Early the next morning, when Peter sat up on the couch, his whole body ached terribly, and his mind felt hazy. He slapped his head hard and looked around in confusion. Why had he slept here? After a moment of bewilderment, he remembered something. Right, Aunt May asked me over yesterday. She said Lin Xiao had made mushroom soup for me, but afterward...
Peter stiffened. Lin Xiao had jabbed him with something, and a bizarre giant spider had appeared behind him. Then a bone-deep exhaustion had washed over him, and Lin Xiao had picked him up and laid him on the couch. Through his haze, he had even heard Lin Xiao say, "My dear nephew, you've awakened something incredible." Something incredible? Peter's eyes widened, and he instinctively turned to look behind him. That sandy-yellow giant spider was still floating there quietly, its eight legs slightly curled, the human-face pattern on its back facing him.
Peter jumped in fright. He wanted to shout, to scream, but he held back. Aunt May had taught him not to disturb other people, no matter what.
Lin Xiao leaned halfway out of the kitchen, holding a steaming cup of coffee. His smile was exactly the same as yesterday, so radiant it made Peter want to punch him.
"You're awake? Sleep well?"
Peter opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He pointed at The Fool behind him, then at the tiny puncture wound on his arm that had already scabbed over. Finally, he pointed at Lin Xiao, his lips trembling several times.
"...Why did you stab me? What's this giant spider on me?"
"Don't be nervous, Peter. Would your uncle ever hurt you? This is called a Stand. Think of it as... hmm, a spirit behind you that belongs only to you, or your soul's power manifested in physical form. It's called The Fool, and it's essentially made of your spiritual energy, so ordinary people can't see or attack it at all. Different Stands awaken different abilities, and your Fool has powerful sand-controlling abilities. From today onward, it'll be your most reliable weapon and partner."
Peter took several deep breaths, his eyes beginning to redden.
"First, thank you for caring, Uncle Lin, but you still can't stab me without my permission. I'm telling Aunt May."
Holding his coffee, Lin Xiao glanced toward the bedroom.
Peter followed his gaze. The bedroom door stood ajar, a sliver of warm yellow light spilling through the gap. He could faintly hear steady breathing inside.
Peter's mouth opened, closed, then opened again.
"Aunt May slept here last night too? You two..." His voice changed pitch.
The corners of Lin Xiao's mouth curved upward, and he affectionately patted Peter's head.
"Keep your voice down. Your Aunt May got tired out last night. Let her sleep a little longer."
In a fraction of a second, Peter's face went from pale to bright red. The sandy-yellow giant spider behind him seemed to sense its host's emotional fluctuations. All eight legs spread at once, and two faint points of light lit up in the eye sockets of the human-face pattern on its back as it glared fiercely at Lin Xiao.
Lin Xiao paid it no mind at all. He finished his coffee, set the cup on the coffee table, then reached out and patted Peter's shoulder.
"My dear nephew, it's almost time for school. Go have a cup of muscle-building powder, then head to school. Your uncle will take you out for some practice tonight."
"I'm not going." Peter's voice was muffled. With his backpack on, he pulled open the door and walked out. The Fool floated out behind him, even throwing Lin Xiao one last fierce glare before leaving. Lin Xiao shrugged and waved at him.
After Peter left, Lin Xiao went over and sat on the edge of the bed, in an excellent mood. The kid adapted pretty well. The Fool had already started responding to his emotional fluctuations, which meant the fusion was going smoothly. Perfect!
"Doupao."
"Ding-here."
"Give me an overall assessment of my current combat power."
A blue screen unfolded before his eyes, rows of data popping up one after another.
"Ding-assessing the host's current combat power. Assessment criteria: five-dimensional attributes, acquired skills, equipped items, and actual combat performance data. Please wait..."
The screen flickered.
"Ding-combining five-dimensional attributes, skills, and items. Overall combat power rating: B."
Lin Xiao's expression froze for a moment before he let out a soft sigh. He had finally reached B-rank combat power.
Lin Xiao frowned at the panel. "Doupao, there's something I'm really curious about. What exactly does each of the five attributes add? I can't tell anything just by looking at the numbers."
