After returning home, Lin Xiao lay on his bed with his legs crossed, in a rather good mood.
Tonight had been quite rewarding. He had saved the group from the police department, beaten up a few kidnappers who didn't know better, and taught that disobedient little girl Gwen Stacy a lesson along the way. He couldn't have felt better.
Humming a tune, he opened the system panel, ready to look at the parallel-world storyline for "Spider-Gwen" that Doupao had mentioned earlier. He was the reason she had been bitten by a spider, so learning what she was like in another world would count as taking a little responsibility.
A blue screen unfolded before his eyes.
Lin Xiao's gaze swept over the quest list out of habit.
Then he uncrossed his legs.
At the very bottom of the quest list was a blood-red cross, as glaring as a neon sign in the dead of night. Beside it was a line of small text.
Three-star quest: Save New York Police Department Commissioner George Stacy-not accepted. Time remaining: expired. Reward: freely allocatable points ×5.
Lin Xiao's smile froze on his face.
He stared at that line for a full five seconds. He read it word by word, then read it backward from right to left to make sure he hadn't misunderstood.
Five free attribute points. Five whole points.
"Doupao."
"Ding-here."
"Explain this to me. What is this?" Lin Xiao's voice was calm as he jabbed at the blood-red cross, hard enough to seem intent on punching through the screen.
"Ding-the host was notified when the three-star quest triggered. The host closed the quest panel at the time and said, 'Don't bother me. Can't you see I'm busy?'"
"When did you issue it? I..." Lin Xiao stopped halfway through as he suddenly remembered.
He had been crouching on the rooftop, chasing Gwen Stacy, when the system popped up a screen. He had swiped it away without even looking. He'd thought it was just an ordinary quest notification. How was he supposed to know it was a timed quest? A timed quest with free attribute points, at that?
"Why didn't you remind me?"
"Ding-this system did provide a reminder. The host chose to ignore it."
"You call that a reminder?" Lin Xiao raised his voice a fraction. "Your text was as tiny as a little booger. How was I supposed to read it? Look at it yourself-is that a normal font size for a quest description?"
"What does this look like? The disclaimer at the end of some shady company's contract?"
The system fell silent for a second.
"Ding-the quest panel uses the system's default font size. The host has never previously raised an objection."
"That's because I used to read every single one carefully! Today was different. I was chasing someone, a crazy girl who'd jumped off a building. When was I supposed to enlarge your text?" Lin Xiao slapped the bed frame. "This is neglect of duty! This is dereliction! This is using boilerplate terms to infringe on the host's lawful rights!"
"Ding-this system had no deliberate intent-"
"I don't care whether it was deliberate!" Lin Xiao sat up cross-legged and launched a barrage at the air. "Tell me yourself, which one of us is in charge? Are you here to serve me, or am I working for you? You pop up a quest while I'm chasing someone-when am I supposed to read it? Can't you prioritize? Can't you mark important quests in big, bold, red letters? Can't you read the room?"
"Ding-this system does not possess facial recognition or emotional judgment functions-"
"Then add them!" Lin Xiao slapped his thigh. "From now on, every quest with free attribute points gets bold, enlarged, flashing red text and a voice announcement. No, accept them automatically. Automatically accept quests with good rewards. Whether I do them is up to me, but you're not allowed to miss any. And you just said you don't have facial recognition, but can't you detect fluctuations in my emotions? Can't you analyze whether I'm lying? You can analyze all that, but you can't read my expression?"
A long silence followed.
"Ding-the host just said I cannot read the room. I am a system, not a person, and have no room to read in the first place. As for the people around the host-does this system need to establish a quantitative definition of 'good rewards' for automatic quest acceptance?"
"What definition? Free attribute points are good. Items ranked B or above are good. Do I have to teach you this? Are you the system, or am I?" Lin Xiao spoke faster and faster. "I'm telling you all this because I consider you one of my own. Anyone else would've formatted you already. But you? You let me miss a quest worth five free attribute points, and you still think you're in the right? Put your hand on your database and think about it. Is that acceptable?"
Silence.
A long, long silence.
A flash of blue light passed before Lin Xiao's eyes.
Ding-compensation issued: freely allocatable points ×5. Compensation issued: consolation payment of US$100,000. Note: deposited into the host's payroll account.
Another flash immediately followed.
Ding-system settings updated. New functions: automatic acceptance and voice announcements for high-value quests. Enlarged, bold quest notification text. Highlighted, flashing quest countdown reminders.
