Brand New Equipment

It was another beautiful new day. Peter Parker finished his studies and celebrated a victory at the detective agency – the agency had also successfully helped Spider-Man capture Scarecrow, which significantly lifted Peter's spirits after being lectured by Aunt May all night.

Then, Spider-Man once again arrived at Avengers Tower. The last rays of sunlight in the sky reflected a golden-red glow on the building's glass curtain walls, incredibly brilliant, just like his mood at that moment.

Although the two battles with Scarecrow had basically ruined both of his suits, he had to find the most intact parts he could to wear.

"Halt, soldier, you're entering a restricted area."

Iron Man deliberately mimicked Captain America's serious tone, then his faceplate retracted, revealing Tony Stark's iconic face with a teasing smile. He patted Peter's shoulder with a laugh, "You know, Captain always thought you weren't up to it, that you were just a kid who'd act impulsively or something. Turns out you did great, didn't you? The idea of overloading and detonating Scarecrow's weapon was brilliant."

Peter also smiled. He noticed Tony Stark was wearing his armor.

"Mr. Stark. Do the Avengers have a mission?"

"Oh, right, we have to go to Africa to apprehend a smuggler named Ulysses Klaue. He's got a large shipment of Vibranium weapons." After saying this, Tony realized Peter might not know who Ulysses Klaue was, so he added, "Captain's shield is made of Vibranium, and he's supporting Wakanda's civil war in order to steal local assets. We need to bring him back. The Quinjet has already departed."

Peter did know Ulysses Klaue, the guy from the Avengers: Age of Ultron movie who lost an arm to Ultron. In the comics, he was a supervillain called "Klaw," and he also appeared in the Black Panther movie. His weapon was a Vibranium-powered sonic emitter attached to his severed arm. Peter thought he was less impressive than Scarecrow.

The Avengers probably weren't going just to arrest a smuggler; it was more likely related to Vibranium and Wakanda, but that wasn't something he could get involved in.

"Regardless, we'll be out of town, so no one will be home. And coincidentally, I thought of someone who could help look after the place." Tony said as he led Peter into Avengers Tower, picking up a pre-prepared card from the bar. "The Avengers protect the world, and the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man can protect New York. Your Avenger ID card, kid."

"Does this mean..."

"Don't overthink it, kid, you're at most, an… auxiliary member." Tony chuckled. "You'll have to work hard for a few more years. Alright, look after New York while we're gone. With this ID card, you can use all the equipment in Avengers Tower. Oh, and to prevent you from misusing it, you'll have to swipe your card every time you enter, and we'll know what you've been up to."

"I understand, Mr. Stark." Peter took the ID card and examined it, then made his first request: "Can I use the technology here to make a new suit? My current one, uh, has no protective capabilities and is all torn up."

"I told you, kid, you can use all the equipment."

Tony said as he put on his helmet, "If you don't understand anything, ask J.A.R.V.I.S. I have to go catch up with Captain—"

"Uh, one more thing, Mr. Stark."

Tony, who had already activated his thrusters and was ready to take off, stopped and looked at Peter. "What?"

"I met someone. She said she was a fortune teller, could see my future, knew my identity, and had spider-like abilities similar to mine." To avoid disrupting the Avengers' mission, Peter summarized the situation concisely: "She said that on the same day as me, someone else gained spider-like abilities, and this person is crucial because I'll be traveling through the multiverse in the future and will need this person as a beacon to return."

"Whoa." Iron Man was stunned for a full three seconds, processing the information. "That's certainly… unusual. Regardless of whether it's true or not, if there's a possibility of another Spider-Man, the Avengers will investigate cautiously."

Peter actually had a good idea who that person might be. When it came to someone who gained powers from the same spider as Peter Parker, it would likely be Cindy Moon, "Silk."

But the problem was, no matter what Cindy Moon was doing now, she definitely wasn't a student at Midtown High School. If she were, Peter would have noticed her long ago. Considering the possibility that it wasn't her, he figured it was best to hand the matter over to the Avengers.

As for Tony Stark's thoughts, they were simple – half a year had passed, and there was still no news of another spider-powered individual?

No need to ask further, just contact Nick Fury.

After watching Iron Man leave, Peter put away his Avenger ID card and asked the entire building, "If I want to make a suit, where should I go?"

"The 3D printers are in the fifth-floor laboratory, Mr. Parker."

Peter nodded as he muttered to himself.

"For a building where only the top few floors are used to house the Avengers, isn't the fifth floor a bit too low?"

"Actually, Mr. Parker, the Avengers only consider the top five floors as their living quarters."

Peter chuckled. He needed to test out some new equipment to upgrade his suit.

"This is your new equipment, Mr. Sneshkov."

Dimitri Sneshkov, codenamed Chameleon, a former Russian foreign intelligence agent, had defected to the United States after stealing former Soviet camouflage equipment. After spending the reward money from the CIA, he decided to use his camouflage technology to work for various underground organizations. Now, he had accepted an invitation from Kingpin to a abandoned warehouse to test a small toy Kingpin had prepared for him.

Dimitri narrowed his eyes, holding the small, perhaps three-centimeter-wide sphere in his hand, and looked at Kingpin beside him. "Is this thing really as magical as you say, Mr. Visk?"

"Let my employee explain it to you. This is Quentin Beck, formerly Hollywood's finest special effects artist."

Quentin Beck was a timid, skinny man who couldn't stop nodding, as if agreeing with everything. Quentin walked up to Dimitri and, after thinking for a while about how to explain the item's function, decided not to explain it and simply demonstrated its use.

"Press the button in the middle, then throw it on the ground. That's how it works."

Dimitri did as he was told and witnessed a miracle. The warehouse, which had only a few people, was now filled with countless workers. No matter the angle, there were no obvious signs of projection.

"This is light particle distortion technology. It's not perfect yet, it can only be programmed and matched to the environment. It can't operate anywhere..."

Dimitri didn't want to listen to such meaningless scientific jargon.

"What's the projection range?"

"A sphere with a radius of one hundred meters, but it can only play pre-arranged images and must be deployed within the appropriate range."

That's enough. It's enough to deal with Spider-Man. Within a hundred-meter radius, he could impersonate Spider-Man and commit all sorts of crimes, ruining Spider-Man's reputation. Sometimes, defeating a superhero doesn't require actually beating or killing them; making everyone believe he's a criminal and a villain is also a method.

And this was not difficult for Chameleon. He was already well-versed in this art.

"Once suitable scenes are arranged, I can begin. I'll first ruin Spider-Man's reputation and then lure him into a trap. After that, it's your problem."

Dimitri finished speaking and asked with some interest, "But I still want to ask, have you chosen a location?"

"I'm already looking for a suitable graveyard for Spider-Man."

Kingpin lit a cigar. "I've hired the best detective in New York, Mr. MacDonald Gargan. He will select the most fitting final resting place for Spider-Man."