The system fell silent for a second, then the screen changed, unfolding into a detailed attribute explanation chart. The text was bigger and bolder, the colors clearly distinguished, and it even included simple icons.
"Ding-a detailed explanation of the five-dimensional attribute bonuses has been compiled for the host below."
Lin Xiao narrowed his eyes and leaned closer.
"Strength: 515 (current value). Each point of strength adds 0.5 defense and increases the destructive power of physical attacks." Note: the host can currently stop a train traveling at full speed.
Lin Xiao nodded. Whoa, I'm about on par with the first Spider-Man now!
"Intelligence: 23. Each point of intelligence increases mental energy recovery speed during combat by 0.5. Enhances comprehension, logical thinking, and learning efficiency. Note: the host's current intelligence allows faster analysis of opponents' weaknesses during combat and improves efficiency when learning new skills." "Charisma: 22. The sole conceptual attribute. Provides a basic bonus to charm effects, reduces the opposite sex's desire to attack, increases affection, and enhances influence and affinity. Note: reaching the maximum value will unlock the title 'Shuai Zhatian, Leader of the Exploding Heavens Gang.' Current additional note-the Stocking (Left Foot) item was destroyed in combat. Charisma -1."
Lin Xiao froze for a moment when he read this.
"The stocking was destroyed?"
"Ding-yes. Yesterday, while the host helped Tony escape Iron Monger's control, it was caught in an explosion's shock wave, damaged, and automatically fell off."
Lin Xiao fell silent for a moment and reached out to touch his left arm. That piece of black lace that had accompanied him for several months was finally gone. He sighed, feeling a little regretful. Charisma-boosting equipment was hard to come by. Should he ask Natasha for a few more pairs sometime?
Forget it. Twenty-two charisma isn't low either.
"Agility: 25. Each point of agility provides 0.5 evasion and increases critical hit rate by 0.5. Improves base movement speed. Note: the host's current agility allows standard tactical evasive maneuvers. Critical hit rate is approximately 12.5%, and evasion rate is 12.5%." "Spirit: 36. Each point of spirit increases spell/magic casting power by 0.5. Determines total mental energy. Note: the host's current mental energy can support 2-3 consecutive casts of Lightning Summoning Spell (15 points consumed per cast)."
Lin Xiao reviewed the data again, then looked at the B-rank rating. Below the five attributes on the panel, another line of small text listed his current skills and equipment.
Skills: Lightning Summoning Spell (beginner), Flight Technique (beginner) Equipment: Unyielding Heart (S-rank necklace), Blink Dagger (B-rank), Conan's Stun-Gun Wristwatch (C-rank), Candy Clown Mask (B-rank, unequipped) Consumed items: Stand Arrow (used on Peter Parker), Balala Little Magic Fairy Transformation Wand (designated as a gift for Peter Parker. Note: host, please have some decency.)
Lin Xiao stared at the final note, the corner of his mouth twitching.
"Doupao, I haven't officially given Peter the transformation wand yet. Why have you already put it down? And how am I being indecent? I'm giving my dear nephew equipment. What do you know?"
"Ding-the host's behavioral patterns have been incorporated into the system's predictive model. Based on the host's consistent conduct, the probability of the transformation wand ultimately belonging to Peter Parker approaches 100%."
"...Fine, you win." He returned his attention to the overall rating, rubbing his chin with a slight frown. "Doupao, I still don't quite understand. Just looking at the stats, I think I'm doing pretty well. Why only B? What exactly does A-rank require?"
The system did not answer immediately. The blue cube on the screen flashed twice, then a new window popped up.
"Ding-the following data is for reference only. Display target: representative of A-rank combat power-Hulk (normal base state)."
Lin Xiao's pupils contracted slightly.
Hulk.
Of course he knew what Hulk was-the green giant, one of the Avengers' strongest combatants, a monster who grew stronger the angrier he became. But he had never seen Hulk's actual stats. A new attribute panel slowly unfolded on the screen, its data appearing one entry at a time.
