Thud!
The two of them arrived at the edge of a high-rise rooftop facing the street.
Sirens wailed in the distance as expected. Just as Mark predicted, there was a massive explosion in the collider after they had come out from underground.
Soon, police cars were swarming the area.
In the center of the street below, two huge open pits appeared, corresponding to the left and right particle ports.
That was where the explosion occurred.
The good news was that there were no tall buildings directly above this location, just an empty space.
It made sense since the higher the building, the deeper the foundation needed to support it. Placing an underground base beneath a high-rise might prevent easy detection, but it also brought significant safety risks.
After all, the collision point of the particle collider was hollow, not like the control room where you could simply add an underground level.
With Kingpin's resources, it was simple to purchase the land, pretending to develop it while secretly installing the collider underground.
However, this also meant that it was fortunate that there were no tall buildings nearby, preventing the explosion from causing further damage.
Mark pointed down to a burly figure who had just gotten out of a police car and lightly bumped Miles' shoulder. "Miles, aren't you going to call your dad?"
Miles looked conflicted. He and his father had a significant generation gap, as do many middle-aged fathers with their rebellious teenage kids. He didn't like being forced into doing things by his father, but his father was determined to raise him into an outstanding individual.
Their relationship had been tense lately.
Mark leaned down and whispered, "Miles, let me tell you a little secret. Your father was in one of the nearby buildings just now when you were fighting Kingpin."
"What! Are you serious?" Miles exclaimed in shock.
"Of course, it's true," Mark smiled. "He even cheered you on, haha."
Mark did indeed see Miles' father. He was in a building that was accidentally pulled into the chaotic space fissure by the turbulent particle flow.
So, he nearly witnessed the entire battle between Miles and Kingpin.
He also saw his father's determination to stop Kingpin's evil deeds.
After hearing Mark's description and analysis, Miles finally made up his mind.
He took out his phone, found his father's contact, hesitated for a moment, and then dialed the number.
Ring... Ring...
The glowing screen of the phone illuminated the anxious expression on Miles' face.
Down on the street below, Jefferson Davis picked up his phone and saw the name displayed on it. He quickly answered, "Miles, Miles, Miles, are you okay?"
Miles had been skipping school for several days due to various reasons and hadn't been in contact with his family. So, his worried father was really anxious, fearing that something had happened to Miles.
"Don't worry, I'm fine," Miles replied, calming down upon hearing his father's anxious voice. "You seem busy, so..."
"No, no, no, I have time now! I know, I know, I haven't been there for you the way you wanted me to be, but I see the spark in you, and that's amazing. So, I wanted to push you, but it's your life, and no matter what you do, you are the best! We can even find a wall, a privately-owned one. The one at the police station would be great. My colleagues won't mind if you leave your masterpiece there," Jefferson quickly spoke, pouring out everything he had kept in his heart these past few days.
To be honest, he was really nervous.
"Okay, Dad," a tear rolled down Miles' cheek, and he felt moved. It was the first time he heard his strict father speak such heartfelt words to him.
He had so many things he wanted to say to his father, but when it came to his throat, he couldn't express them.
Behind him, Mark gently patted his back, suggesting, "Why not say it to him face to face?" He gestured downward, conveying his idea.
Miles' eyes brightened, but he still shook his head, rejecting the tempting proposal.
After hesitating for a while, he said, "Dad, can I invite a friend over to our house tomorrow?"
"Of course, of course you can invite your friend over!" Jefferson agreed without hesitation, then asked, "Is it a girl?"
Miles raised an eyebrow in exasperation. "Dad, I'm only 14 years old! Of course, it's a boy!"
"Oh, I see," Jefferson replied. "It's okay, Miles. At 14, you're almost an adult. It's natural to have girls over for a date or party."
Jefferson seemed to have misunderstood what Miles was trying to say. Miles thought, "Dad, did you just get overly liberal all of a sudden?"
Mark couldn't help but be speechless. He wondered if Jefferson's imagination had run wild with wild thoughts about what Miles was up to these past few days, thinking he might have fallen in love with a girl.
After clarifying once again that his friend was indeed a boy, Miles could see that his father was still somewhat skeptical. Feeling helpless, he ended the call.
"Why do you want to invite me to your house?" Mark asked Miles
Miles waved his hand dismissively. "They've all gone home, and since I managed to catch one who hasn't left yet, can't I be a good host and invite him over?"
"Alright," Mark nodded, acknowledging the reason, "But are you sure you don't want to go down and say hi to your dad?"
Miles hesitated, "Should I really? Is it necessary?"
"Of course it is." Mark said earnestly, "Think about it, you're going to take over as the next Spider-Man and become a new generation's hero. Given your father's profession, you two are bound to have some 'connections' in the future. Seize this opportunity to build a good relationship with him using your alter ego. It will be beneficial in many ways. Miles, you don't want to be enemies with your father, right?"
"Well, what you said does make sense," Miles admitted, finding Mark's words peculiar but not quite sure why.
He stood up and took a step forward, saying, "Then I'll go now?"
"Sure, go ahead," Mark waved him off.
Miles immediately jumped off the rooftop, stealthily approaching his father during the process. Then he stood before his father and started their conversation, but we won't focus on that now.
As Miles left to meet his father, Mark turned around and looked into the darkness behind him. He calmly said, "My dear lady, are you going to come out on your own, or do I need to drag you out?"
"Oh no, I'll come out on my own. You don't need to trouble yourself," a graceful figure emerged from the darkness and stopped not far from Mark.
°°°
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