As Lin Xiao read those words, the corners of his mouth slowly lifted. He lay back down and crossed his legs again, his indignant tone turning into gratified, earnest instruction. "That's more like it. Doupao, I'm not angry with you. I'm teaching you how to do things. You need to learn to improve, to grow. Understand?"
"Ding-this system is learning. Recalibrating the definition of shamelessness."
"That's more like-"
Before Lin Xiao could finish, his phone blew up. He picked it up and went numb at the sight of eighteen missed calls.
The caller was saved as "Egomaniac Tin Can"-Tony Stark. Lin Xiao checked the time, the corner of his mouth curling upward. He answered, and before he could speak, Tony's roar came through.
"Lin Xiao!!!"
It was so loud that Lin Xiao moved the phone half an inch away.
"Tony? It's so late-"
"You know it's late?! What did you promise me the day before yesterday? Someone stole the Mark I, and you said you had a way to handle it and told me to wait at home for news. I waited a whole day and night, and you didn't so much as fart! And what were you doing? Going drinking with girls! Having drinking contests! Singing some 'Little White Horse' song! JARVIS told me everything!" Tony's voice carried the anger of betrayal. "I treated you like a brother, and you let my problems go in one ear and out the other? Who needs a brother like that!"
Lin Xiao switched the phone to his other ear and yawned.
"Finished?"
"No! I-"
"Staying up this late-are you trying to drop dead? Look at the fucking time! Besides, doesn't investigating things for you take time? More importantly, I care about my dear son's health!"
"I-but-" Tony clearly hadn't expected that response, and some of the force instantly drained out of him. "I'm talking about something serious-"
"What serious business needs discussing in the middle of the night? Don't you know staying up late is bad for you? You spent three months in a cave and had a hole cut in your chest. You finally managed to survive, and now you want to drop dead? What are you trying to do?" Lin Xiao's voice suddenly rose. "Want Daddy to give you a taste of his iron fist of love?"
The other end went silent for several seconds.
"...That's not what I meant." Tony's voice had noticeably softened, though a trace of defiance remained. "I just thought, since you promised-"
"All right, all right." Lin Xiao shifted position, raising his feet a little higher. "I've got a lead on that lousy tin shell of yours."
"What? You know who stole it?"
"Obadiah." Lin Xiao said the name as casually as if he were talking about dinner. "Your dear uncle sent a vehicle to haul the Mark I away overnight on the day of your press conference. It should be in his villa's basement now, where he's reverse-engineering it from your blueprints. In a few days, you'll probably see an oversized, extra-wide knockoff tin shell flying through the sky with the Stark Industries logo sprayed on it."
Tony was still breathing, but more slowly now. It was a long time before he spoke.
"...Are you sure?"
"One hundred percent," Lin Xiao said. "If you don't believe me, have JARVIS investigate it yourself. After your press conference that night, the surveillance footage along the route used to move the Mark I out of the exhibition hall was tampered with. But whoever did it used Stark Industries' internal access privileges. Who do you think has that access?"
Another silence followed.
"...Actually, I'd already guessed." Tony's voice suddenly grew very, very quiet. All that Stark flamboyance and swagger vanished in an instant, exposing the weariness underneath. "I just didn't want to admit it. He's my dad's best friend, the uncle who watched me grow up. He wants me dead, and I've kept pretending not to know."
Lin Xiao said nothing. He leaned against the headboard and listened quietly.
"Those weapons in the cave, the Stark Industries weapons-they were all sold to the Ten Rings. I kept thinking it was a mole in the company, or something had gone wrong during shipping." Tony gave a short laugh without a trace of amusement. "Turns out it was my uncle. His signature, his shipping arrangements, his money. All for what? To kick me off the board? Bury me in that cave so he could keep selling weapons?"
"Pretty much." For once, Lin Xiao sounded a little more serious. "So what are you planning to do now?"
"What am I going to do?" Tony drew a deep breath. "He's building armor, and so am I. He stole my first-generation blueprints, but I'm already working on the second generation. JARVIS, bring up the Mark II designs."
"Already working on it, sir." JARVIS's voice came faintly through the phone.
"Hear that? If he wants a fight, I'll give him one. He wants to use weapons I built against me? Then I'll show him what Stark Industries really is."
"That's more like it." Lin Xiao nodded in satisfaction, returning to his lazy drawl. "But Tony, does your new armor have enough firepower? Is it fast enough? Can it withstand large-caliber autocannon fire? That old bastard stole your stuff, so he's bound to beef it up. You need to make yours bigger, stronger, more-"
"Are you worried about me?" Tony interrupted, his tone turning a little peculiar, as though he was surprised, or perhaps embarrassed.
