Encountering Spider-Man

When Dilos heard Dr. Connors's question, he knew his chance had come.

He suppressed his excitement and slowly began telling Dr. Connors about the knowledge he'd acquired at school and how he'd obtained several advanced biology books from outside to study.

As Dr. Connors listened to Dilos describe what he'd learned about biology, he nodded approvingly.

The young man was eager to learn and had a genuine love of science. The idea began to take root in Dr. Connors's mind.

At first, Dr. Connors had suspected that Dilos was bragging and lying to get better treatment as an assistant. But when Dilos easily answered several advanced biology questions and demonstrated techniques that Dr. Connors had deliberately selected, he no longer doubted Dilos's abilities.

By the standards for this internship, Dilos was more than qualified—in fact, he was more qualified than the other interns present. Not only did he have a solid foundation of knowledge, but he was also just as capable in practical work. Dilos was the person who best fit Dr. Connors's idea of a senior assistant.

Especially during the experiment competition among the seven interns, when Dilos proved onstage with his results that he was the best of them, Dr. Connors's satisfaction with him reached a new high.

And so, Dilos earned the senior assistant position Dr. Connors had granted him, along with the right to give the other six a certain amount of direction.

The others might have felt more or less resentful about it, but they had nothing more to say. After all, Dilos had proved his abilities right in front of them.

"Although we've wasted quite a bit of time on the test, please be patient a little longer. I have something for you." Dr. Connors beckoned to Dilos, who understood and handed out several printed copies of the notes Dr. Connors had prepared in advance.

"The first page outlines your internship work for the next month. The rest explains the knowledge and practical techniques you'll need during the internship. There isn't much here, but I can promise you that it will be extremely helpful for your future. If any of you hope to make great strides in biological science, what's written on these pages will lay the foundation for your future."

With that, Dr. Connors smiled and spread his hands. "Time's up. You're all free to go."

When Dr. Connors dismissed them, the interns, Dilos included, felt a little disappointed. Still, they left so as not to give Dr. Connors a bad impression. After all, according to the original terms, during the month-long internship they only needed to work for two hours each morning in Dr. Connors's lab; the rest of the time, they had to leave.

That was because Dr. Connors had his own research to do, and having people around for too long would only disturb him.

And so, they hurried off with the copies Dr. Connors had given them. There weren't many pages, but to Dilos and the others, they were priceless! If they didn't hurry home and study them now, when would they?

That might sound exaggerated, but it wasn't hard to understand. The material wasn't just knowledge that was nearly impossible to learn at school; it was also a distillation of the knowledge Dr. Connors, a giant in the scientific world, had mastered. It was more than enough to lay a solid foundation for them before they set out on the path to greater scientific achievements!

Compared with the rather thin packets the others had received, Dilos's was about twice as thick. That was one of the benefits of earning Dr. Connors's approval, and Dilos was thrilled when he saw it in his hands.

Dilos's memory had been getting better and better, and he was also learning more efficiently. Since he wanted to make the Super Soldier Serum and Spider-Man serum himself, he needed this material to keep expanding his knowledge.

What? There's too little? He'll be done studying it in a few days?

So what? He could just find another way to learn more from Dr. Connors.

Just then, Dilos suddenly froze. He felt several pairs of eager eyes fixed on him. It only took him a moment to figure out why, and the corner of his mouth curled into a pleasant smile.

He knew the other interns were eyeing the extra material in his hands, but he had no intention of sharing what he'd received—not even of making copies. That would waste too much of his precious time. Besides, he'd made a verbal agreement with Dr. Connors earlier. Without Dr. Connors's permission, he wouldn't show the material to anyone else.

"Sorry, I have something urgent to take care of, so I'll be off. Bye!"

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Dilos quickened his pace without hesitation and soon disappeared from view, leaving the stunned interns staring at one another.

After receiving the material from Dr. Connors, Dilos threw himself into studying. Apart from an hour of body training each day and his internship at the lab, he spent nearly all his time cooped up in his rented room, studying the notes.

Thanks to his exceptional memory and learning ability, he managed to master everything in the notes in less than five days.

"I've finished studying this material, but how can I learn more from Dr. Connors?"

That day, after finishing the work he'd been assigned at the lab, Dilos walked down the street, constantly thinking about how he could learn everything from Dr. Connors so he could create a Mutant Spider Serum like the one in the movies from his previous life.

But no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't come up with a good idea. Hypnotizing Dr. Connors to get information out of him wasn't impossible, but Dr. Connors had always treated him well. Hypnotizing him to extract his knowledge would make Dilos a real bastard.

"Hm? Where am I?"

Lost in thought, Dilos realized he'd wandered somewhere unfamiliar without noticing.

"Sir, this is Queens, New York."

A man standing beside Dilos had heard him mutter and kindly explained.

"Queens?"

Dilos turned to look at the person who'd answered him. He had dark brown hair and stood around five foot seven. Judging by his appearance and demeanor, he seemed a little younger than Dilos. Like Dilos, he wore thick-framed glasses, though his weren't quite as ridiculous. He still had an unmistakably earnest, innocent air about him.

The boy smiled. "Yeah. I take it this is your first time here?"

Dilos smiled and nodded. "That's right. This is my first time here."

"Then you really should take a look around," the boy said, his mood brightening. "This is the most beautiful borough in New York."

"Sure, I will." The boy's warmth made a good impression on Dilos. He wasn't particularly interested in wandering around Queens, but he offered a polite response anyway.

"Hey, Peter Parker!"

An unfriendly voice came from behind them.

A tall blond teenager with a buzz cut strode toward the two of them, followed by two other boys who didn't look friendly. His face was full of anger.

The two reacted differently. The boy beside Dilos suddenly looked nervous, while Dilos began glancing around, trying to spot the legendary Spider-Man. But there was no one else around. Apart from himself and the three troublemakers, there was only one possibility.

"So you're Spider-Man."

Dilos looked at the boy beside him with a strange expression. He couldn't believe that he'd run into the legendary Spider-Man just by wandering around.