Chapter 5: Please Don’t Tell Anyone I Did This

"Hey! Peter!"

Xu Wang raised his hand and waved at Peter Parker, who was standing at the entrance of the pizza parlor.

Hearing someone call his name, Peter looked left and right before spotting Xu Wang. They had only parted ways that afternoon, so Peter’s impression of him was still quite fresh.

"Mr. Xu Wang."

Peter stared at him, dazed. After all, they were just strangers who had met once. He was still not quite used to this kind of overly familiar greeting. Without his Spider-Man suit on, Peter was actually rather shy and not nearly as talkative.

"Working a part-time job here? I came by for dinner. Just got off work; made a killing today!"

Xu Wang parked his motorcycle and walked over to Peter, carrying a black trash bag.

"Oh? Oh! Yes! I work part-time here."

Reminded by Xu Wang, Peter snapped back to reality and said apologetically, "Sorry, Mr. Xu Wang, I have to go deliver these pizzas. Can we talk later?"

"Sure! Stay safe on the road!"

Xu Wang waved in a friendly manner, watching as Peter loaded the boxes into a thermal carrier and rode off on his bicycle.

As he watched Peter’s silhouette disappear around a corner, Xu Wang sighed helplessly. "What to do? I really want to be killed by him... but that’s actually quite difficult."

As the moral compass of the Marvel Universe, getting Spider-Man to kill him was a tall order. After all, this was *The Amazing Spider-Man*, where the plot and characterizations were quite orthodox. He would likely need to travel to a different, chaotic timeline and face a completely corrupted Spider-Man to have a real chance of dying at his hands.

Fortunately, Xu Wang was a fairly laid-back person. This wasn’t his only opportunity; if it didn’t work out, it didn’t matter. He’d just try harder next time.

*No internal conflict! Start with me!*

Xu Wang grinned. Looking at the black plastic bag in his hand, a thought occurred to him: "Perhaps letting Peter be possessed by Venom would be a decent opportunity..."

Not far away, Peter, who was cycling, suddenly shivered. He felt a chill down his spine—the lingering sensation of being targeted. For some reason, an image of someone in a second-hand suit dancing awkwardly on the street flashed through his mind.

Shaking his head violently, Peter pedaled faster, trying to shake off the ominous feeling.

Meanwhile, Xu Wang entered the pizza parlor with his plastic bag. He professionally collected all the discarded plastic bottles from the tables before heading to the counter, ignoring the strange looks from the staff, and ordered a five-dollar pizza.

"Just a moment..." The clerk took his money and went to bake the pizza. They also sold one-dollar slices—the true food of the destitute, consisting of nothing but dough and cheese.

While waiting, Xu Wang asked the clerk if the shop was open 24 hours. If so, he planned to spend the night there.

Some 24-hour restaurants were common shelters for the homeless. Aside from those, there were ATM vestibules, certain medical facilities, subway stations, piers, parks, or charity shelters. These were all places the homeless could stay. However, for long-term homelessness, one usually needed a tent to "set up a home" somewhere, as the aforementioned locations were mostly for short-term stays.

Unfortunately, although the shop was open 24 hours, they didn't cater to the homeless. Xu Wang would have to look elsewhere.

Peter’s delivery was quick—or rather, the destination wasn't far. Just as Xu Wang finished his meal and prepared to leave, he saw Peter cycling back.

"Hey! Peter!" Xu Wang called out again at the entrance. Seeing a nearly empty water bottle in Peter's hand, he asked, "Are you done with that water?"

"Huh?" Peter was stunned but subconsciously handed the bottle over.

Xu Wang thanked him, took the bottle, unscrewed the cap, poured out the remaining water, crushed the plastic firmly to expel the air, and screwed the cap back on. The movement was fluid and professional.

"What are you doing?" Peter asked, puzzled as he watched Xu Wang toss the bottle into the black trash bag.

"Scavenging. I’m a scavenger, can't you tell?" Xu Wang sighed and shook his head. "I didn't want to do this, but I have a father with a gambling addiction, a mother bedridden and paralyzed who needs constant medication, and a younger brother to put through college. I have to make ends meet."

Hearing this, Peter was filled with sympathy. "I'm sorry, I didn't know..."

"It's fine. Just, please don't tell anyone what I do." Xu Wang waved it off.

Peter nodded eagerly, though he felt the conversation was a bit odd. While scavenging wasn't exactly a prestigious job, the way Xu Wang described it made it sound like a specialized technical trade.

"Alright, I won't keep you. I need to find a place to sleep tonight." With that, Xu Wang prepared to leave.

Peter stopped him. "I might be able to help you find work. I have a friend whose family is very wealthy." He was referring to Harry Osborn, but Xu Wang declined.

Looking at Peter with a serious expression, he said, "Scavenging is actually a very promising career. I don't need any other work."

Peter didn't push it, assuming Xu Wang was just a proud person who didn't want charity. In reality, Xu Wang was just spouting nonsense.

"Wait a second. I'm off work now, and I know a place where you can stay."

Remembering that Xu Wang was looking for a place to sleep, Peter ran inside to drop off his uniform and returned to join him. However, when he climbed onto Xu Wang’s Harley-Davidson, his expression was strange. He assumed this bike must have been bought before Xu Wang’s family fell on hard times—a common occurrence for the newly homeless.

After starting the engine, Xu Wang boasted proudly, "Nice bike, right? I found it. See? Scavenging is a great job."

Peter’s expression stiffened. This new friend was always full of surprises. *Who the hell finds a Harley-Davidson while scavenging?* Peter had lived for over a decade and had never heard of such a thing. Not knowing what to say, he forced a smile.

With Peter’s directions, they soon found a decent charity shelter nearby. Peter had volunteered there before, so he was familiar with it. It was a large, single-story warehouse-style building with rows of cots. Since they arrived late, there were no beds left, but that didn't matter; the floor was available, and many were already sleeping there. At least it was indoors, providing shelter from the elements.

"Sorry, this is the best I could find..." Peter felt a bit ashamed, as he was only a poor student and could only do so much.

"I'm quite satisfied. Thanks, I'll treat you to a meal next time." Xu Wang patted the young man’s shoulder, marveling at how he truly was the moral compass of Marvel.

After Peter left on his skateboard, Xu Wang found a corner against the wall and sat down. Having traveled this far, he could finally rest. He was actually quite tired.

Using his backpack as a cushion, Xu Wang leaned against the wall, raised his left wrist, and tapped his personal terminal to check the details. The terminal, produced by Vault-Tec, seemed to have undergone some changes after crossing over with him. It no longer just monitored vital signs like body fat and blood pressure; it had transformed into something resembling game stats.

Following his previous deaths, his physical attributes had undergone changes. The [Personal Attributes] panel displayed the following...