"Who's worried about you?" Lin Xiao's expression didn't change. "I just want to make sure your new armor can beat that iron turtle hard enough. The harder you beat it, the happier I'll be watching. Oh, send me Obadiah's address later. Once you're done fighting, I'll go clean up. That old bastard should be pretty rich. His villa's bound to have plenty of valuables-"
The call was instantly disconnected.
Listening to the busy tone from his phone, Lin Xiao grinned broadly.
"Tch. What a cheapskate."
"Doupao."
"Ding-here."
"How far along do you think that iron turtle is?"
"Ding-based on surveillance footage and elapsed time, Obadiah Stane's Iron Monger Armor has completed its primary framework. The power system and weapons modules are being installed. Estimated completion time: three to five days."
"Three to five days." Lin Xiao smacked his lips. "Is that enough time for Tony to finish the Mark II?"
"Ding-Tony Stark's research and development efficiency far exceeds conventional standards. The Mark II is expected to complete its first flight test within forty-eight hours."
"Good." Lin Xiao rolled over and pulled the blanket up to his chest. "Let them fight. Afterward, I'll collect the bodies-no, the rewards. A four-and-a-half-star quest, free points, and a random item. Hopefully that iron turtle loads up on weapons. The heavier its firepower, the higher the quest rating and the better the rewards."
"Ding-the host displayed obvious concern for Tony Stark during the phone call. Should this system make a note of it?"
"What note?" Lin Xiao closed his eyes. "That's called strategic guidance. You wouldn't understand."
"...Ding-noted: strategic guidance."
Lin Xiao snorted and ignored it.
He sank his consciousness into the system space, ready to review the storyline information for "Spider-Gwen." Though he'd missed a quest tonight, he'd bluffed and berated his way into getting it back: five free attribute points, a hundred thousand dollars in compensation, and Gwen Stacy probably wouldn't cause any more trouble. Overall, this round hadn't been a loss.
Meanwhile, in a two-story house.
Gwen Stacy lay facedown on her bed, her face buried in a pillow, and let out a muffled scream.
Her face had made the pillow burning hot, but that warmth was nothing compared to the heat in her ears.
She had been spanked.
A strange, burly man standing two meters ten tall had, right in front of her, right in front of the New York Police Department commissioner-her own father-pinned her across his knees and spanked her bottom over and over like he was disciplining a disobedient child.
Gwen Stacy lifted her face from the pillow and stared at the little mirror on her nightstand. Her reflection showed hair like a bird's nest, reddened eyes, and lips she'd bitten pale. A mixture of shame and anger burned in her blue eyes.
"Lin Xiao." She gritted out the name. She'd seen it when he handed her father his business card: S.H.I.E.L.D., level-six agent, Lin Xiao. She'd engraved that information into her mind and hadn't forgotten a single word.
She pushed herself upright on the bed and made a gesture with her hands.
How dare that bastard? No, I have to get back at him! The more she thought about it, the more deflated she became.
How could she get revenge? Rush over and beat him up? She couldn't even beat Scar-Eye, and Scar-Eye's punches had been like tickles to him. He hadn't so much as furrowed his brow. Her meager strength probably wouldn't even be enough to give him a back massage.
Gwen Stacy's brows knitted tightly, her fingers picking unconsciously at the blanket.
Use her powers? Climb somewhere high, then-
Then what? Jump down onto his head? Launch a sneak attack? Kick his butt too? That probably wouldn't work either. He was so agile.
Gwen Stacy flopped back onto the bed in defeat and stared at the ceiling.
I can't beat him. I can't escape him. I can't even win an argument. What am I supposed to do?
Gwen Stacy's eyes darted around. Right, what was the name of that boy he'd taken a picture for?
Peter. Peter Parker.
The corners of Gwen Stacy's mouth slowly lifted. That skinny boy with glasses had nearly bitten his tongue stammering when she'd asked him for directions at the expo today. He definitely knew that bastard. No, not just knew him-that bastard had called out, "Peter, say cheese," while taking his picture. They knew each other well. And Peter went to her school. She hadn't paid him much attention before, but she'd see him at school tomorrow. Then she could ask him about the big guy, ideally find out what that fellow was afraid of. Hehe...
"Peter Parker." Gwen Stacy repeated the name softly, as though savoring a piece of candy.
She pulled the blanket over herself, wrapping herself into a ball from head to toe, leaving only a pair of blue eyes sparkling in the darkness.
"Tomorrow. Just you wait."
She covered her face with the blanket and rolled over. With the corners of her mouth still lifted, she fell asleep.