"Then...," Peter choked, because Shiller made sense. When Thompson was at school making up stories, spreading rumors about him, he was furious. But why didn't Mr. Stark get angry? Why didn't he stand up and argue vehemently against them?
Even he, admittedly not eloquent, had tried hard to explain the rumors to those around him.
"Why are you so sure that what you believe in is correct?" Shiller asked him.
"Because I... but I know that Stark isn't like that!"
"Maybe you've only seen one side of him?"
"But..." Peter clenched his fist and said, "Doctor, Mr. Stark is also your friend, isn't he? Do you think he's the person those reports depict him as?"
Shiller shook his head and said, "The Stark I see might utterly differ from the Stark you see, just like there are a thousand Hamlets in a thousand people's eyes."
"One's perspective is always influenced by one's position. A bad guy may see a good guy as bad, and a bad guy may see another bad guy as good."
Peter clenched his fist and hit his palm, "I believe those reporters and the Osborn Group are the case of 'a bad person seeing another bad person as good.' Because they are as thick as thieves, they flatter each other. Furthermore, those reporters see Mr. Stark as a bad person because they cannot stand a good person..."
"How do you define good and bad?"
Uh... a good person does good deeds, and a bad person does bad deeds?"
"Then how do you define good and bad deeds?"
"At least...at least it must be in accordance with the truth, can't spread rumors, and can't violate regulations... and also morality, must adhere to the bottom line of morality, that would be a good deed, right?"
"Do you think swinging around in the New York sky all day hasn't violated traffic safety laws?"
"But I was doing it for...okay, I think my intentions were good, and the outcome was good, I saved people, right? So technically, breaking a few rules isn't that big of a deal..."
Shiller shook his head and said, "You'll realize someday, there are no wholly good or bad people in this world. This world is filled with bad deeds with good intentions and outcomes, and also filled with good deeds with terrible intentions and outcomes."
Peter scratched his head, "I feel like this is like a tongue-twister."
"If you always perceive the world in a simple black-and-white way, sooner or later you'll find these blacks and whites have been stirred into an ambiguous gray."
"But good deeds are good deeds, bad deeds are bad deeds. I just want to help more people and do more good deeds," said Peter.
When he left Shiller's place, Peter was a bit dizzy. He was baffled by all that comparison of good and bad deeds Shiller gave him. Peter's thinking was simple: he was a good person, so he had to do good deeds, and also stop bad people from doing bad deeds.
What was so complicated about this? Wasn't this a simple truth?
Peter shook his head. He believed his thinking was correct, and if everyone thought as he did, the world would surely become much better. The reason for so much crime was that those bad guys just wouldn't give up doing bad deeds. If everyone were a good person, wouldn't there be no more crime in this world?
After wandering all the way, thinking all the way, Peter checked his watch and found it was still early. He had already asked for leave from his internship, and if he went home now, his uncle and aunt would definitely not be at home.
Peter thought about his options and decided to continue his superhero career.
He found the nearest manhole cover and crawled down it. He felt that just to be on the safe side, he should patrol the sewers a bit more, and prevent any potential dangerous acts by that mad scientist.
However, the moment he entered the sewer today, Peter felt a dreadful sensation. This feeling hadn't yet reached his Spider-sense level, but it still gave him goosebumps.
Reluctantly, he opened his backpack, put on the Spider-Man suit, stashed the backpack in a corner, and continued to move deeper into the sewer as Spider-Man.
The omnipresent sense of danger prevented Spider-Man from running as he had before, leaving him striding quickly. As he drew near the central reservoir of this district, his Spider-sense started to tingle slightly. He felt anxious but couldn't find the source of his anxiety.
After walking a little further, suddenly he heard a subtle "hiss" in front of him, accompanied by a scraping sound like metal against stone.
His Spider-sense suddenly sprang into action. Spider-Man quickly rolled to the side, dodging a broken slab of stone thrown at him.
Amid the dust and stone fragments, Peter looked up. At the end of the dark sewer, a massive figure loomed.
It was a huge creature at least four or five meters tall. As he moved closer, Peter could barely make it out in the weak light of the sewer. It was a Lizard, a massive Lizard standing upright and nearly filling the entire sewer space.
Spider-Man swallowed nervously, realizing that his own lean body was incredibly puny compared to the Lizard.
But apparently, this monster had discovered him. Peter hastily scrambled along the walls, with the gigantic Lizard hot on his heels. Every step it took, the sewer floor trembled.
The Lizard roared and threw slabs of stone at Spider-Man. Spider-Man was faster, but not by much. More importantly, dodging the stones made him unable to maintain his speed.
Within the sewer, the Spider Silk wasn't very useful. Peter had to rely on his legs to run. However, all creatures that move on two feet share a weakness. Once their center of gravity shifts, they easily fall.
To avoid a stone, Peter rolled to the right, but then he was knocked over by a stone fragment from the left. As soon as his balance was off, he tumbled on the ground, then the massive Lizard grabbed his leg and threw him.
Peter was thrown against the sewer wall. He coughed violently, tasting a sickening sweetness in his throat.
He struggled to his feet, preparing himself for the hardship that might ensue. But to his surprise, the Lizard shook its head as if it were disoriented and ignored Peter. It turned and ran in the other direction.