Chapter Forty-Two: Spider Abilities, Lucky Peter
Having lost interest in dealing with the Vampire faction, Zhou Yi chose to retreat.
He made a solemn decision regarding the Vampire girl, Serana.
Back in the small compartment, Serana sat huddled with her knees pulled to her chest, chin resting on her hands, staring intently at the door. She was waiting for his return.
The door was gently pushed open, and the Dawn Knight, clad in black armor, stepped in.
Seeing the surprised, wide-eyed look of the girl, Zhou Yi smiled. "Good girl, would you like to come with me?"
"With you? Where?" Serana's voice trembled slightly. She shook her head, then nodded frantically. She was too overwhelmed to be coherent. "No! I mean, anywhere is fine, as long as I can be with you. I can find my own food..."
"Don't worry, good girl. None of that is a problem."
Embracing Serana, his towering figure completely enveloped her small form. Zhou Yi gently wrapped her in his cape, then burst straight through the nearest wall.
Outside the derelict club, the deepest darkness of the night was receding, and the faint light of dawn was about to break.
Carrying Serana, Zhou Yi dared not fly at his usual maximum speed. While myths described Vampires turning into bats or even flying on their own, Zhou Yi had never seen it. Flying was complex. Ororo used wind control and air currents.
Zhou Yi's method was more complex still—part field control to negate gravity, part an innate, mysterious feeling. Just as birds were born to fly, he felt an inherent instinct for it.
Once you learned to fly, you fell in love with it. The sky was the ultimate place for freedom. Zhou Yi often pushed the limits, even entering and exiting the atmosphere just for the sheer, extreme joy of it. Other times, he'd deliberately fly low over the city, giving a surprise to those who happened to glance up.
New Yorkers were already accustomed to the black shadow occasionally streaking across their skies. The Dawn Knight's presence demonstrably lowered the city's crime rate, a benefit every resident genuinely felt. Because of this, he was viewed with deep goodwill—a unique, albeit mysterious, local phenomenon.
Some enthusiasts were out early, cameras pointed skyward from apartment balconies. No one knew when or where the Dawn Knight would appear, but the slight chance was enough to keep the dedicated few trying their luck.
His mystery was legendary; no newspaper, large or small, had ever managed to secure an exclusive photograph. The absurdity was palpable: a clear photo of the Dawn Knight simply flying home could fetch an astronomical price.
Peter Parker was one such opportunist.
Unlike the others, Peter had his own newly acquired superpowers, though he'd only possessed them for a few days. Peter was an orphan, raised by his kind Aunt May and Uncle Ben in Forest Hills, Queens. They gave him boundless love, their only child.
Peter was a brilliant student at Midtown High, but also shy, introverted, and utterly immersed in the world of science. He was routinely labeled "nerd Peter," socially awkward and often targeted by the less academically inclined—a normal consequence of overachievement. Peter was no Tony Stark, who could effortlessly balance scientific genius with magnetic social skills (albeit mainly focused on women).
To try and fit in, Peter had recently invited classmates to a science exhibition. Predictably, teenagers preferred fun over fission. Peter ended up alone at a public nuclear testing exhibition when disaster struck: he was bitten by a spider exposed to nuclear radiation.
He soon discovered his new abilities: superhuman strength, lightning-fast agility, the ability to crawl any surface using bio-static electricity, and the invaluable, precognitive "Spider-Sense." He was excited, but also confused: What do I do with this?
For most people suddenly granted superpowers, the confusion would be quickly replaced by a plan. Individuals from oppressed backgrounds or those already involved in crime often use such gifts for personal gain. That segment forms the majority, as self-interest is inherent in human nature.
The financial sector, naturally, prayed this wouldn't happen. New York already suffered enough bank robberies without super-powered involvement.
Peter could have chosen illicit means—robbery or theft—where his abilities would be extremely useful. But he didn't. He had been well-educated by the Parkers; his moral compass, however shaky, pointed toward good.
Yet, that didn't stop Peter from wanting to capitalize on his powers. There were plenty of legal ways to make money, and a young man's adolescence had arrived. The need to show off was strong: designer clothes, cool bikes, anything to catch a girl's eye. And that required copious amounts of cash.
The Parkers were not wealthy. Uncle Ben was a retired worker, now a library security guard, and Aunt May a full-time housewife. Life was a struggle. Peter couldn't, in good conscience, ask for money to fund his frivolous new desires.
Before his powers, he would have focused on academics and finding a good job after college. But the thrilling rush of his new abilities magnified his inner delusions; he needed quick, easy money.
He figured his Spider-Sense was the perfect advantage. In New York, the fleeting glimpses of a flying Superhero fetched enormous prices.
It was still dark, but Peter was already perched atop an apartment building between Manhattan and Long Island, a location rumored to offer the best views of the Dawn Knight. He disregarded the other rumored spots—Staten Island, the Statue of Liberty—which he suspected were just tourist traps. He just needed luck, and his superpowers gave him a massive edge.
Thinking of the newspaper bounties and the girl he admired, Liz Allan, Peter felt a surge of adrenaline.
The horizon was starting to brighten. Peter had been squatting for over an hour. He'd left early under the guise of a morning run, but he couldn't waste more time. He didn't want Uncle Ben, who prioritized his studies, to find out about his quick-cash scheme. Peter, currently high on hormones, felt cute girls were far more important than college.
Watching the minutes tick by, Peter prepared to abandon the operation for the day. He needed to clock in at school.
Just as he leaned over the edge, preparing to crawl down the wall, his miraculous Spider-Sense flared. This powerful sixth sense—a precognitive danger warning that also registered subtle spiritual touches concerning his deepest interests—vibrated violently.
He instinctively snapped his head toward the distant direction. His super vision immediately locked onto a black figure flying through the air, silhouetted against the fading night.
Peter vaulted onto the rooftop, grabbed his prized camera (purchased with his summer job savings), and sprinted across the rooftops. The Spider-Sense guiding him, he didn't need to look down at the obstacles. His speed was phenomenal; he covered three or four meters in a single stride, leaping across ten-meter gaps between buildings effortlessly.
He quickly found the optimal vantage point and began snapping pictures of the aerial figure.
Since Zhou Yi was deliberately flying slowly while holding Serana, Peter was able to capture many clear shots. Normally, the Dawn Knight's speed would require advanced military equipment to photograph clearly.
The entire event, from the Dawn Knight's appearance to his vanishing act, lasted only a dozen seconds, but it was enough. Peter had his prize. Previewing the photos, a massive, happy grin stretched across his face.
When he zoomed in on one particularly sharp image, his smile widened further.
The magnified photo clearly showed a slender female figure protected by the Dawn Knight's dark cape. She was held close to his body, intimately embracing his shoulder and neck, nestled against the mysterious hero.
This was a superhero scandal. Peter immediately imagined the bidding war that would erupt among the city's newspapers. Making money is truly easy with superpowers, he realized, even as he began his descent down the apartment building wall, sidestepping easily.
Peter Parker was soon leisurely riding the subway back to Queens.
And Zhou Yi successfully brought Serana home before the Sun rose.