Chapter 7: Dragonfly Man!

The next day.

Xu Wang, still fast asleep, was jolted awake by the staff of the shelter. He checked the time; it was only six o'clock. After asking around, he learned that this was standard practice for many charitable organizations in the United States. While they provided a place for the homeless to stay, they didn't make it comfortable enough for them to linger. They would wake everyone up early in the morning, preventing them from staying too long and getting too comfortable. The wake-up times varied from place to place, but regardless, the homeless who had nowhere else to go would still flock there.

Xu Wang didn't mind. Although his sleep hadn't been comfortable, he had recovered a fair amount of energy. The shelter also provided a free breakfast, and Xu Wang joined the queue to grab his portion. It wasn't much: an apple, two slices of toast, a packet of crackers, and a small box of cheap juice. The toast and crackers were dry and flavorless, the juice tasted like industrial additives, and the apple was shriveled and dehydrated. Yet, Xu Wang ate with gusto, leaving nothing behind. At the very least, it saved him the cost of a meal and provided necessary nutrition.

With his backpack on and his black trash bag in hand, Xu Wang left the shelter. He had two goals for the day. The first was to continue scavenging for trash, just like yesterday. The second was to see if he could find a place to stay for a while—not for long, just a few days or perhaps half a month.

According to the movie timeline, Peter Parker should have discovered his father's belongings upon returning home yesterday. From there, he would find clues about Curt Connors and set off for Oscorp today. Fate’s gears would begin to turn: Peter would be bitten by a super spider at Oscorp and start his journey as Spider-Man. In other words, if the plot remained unchanged, Peter Parker would become Spider-Man today. Once Spider-Man appeared, it wouldn't be long before other villains emerged. When that time came, Xu Wang could finally seek his death.

This was exactly what Xu Wang was looking forward to. He suspected that the enhancements he gained were linked to the enemies who killed him. Therefore, in the interest of maximizing his benefits, it was best to die at the hands of those with superpowers. After mentally outlining the plot of *The Amazing Spider-Man*, Xu Wang happily rode his bike out onto the streets.

Just like the day before, he headed toward a bustling area. With plenty of tourists and pedestrians, there would be plenty of drinks to discard, and consequently, more trash for Xu Wang to collect.

After parking his bike, Xu Wang—tall, with handsome, refined features—walked through Times Square. He spotted a pair of gorgeous, blonde-haired, blue-eyed women with stunning figures walking toward him. His eyes lit up, and with a charming smile, he walked straight up to them.

The "pretty-boy bias" was a global phenomenon, and it was actually even more rampant in the United States. Seeing a handsome man approaching, the two women smiled. They didn't mind being approached by a handsome stranger; regardless of whether they were interested, it was a validation of their own charm.

"Wow! Today must be my lucky day! To run into two such perfect, beautiful ladies! Your skin is incredible—smooth, without a single wrinkle; you are truly the jewels of human civilization!" Xu Wang gushed as soon as he reached them, launching into a string of compliments. "Especially that red dress—it really highlights your elegance. Would I have the honor of getting to know you both?"

The two women were flattered, but as they listened, they felt something was off. They glanced at each other—neither of them was wearing a red dress.

Ignoring their confusion, Xu Wang kept his charming, handsome smile. "Excuse me, are you done with those soda bottles? If not, could I have them?" As he spoke, he rattled his black trash bag, which clattered with the sound of plastic bottles.

The women’s expressions darkened instantly. They finally realized that this guy had been complimenting the soda bottles in their hands! It was more insulting than being called ugly to their faces. The idea that they, two living, beautiful women, were less charming than plastic bottles made them absolutely furious.

"Pfft! You disgusting scavenger!" the two women cursed, threw their bottles directly at Xu Wang, and stormed off.

Xu Wang’s perception of 8 was enough to track the trajectory of the bottles, but his agility of 5 held him back. His movements were slightly uncoordinated, and he ended up getting hit by both bottles. He didn't care, though; he just laughed, picked up the bottles, and continued his work.

Just then, a giant screen in Times Square began looping an advertisement that immediately grabbed his attention.

"This is United Biotech! This is the CEO of United, Lou Landers! In 2003, his invention of the non-stick toilet won the National Science Award; he is one of the greatest scientists of this century."

The ad continued with a series of introductions about United Biotech, including mentions of various mutant animal samples they had developed. Watching the corporate commercial on the big screen, Xu Wang’s jaw slowly dropped. He even forgot to pick up his trash.

"This United Biotech... why does it look so much like Oscorp?" Xu Wang blinked and turned his head to look at another giant screen on the other side of Times Square. It was also looping a corporate ad.

"This is Oscorp! This is the CEO of Oscorp, Norman Osborn! In 2003, his invention of the flying glider won the National Science Award; he is one of the greatest scientists of this century!"

"Confirmed! The script is identical—one of them is definitely a knockoff!" Xu Wang’s eyes flashed with brilliance as he fully utilized his prodigious intellect. "United sounds much more legitimate than Oscorp, and their boss even invented a non-stick toilet—a boon for the country and the people! There is no doubt about it; this is the genuine article. Oscorp is clearly the knockoff!"

"I have to go check out the fun at United Biotech!"

Though he was spouting nonsense, his inner thoughts were clearer than ever. He recognized the United Biotech company and the CEO named Lou Landers from the screen. In his memories, that was the villain from the superhero parody film *Superhero Movie*. He didn't know why *Superhero Movie* had crashed into the world of *The Amazing Spider-Man*, but he didn't care. He only knew that he had stumbled upon something amusing.

His grandmother once said: if you run into a good time and don't take it, you aren't a true thrill-seeker. Xu Wang deeply agreed. His mental state was so excellent precisely because he tirelessly pursued fun. United Biotech was clearly more entertaining than Oscorp. Based on that alone, Xu Wang unconditionally supported United Biotech as the "original." He wouldn't give Norman Osborn a second look unless he started wearing pigtails and a maid outfit in public.

Carefully tying his trash bag to his Harley motorcycle, Xu Wang asked for directions to United Biotech and rode off to stir up some trouble.

As a parody of *Spider-Man*, the plot of *Superhero Movie* was largely similar. The protagonist, just like Peter Parker, was an unlucky, marginalized figure who, while visiting the United Biotech facility, was bitten by a mutant dragonfly and gained its abilities, becoming the Dragonfly.

Although it was a parody film, the superpowers within it were undeniably real. Xu Wang now had one idea in mind: he was going to catch a mutant dragonfly and have it bite Peter Parker’s uncle, Benjamin Parker!

That’s right! Xu Wang wanted to turn Spider-Man’s uncle into the Dragonfly!

"As expected of me, a genius of world-shaking wisdom! There is nothing more interesting than this!" Xu Wang cheered happily as he sped off on his bike.