"Hulk (base form, not Infinite Hulk)." Strength: 700 (base value, rises with anger) Intelligence: 3 Charisma: 3 Spirit: 2 (immune to mind control) Agility: 60 Skills & talents: Gamma Rage-core talent. The angrier he becomes, the stronger he gets. Strength, defense, and size increase exponentially with anger, with theoretically no upper limit. Ultimate Regeneration-ultrafast self-healing capable of instantly repairing most physical injuries, with near-immunity to toxins, radiation, and extreme temperatures. Man of Steel-physical durability rises in tandem with anger. At high anger levels, he can withstand missile bombardments head-on without injury. Infinite Stamina-as long as his rage persists, his stamina is limitless and will not diminish with the duration of combat.
There was another note beneath the panel. The font was small, but every word seemed to glow: "This target's normal combat power is already A-rank. At high anger levels, it can reach S-rank. The current difference between the host's base strength and this target's is approximately 185 points. Don't ask why you weren't shown this before. We were afraid of hurting your little heart."
Lin Xiao stared at the combination of 700 strength and 3 intelligence for a long time, the corner of his mouth twitching.
"...You're saying a monster with over a hundred more strength than me, who gets stronger the longer he fights, can't be killed no matter what, and has infinite stamina, is only A-rank in his base form?"
"Ding-yes. Hulk can break through to S-rank at high anger levels."
"Then what kind of monsters are S-rank?"
"Ding-the host currently lacks sufficient clearance to view S-rank combat power data. It is recommended that the host focus on advancing to B+ or A- first."
Lin Xiao took a deep breath and shelved the subject for now. He began considering how to improve further. As far as the main storyline went, Iron Man 1 had already ended. Iron Monger had been blown into fireworks, and Obadiah was most likely stone-cold dead. If things followed the original plot, The Incredible Hulk should come next-Bruce Banner hiding everywhere, General Ross pursuing him, and finally a showdown with Abomination in Harlem. But Lin Xiao had little interest in that storyline. He did sympathize with Dr. Banner himself, but getting mixed up in the mess between the military and Hulk wasn't worth the trouble.
The plot of Iron Man 2 probably wouldn't begin for a while yet. Tony was currently busy stabilizing his company and continuing to upgrade his armor. Ivan Vanko wouldn't be showing up with Electric Whips to wreck things anytime soon.
In other words, this was a rare lull.
"Doupao, any suggestions?"
"Ding-it is recommended that the host use the current lull to target weaker attributes. The host's current spirit is 36 and agility is 25, far below strength and defense. It is recommended to prioritize-"
Before it could finish, Lin Xiao's phone rang.
He picked it up. Peter's name was on the caller ID. Frowning slightly, he answered.
"Lin Xiao! Get to the school!" Peter's voice blasted from the receiver. "Dr. Connors turned into a giant lizard! He's rampaging through the school, there are cops everywhere, and I don't know what to do!"
Lin Xiao switched the phone to his other ear, his tone calm. "Peter, listen to me. You have The Fool now. You're a Stand User. Your Fool can control sand, so you can..."
Before Lin Xiao could finish, a voice came through the receiver. "I tried! It's no good! The Fool won't follow my orders. He's only restricting his movements!"
"All right. Wait at school. Your uncle will be right there. Oh, that Gwen-Gwen Stacy. Is she at school?"
The other end went silent for a moment.
"...I don't know, but she didn't come find me today."
Lin Xiao rose from the bed and rolled his shoulders. He pulled the Blink Dagger from his system space and tucked it behind his waist.
"My dear nephew, your uncle will be right there. Find somewhere to hide, and don't try to be a hero."
A figure shot skyward through a window of the Forest Hills Apartments, flying toward downtown New York.
The wind blew into his face, turning his still-unstyled hair into a bird's nest. Lin Xiao narrowed his eyes, the corners of his mouth slowly lifting.
Dr. Connors, the Lizard. Peter can only hold the Lizard up temporarily, and Gwen's whereabouts are unknown-she's probably already put on her white suit and is itching to act in some corner.
The Lizard's appearance means Kingpin must be involved behind the scenes. Let's see if I can mete out some heavenly justice. Interesting, very interesting!