Chapter 869: Brilliant Stars and a Rotten Fate (Part Fourteen) (Patreon)

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The night breeze in New York was not always gentle; as the weather grew colder, the howling winds on the streets felt like a dense shower of sharp needles. Even the thickest coats and scarves couldn't shield against this chill.

Pedestrians hurriedly tucked their hands into their pockets, tightened their hats, and wrapped their scarves tightly around their necks. In their minds, they yearned for warm fireplaces and steaming meals as they quickened their pace on the way home.

If they were to look up, the glass curtain walls of the skyscrapers were tinted with the warm light from street lamps, and the streetlights danced like flickering flames, ascending along the mirrors until the flames touched the sky. A figure stood at the edge of a rooftop, gazing down upon the entirety of New York City.

His sorrow burned like fire. Just a few hours earlier, a deafening gunshot had shattered the facade of tranquility.

Spider-Man clutched a newspaper tightly in his hand, and as he loosened his grip slightly, several copies of the Daily Globe fluttered down. The front-page headline carried the news of Nick Fury's death.

It had been a seemingly ordinary afternoon. Peter had just finished a date with Gwen, and they had shared a brief hug in the bustling streets.

Gwen's cheeks had turned even redder than the freshly hung red Christmas stockings in the shops. Peter smiled at her, his eyes shining brighter than the Christmas tree lights.

"Gwen, during Christmas, you must come to my place for dinner. My uncle and aunt are really looking forward to meeting you. They are both very kind and gentle people. You don't need to worry..."

"I know, I know..." Gwen hooked her finger with Peter's, lowering her head. "They're probably much nicer than my dad. But you should think about how to handle my dad when the time comes."

Bringing up this topic, Peter made a slightly bitter face. "Chief Stacy is a hero. He was really brave during the battle against the Bat invasion in New York. But I'm afraid that if he uses that bravery on me, he might kick me out of your house."

Gwen burst into laughter. "That won't happen. You're overthinking it. He's already accepted the fact that I have a boyfriend."

But then she furrowed her brows and said, "However, I'm not sure if he can accept that my boyfriend is Spider-Man. You know, he often complains about you flying around New York and attracting attention. He thinks you're a frivolous guy..."

Gwen held onto Peter's arm. "Maybe you should stay out of the newspapers for a while. Just in case you really tick my dad off, he might point a gun at you."

"I swear I won't fight back!" Peter made a solemn gesture, but Gwen quickly pulled his hand down. Peter chuckled and hugged Gwen's shoulder, though she pushed him away with a hint of annoyance.

They laughed and teased each other for a while but eventually had to part ways. Gwen sighed, "Betty, the sister at the laboratory where I'm interning, is going on medical leave due to anxiety, and Dr. Dora, who taught me a lot, has been reassigned to a different team. Now there are new researchers I don't even know. It's going to take a while to adjust."

"No worries," Peter reassured her. "Humanity is finally uniting, and research is progressing rapidly. We're advancing much faster than before. This is a good time, so you don't need to rush."

Peter spoke with excitement. "I can't believe it, Gwen. All of humanity is coming together, venturing into space. We might soon leave the Milky Way Galaxy behind and explore the mysteries among the stars."

However, Gwen didn't share his enthusiasm. She furrowed her brows gently, holding Peter's hand and saying, "Peter, you're always so optimistic, but... anyway, I heard that there has been an incident of materials theft at our laboratory."

Gwen sighed, her grip tightening. She continued, "I have a feeling this might be the calm before the storm."

"Don't think that way, Gwen," Peter said, looking into her eyes. "Remember what I said? Instead of worrying about things beyond our control, let's focus on our experiments. Technology has reached a mature stage now, and if we continue this way, the dream of humanity journeying among the stars will soon become a reality."

Gwen tilted her head, gave him a glance, and then looked away, speaking softly, "What are you planning to do when that time comes?"

"Do? Well, of course, I'll continue my experiments, finish university... uh, I mean..." Peter stuttered, fumbling with his words. But by that time, Gwen had let go of his hand, turned around, and started walking ahead. She looked back and said, "Go on with your experiments. We'll see each other again tomorrow."

Peter stood there, staring blankly at Gwen's departing figure. He took a couple of steps and considered pounding the wall with his arm, but at the last moment, he restrained himself, lightly caressing the wall instead.

Then, with his backpack in hand, he walked quickly along the street. He had almost forgotten his destination, as his excited emotions filled his mind.

Peter didn't consider himself a particularly romantic person. He was a typical science student. However, in that moment, his heightened emotions made him feel like he had used up all the inspiration for the rest of his life, coming up with a brilliant idea.

If humanity could truly venture into space and experience the brilliance of the stars, what could be more romantic than that? It might just become the most memorable day of his life.

In this state, excitement injected into Peter's brain like a booster shot, igniting a multitude of scientific research inspirations. One brilliant idea after another piled up in his mind, making him impatient to return to the laboratory and put them into practice.

