Chapter 18: Finally, I Can Die!

"What is this?"

Peter Parker took the draft. For some reason, he felt an inexplicable stir in his heart. Even though it was his first time seeing it, he felt a sense of familiarity, as if it were from an old friend.

"That's a spider-suit. It's the gear you'll be wearing from now on." Xu Wang put his hands on his hips. "Let's reintroduce ourselves. I am Xu Wang. I was hired by Uncle Ben last night to be your superhero training instructor. From now on, you shall call me Batman."

"No, I didn't hire him. He's talking nonsense." Uncle Ben immediately denied it from the side.

Peter was also speechless. "Can't you pick a different name? Watch out, or DC might sue you for infringement."

"Then call me Ash. I will lead you to win the Pokémon League." Xu Wang crossed his arms, looking profound.

"Peter, go wash up and have breakfast." Uncle Ben changed the subject.

Peter answered immediately, scurrying away from Xu Wang and running to the bathroom. Xu Wang felt instantly displeased. This uncle and nephew duo wasn't fun at all. Peter was supposed to be one of Marvel's greatest wisecrackers; the fact that he wouldn't play along with the memes was a huge disappointment.

Soon, everyone finished breakfast, and Peter began gathering materials to craft his suits. He had to make two: one for himself and one for Uncle Ben. Although neither of them wanted to be Xu Wang's "Pokémon," they still accepted his suggestions.

The origins of these two superheroes had changed because of Xu Wang, but both were born to be heroes. This wouldn't have much of an impact on them—especially Uncle Ben. Even though he had only gained his superpowers a day before Peter, he was already proving to be a perfect mentor for Peter on this path.

*With great power comes great responsibility.* Uncle Ben was an absolute practitioner of those words. Peter, having not experienced the tragedy of Uncle Ben's death, was still a bit lacking in temperament, but that wasn't a problem. Xu Wang had already considered it for him. Even without that tragedy, given Peter's inherently kind nature, he would undoubtedly become a responsible superhero. This was evident in how quickly they accepted their new identities.

Although Xu Wang said nothing, Uncle Ben suspected that Xu Wang possessed some kind of ability that allowed him to know things ordinary people couldn't. Uncle Ben trusted Xu Wang, especially after seeing the Hourglass Man commit his crimes. A strong sense of duty gave him a sense of urgency. Therefore, when Xu Wang proposed to conduct targeted training for them, Uncle Ben agreed.

That was how the morning's scene came to be.

The two suits took some time to make. While they were being crafted, Xu Wang’s training for the pair had already begun. It was called training, but in reality, it was just Xu Wang using his knowledge of the original story to help them discover their own powers and combat styles early, saving them from taking many unnecessary detours.

After breakfast, in an abandoned warehouse somewhere in New York City, Xu Wang looked at Ben Parker. "Uncle Ben, your abilities overlap with Peter's in many ways. You both have super strength, lightning-fast reflexes, and the ability to climb walls. However, as the possessor of dragonfly abilities, there is one truly important power you haven't tapped into yet: flight. You can fly. Remember that; the sky is your home turf. From now on, try more 'jumping off buildings' drills to see if you can force yourself to master the power of flight early."

In the original *Dragonfly* movie, the protagonist awakened his flying ability at the end of the film while jumping off a building to save the heroine. Xu Wang felt that Uncle Ben was stronger than that protagonist in every way; there was no reason he couldn't do it.

Uncle Ben nodded upon hearing this. He remembered the Hourglass Man who had escaped on a flying chair. If he had known how to fly that day, he definitely wouldn't have let him get away. And so, Uncle Ben began repeating the process of climbing buildings and jumping off them, attempting to grasp the feeling of flight during the moments he was suspended in the air.

"What about me?" Peter Parker looked at his uncle with envy and asked Xu Wang impatiently.

Looking at the still-green young Spider-Man, Xu Wang said briefly, "You've seen *Tarzan*, right? You need to build your web-shooters first. Then, you'll be able to swing through the concrete jungle just like Tarzan."

Spider-Man’s combat talent was actually very high. Even without any guidance in the original story, he was able to figure out his own fighting style through instinct very quickly. He didn't really need much instruction from Xu Wang; Xu Wang simply blurted out all of Spider-Man's combat techniques to save Peter the time of thinking and groping for them himself.

Immediately after, Xu Wang changed the subject and excitedly pulled out a small booklet for Peter. "Alright, that’s not important. As Spider-Man, this is your most important soul!"

"What is this? Is it some sort of Eastern martial arts manual?!" Peter was still young, and his mind couldn't help but wander. Seeing how highly Xu Wang regarded this booklet, he took it with great anticipation and couldn't wait to flip through it!

But the more he read, the stiffer his smile became.

[Messenger from Hell! Supaidaman!]
[The Man from Hell! Supaidaman!]
[Iron Cross Killer! Supaidaman!]
[The Man Who Sheds Tears for Fatherly Love! Supaidaman!]
[The Man with a Heart Burning for Revenge! Supaidaman!]
[The Man Who Risks His Life for a Promise! Supaidaman!]

...

Peter Parker flipped through the pages. The more he read, the wider his mouth opened!

This booklet contained no martial arts secrets, not even training guidelines! It was filled with all sorts of unique, never-repeating, and incredibly cringeworthy lines! Further back, there was even a collection of "trash talk." Xu Wang even strongly recommended that he give a loud, flashy name to every single basic attack, like "Crow Sitting on an Airplane" or "Tornado Destroying the Parking Lot."

"This is the 'most important thing' you were talking about?!" Peter looked at Xu Wang in disbelief.

"Trust me, this is the soul of Spider-Man; it will bring you power! If you don't believe me, try shouting it out." Xu Wang said, quickly getting into character as a major villain, pointing at Peter Parker and roaring, "Who are you!"

Peter still felt a bit embarrassed. After being urged repeatedly by Xu Wang, he finally said reluctantly, "I am the messenger from hell, Spider-Man."

"No, no, the pronunciation isn't standard enough. Listen to me and read it again. *Supaidaman*! You have to shout it with intensity! *Supaidaman*!" Xu Wang shook his head repeatedly, clearly dissatisfied with Peter's performance.

Peter started to get annoyed. He felt that Xu Wang was just making fun of him again. He disgruntledly returned the collection of lines to Xu Wang and turned away to train on his own.

Seeing this, Xu Wang didn't care. That was just how a fledgling Spider-Man was. But it didn't matter; according to Xu Wang's plan, there would be a time in the future when he would regret it.

Time passed quickly. With Xu Wang's intervention, Spider-Man and Dragonfly-Man certainly took fewer detours. Peter’s two suits and his web-shooters were already finished, and both had a deeper understanding of their abilities.

Uncle Ben, in particular, had truly awakened his power of flight. Dragonfly wings sprouted from his back, and his flight speed was incredibly fast. Xu Wang was very happy for Peter about this, because now, whenever he went out into the wilderness, he wouldn't have to shoot webs onto Uncle Ben—who was effectively in heaven—to swing around. Now, the earthly Dragonfly Uncle Ben could also help him swing. Uncle Ben really was Peter’s angel.

The two superheroes finally made their debut under Xu Wang's tutelage. Within just two and a half days, legends about them began to spread throughout New York.

The superheroes had appeared, and the supervillains were clearly unable to sit still, beginning to flex their muscles. On a "bright and sunny" night, major television stations broke into their broadcasts with urgent news: a giant humanoid lizard had appeared on a bridge crowded with traffic!

The Lizard had arrived!

Target acquired. Xu Wang jumped up from the sofa in excitement! He had waited so long! He could finally die!