A few days later.
Ben and Mary Jane walked to school together. Peter was a little ahead of them, waiting at the platform before the bus.
"I can't believe you're running a company and still taking the school bus," Mary Jane said with a smile.
"I don't want to be too flashy," Ben replied.
That was the truth.
He didn't want money to change his life's trajectory. Besides, Aunt May and Uncle Ben still lived in Queens, and if his identity were exposed, their lives would be affected too.
Not to mention, Mary Jane's aunt probably wouldn't dare to speak to Aunt May if she saw her.
As for security, Ben had been upgrading those Iron Robots over the past few days.
With the help of Grey Matter's intelligence and Upgrade, it wasn't difficult.
The original Iron Robots were too bulky.
Ben's main job was to remove the unnecessary heavy outer shells designed to distinguish them from Iron Man, reducing their burden.
In addition, their heavy weapons were also removed by Ben.
After all, Ben bought them not to turn them into weapons, but to protect Uncle Ben and Aunt May, so weapons meant for war were naturally useless.
Conversely, Ben installed various protective equipment inside them, such as the energy shield, which was indispensable.
In addition, the original ammunition was replaced with medical kits, and their systems were implanted with extensive anti-reconnaissance and medical knowledge, allowing them to provide medical assistance at any time.
Of course, counterattacking enemies was also an essential part.
But as he said, Hammer's weapons were only suitable for indiscriminate bombing attacks on the battlefield, not for urban combat.
Switching to more focused laser weapons was much better.
They were lighter, more powerful, and reduced collateral damage.
The only problem was that the Iron Robots were still too large.
Ben couldn't have them follow Uncle Ben and Aunt May all the time. He just equipped them with alarm devices, and the Iron Warriors would be dispatched immediately if any emergency occurred.
"I'm getting on the bus,"
As they were talking, the school bus arrived. Peter waved at them and got on first.
Ben and Mary Jane immediately followed.
As soon as he got on the bus, Flash seemed to be waiting for him, standing up and waving at Ben.
"Ben, did you go to the exhibition? I can't believe something like that happened. I heard Spider-Man showed up too!"
Flash said with regret.
He wasn't interested in exhibitions and hadn't paid any attention to it.
But the next day, when the Daily Bugle published Peter's photos of Spider-Man and spread fake news about Spider-Man causing trouble at the Stark Expo, Flash realized what he had missed.
He had missed a great opportunity to meet his idol!
"I went, but I didn't see Spider-Man. I only went to the Primus Pavilion," Ben replied calmly, nodding. He refused the seat Flash offered by pushing Liz aside and sat with Mary Jane in another spot.
Currently, the identity of the Primus owner was still a mystery to ordinary people.
As Ben said, he didn't want to be too flashy.
Flash rested one arm on the back of the seat and said, turning his head, "Then you went for nothing."
"By the way, do you know about Hacker? The black Spider-Man. The Daily Bugle reported that Spider-Man called him Hacker," he asked again.
"I've heard a little. What's up?"
"We were just discussing it. Who do you think is stronger between these two Spider-Men?" Flash asked.
His question drew the attention of many people on the school bus. Of course, a lot of eyes had already gathered when Ben got on the bus.
Clearly, they had already been discussing this issue tirelessly before.
At this moment, even Peter couldn't help but look at Ben.
In his opinion, Ben was clearly much stronger than him. He had fought Ben before, but even when he used his full strength, he wasn't Ben's match in terms of abilities.
At first, Ben could only win because he was more skilled in fighting, but gradually, Peter realized that their stats were different.
Ben's strength had clearly surpassed his by a lot.
Besides, he wasn't as good as Ben in other aspects. For one thing, Ben had even helped him craft his Spider Suit. Otherwise, he might still be wearing his baby pajamas!
Even so, he wanted to hear Ben's evaluation.
"Two Spider-Men, who is stronger?"
Ben was a little surprised, but it also made sense. Indeed, no matter which universe, comparing combat power was a topic people could never escape.
