She eyed the strange guy in front of her with a peculiar look.
Selling condoms with his face covered-he must have been a shy newcomer.
She waved impatiently. "I've got my own. I don't need yours."
"Huh? A game NPC refusing to buy back old equipment?"
Mark was surprised. This game was way too realistic.
"No, you have to buy my equipment."
"I'm not buying."
"Don't push me."
When Mark threatened her, the woman laughed instead of panicking and raised her middle finger.
"Fuck you! Jack from Hell's Kitchen is my boyfriend. You'd better stay away from me, or pay for my services. Otherwise, I'll have someone stab you right where it hurts."
"Huh? You're swearing at me?"
Mark rubbed his hands together. "Then don't blame me for getting rough."
Three minutes later, he emerged from the alley looking disappointed.
"Fine. Common equipment is worth about one gold coin anyway. You're getting a bargain."
He stuffed the dollar into his crotch, then turned to show Bruce his savings.
"Bruce, we've got money! I'll treat you to a feast."
Natasha, who had finally found Spider-Man, was speechless.
What had this guy done?
He really was an evil bastard.
Even with a different suit, he was still an Unknown Evil Entity.
They had split up to search for Spider-Man, leaving her without backup, so Natasha slowly backed away.
Keeping a wary eye on him, she notified the nearby agents.
She tapped her earpiece and whispered, "Found him."
With that, she abruptly turned and ran, intending to lure him to the designated location.
Seeing Bruce get so excited that he launched into a frenzy of parkour, Mark shook his head with a chuckle.
"My adorable Bruce, what am I going to do with you? Wait for me... come back! There's a pile of shit up ahead."
"Motherfucker!"
"Oh, holy shit! That's not food..."
The two chased each other, making quite the heartwarming scene.
Unfortunately, Mark lost him.
His Bruce had mysteriously vanished again.
With no other choice, he logged out of the game.
Meanwhile, Natasha and the others had also failed to capture Spider-Man.
He was too fast.
The next day was another beautiful day.
In his room, Mark got out of bed and stretched.
He felt refreshed!
"What a shame. I didn't trigger any new quests last night or run into any other demons."
He sighed and got up to wash.
Suddenly, he noticed the dollar in his pocket and froze.
Then excitement surged through him.
"One gold coin in the game turned into one dollar in reality. That must be it."
This game was way too realistic.
He made up his mind. Next time he entered the game, he would do some quests and earn gold coins to improve his life.
The thought filled Mark with motivation.
But Bruce was still resting this time.
To be safe, he decided to wait for Bruce.
They were partners. How could he sneak off to make money alone?
That was simply unforgivable!
He despised himself for having entertained that thought.
After washing up, he went to the living room.
Peter had made breakfast again.
This time, Ben Parker and May were there too.
"Oh, sweetheart, you're up. You must be hungry."
May smiled as she handed Mark his breakfast.
Mark rubbed his empty stomach.
Bruce had clearly treated him to a feast in the game.
But that didn't seem to carry over into reality.
What a shame.
Just then, a shocking news interview came on the television.
"Hello, ma'am. You said Spider-Man robbed you last night, is that right?"
"Boo-hoo... yes. That guy was wearing a red-and-blue outfit with a mask, and he took my last dollar."
"My goodness! What a sad story. Could you tell us exactly what happened?"
"That damned guy was so strong I couldn't even breathe in his grip. He also forced me to buy his crappy helmet, broom, and bedsheet. I hate him! I'm going to have my boyfriend stab him good..."
"Ahem, ma'am, we're live right now. So you bought his junk for a dollar. You weren't actually robbed."
"Fuck you! Are you deaf, you little sweetheart? Let me say it again. He robbed me! He stole my dollar!"
Hearing the interview, Mark paused mid-bite and instinctively looked at Peter Parker across the table.
Peter Parker looked at Mark too.
A Motorcycle Helmet, a bedsheet, and a broom.
Seriously? Mark actually did something that shameless?
Seriously? Peter actually did something that shameless?
Their eyes met, then they quickly looked away.
Mark made up his mind. He would work even harder to earn money in the game.
Clearly, poverty had driven Peter crazy.
He must have been under too much pressure.
He couldn't let Peter go down a path of no return.
Spider-Man shouldn't be an Unknown Evil Entity!
Peter made up his mind. He would work even harder at his jobs to earn money.
Clearly, Mark's condition had worsened.
His dosage must have been too low. They had to increase it.
The medicine was expensive, but no matter what, he couldn't let Mark keep going astray.
Spider-Man shouldn't be an Unknown Evil Entity!
Both of them silently resolved to act.
Meanwhile, Ben Parker was deeply relieved to see how emotionally stable Mark was.
Good. The boy hadn't had an episode since coming home. They wouldn't have to send him back to the Mental Hospital.
May also gazed at Mark with a loving expression.
She would make it up to Mark for how they had let him down over the past three years.
And so, the family finished breakfast, each harboring different thoughts.
Soon, Ben Parker and May returned to their room to catch up on sleep. They still had part-time work that afternoon.
Peter Parker got ready to leave too.
He had to go to class today.
But when he opened the door, he saw a red sports car parked at the curb outside.
"Hey, Peter! Good morning!"
A pretty blonde girl stepped out of the car.
In the warm golden sunlight, the girl radiated youthful energy.
Peter Parker stared, mesmerized.
"Wow! She's glowing!" Mark had appeared beside Peter at some point.
Peter snapped out of his daze and hurried to greet her.
"Hey, Gwen Stacy. What brings you here?"
Gwen Stacy smiled sweetly. "I happened to be passing by, so I thought I'd pick you up for school."
"Me?" Peter was a little confused.
They had been classmates since middle school, but this was the first time she had personally come to pick him up.
Before Peter could thank her, however, Gwen Stacy turned her gaze to Mark.
"Hey, remember me?"
"You are...?" Mark looked puzzled.
Gwen Stacy smiled and introduced herself. "Gwen Stacy. Your old middle school classmate." There was a faint, inscrutable note in her voice.
At her words, Mark's expression shifted slightly.
Gwen Stacy. Another poor soul who died at a villain's hands.
Wait, why "another"?
Fine. Tomorrow, I might be that poor soul.
He looked her over.
She'd gone out of her way to pick up Peter Parker. They must have been pretty close.
So he smiled and greeted her.
"I remember now. My old classmate."
In truth, he didn't remember her at all.
Gwen Stacy nodded. "I heard you'd been discharged, so I came to see you."
"Heard from who?" Mark looked at Peter.
Peter shook his head. "I didn't tell anyone."