Peter Parker had been having a great time recently. Ever since he was bitten by that spider, he gained unparalleled superpowers. He was no longer the weak, homebody he used to be, but had become incredibly strong and agile. For a high school student, this was truly the best thing that could happen.
However, he wasn't without worries. The Doctor he had been chatting with online arranged a thorough physical examination for his whole family, and this examination revealed many problems.
Peter, on the other hand, had no issues; he was incredibly healthy, and the hospital's machines couldn't detect anything unusual about him.
The problem lay with his Uncle and Aunt, Uncle Ben and Aunt May. After all, they were getting older, and naturally, they would have some ailments. But that wasn't the main concern. The Doctor told Peter that the examination results showed a Shadow on his Uncle's lung, which was not good news.
Anyone with a little common sense knows that the next sentence after that usually means either cancer or a tumor.
The Doctor recommended that Ben Parker undergo a comprehensive lung examination, but this was not cheap, especially considering the possibility of an open biopsy later. The Parker family simply couldn't afford the surgery fees.
Although medical expenses would be reimbursed, the cost of this type of examination was not on the reimbursement list, and no insurance company would cover it.
If the Doctor Peter knew online was still working at this hospital, perhaps Peter could have sought his help. Even if it wasn't possible at this good hospital, they could go to a slightly less prestigious hospital, where it would be cheaper.
The Parker family's life had always been tight. Peter often went a whole year without a new piece of clothing, but Peter also knew that his Uncle and Aunt had tried their best to provide him with the best life possible. After all, they earned so little, and Uncle Ben was absolutely unwilling to gain any ill-gotten wealth. Living on a meager fixed salary while still supporting Peter's education meant there was truly no savings left.
Ben Parker, however, was quite optimistic. A Shadow on the lung didn't necessarily mean cancer or a tumor; perhaps it was just some minor inflammation that would heal on its own. He reassured Peter, saying it might just be the big hospital exaggerating the danger, but Peter was truly heartbroken.
He couldn't help but feel a sense of resentment. Thompson, who always bullied him at school, probably had a pair of sneakers on his feet that cost hundreds or even thousands of U.S. dollars, while his family couldn't even afford a few hundred U.S. dollars for the examination.
But Peter thought, things were about to change now. He had these superpowers; what else could he do with them but make money?
Peter, of course, was very smart. With his quick mind, he figured out the fastest way to make money: participating in underground boxing matches.
Of course, playing cards at a casino might be faster, but Peter knew his Spider-Sense was inconsistent. If it wasn't stable, he might not only fail to make money but also lose it.
But underground boxing was different. His strength was enough to defeat any ordinary person. No matter how vicious or cruel they were, the absolute suppression in terms of strength would surely make him invincible.
Where in New York did the underground boxing industry flourish the most? Of course, it was that hellish place, Hell's Kitchen.
But Peter, as a good student who had studied hard his whole life, wouldn't go near such a chaotic place. Therefore, perhaps out of fear, perhaps out of caution, Peter hovered around Hell's Kitchen for several days but still didn't proactively go in.
Finally, one day, on his way home from school, Peter learned that his Aunt had twisted her back but had no money to buy medicine, so she could only lie in bed and rest. He really couldn't bear it anymore; his pent-up frustration turned into anger. He really wanted to go and beat some people up.
He put on his homemade masked outfit. Although it looked ridiculous, after gaining his Spider powers, his physique had also become a bit more robust, no longer so skinny, so he looked decent enough.
He stumbled around Hell's Kitchen like a headless chicken, but since no one could beat him anyway, and he had his Spider-Sense to dodge bullets, he eventually found his way.
On Bill Street, about two blocks from Mary Street in Hell's Kitchen, there was an underground boxing ring run by a gang. After Peter knocked out their strongest fighter with one punch, he was noticed by the manager there and recommended to the largest underground boxing ring at the end of the street to fight.
And here, Peter gave himself a codename: Spider-Man.
Everything went smoothly. Peter won continuously; almost no fighter could withstand his flurry of punches. The strength brought by the spider mutation was simply too powerful. Within just a few days, Peter had earned tens of thousands of U.S. dollars.
Meanwhile, Nightcrawler had been lying at Schiller's place for a few days. After all, he had no superpowers, and his wounds healed at the same rate as an ordinary person. However, fortunately, the assassin who attacked him clearly held back; the bullet didn't damage any vital organs. Matt felt much better after a few days of rest.
So, one evening, Matt bid farewell to Schiller. He had to continue his righteous cause. If he stopped because of Kingpin's assassination attempt, that would be exactly what Kingpin wanted. So Matt not only wouldn't stop his acts of maintaining justice but would also deliver a heavy blow to Kingpin.
