Peter was on the verge of a breakdown. Arthur's personality was driving him crazy.
What kind of person was he?
With a deep sigh, Peter decided to remain silent.
When Peter became silent, Arthur didn't feel like staying silent. He looked at Peter and, after pondering for a moment, asked, "What were you doing earlier? Fighting crime in the streets?"
"Me?"
Peter was taken aback, then shook his head: "No, I was just… looking for someone."
Arthur blinked without saying anything.
Now that the conversation had begun, Peter couldn't remain silent. He said, "I am looking for someone with a star tattooed on his wrist. I don't know who he is, but he killed my uncle."
"..."
Arthur realized the timing of events after hearing these words… It was the time when Spider-Man was scouring the city for his uncle's killer. The Amazing Spider-Man era?
Scratching his head, Arthur looked around the empty subway car. It was so late that even the subway had few passengers.
Then he asked, "So you're just going to blindly search like this? You don't even know who he is, just because of a tattoo? Even if you find someone with that tattoo, how can you be sure he's the one you're looking for?"
Peter fell silent and sighed, "I don't know."
Frustrated, he grabbed his head with both hands: "But if I don't find this person, I'll never forgive myself. I can't forget the look in my uncle's eyes as he was dying… He wanted to say something to me, but he couldn't. There was a reluctance in his eyes… He shouldn't have died so young. He was a good man.
Maybe he needed to vent, or maybe he didn't know who else to tell.
Normally, Arthur, a stranger, wouldn't be his confidant.
But Arthur's use of the grappling hook made Peter think they were alike.
Plus, Arthur had rescued him over two months ago.
This led the inexperienced Spider-Man to instinctively trust and confide in Arthur.
Arthur suddenly felt like he had become some kind of life mentor.
Seeing the helpless, desperate, teary-eyed teenager, he sighed and said, "But you can't just go rampaging through the streets like that. They'll remember your face. These people are outlaws. If one day your relatives get involved because of this, what will you do?"
"Aunt May!"
Peter suddenly looked up: "You're right, I have to think of a way."
"And then?" Arthur looked at him: "Think of a way and continue this aimless search?"
"But I don't know what else to do…"
Peter looked at Arthur helplessly.
Arthur thought for a moment and said: "Hmm… I don't know either.
"..."
'Can you not be like this when I'm feeling so down?'
Peter didn't even know what expression to show at this moment. This complex feeling was almost beyond expression.
'If you don't know, why are you saying all this?'
'This is so frustrating, I want to hit someone!'
"Alright… alright! You should…"
Arthur sighed, about to say something, but then he realized that something was wrong!
What was he doing?
Banner was still with him, and now he was about to get involved in Spider-Man's problems?
But then if he comes to think of it, he shouldn't be hiding too much before Thanos arrives…
What he should be doing is finding ways to increase his own power, right?
Getting into all kinds of trouble aimlessly, is that really the right thing to do?
"You have a way, don't you?" Hearing Arthur's words, Peter looked at him again with hopeful eyes.
"Uh, if I said no, would you hit me?"
"Yes, I would hit you hard!!!" Peter said.
"Too bad, you don't even know how to fight," Arthur smirked.
"Don't underestimate me!" Peter protested. Ever since he had been bitten by the spider, he had felt that he was quite formidable, at least when it came to fighting.
"Heh…" Arthur's smile was annoyingly smug.
"…" Peter really wanted to hit him, he really wanted to hit him!
He never knew that someone's smile could make him feel such a strong urge to hit someone!
"All right then." Arthur smiled suddenly. "How about this: if you can beat me in a fight, I'll help you find the person you're looking for. How does that sound?"
"Beat you? Really?" Peter's eyes lit up with excitement.
"You're really a guy who can't hide his feelings, huh?" Arthur was a little speechless as he looked at this. The boy was too young; every emotion was written on his face.
"You can't back out!" Peter saw the nonchalance on Arthur's face and quickly added.
"I'm not backing out." Arthur said, stretching his arms a little. "But this isn't the place for it. How about tomorrow night, we pick a place and have a fight?"
"Deal!"
Peter had been itching to hit Arthur all night.
But he couldn't bring himself to hit someone without a clear reason. Arthur's suggestion hit the nail on the head!
"So childish…"
Arthur tsk-tsked silently, but he also found it amusing. This child… was actually quite interesting.
…
When Arthur got home, it was already 11 PM.
According to Banner's schedule, he should have been asleep by now as Arthur's requirement for him was to be in bed by 10 PM.
Getting his body into a proper rhythm would help him stay calm.
Lack of sleep could lead to irritability, which could make him prone to temper tantrums.
Normal people throwing tantrums is one thing, but Banner…
"Yeah… I never want to see you running around town without pants again."
Arthur tsukkomi-ed silently.
He casually placed the package he was carrying on the living room table, planning to send it to Lily the next day.
Then he went to the lab and started comparing data again.
After a while, he sighed softly, still at a loss.
"If the Disassembler hadn't been upgraded, I could go out and buy books to improve my knowledge in this area. But now the Disassembler can't be used… it breaks down at a critical moment."
Arthur sighed and thought about Spider-Man again.
The fighting was just an excuse.
Deep down, he really wanted to help the kid out. After all, when he watched the movies, his favorite character was Spider-Man.
This chance encounter must have been fate, right?
"Yeah… yeah?"
Arthur's fingers drummed on the table as he thought of something.
"Green Goblin Serum."
His fingers tapped lightly on his temples. "If I'm not mistaken, I read somewhere that the Green Goblin serum was also developed based on residual data from the Super Soldier serum. The other mountain's stone can polish jade, could this be useful for Banner?"