So he said calmly:
"Spider-Man is naturally stronger."
He was, of course, referring to Peter.
"What?" Peter seemed surprised that Ben actually thought he was stronger, showing a look of astonishment.
Flash, on the other hand, hearing Ben acknowledge Spider-Man, grinned proudly. "See? Ben agrees with me. He's my best buddy!"
But clearly, others didn't share their opinion.
Peter, in particular, was confused why Ben would say he was stronger, so he said, "Spider-Man fought Green Goblin for over a month and couldn't take him down, but Hacker only showed up once and defeated him..."
Flash interrupted, "Shut up, Peter. Do you understand Spider-Man, or do I?"
As he spoke, he revealed the T-shirt on his chest with a cartoon Spider-Man design.
Peter: ...
"Actually, Flash is right," Ben continued the conversation. "It's too superficial to judge Spider-Man's strength based solely on power and ability."
"Exactly!"
Flash nodded with feigned seriousness.
"Maybe Hacker is amazing, and Iron Man is amazing, but Spider-Man is the true hero. He's the only one who helps every citizen of New York. When all the superheroes are focused on the huge crises, only Spider-Man cares about how your day is going."
You had to admit, Flash truly understood Spider-Man.
His words actually moved Peter a little. He really hadn't expected Flash to speak up for him so passionately, making him feel like everything he'd done recently was worth it. Being a good neighbor to New York didn't seem like such a bad thing after all.
"Peter, your expression is disgusting. Get away from me!" Flash shoved Peter away with a look of disdain. Then, he prepared to continue promoting his idol to others.
However, at this moment, a hand reached in from off-screen and hooked his shoulder. Ben leaned in and asked in a less-than-friendly tone, "Flash, where did you buy that Spider-Man merchandise shirt?"
Hateful! Didn't he see that the real Spider-Man, without his own help, could only sell photos to survive? These detestable capitalists dared to sell shirts with Spider-Man's image without his consent? How hateful! They must be severely punished! Didn't they say foreign countries paid more attention to copyright? Apparently not.
"You mean this? I bought it at Nike," Flash said. "I heard they'll be releasing a Hacker version soon. Too bad they don't have an Iron Man version, otherwise, I could collect all the heroes."
Ben: ?
"Alright, alright, alright!" He nodded angrily, then picked up his phone and sent a message to Eunice. Clearly, they saw him and Peter as easy targets, thinking masked heroes like Spider-Man would never cause trouble for them, hence their brazenness. In contrast, they wouldn't dare do this to heroes like Tony Stark. He hadn't even reaped any fame or fortune from being Spider-Man, and now others were getting ahead of him? Death penalty, it must be the death penalty!
Upon receiving Ben's message, Eunice immediately began preparing to contact the legal department to sue the other company for infringement. Of course, she'd have to find Peter later and have him pose as Spider-Man to give her authorization. From now on, all Spider-Man merchandise would only be distributed by Primus!
After doing all this, Ben patted Flash's shoulder heavily and said with heartache, "Flash, don't you know this shirt is a bootleg? They don't have Spider-Man's copyright at all. This is a serious infringement of Spider-Man's basic rights! As Spider-Man's number one fan, how can you wear their clothes? This is practically blasphemy against Spider-Man! Do you think Spider-Man would support a company that infringes on others' rights?"
Hearing this, Flash froze. "You're right!" He immediately wanted to tear off his T-shirt, but Ben stopped him. "No need to be so hasty. Just remember that Spider-Man has already reached a cooperation agreement with Primus. From now on, all genuine Spider-Man merchandise will be sold by Primus."
Peter: ??? He didn't know when he had partnered with Primus, but in a sense, his battle suit was made at Primus, so whatever Ben said went.
Flash nodded, then asked suspiciously, "But how did you know? Could it be..." His suspicious gaze swept over Ben. "Could it be that you're actually Spider-Man?"
"No, I'm not, I didn't," Ben quickly denied.
