Chapter 72: Good Neighbors in New York

Connor instantly pulled the communicator away from his breast pocket.

He stretched his arm forward, pinching the bat-shaped 'toy' between the tips of two fingers, staring at it as if he were looking at a high-explosive bomb, and he himself was confused and panicked, and in the countdown of the deadline, he had no idea whether to cut the red line or the blue line first.

Should I greet him first or ask where Superman is? Is Damian still alive?

The weak, pitiful and helpless young man turned to his companions for help.

Staring into those blue eyes that were similar to Clark's, Spider-Man took a firm step back.

Connor: “…”

Small actions can cause so much damage.

Unable to lip sync with the mask on, Moses had to take out his phone and type on the screen: I don’t know him!

That's wonderful.

At this moment, I couldn't help but sigh that I was really far-sighted and thoughtful.

Connor and Batman spoke almost at the same time.

"Actually, we were just playing an online game..."

"Are you planning to investigate Future Pharmaceuticals next?"

Spider-Man: “…”

Under Connor's desperate gaze, he could only say: "Yes, that's right, we found Professor Lizard's notebook, which contained a portrait of his wife. It turns out that when the professor is not a professor, he may still be an artist--"

Superboy nudged him lightly with his elbow.

"Well, I mean, besides the lizard test for regenerating severed limbs, they are also working on other things. Future Pharmaceuticals is one of the investors."

Since Spider-Man and Batman are strangers who have nothing to do with each other, he said calmly, "Nice to meet you, Mr. Batman. Connor just asked me to ask you, why did Damian suddenly go offline? Is he okay?"

"I'm in Philadelphia. This is a collective operation of the Justice League." Batman answered irrelevantly, and he emphasized the adjective "collective". "Damian tampered with the computer in the Batcave without telling the adults in his family. But he forgot to adjust the frequency - you and us are in the same internal channel. I am remotely locking the computer and waiting for Nightwing and Robin to rush over."

What he meant when translated is: Not only me, but all members of the Justice League heard your previous conversation.

Next time, please notify us earlier if this happens!

Batman must have discovered it right away, but he only said it now! What the hell?!

"This is not Batman's fault." The Green Lantern's voice came from the communication. "At first, he wanted to rush back to Gotham and beat up the kid at home, but the female hero and I both felt that we should first figure out what you were going to do instead of blindly blocking it."

"Yes," agreed Wonder Woman, "I am proud of your kindness and courage."

But why do I still feel like you guys want to see the excitement?

Anyway, it doesn’t matter if you encounter danger that cannot be solved, Superman is still here.

Connor's bangs, which he had specially styled with hair gel, were drooping down. "I'm sorry, I encouraged Spider-Man to come out. This is all my fault."

"I was planning to come over, sooner or later."

Spider-Man said, "Your suggestion is very timely."

Connor: "But I delayed your history exam."

"...We can still be friends without mentioning this matter. Thank you."

Except for Superman and Batman, who are aware of each other's identities, and Shazan, who is silent and guilty, other heroes have never come into contact with Spider-Man. If it were just Connor, everyone would be more relaxed.

It is obvious that Connor, Spider-Man and Damian all know each other's identities, which actually makes them considered family members.

However, Batman deliberately concealed the real names of Alfred, Nightwing and Robin when he spoke, making his colleagues wonder if the suspicious vigilante was still keeping an eye on them.

The truth is——

Spider-Man: I think we should just pretend we don't know each other to avoid trouble.

Superman and Batman with the same psychological shadows: Yes.

The Dark Knight even added: Once your identity background is compiled, keep it with me for record, just in case.

Later he got an amazing resume that spanned from Eastern Europe to the Mediterranean.

Batman: ?

Spider-Man: Ask Shazan.

This made Batman wonder how to admit that he had investigated Spider-Man.

Common sense suggests that he should investigate.

But in that case, he would have to tell Shazan earnestly to make his stories more reliable in the future. Then he would trap himself and catch Peter Parker, ostensibly to interrogate him, but in fact to make him write a reasonable script right away.

Can't bear it.

Although he really wants to take control of the development of events, even Batman has to admit that the reason why no one doubts his and Superman's identities and experiences is largely due to the fact that humans are more likely to believe in the conclusions they have inferred.

Didn’t you see that Xiao Chou and Luther are still proud of themselves for seeing through everything?

It is simply impossible to make up a flawless story out of thin air. Ordinary people who are ignored by everyone may be able to keep it a secret for a few decades, but superheroes have their own spotlight and are closely watched by the eyes of the whole world. No one can guarantee that they will not make mistakes.

