said, "Congratulations, Peter."
"Harry, call me Maguire from now on," Maguire replied. "That's what everyone calls me."
Harry smiled and nodded. "Alright then, Maguire."
The graduation ceremony ended in a cheerful mood, and the group headed into their vacation.
Early the next morning, Maguire was jolted awake by a ringing phone—it was Harry. He picked up. Harry's excited voice came through the line. "Our Spider Alliance base is finished. You can bring Garfield and Holland over to check it out."
Maguire shot upright in bed in an instant. "No problem. Thanks, Harry. I'll call Garfield and Holland right now." The two of them were just as thrilled.
After washing up, Maguire drove to pick up Garfield and Holland. Soon both were in the car, buzzing with excitement and peppering Maguire with questions about the base.
"I didn't really take part," Maguire shrugged. "You'll see when we get there."
Harry sent Maguire the location—turns out, it was at the old Oscorp site. Maguire drove toward it, and soon they were on the Brooklyn Bridge.
"I remember running into the Lizard here," Holland said, a little nostalgic. "That was my first fight."
Garfield and Maguire both cracked a grin.
Up ahead, cars had piled into a chain-reaction crash, and screams were rising from the front.
"Something's wrong. Let's check it out," Garfield and Holland said, frowning.
Maguire glanced in the rearview—traffic already boxed them in. He sighed. "Alright, I'll go with you two."
Garfield and Holland went to suit up in their Spider suits right there.
Maguire deadpanned, "It's not like it's a monster or aliens—do you really need to change?"
The two blinked. "Right. It's just a crash."
The three got out and walked forward.
A few hundred meters ahead on the Brooklyn Bridge stood a towering, three-meter-tall figure of living rock—the Thing—planted in the middle of the span. In front of him sat a large truck with a totaled cab; its sudden stop had triggered the pileup behind it.
Not far away, a gas canister toppled off a vehicle and clanged onto the pavement—right beside a little girl. A second later, it exploded, a sheet of flame surging toward her. In that instant, a young man flashed to her side and used his own body to shield her from the blast.
Maguire and the other two arrived just in time to see it. Taking in the sudden scene, Maguire thought to himself, "Don't tell me… the Human Torch?!"
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