In America, over eighty percent of high school students dream of being a hero.
Parker was no exception.
Showing off strength and attracting attention – in just the two days since he gained his abilities – Parker, who was introverted by nature, experienced a completely different vibrancy in his life.
With this mix of anticipation and trepidation, the bus arrived at the virtual reality company's base in the suburbs of New York.
Stark Industries had a professional and efficient construction team. Even though the company had been established for less than two months, it already had the style of a large enterprise, and the factory-like, vast architectural scope gave the company a magnificent feel.
"Parker, there are so many people here," Ned followed closely behind Parker.
Before they arrived, more than a dozen buses were already parked haphazardly. This internship was for the top high school students in all of New York, and handsome, beautiful girls were always the best choice for attracting young talent.
"Parker," Harry also walked over, "Although the virtual reality company is newly established, it has strong strength and great potential, and it's a sister company of Stark Industries. Their chairman is said to be from a mysterious organization, which is very mysterious within the entire wealthy circle."
"Wow—"
Not just Parker, but the students gathered around all exclaimed in amazement.
The world was changing, and the most receptive to it were these outstanding young people.
Harry wanted to say something, but suddenly a blue and white robot flew in from the sky. Its appearance was similar to Iron Man's armor, but from the joints, it was clear that this was a robot, not armor.
"Alright, youngsters, gather around and line up."
Tony Stark's voice came from the robot's voice. This caused some students to scream excitedly.
"Quiet, quiet. I'm wearing headphones in the lab over here. Hey, the girl who said she wanted to marry me, if you can achieve the best results, I'll have dinner with you. Of course, the other girls too..." Tony's words plunged the scene into an even more heated atmosphere, with excitement on everyone's faces.
Money itself had plenty of charm, not to mention that Tony Stark was a genius with a legendary aura.
Shen He watched the image at the door in his office.
He felt it was a mistake to let Tony handle the students.
"Get our heroes ready," Shen He instructed Coulson. "Being a hero is sometimes like being a star; you need to be able to talk and sing. Steve is very experienced at this, and we'll come over later."
He hadn't originally planned to meet these students, but since Parker was among them, it was different. Shen He felt a special resonance with Parker.
When an ordinary person gains extraordinary abilities, does it bring enjoyment, or extraordinary responsibility?
Peter Parker's existence could be said to be a positive reflection of this question. As a superhero, he wasn't as mature and perfect as other heroes like Captain America, nor did he have any firm heroic beliefs. He was even facing the troubles of adolescence, but he truly enjoyed the pleasure of using his extraordinary abilities to help others.
Ordinary superheroes wouldn't do things like help an old lady cross the street.
Parker hadn't realized he was already being watched by a certain stranger.
He was currently following the main group, led by staff and robots, as they moved deeper into the company. After a few opening remarks, Tony Stark had handed over the robot's command to an AI named Jarvis.
"You will each receive an intern ID and be assigned to the logistics team of The Guardians for training," Jarvis announced in a mechanical tone. "Because The Guardians primarily work at night, your training will also be concentrated during the hours of six in the evening to six in the morning, with a shift system in place. The shifts are divided into departments such as the technical department, the public relations department..."
The work locations of these departments were the same as the training locations of the three powered individuals, allowing them to frequently see The Guardians.
Although taking photos was prohibited, this already excited the students immensely. A considerable number of them had come specifically for The Guardians.
Jarvis led the students to collect their ID cards and introduced the rules, prohibitions, and important notes before bringing them to The Guardians' training ground.
It was a place resembling a sports field. When they entered, four Guardians were engaged in intense combat training.
To be precise, three young people were ganging up on Steve.
And none of them were wearing masks, only tight-fitting uniforms.
The fiery figures and beautiful faces, coupled with battle scenes that looked like movie special effects, stirred the passionate hearts of these young people. If they hadn't been told to keep quiet in the training ground beforehand, the screams would probably have lifted the roof off.
"Focus!" Steve used his shield to deflect Wanda's power back at her.
Captain America was quite strict in a normal training session because he knew that a slight lapse in concentration could very well cost these young people their lives in a real battle in the future.
The result of the three-on-one was still a victory for Steve.
Because Skye was required not to cause too much destruction, and Wanda couldn't use her mind powers, the only one who could really threaten Captain America was Pietro.
"Clap, clap, clap." The students all clapped.
"Do you think it's cool?"
Suddenly, a male voice came from the side. Although the voice was soft, it rang clearly in everyone's ears.
It was a young man in a black robe, but in an instant, everyone was drawn to the woman beside him.
The Hooded Woman!
Super beautiful!
As their eyes focused on Jeanne's face under the hood, many students felt their hearts skip a beat. It wasn't entirely amazement; it was more a sense of disbelief. How could someone's appearance be so exquisite, seemingly without a single flaw?
"Snap out of it," Shen He clapped his hands, a little helpless.
It was really a matter of clothing. When wrapped in a black outfit with a hood, everyone's attention would naturally be drawn to the face.
The perfect appearance of a Heroic Spirit was indeed quite shocking to ordinary people who weren't accustomed to it at first glance.
"Everyone, you may not know me, but I am the chairman of the Virtual Reality Company, Shen He." Shen He thought for a moment, then raised his voice slightly. "Standing beside me is my wife."
Wife... Jeanne's face flushed slightly. To avoid being noticed, she subtly shifted, hiding behind Shen He.
