Please Continue Your Performance

"Li, was that Justice Kid who's been all over the news lately?"

Max, sitting in the passenger seat, looked astonished. Having spent the last few days busy modifying Bumblebee, he hadn't paid much attention to news reports; he'd only heard Li Si mention the new nickname "Spider-Man" in passing.

"Yeah!"

Li Si's attention was already fully focused on the newly popped-up system notification, so he merely nodded in response to Max's inquiry.

[Notification: You have completed a hidden achievement [Soul Mentor], gaining 1 achievement point. Current achievement points: 1]

[Notification: Achievement points can be used to redeem items in the Achievement Store. The store is currently closed; please look forward to it!]

"So it really exists? I thought I'd have to defeat Lizard to get an achievement point, but I didn't expect to get one for free just like that."

Seeing the system prompt, Li Si, who had been in a somewhat sour mood, finally felt a bit better.

He had only nudged Peter Parker out of a sense of camaraderie from being classmates; this achievement point was a completely unexpected bonus.

"I hope using justice as a spiritual anchor helps the little spider feel a bit better!"

Thinking of Peter Parker's performance just now, Li Si sighed again.

To be honest, he didn't have deep feelings for Peter Parker; his approach was more calculated. Otherwise, he wouldn't have stood by and watched Ben Parker die, especially since he knew the plot beforehand and could have easily saved him.

But human hearts are made of flesh and blood. If he hadn't stumbled upon the little spider in such a manic state, he might have just pretended nothing happened, but since he had seen it, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of emotion.

Of course, that was all it was. As for feeling regret over not saving Ben Parker, that was impossible.

If it were a character he had been deeply fond of in his past lives, he might have stepped in to fix the regret, but he really didn't care for this version of Ben Parker—he didn't even have a shred of goodwill toward him.

The Amazing Spider-Man version of Ben Parker didn't utter the classic quote from the older version before dying, but he was even more of a self-righteous moralizer and a chatterbox than the original.

Being a moralizer was one thing; while he didn't want to become that way himself, he at least respected such people.

But this version of Ben Parker loved to impose his own values and will onto others, constantly lecturing from a position of moral superiority. He seemed to want the whole world to be as "saintly" as he was—it was enough to make one want to add a derogatory suffix to the word "saint."

Thinking about it, Peter Parker living in such a family was quite tragic. If he had to live in such a bizarre household, he would have gone insane.

...A Helpless Divider...

The next morning, since his three-day leave had expired, Li Si had to crawl out of bed early.

He had wandered outside until late last night and grabbed a midnight snack with Max, so it was already past three in the morning by the time he got to sleep. Combined with the amount of alcohol he'd consumed, having to get up this early for school felt like it was taking half his life.

Fortunately, Bumblebee was finished, so he could finally enjoy the life of a car owner. At the very least, he didn't have to squeeze onto the bus or endure the body odor of the talkative black bus driver.

"Whoa, what a cool sports car! Who's inside?"

"I know every car at school. Did some new rich kid transfer here?"

"So jealous. Damn it, my parents said I can't buy a car until I graduate, and it'll definitely be a used one!"

"What brand is that? I've never seen it before. It looks so cool; I'm buying one like that later!"

A sports car with a sleek design was undoubtedly every boy's favorite. After Bumblebee drove into the school, it caused a small sensation among the students at Midtown School of Science and Technology, and the looks of envy and jealousy were palpable.

The price of buying a car in America wasn't too high, but for teenagers, they usually had to wait until high school graduation to get their own low-end vehicle, and some didn't get one until college—not to mention those from less fortunate families.

Everything is subject to comparison. When most people could only look on with longing, seeing someone drive up in such an incredibly cool sports car made their feelings quite complicated.

"Still want to buy a Bumblebee? Dream on, kid."

Rarely getting to enjoy the thrill of showing off, Li Si felt great listening to the comments along the way. He found a parking spot, parked Bumblebee, and caused another stir upon stepping out.

Perhaps even he didn't realize that he had already become a prominent figure at Midtown School of Science and Technology.

Two days ago, his one-versus-three display of legendary Chinese Kung Fu had added a layer of mystery to his existing reputation as a top student. The hype had only just started to fade after his three-day disappearance, but now, arriving at school in a high-profile sports car, he had undoubtedly reignited the topic.

Those who recognized him couldn't help but exclaim, and some were already speculating if he was the heir to some massive Chinese conglomerate.

Others were even more absurd, swearing that he was a disciple of a legendary Chinese martial arts family—who knows which comic or novel they got that from—leaving Li Si with black lines running down his forehead.

"Yeah, yeah, keep going!"

As soon as he stepped out of the car, he was surrounded by a crowd and couldn't squeeze his way out. He decided to just stop moving and stood in the center, letting the students point and stare.

Since these people were only saying things of praise and awe, and no one dislikes hearing compliments, he was no exception. Since he couldn't leave and he liked hearing it, he might as well listen for a while longer.

Any other ordinary high school student might have turned red from the intense scrutiny, but having lived for nearly three lifetimes, he had seen it all; his skin was already thick enough to be immune to any poison.

Not only did he not feel ashamed, but he was actually beaming, nodding in agreement and echoing their sentiments from time to time, even gesturing for them to keep going.

This actually made the crowd of students stop talking. After all, they were thin-skinned, and many felt a sense of shame and quietly backed out of the circle.

"Hey, hey, don't go! Keep praising me, I won't mind!"

Seeing the crowd thinning, an unsatisfied Li Si actually reached out to keep them there.

The remaining students were stunned by his shamelessness. Even the thickest-skinned among them admitted defeat and turned to leave. The area around Bumblebee, which had been packed with onlookers, suddenly became empty.

"Tch, trying to outplay me? You guys are still a bit too young."

Glancing at the onlookers who ran faster than rabbits, Li Si happily headed toward the teaching building.

Well, he'd managed to show off, enjoyed a round of praise from the crowd, and solved a small annoyance—this was definitely a win.