Chapter 44 - I am Spider Tobey

Hey! I am Peter Benjamin… Ugh, what a horrible name, and the one who said the name is horrible was me, Emily… HEY!! Emily!! Get out of my thoughts… Hey!! You don’t have to be so rude!!...

Sorry about that. Couple telepathy is sometimes annoying. Let’s continue the story…

Another month has passed, and we’ve been in this world for two months. There's one month left before Tony gets out of captivity.

This month has been very productive. We laundered enough money to afford a decent apartment and rent a place for Ursula to do her thing. She became really famous with her food cart, so the line stretching into the street was no joke, and it was causing public order problems for us.

Mary Jane is doing her shows and getting famous. She even got an agent—unfortunately for the agent, MJ didn’t want to go on tour outside New York.

And our fame as the Spider Family has been spreading, and we already have a lot of fans.

Actually, what a coincidence—our biggest fan is talking about us on TV right now!

“This city already has enough problems without these masked criminals swinging around and causing chaos. I’m talking about the so-called ‘Spider Family’! A group of wannabe spider-themed heroes who think they can act above the law.

Witnesses claim to have seen these web-slingers fighting criminals and interfering in police matters. Sure, some people might see them as heroes, but I’m not so easily convinced. Who’s to say they aren’t the ones behind these crimes in the first place?

They call their leader ‘Spider-Man’—a ridiculous name for someone who’s probably just a young man with too much free time. I mean, seriously, what’s next? Are we going to allow kids in bug costumes to start catching thieves in their spare time?

Our brave men and women in uniform are trained professionals who work tirelessly to keep this city safe. They’re the ones we should trust, not some self-proclaimed family of vigilantes.

So, to all those cheering for the Spider Family, I say this: be careful what you wish for. Vigilantes may seem cool in comic books, but in the real world, they’re just a bunch of troublemakers causing more problems than they solve.

And it’s obvious that a young man with a supposed ‘harem’ of women doesn’t respect the law at all.

This is J. Jonah Jameson, editor-in-chief of the Daily Bugle, bringing you the latest on the controversial Spider Family. Stay tuned for our daily updates on this web of intrigue and debate surrounding these vigilantes. Keep it locked on the Daily Bugle for more details on this developing story.”

My number one fan finished his piece like that.

“Yeah, that Spider Family is definitely no good,” MJ said with a smile as she walked past me while I was leaning against the store counter. She gave me a quick kiss and headed into the staff area.

“Exactly my thoughts,” I said absentmindedly, too focused on MJ’s bubbly backside as she walked away.

I only heard MJ’s silver bell-like laughter when she sensed that I was fully concentrated on her ass.

After she left, I thought for a while and decided to check my stats.

[Player: Peter Parker
Level: 13 (45,994 / 81,920 exp)
Skill Points: 29
Skills:
Street Fighting - Grandmaster (Limit - Evolution conditions not met)]
[Skill Levels: Beginner (1 point) - Apprentice (2 points) - Intermediate (4 points) - Advanced (8 points) - Master (16 points) - Grandmaster (32 points)]

Over the past month, the efficiency of catching thieves has improved a lot. Unfortunately, leveling up has become increasingly difficult. Finding criminals in this city isn’t hard, but finding enough to level up is the real challenge.

Fortunately, at the next level, the girls will have enough points to become grandmasters in their respective areas. So, some upgrades are coming.

While I was watching TV and lost in thought, I heard footsteps approaching.

When I looked to the side, my heart nearly jumped out of my chest.

Well, I knew it wasn’t too hard to connect the dots between four gorgeous heroines and one hero, just like four beautiful girls and a guy who just so happens to own the hottest diner and have the most talked-about singer in New York.

But I didn’t expect them to send this person.

I thought they’d be too busy with Tony’s disappearance to send one of their best.

“Hello, I’m Natalie Rushman. I heard you need a waiter.” The stunning redhead said with a charming smile, looking at me with her gorgeous green eyes.

“Hired!” I could only blurt out stupidly while staring into her eyes.

Damn, she’s hot!