Peter Parker followed Uncle Ben down to the basement—a place cluttered with old storage boxes and forgotten odds and ends.
When his uncle went back upstairs, Peter stayed behind to look for anything useful.
He rummaged through the dusty shelves, and then
he suddenly froze.
There, tucked between some boxes, was a familiar brown leather briefcase.
The moment Peter laid eyes on it, childhood memories surged back.
It had been a rainy day.
Peter was barely ten years old, brought by his parents to stay with his uncle and aunt.
And back then
the briefcase his father carried was this very one.
Staring at it now, Peter lost all interest in searching for anything else.
He held the briefcase tightly and walked back upstairs in a daze.
In the kitchen, Uncle Ben and Aunt May were in the middle of a lighthearted argument.
『Aunt May』: The plumber doesn't fix electrical appliances!
『Uncle Ben』: Of course they do.
『Aunt May』: They only deal with pipes and water pumps.
『Uncle Ben』: If you ask them to fix it, of course they can—
Their voices trailed off when they saw Peter's expression.
Their eyes followed the object in his hands
Richard Parker's briefcase.
They exchanged a silent glance.
Both knew immediately: this wasn't good.
Letting Peter see that case… would only remind him of his parents.
It must've hurt deeply.
Trying to lighten the mood, Ben spoke with forced casualness.
『Uncle Ben』: I'd almost forgotten about that old thing.
『Uncle Ben』: It used to belong to your father.
Peter nodded faintly.
『Peter Parker』: Yeah…
『Uncle Ben』: He asked us to keep it safe for him.
Ben walked closer and set down what he was holding.
『Uncle Ben』: He saw that briefcase once, in a leather shop window on Ninth Avenue.
He smiled wistfully, settling into a chair.
『Uncle Ben』: Nineteen years old. What kind of nineteen-year-old even needs a briefcase?
Then he chuckled.
『Uncle Ben』: Guess who bought it for him?
『Peter Parker』: I don't know…
『Uncle Ben』: Your mom. That's how they met.
Peter blinked, surprised.
『Peter Parker』: He asked you to keep it safe… but why? There's nothing inside.
『Peter Parker』: Have you ever even looked? It's empty.
Aunt May's voice softened.
『Aunt May』: Your father was… a very mysterious man.
Peter's eyes shimmered.
『Peter Parker』: Yeah. I know.
He flipped open the briefcase, more out of habit than curiosity.
But then—something unexpected.
There was something inside.
A folded piece of newspaper, its edges neatly cut.
Peter quickly pulled it out.
『Peter Parker』: Who's this? Do you know who this person is?
Ben squinted.
『Uncle Ben』: Maybe… a colleague of his? Someone he worked with, I'd guess.
Aunt May said nothing.
Peter's heart sank again.
Sensing the gloom, May changed the subject at once.
『Aunt May』: Peter, would you please take that off the table?
『Aunt May』: Dinner's ready. Go wash your hands.
『Peter Parker』: Okay.
He nodded, holding the briefcase close as he returned to his room.
Ben and May exchanged worried looks.
In his room, Peter carefully emptied the briefcase's contents
a few pens, a calculator, a work badge, a pair of glasses…
All ordinary things.
He didn't understand why his father would ask them to guard it.
Removing his own contact lenses, Peter tried on his father's glasses.
At once, memories from years ago flooded back.
As he turned the briefcase over, something caught his attention
a false compartment inside.
There was something hidden there.
A stack of documents.
Peter's pulse quickened.
He closed the door, sat down, and slowly opened them.
The first page—
a mess of equations he couldn't begin to understand.
『Peter Parker』 (murmuring): What is this…?
Just then—
Knock, knock, knock!
The sound jolted him.
『Peter Parker』: Coming!
He set the papers aside, tidied up the table, and pretended to be using his computer before opening the door.
Uncle Ben stood there, concern in his eyes.
『Uncle Ben』: You doing okay, kiddo?
『Peter Parker』: I'm fine. Why?
Ben studied him—the glasses, the expression—and for a fleeting moment, he saw Richard Parker again.
『Uncle Ben』: Good grief… you look just like him.
Peter took off the glasses self-consciously.
『Uncle Ben』: Mind if I come in?
『Peter Parker』: Sure.
Ben entered, sitting on the edge of the bed.
『Uncle Ben』: Listen… I'm not a smart man, Peter. You know that.
He paused, choosing his words carefully.
Then he spoke quietly, trying to comfort the boy.
Finally, he said a name.
『Uncle Ben』: Curt Connors.
Peter blinked.
『Uncle Ben』: That's the man in the photo—your father's colleague.
They worked together for years, thick as thieves.
But after that night… we never saw him again.
Not a single call. Nothing.
He looked Peter straight in the eyes.
『Uncle Ben』: You should look into him.
Peter said nothing.
Ben's gaze drifted toward the computer screen, and his tone lightened.
『Uncle Ben』: She's pretty, by the way.
Peter glanced at the monitor instinctively
a photo of several students smiling together.
Right in the center stood Gwen Stacy.
Ben didn't need to ask any further.
He just smiled, stood up, and headed for the door.
Peter called after him suddenly.
『Peter Parker』: Uncle Ben!
Ben turned, curious.
『Uncle Ben』: Yeah?
『Peter Parker』: You're… a really good dad.
For a moment, Ben was silent.
Then a warm smile spread across his face.
『Uncle Ben』: Get ready, kiddo. We're going out for dinner.
『Peter Parker』: Okay.
They left the room together.
At dinner, Peter barely touched his food before standing up.
『Peter Parker』: I'm full!
He disappeared back into his room.
Ben and May exchanged glances again.
『Aunt May』: I told you—he doesn't like spaghetti and meatballs.
『Uncle Ben』: Guess you were right.
Back in his room, Peter turned to the computer.
He began searching: "Dr. Curt Connors."
After several tries, he finally found something.
Oscorp Industries.
『Peter Parker』: Oscorp? Harry's family company?
He was stunned.
He'd heard of Oscorp before—everyone in New York had.
And if this had something to do with his father's disappearance…
there was no way he could ignore it.
He changed clothes and headed straight for Oscorp.
Meanwhile
Carl, who had been staying in Zhang Manyue's dorm,
was just about to take her out for dinner.
Zhang Manyue had already dressed up,
but before they could leave, Carl's phone started ringing.
He glanced at the screen—Tony Stark.
『Carl』: Tony Stark? What's he calling for?
Curious, Carl picked up.
『Carl』: Hello, Tony?
『Tony Stark』: Good afternoon, Mr. Superman.
『Carl』: Afternoon. What's up?
There was a pause, as if Tony were carefully choosing his words.
『Tony Stark』: So, uh… I heard something odd.
That you… hit over a hundred high school students this morning?
『Tony Stark』: That's ridiculous. You'd never do something like that, right?
『Carl』: No, that's right. I did it.
Tony's voice jumped in pitch.
『Tony Stark』: What!?
『Carl』: I said, I did it.
Those students were bullying someone else,
so I stepped in.
End of chapter...
WORLDWIDE SUPERMAN STRENGTH
🔹 Dimension Walker – 15 chapters ahead
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