Crack.
Many people felt their hearts break.
But after all, they were all excellent students. More people gradually realized that the person standing before them was actually the chairman of the Virtual Reality Company, and so young?
Shen He didn't take a microphone, nor did he stand on a high platform, but rather stood casually among them.
"Feeling surprised?" Shen He touched his chin and smiled. "We come from an ancient organization called Chaldea. Everyone in the organization possesses extraordinary abilities. For a long time, we have been hidden in the shadows of the world. Do you want to guess how long I've been alive?"
The students looked at each other, feeling as if they were listening to a story.
But so many unbelievable things had already happened in this world. If humans with extraordinary abilities like The Guardians had existed a long, long time ago, then the appearance of such a mysterious organization was also possible.
Young people, after all, are quicker to accept things, and someone immediately raised their hand.
"Over a hundred years old?"
"I think it's more like over a thousand!" Someone else shouted out an even more shocking number.
"Over a thousand? How is that possible?"
"Have you guys forgotten about the aliens that appeared on the internet before? The legend of Thor goes back over a thousand years, which means that extraordinary powers existed back then." This was a sharp-minded student.
"There's too little information; there's no direction for speculation at all." There were also some more rigorous, analytical types.
Shen He now understood why Tony liked to chat with young people. They always thought of things that people with rigid minds couldn't.
"Actually..." Shen He revealed a smile, "I'm twenty-five years old this year."
"Shhh—"
The scene immediately erupted in a chorus of shushes.
"Haha, just kidding," Shen He quipped, looking quite amused. "I'm not much older than you all, so no need to be so formal. Actually, something's changing in this world. The number of people with extraordinary abilities is gradually increasing. That's why we've chosen to reveal ourselves to the world."
Peter Parker's palms grew slightly clammy upon hearing this.
"So, does that mean we might also gain extraordinary abilities?" someone immediately asked.
"Exactly," Shen He nodded honestly. "But it requires an opportunity. Captain America is a product of mad science. Scarlet Witch, Quake, Quicksilver, and even that green behemoth you all know, who once caused destruction, all have unique experiences. But—did you come here because of their superpowers?"
This sudden question caught some people off guard.
"Isn't that... the case?" someone cautiously asked. "I don't know about the others, but I came because of superpowers. It's just so cool."
"That's right. Being able to generate shockwaves with your hands and run faster than a car is way cooler than magic."
"And the girls are beautiful."
"Captain America's physique is amazing too."
Shen He looked at the students chattering among themselves, smiling without saying a word. Then, still smiling, he walked over to a pure steel training pillar placed to the side.
—Clang!
A punch!
No fancy moves, just pure brute force. The invisible air compressed into a visible mist, then exploded outwards, creating air currents and a huge noise. All the students took a few steps back, some even falling to the ground in terror. The pure steel metal pillar now had a fist mark like it had been flattened from modeling clay, and the part buried underground was even uprooted.
These students had never seen such violence before.
"Did you feel that?" Shen He still wore a gentle smile. "What are you thinking now? Do you still think it's cool? I'd guess you're more afraid, aren't you?"
The students looked at each other, as if they were just realizing where they were and what was happening. Seeing Captain America walk over, they immediately felt much more at ease.
And some of them began to look thoughtful.
"It seems some of you have already figured out what I'm trying to say." Shen He suddenly pointed at Parker. "You, young man, come and tell us. If you're right, I'll give you extra credit for your internship."
Peter Parker didn't seem to expect to be called out, but after seeing Shen He's smiling gaze, his heart tightened slightly.
He felt like his abilities might have already been discovered.
"Uh, I think… Mr. Shen wants to tell me that the ability itself isn't cool," Parker still stood up with a brave face. "What's cool is the actions of The Guardians helping others."
"Not bad." Shen He's gaze softened.
Facing those gazes, Parker's nervousness somehow gradually dissipated.
"Why did my punch make you feel fear?" Shen He's gaze swept across the students. "Because you don't understand me. It's like when a stranger stands before you with a gun, you naturally feel afraid. But when the person holding the gun is Captain America, you instead feel reassured. So, what you truly yearn for isn't extraordinary abilities, but heroes."
Shen He emphasized the word "heroes."
All the students in front of him gradually quieted down, and Captain America and the three Guardians also stopped, standing beside Shen He.
"Everyone can't guarantee they won't encounter crises, accidents, man-made disasters. Unfortunate events will always have a probability of happening to them." Shen He paused, then continued, "So when people see those in crisis being saved by heroes, they will feel a sense of shared courage, and they will still have hope even when they find themselves in desperate situations. This is the charm of heroes, the allure of heroes."
"And the stronger the hero themselves, the stronger this hope and yearning become."
"This is the reason I established The Guardians: ability also brings responsibility."
The scene was silent for a moment, then burst into enthusiastic applause. These outstanding students clapped vigorously, and Parker did the same.
If they thought The Guardians were just cool before, then now, they could probably feel some of the meaning behind their existence.
"Alright, everyone, if you want Captain America's autograph, hurry up, and then your studies will begin. I hope that the ten days you spend here will allow you to see some different things," Shen He said with a smile, waving his hand. He then took Jeanne's hand and left, finally glancing at Parker.
He didn't say anything, but he was waiting, waiting for Parker to come to him.
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