The Wounded Beast

Li Si strolled through the darkness, savoring the rare peace and quiet. He couldn't remember the last time he'd taken such a leisurely walk.

Before long, Bumblebee had transformed into a sports car and caught up with them. Neither of them got in, though. They simply continued walking slowly and aimlessly, with Bumblebee following close behind.

It was late, and there were no other pedestrians around. Otherwise, anyone who saw a car creeping along with no one behind the wheel would have gotten quite a scare.

"Li, what did that person mean by 'natives'? Are they aliens?"

After walking in silence for quite a while, Max hesitated for a long time before finally voicing the question on his mind.

"They're not exactly aliens..." Li Si paused, then asked, "Do you know about the parallel worlds theory?"

"You mean they're all humans from parallel worlds?" Max asked in surprise.

"Something like that... I haven't figured it out myself."

Li Si had no intention of hiding anything from Max. As more and more players arrived and their influence grew, it was only a matter of time before Marvel Earth's natives noticed them.

But he hadn't managed to figure out what kind of beings the players were, either. He still hadn't found an answer by the time he was reborn, and probably only the developers behind Astral Gaming Company knew.

The only thing he could say for certain was that this world was definitely not a virtual game.

In non-fully immersive mode, it might not feel that way. But in fully immersive mode, this world was almost indistinguishable from reality. Every NPC was flesh and blood. Even a random passerby on the street had thoughts and a life of their own.

Maybe artificial intelligence could simulate thoughts, but there probably wasn't a computer capable of running billions of AIs, let alone simulating all the rules of reality.

Even if some incomprehensibly powerful computer really could do all that, no game operator would be willing to waste so much computing power.

And there was also the achievement exchange system that would open in the future. Items, abilities, and even people from the game could be brought into reality. If this was still just a virtual game, who could be sure they were actually living in the real world?

"Parallel worlds have a—"

Max was clearly interested in the topic, but just as he was about to ask more, he suddenly froze, staring ahead.

At some point, the two of them had left the main road and reached an outdoor parking lot. A short distance ahead, two people seemed to be arguing.

There was something strange about them. One was a disheveled blond white man; the other was a weirdo in a red, skin-tight mask and suit, with a black spider emblem on his chest.

They seemed to have gotten into some kind of altercation. When Max looked over, the blond man had already pulled out a folding knife. But his expression wasn't angry or vicious. He looked terrified, and kept saying, "Let me go."

"Is that a knife?"

"No, those little knives are what scare me the most..."

The weirdo in the red suit let out a nervous, theatrical shriek and dropped to his knees. He covered his face with both hands, begging for mercy, but his voice held no fear at all. Instead, it was tinged with madness and mockery.

And that was exactly what it was. The red-suited weirdo soon dropped his nervous, clumsy act and shot something that looked like a web from his wrist, sticking the blond man's knife-wielding right hand to the wall behind him.

Even after disarming the blond man, he didn't stop. He kept taunting and teasing him as he fired several more webs, pinning the man to the wall.

"Had enough?"

Li Si had quietly watched the farce unfold. Now he stepped forward and looked at him coldly.

The red-suited weirdo heard the sudden voice behind him and whipped around, raising the wrist that fired those strange webs and aiming it at Li Si.

But the moment he saw Li Si, he suddenly froze.

"Are you the Spider-Man the news calls Justice Kid?"

Though he knew Peter Parker was the one hidden beneath the suit, Li Si didn't expose him.

"Hey, that's right! I'm your friendly neighborhood New York Justice Kid, Mr. Spider-Man!"

After freezing for a moment, Peter Parker recovered. He struck a playful pose, then swayed over to Li Si, draped an arm over his shoulder, and leaned against him.

"Justice Kid?"

Li Si shook his head as if disappointed and sneered. "All I see is a wounded, irritable beast—a pathetic wretch hoping to vent his negative emotions through violence."

"I..."

Peter Parker opened his mouth, but fell silent, unable to argue.

"There's a saying I don't particularly like, but I think it might be worth sharing with you."

Li Si patted Peter Parker on the shoulder. "With great power comes great responsibility. Whether you understand that or not, you'd better think about what you're doing."

With that, Li Si didn't wait for a response. He led Max back to Bumblebee's driver's seat, then drove away.

"With great power comes great responsibility..."

Peter Parker murmured the words.

He paid no attention to Li Si as he left. After standing there dazed for a long time, he quietly took out an old phone and played a voicemail.

"Peter, I know things have been tough for you lately. I'm really sorry. I think I understand how you feel..."

It was a voicemail from his late uncle, Ben Parker. Even now, it all felt like a dream.

Just two nights ago, after arguing with his uncle, he had stormed out of the house. His uncle had gone looking for him, only to be killed by a robber who had just finished holding up a convenience store.

What made him regret it even more was that he'd been right there in the store when the robbery happened. He hadn't stopped the robber because the shopkeeper had been rude to him.

He could have stopped him. Ever since he'd been bitten by a spider, his strength and reflexes had far surpassed those of an ordinary person. If he'd wanted to, he could have easily caught the robber. His uncle wouldn't have been killed by the robber as he fled in panic. But he hadn't done it.

"Maybe Li was right. I really have gone crazy... A mad dog, lashing out in a frenzy after being hurt. Heh..."

"With great power comes great responsibility..."

"If only I'd heard those words sooner... How wonderful that would have been!"