A Lesson (Part Two)

"Parker, I warned you not to get close to Mary Jane." The blond young man leading the group walked straight up to Peter and said viciously, "But clearly, you took my words in one ear and out the other."

"Flash, we were just having a quick chat. Besides, I don't think you have any right to control this. You're not Mary's boyfriend!" Peter shot back without hesitation, even though the sight of the burly, fierce-looking guy in front of him had left his legs feeling weak.

"Looks like you're itching for another beating." Flash laughed angrily at Peter's words. "Maybe we should give you a refresher course."

"Yeah!"

"Exactly!"

The two guys behind Flash quickly chimed in, making Peter's face turn pale. Then they gave Dilos, standing beside Peter, a hostile look.

One of the two, a shorter guy, said, "I've never seen you before. Are you one of his buddies?"

It was no wonder they thought so. Dilos was standing right next to Peter, for one thing. And those thick-framed glasses of his looked ridiculous, making him seem far too much like the Peter Parker beside him.

In other words, he had that absentminded, easy-to-bully nerd vibe.

Flash noticed Dilos's outfit too, and a mocking smile crossed his face. "Birds of a feather."

"Heh."

Dilos suddenly laughed. When Peter saw him smile, he couldn't explain why, but a chill swept through his mind.

Likewise, Flash and his two companions felt a sudden surge of irritation at the "heh" Dilos let out.

"Tch." Flash said nothing, but the short guy beside him clicked his tongue in annoyance at Dilos's smile. He stepped forward and reached out, trying to give him a hard shove.

But the moment the short guy reached out, his vision blurred. Then a sharp pain suddenly shot through his forearm.

"Ah!"

The intense pain made the short guy cry out. Only then did he realize that everything had changed in an instant. Dilos's large hand, with its long fingers, had somehow closed around his forearm. His grip was so strong that the short guy couldn't break free, and it hurt terribly.

The short guy tried to struggle, but Dilos's hand was like an iron clamp. The more he fought, the more it hurt, until his knees buckled and he fell to the ground, begging in agony:

"It hurts! Please, I'm sorry! Let go of me!"

But Dilos showed no sign of loosening his grip. His eyes shifted toward Flash and the other follower, and his face filled with mockery.

The sudden turn of events jolted the other three, leaving them too stunned to react at first. But when the short guy's screams reached them, they snapped out of it. Flash reacted fastest. Seeing his lackey pinned down, he instinctively shrank back.

But when he saw the short guy screaming in Dilos's grasp, Flash couldn't bring himself to run away. He cursed under his breath and swung a punch at Dilos.

Flash was tall and had a powerful, athletic build from years of working out. He had a lot of strength, and his punch cut through the air with a faint whoosh, showing just how strong he was. His physical advantage meant that ordinary people didn't dare mess with him. On top of that, he was a star player on the school basketball team, making him one of the more popular kids at school.

Unfortunately, Flash had a bad personality. While all this attention fed his vanity, it also brought out the worst in him. As a result, he formed a clique at school and often bullied his classmates.

And since nobody dared to stand up to Flash, his behavior grew worse and worse—until he met Dilos.

Dilos didn't even look at the punch coming his way. He didn't bother tensing his muscles; he simply raised his free hand and blocked it.

A dull thud rang out. Dilos only felt a slight itch on his skin, but Flash felt as if he'd punched a rock. The force rebounding from the blow left his hand aching, and his entire arm was already going numb.

"Hmph." Dilos gave a cold snort. With a deft motion from his shoulder through his arm, he sent a force straight into Flash. Flash felt an irresistible force coming from Dilos, and it knocked him backward, sending him crashing to the ground.

That was enough to snap Flash out of it. He understood that he couldn't beat Dilos. For years, he'd relied on his strength to bully others; now he was getting a taste of what it was like to be bullied by someone stronger. The sudden reversal left him momentarily stunned.

As for Flash's remaining follower, after seeing his "buddy" and his leader go down one after another at Dilos's hands, he blurted, "This has nothing to do with me!" Then he ran off without a shred of loyalty.

Only then did Dilos release the short guy's arm. As soon as the short guy felt himself free again, he hurriedly clutched his arm and retreated fearfully to Flash's side, nervously inspecting it.

The moment he saw it, his face went white.

A deep red handprint had been left on the short guy's arm, and the skin around it had turned pale and dark. It made him think of something terrible, and his eyes reddened.

"Relax. You won't be crippled." Dilos rolled his neck and loosened his arms and shoulders. His bones crackled.

"Your bones aren't broken. It's just that I held on to you for too long, so your blood flow was restricted. It'll be fine once your circulation returns. You might have a minor muscle strain, though. Go to the hospital, get some ointment, and rest properly for a week or two."

As he spoke, Dilos walked forward, slowly approaching the two of them.

Flash and the short guy instinctively backed away as Dilos came toward them. What he'd done had clearly left them shaken, and they found him terrifying.

"Get lost. But if I catch you bullying anyone again, you won't just be resting for a few days..."

Dilos said nothing more. The two, having received his "dismissal," were as relieved as if they'd been pardoned. Supporting each other, they fled the place in a sorry state.