In this situation where there is no way to make up for it, procrastination once again prevails and successfully defeats other plans to become Plan A. Spider-Man first exerts himself, and they act according to the situation. On this basis, they implement the three-negative policy of not knowing, understanding, and not being exposed to it, and strive to achieve the simplification of the routine and let the human imagination return to its original simplicity.

Let’s get back to the present.

"In that case," Batman continued unmoved, "Connor, you will stay in New York for the time being."

Superboy was surprised and asked, "Why? Didn't you not let me go out before?"

"It's hard for Mama Martha to take care of Little Krypton alone." Superman on the other side said gently, "Before, we thought you hadn't made any friends yet, and maybe you still needed family to take care of you. But now you've proven yourself, although, well, Osborne's losses are still a bit big."

Wonder Woman: "So beware of their revenge."

"Okay." Green Light said quickly, "It's no big deal. It's just a two-day trip to a friend's house. Only a new father would worry about this and that every day."

"It's better than just breaking up with your girlfriend."

“…”

Batman pressed a button. Connor fiddled with the communicator and looked up. "They kicked me off the channel."

Moses raised his hand to take off the hood, but forgot that his right hand was broken. The wound was numb from the pain and he didn't feel anything. When he pulled, there was an ominous "click" sound.

Connor was shocked, and immediately forgot about being thrown into New York: "Forget it, no matter what the adults mean, you have to go to the hospital first."

In addition to a broken right hand, Peter Parker also had several bruises on his body, some of which were left from the battle with Professor Lizard three days ago.

The doctor who examined him was very calm, with an expression that said, "I've been practicing medicine for so many years, I've seen everything." After bandaging Moses, he patted him on the shoulder and said, "Son, I was also at your age. Be moderate when you are aggressive and brave."

Connor, who was beside him, interrupted, "Sir, do you think he can fight?"

The doctor paused, carefully sizing up Peter's bookish face, and then changed his tone: "From your temperament and body shape, you wouldn't expect your biceps to have so many muscles. Young people need to grow up, so eat more. If someone provokes you, don't just talk about reason, but fight back if you can."

Connor was still smiling when he walked out of the hospital. He was wearing the same Kryptonian black technology that Superman wore, which could blur his image, but the style was much more fashionable, and the color could darken and turn into sunglasses under the sun.

"Don't laugh. You were discovered by Superman, but I wasn't discovered by Iron Man." Moses pursed his lips, feeling resigned to the act of throwing his own child to another person to raise. "Think about how to introduce yourself to Aunt May later?"

Connor slumps at the mention of this. He's wearing a black down jacket with a subtle Superman logo on the pocket, which is now covered by a button as he hunches over.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause you any trouble. Did I screw up today?"

"Why do you think so?"

"Didn't I tell you?" The young man hesitated, "Lex has always wanted me to either defeat Superman or replace Superman. I was born for this reason. But my dad doesn't think I should become a superhero for this reason. No one is born a hero. Unless I want to use this power myself, neither Lex nor he himself has the right to plan my future."

He turned his head and glanced at Peter when he said this. It was a rare opportunity for them to walk side by side on the road instead of one flying and the other running, and he realized that the two of them were not much different in height.

“I don’t dislike Lex.” Connor looked away, relieved by the similarity, and spoke more fluently. “You know, even though he did a lot of bad things, one time when I felt that the way I was born didn’t make sense, he told me, ‘The only difference between you and other children born to different parents is that I spent a few hundred million more in the process of raising you.’”

Moses was amused. He could imagine Luther's angry expression: "Is he trying to comfort you?"

"I don't know, but sometimes I think he's hopelessly bad, and sometimes I think he's not that bad." Connor put his hands in his pockets and said slowly, "So I think being a superhero is pretty good. When Superman gets old and can't do anything, I'll take over his job. Does that count as replacing Superman?"

Luther, the last few strands of his hair might have been lost because of Connor's anger.

"Why did you become Spider-Man?" Connor asked after a while. "Do you need a reason to be a superhero?"

As soon as he asked the question, Moses became alert.

Human beings must never fall into the same pit three times.

Thinking of how Superman had mentioned to Shazan that he had a human elder, and how this casual remark later became evidence of the script, he couldn't help but feel regretful.

It turns out that we can't speak based on feelings alone, we still have to think about it.

This not-too-light regret mixed with another kind of sadness rising from the depths of his soul, and it unconsciously showed on his expression.

Connor waited for a long time but got no answer. He caught a glimpse of this expression that had nothing to do with a carefree young man, and suddenly felt that maybe he shouldn't have asked the question.

"It's okay, just pretend I didn't ask." He quickly changed the subject, "Look, that house in front is your home, right? Ms. Mei is back."