However, the laboratory was still some distance away from his current location, and walking there would be too slow. Peter found a secluded alley and changed into his Spider-Man combat suit from his backpack.

After putting on the spider web shooter, Spider-Man once again soared above the skies of New York. His joyous mood accompanied by cheers propelled him higher, almost blending into the radiance of the sun.

But he hadn't gone far when he noticed a car blocking the road next to a utility pole, clearly involved in an accident. The drivers behind it were waiting impatiently, some honking their horns.

Spider-Man released his web, somersaulted to the ground, and arrived beside the accident. To his surprise, when the car window rolled down, a familiar face appeared. Eddie Brock poked his head out and said, "Hey, Spider-Man, you came at the right time. Help me get the car back on track; I'm in a hurry to catch a flight."

"Eddie, what are you doing here? Is Venom okay?"

"He's perfectly fine. If it weren't for him, I'd be on the plane by now," Eddie quipped, and just as he finished speaking, Venom's face appeared. He snarled, "Shut up, wimp. I just gave your gas pedal a nudge; it's your lousy steering that got you into this mess."

"Alright, alright, stop arguing," Spider-Man said, coming to the front of the car. He gave it a firm push, and the car was back on the road.

He patted the hood and said, "It should be fine now. By the way, why are you rushing to the airport? Is there some big news?"

Eddie's expression suddenly changed, and just as he was about to speak, Venom's face reappeared. He said, "Shut up and drive, don't waste time with this idiot."

With that, he stepped on the gas pedal again, and the car disappeared from Spider-Man's view. Spider-Man was left puzzled but proceeded to Stark Tower's laboratory as he had planned.

As soon as he entered the laboratory, Peter changed into his lab coat, grabbed a couple of pieces of paper, and started jotting down ideas and sketches on the back. After a while, he moved away and looked at what he had written and drawn. He seemed very satisfied with his recent brainstorming session.

Taking the papers with him, he headed for the elevator and told JARVIS, "Go to Mr. Stark's floor. I have a new idea regarding our discussion from yesterday. He's going to love it."

"Sorry, Mr. Parker, Mr. Stark is not currently at Stark Tower. Shall I try to contact him for you?"

"Not at Stark Tower? Then where is he? Avengers Base? Or the United Nations meeting room?" Peter inquired.

"I have established communication with Mr. Stark. Ringing... Hello? Peter? Are you in the laboratory?"

Peter detected something unusual in Stark's voice, but before he could inquire further, Stark said, "Let JARVIS activate the plane to bring you here... Actually, Peter, stay in New York and return to the Avengers' base. Keep an eye on the equipment there."

Stark then abruptly hung up the phone, leaving Peter feeling puzzled because Stark had never disconnected a call like that before.

"JARVIS, what's going on?" Peter asked, frowning. He pursed his lips and continued, "He didn't tell me anything, but it's not like it's any of my business. I'll ask someone else."

With that, he left the laboratory with his mobile phone and began dialing. Picking up the phone, he said, "Hello? Dr. Schiller, what's going on?"

"Really?... What are you saying? You're not in New York either? Where have you all gone? What's happening?"

Peter halted in the hallway, hung up the phone, and took a deep breath. After a moment, he heard mechanical footsteps approaching from behind. Turning his head, he saw that JARVIS was controlling his mechanical body, standing behind him.

The tall robot bent slightly, lowered its head, and extended its hand. Peter looked at the Spider-Man suit in JARVIS's hand, somewhat angrily turning his head away. "I don't want it; I can do it myself."

JARVIS didn't get upset but took back the combat suit. Peter then picked up his mobile phone again, dialing as he spoke, "I need to call Captain; he won't keep anything from me. Captain won't hide anything from me..."

He picked up the phone and said, "Hello, Captain, what's going on? They're all keeping secrets from me. Are you not in New York too?... Captain! Captain! What's wrong? Why are you...?"

"Oh my God, don't do this, Captain. Whatever happens, I'll stand with you... Alright, I'll guard New York, but shouldn't you guys tell me what's going on?"

"Buy a newspaper? Peter said, surprised. "What does that have to do with anything?... Alright, Captain, you're busy; I'll go buy a newspaper."

Peter dashed out of the corridor, jumped out of the window, and skillfully swung with his spider web to the opposite rooftop.

He looked down at the ground and found the nearest newsstand. There, he discovered the latest batch of newspapers being placed prominently on the shelves by the owner.

Peter furrowed his brow. It wasn't morning, so why were there new newspapers arriving now? Moreover, the car he had just encountered had the logo of the Daily Globe. This wasn't a small newspaper; even the former renowned journalist Eddie Brock could only be an ordinary editor there. A big company like this wouldn't change their delivery schedule casually.

So, Peter bought a copy of the latest newspaper. After picking it up and opening it, he saw the headline he had seen yesterday—the news of the death of Nick Fury, the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.

[Read at www.patreon.com/shanefreak, and thanks for the invaluable support!]

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 870: Gleaming Stars and Rotten (Fifteen)