With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility

Peter sprinted home in a panic, and by the time he reached the front door, he was already gasping for breath.

He had been in a great mood at first. At Osborn Corporation, using the formula his parents had left behind, he had helped Connors crack the Gene Lock that had baffled him for so long. Through a model, they had successfully healed a white mouse with a broken leg.

Once Connors confirmed that his experimental results could be used on humans, this breakthrough might save countless lives!

But when he left Osborn Corporation and saw that the sky had already darkened, Peter suddenly panicked.

He remembered Benny repeatedly reminding him at noon not to forget to pick up Aunt May, but he and Connors had become so absorbed in their research that he had completely lost track of time.

It was so late that he could not even be sure whether Aunt May was still waiting for him.

Still, he raced desperately to Aunt May's workplace. But by then, Benny had already taken Aunt May home. Filled with worry, Peter did not even have time to catch his breath before rushing all the way back.

From a distance, he saw Uncle Ben standing at the front door.

Uncle Ben's stern expression made Peter deeply uneasy. Being scolded was secondary; more importantly, Peter did not know whether Aunt May had made it home safely. New York was not safe at night. If something had happened to Aunt May because of his negligence, he would never forgive himself for the rest of his life.

"Uncle Ben, where's Aunt May?!" he shouted before he had even stopped running.

After sprinting all the way here, even Peter's enhanced stamina had left him exhausted. He braced his hands on his hips, his throat burning as if it were on fire. Bent nearly double, he could barely speak.

Yet his face was filled with worry and fear.

Seeing him like this, Uncle Ben, who had originally intended to give him a harsh lecture, immediately softened.

"Benny picked her up," Uncle Ben said. "He lied for you and said you asked him to go get her."

When Peter heard that Aunt May was safe, he finally let out a sigh of relief, the weight in his heart lifting. But he was also shocked and ashamed. At noon, Benny had reminded him not to forget to pick up Aunt May, yet Peter had not only forgotten, but Benny had ended up fulfilling his promise for him.

"I'm sorry..." Peter was so upset that he could barely speak. He did not even dare look Uncle Ben in the eyes.

Fortunately, perhaps because Peter had not forgotten the matter completely as he had in the original movie, Uncle Ben could see his worry and guilt. That made him less angry with Peter.

"Everyone has moments when they slip up, Peter," he said gently, carefully choosing his words so as not to make the boy too upset. "You're a lot like your father. I think that's good. Very good!"

Uncle Ben meant those words sincerely.

Though Peter's father and he had been brothers, they had been completely different. Compared with ordinary him, Peter's father had been far more outstanding. Uncle Ben also hoped Peter could become an exceptional scientist like his father.

"But your father always believed that with great power comes great responsibility." Uncle Ben walked over and put an arm around Peter, giving him a little warmth and comfort.

"You're grown up now. Even though May and I aren't your real parents..."

"What? No!" Hearing that, Peter's heart lurched. He quickly looked up, wanting to say something, but Uncle Ben gestured for him to listen.

"It's nothing, Peter. It's the truth," Uncle Ben said seriously.

"May and I don't object to you or Benny looking into your parents' affairs. That is your right, and we have no right to stop you. But remember, even though we aren't your parents, we love you just the same.

"I don't expect you to take on much responsibility for this family, but I hope you won't make May sad, all right?" Uncle Ben said. "Do you know what might have happened today if Benny hadn't gone to pick up May?"

"I..." Peter opened his mouth, but no words came out.

All the way home, he could not stop imagining the worst possible outcome. He might have lost Aunt May because of this.

Uncle Ben reached out and gripped his shoulder. "You're not the only one who would think that way. When May didn't see you, she would have been even more worried than you were!"

"Yeah." At that moment, Peter did not know what else to do except nod.

Guilt washed over him, dimming much of the joy he had felt since gaining Superpowers.

Uncle Ben did not want to see him remain so guilty, so he comforted him. "Luckily, you're both all right now. That's enough. Just remember not to do this again, okay? Remember, with great power comes great responsibility."

Peter nodded, his eyes red.

At that moment, the front door opened.

Ben stood in the doorway with a pork chop in one hand and took a savage bite. Grease dripped from the pork chop as he leaned against the doorframe. "How much longer are you two going to stand out there?"

Peter and Uncle Ben looked at him at the same time.

Uncle Ben narrowed his eyes, patted Peter on the back, and said loudly, "You must be starving, kid. Go inside and eat!"

Then he leaned close and quietly reminded Peter, "Benny already lied for you once today, so just go along with what he said, okay? Don't make May worry."

"Okay!" Peter nodded hard.

Night.

Peter and Ben ate until they were stuffed, then crammed themselves into Ben's room.

"Urgh..." Peter burped. "I never thought I could eat this much."

"Obviously, our Superpowers mean we need to consume more calories too. If we keep eating at this rate, I think Uncle Ben will be broke from feeding me soon enough," Ben said, lying on the bed.

He had originally thought an argument would be unavoidable tonight, but he had not expected Uncle Ben to resolve everything peacefully.

But another problem followed right after—money!

Without Ben and Peter, Uncle Ben and Aunt May would have lived fairly comfortably. But with two extra children in the household, expenses had suddenly increased a great deal. Now that they could eat so much, they had nearly emptied the refrigerator in one night.

"We need to find a way to make some money."

Peter nodded seriously as well. "With great power comes great responsibility. We've gained Superpowers, so it's time for us to take responsibility for this family." He thought for a moment. "What about fighting in underground boxing matches? I guarantee no one could beat us. We could make a fortune!"

"No, absolutely no boxing!" Ben jolted at the suggestion.

He had gone through so much trouble to prevent the Spider-Web Incident once. Who knew what would happen if Spider-Man started fighting in underground boxing matches?

At that moment, Peter's thoughts jumped elsewhere. After thinking it over, he said, "Maybe we should use our Superpowers to do something."

He pushed his chair over to Ben's bed and said seriously, "Just like Uncle Ben said, the Superpowers we gained aren't just a gift. More importantly, they're also our responsibility.

"We have an obligation to use them to make this world a better place!"

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