Flash didn't doubt Ben's explanation. He had just said it casually, like a scene from a movie where a superhero is right beside you, and didn't actually think Ben was Spider-Man.
However, he was still curious, "You're not Spider-Man, so how did you know something so secret? Are you the boss of Primus?"
Ben: ???
Peter, standing nearby, burst out laughing.
Ben's peripheral vision immediately shot over, and then he slapped his forehead, saying, "A friend told me. He happens to be an internal member of Primus."
Actually.
Seeing Peter dare to laugh at him, Ben had originally planned to tell Flash that he was Spider-Man's exclusive photographer to shift the focus.
But after a moment's thought, Ben abandoned the idea.
Although, with Primus having developed to this extent, even if Peter really wanted to reveal his identity, he wouldn't need to worry.
Those criminals who targeted Uncle Ben or Aunt May to get to Spider-Man, if they dared to make a move, those Iron Soldiers would show them what firepower coverage was!
If any more idiots set their sights on him, that would be even more interesting.
Ben stated that the alien heroes in his watch were theirs to choose from, with hundreds of different ways to die to mix and match. Even the King of Sakaar said it was good!
However, it was better to avoid trouble.
After all, Jameson never put Peter's name under the photos in the Daily Bugle, not only to keep a hold on the guy who could always get Spider-Man photos, but also as a form of protection for Peter.
When the group arrived at the school, they were almost speechless, stunned by the appearance of the newly built school.
The original Midtown High School was just a public school. While not terrible, it wasn't anything special either.
However, Midtown High School had now become incredibly prosperous, with even the entrance gate built like a Triumphal Arch.
"This is too much, isn't it?"
"Osborn funded it," Ben explained. "Uncle Norman plans to transfer Harry so he can study with us."
Originally, Harry attended a private school.
But Norman saw that the so-called elite education didn't seem to have helped Harry grow. Instead, his interactions with Ben and Peter over the past few months had helped Harry mature significantly.
Harry was fully in charge of Primus's mobile phone business, and he had also shown talent in the promotion of Primus cars.
Using the Stark Expo farce as a stage to showcase the car's Energy Shield was, undeniably, a clever move.
So, Norman decided to have Harry transfer to Midtown High School to study with Ben and Peter.
Thus, while Midtown High School was already undergoing reconstruction, he simply donated a sum of money, which also served as compensation for Connors, a former Osborn employee, who had destroyed the school.
It seemed, however, that the money was used for the wrong purpose...
After crossing the gate, the group immediately went from the luxurious facade back to the original, simple campus.
"I don't get it. Why build an escalator for a two-story cafeteria, but only stairs for a six-story dormitory?"
Peter found it absurd.
Ben, however, saw the essence of the matter at a glance.
"Silly kid, the leaders don't need to go to the student dorms, but they still have to eat."
"I just hope the classrooms have air conditioning," Mary Jane said. "By the way, Benny, you have time to come watch our rehearsals now, right?"
Hearing this, Ben nodded and said, "Sure. When you become famous, I'll have you be the image ambassador for Primus."
"Forget it, I don't plan on being a star," Mary Jane shook her head.
She used to want to be an actress or a singer, but she had given up on that. Playing in a band was just a hobby.
Ben looked surprised:
"What happened?"
Mary Jane said indignantly, "I heard from Felicia that among those female stars who want to be famous, very few don't have capital backing them. The price is accepting being exploited, it's disgusting."
She shook her head, her fiery red hair swaying, denouncing the sickness of society.
"Isn't that simple? Coincidentally, I am the capital," Ben said, pointing to himself.
"Miss Mary Jane, would you like me to back you?"
"You want to back me?"
Mary Jane rolled her eyes, thinking, You just want to get your hands on me, ugh, how vulgar!
I'm too embarrassed to call you out on it!
"Just tell me if you're willing or not!"
"Hmph, of course, I'm willing!"
-----------
Translation by: randomtranslator.com
Read 2500+ original & fanfic translations and Translate for Free at: randomtranslator.com