They used to steal under the guidance of their various fathers and mothers, but then they were driven out or fled due to various events. To survive, they formed their own small gang, making a meager living on the fringes where several large groups of thieves operated.
The boy named Jean was the organizer of the gang, and also the oldest child, who was already eleven this year. He had run away from a group of thieves on his own initiative. Before he left, he was the strongest child in the group of thieves, and he only fled because he had a disagreement with the mother of the group.
Now, the only ones who can go out and work are him and Lan, but Lan, being a novice, isn't skilled, and can't steal much even after busying herself all day. The whole gang is mostly sustained by the things Jean manages to steal.
Spider Man opened his mouth for a moment, he was righteous, but his conscience made it difficult for him to tell this group of children that "it's not right to steal".
He clenched his fists in some anger, wanting to scold the parents of these children who brought them into the world but can't even feed them, wanting to curse the welfare organizations and community staff, but all he could think of now was what Lan had said earlier: they might not have anything to eat in the next few days.
Spider Man took a deep breath, trying to ignore the pain he had been feeling and attempted to stand up, but realized that even if he did, he wouldn't be able to do anything. He was not Jean, he didn't know how to steal, nor did he want to steal. Was there really no other way to obtain food?
Spider Man explained his point of view to the children, but what made him feel uncomfortable was that after listening to him, the children neither agreed nor contradicted him, they just stared at him with a look he couldn't quite understand.
"... It's just food." Spider Man said: "As long as you're full, it's okay, right? Or, or, perhaps the taste could be compromised?"
Lan sat down silently and repeated: "Yes, it's just food."
One of the twin sisters suddenly screamed, pointing at Lan saying: "You can't go back! You can't go back to that inhuman old lady, those men will kill you!!!"
Lan fell silent again, saying with a choked-up voice: "It's just food."
Spider Man suddenly understood what they were talking about, he was stunned and horrified at the sight of this little girl who sat in front of him. Even though she was one of the older ones among the children, she was still just a child.
Spider Man took a deep breath, anger burning through him as if he was being consumed by a wildfire. He instinctively hit the floor and then froze.
He looked down at the floor. There was nothing there, no trace of his action was left.
He was no longer Spider Man.
The heat of his anger was extinguished in an instant, leaving Spider Man in cold sweat and brimming with a sense of dread.
He was no longer Spider Man. He had lost his super strength, agility, danger-sensing ability, the advanced equipment Mr. Stark had given him, and he no longer had Aunt May and Uncle Ben always waiting for him with hot meals.
Spider Man could feel tears welling up in his eyes, but he held them back. It wasn't because he didn't want to cry, but because his kindness told him he couldn't. Because if he cried, these children would cry too, but they wouldn't even have food to eat after crying.
Find food, find food, find food...
Spider Man clenched his teeth and pushed Lan, who seemed lost in thoughts, and asked: "I can't steal anything now, but we can't starve to death. Besides stealing, don't you know any other ways to get food?"
"If there were, we wouldn't be stealing. A thief's life is worthless, if caught, they're as good as dead."
Spider Man remembered the last death he experienced. It seemed like he too was a thief before, just unfortunate enough to get caught.
With that thought, Spider Man felt a heavy sinking feeling in his heart. He felt a chill creep up his spine, realizing that the several living beings in front of him might rather be killed because of a single mishap.
Choosing to steal and possibly get killed, or not steal and starve to death, Spider Man realized he had never felt this anxious, even when he faced Thanos who snapped his fingers and annihilated half the life in the cosmos.
Because back then, he only had one choice: to resist with his last breath. Even if it was a dead-end, he could say that he did his best. But now, knowing both paths lead to death, he still had to choose one, and the moment he made that choice would mean certain death for someone.
These children can't all survive.
Spider Man's logic was telling him that. The sudden fall of Jean had caught them all off guard. With fewer people capable of working in the gang, they wouldn't be able to find an alternative in three days. The youngest girl certainly wouldn't make it.
Where is the way out?
"What about dumpster diving?" Spider Man suddenly proposed: "If you just need to fill your stomach, discarded food will also do."
"The dumpsters are ran by the Children's Gang. Before the trucks come to empty them, they would be guarding them." Lan shook her head: "They are much stronger than us, we can't compete with them."
The brother among the twins retracted his neck and said: "And if we go near them, we might get beaten up. They particularly hate thieves."
Seeing the disappointed expression on Spider Man's face, Lan gritted her teeth and said, "Jean, your skills are famously great, all the nearby fathers and mothers know it. If you go back to them, you won't starve. As for us, we'll find a way on our own."
"Lan! You want to go back to that old hag, don't you? Have you forgotten how Jean rescued you from her?!"
"I was going to die anyway!" Lan bit her lip fiercely and said, "It's just food!"
Spider Man took a deep breath and said, "Enough, I'll think of something. I'll find a way to keep you all alive."
Spider Man failed.
The youngest girl, weakened from long-term malnutrition, had virtually no resistance to hunger. Her body didn't have any reserves to temporarily cope with the hunger, or maybe she had already been starving for a long time.
In any case, she starved to death in front of Spider Man.
Spider Man had not spoken a word for the entire day.
Until that evening, he saw a grinning boy under the lamppost at the entrance of their base, a bag of bread in his hand, walking towards him.
"Long time no see, Spider Man, good neighbor of Gotham."
Spider Man was startled for a moment, recognizing the familiar grin on his face, Spider Man instinctively shouted: "Joker?!!!"