His target was Bill Street. The two nightclubs, a casino, an underground boxing ring, and an illegal car modification shop there were all Kingpin's businesses. It could be said that this street was controlled by Kingpin's gang, bringing him millions of U.S. dollars in profit every year.
Matt's first target was the underground boxing ring.
Don't forget how his father died. Such underground black boxing rings have no reason to exist. They only want to make money from those gambling addicts, completely disregarding anyone's life. Matt's father was brutally murdered by the gang because he wanted to give his son a winning performance and refused to throw a match, causing the bookmaker to lose money.
This also led to the birth of Nightcrawler. Therefore, Matt would never let go of any underground boxing ring. In fact, Kingpin's underground black boxing gambling industry had already been severely suppressed by Matt.
This was also why Kingpin sent an assassin after him. If Matt didn't die, Kingpin would never be able to make money from black boxing.
Of course, Matt was an experienced hero. He didn't recklessly charge into the black boxing ring. His most common method of dismantling these underground organizations was to observe for a few days, then find a drunken person stumbling out of there, get all the information he wanted from them, and then target a few key managers. After repeatedly disrupting the betting, those gamblers would find other places.
After observing for a few days, Matt learned the name “Spider-Man” from many people, finding out that he had recently been making a big splash in the ring. Matt had also seen Spider-Man once, though only in passing, but he knew that this kid's good days wouldn't last long.
One day, the owner of the underground boxing ring approached Peter. He wanted Peter to throw a fight. Anyone with some understanding of gambling rules knows that when Peter has a winning streak like this, his odds become very low. Everyone would bet on him to win, and almost no one would bet on his opponent.
At this point, if Peter lost, the bookmaker would only need to pay out to the few people who bet on his opponent to win, while taking all the money from those who bet on Peter to win. This was a huge fortune.
Underground boxing rings are essentially this kind of business. There's no fair competition here. Everything is a Manipulation of odds by the bookmaker to fleece those who are addicted to gambling.
The owner of the underground casino promised Peter a share, but Peter wasn't very enthusiastic. First, he felt he had already earned enough money; tens of thousands of U.S. dollars was enough for Uncle Ben to complete a full set of examinations, and even if Aunt May's back also required major surgery, this money would be enough.
Furthermore, Peter was just a high school student; his mind was still immature. The thrill of continuous victories made him unable to stop. For a teenage kid, asking them to intentionally lose to their opponent is almost impossible. Peter had finally gotten a chance to shine, and he wasn't going to give that up.
The owner of the underground boxing ring didn't say anything, and Peter naively thought that the other party couldn't do anything to him. After all, he had such incredible strength; who among ordinary people could beat him?
All of this was witnessed by Nightcrawler Matt.
He had infiltrated the place earlier by pretending to be a drunk, slumping drunkenly in the audience. His extraordinary hearing allowed him to hear every word of the conversation between the backstage underground boxing ring owner and Peter.
And on the day of the match, Matt was also there.
When Peter entered, there were still countless cheers from below. Peter raised his hands to greet them, ready to await his next defeated opponent.
A strong Black fighter walked up. Peter saw a cunning smile on his face but didn't understand what was going on.
When the fight first started, Peter felt fine. He almost knocked the fighter flying with one punch, but the fighter didn't engage directly; instead, he dodged and weaved, seemingly stalling for time.
Soon, Peter felt something was wrong. His stomach began to cramp, his legs went weak, and his vision blurred.
Just as his consciousness was fading, the Black fighter delivered a punch to his cheek. Peter staggered back a few steps, dizzy and disoriented.
And the opponent continued to press his advantage. The moment Peter was struck, his Spider-Sense flared. He felt that the opponent's boxing glove contained heavy lead weights. If he took a hit like that, his brains might fly out.
Peter bent down, barely dodging the blow. Boos erupted from the audience below; Spider-Man never dodged in previous matches.
Peter couldn't care less. He was in severe pain, almost unable to breathe. The opponent threw another punch, and Peter was knocked directly to the ground. This wasn't a regular match; there were no proper referees. After Peter fell, the fighter's punches still rained down, and no one came to stop him.
Peter could only tightly hug his head, but the lead-weighted gloves hitting his body made him feel like his internal organs were shifting. Finally, he couldn't hold it in anymore, and he vomited onto the ground with a retch, eliciting a chorus of curses from the audience below.
Knowing their money might be lost, the audience's curses grew even more piercing.
Peter had never heard such foul language in his life, spewed from their mouths and hurled at Spider-Man.
Before Peter passed out, he saw a figure leap from the audience, a cane whistling through the air, striking the opponent's neck with a whoosh. The intense beating finally stopped, but Peter could no longer hold on and fainted.
Happy New Year to everyone! Happy Chinese New Year!
It's a new month! Please give me your monthly votes and recommendation votes!
Wishing everyone all the best, peace and joy!