The next morning.
Ben looked down at his old phone as he walked out of his room.
Harry had sent him a text.
The message said the funds had arrived and all the other paperwork was handled.
"Harry's really efficient."
Fortunately, he had Harry, the rich second-generation heir. Otherwise, even with money, Ben wouldn't have had an easy time starting a company, the biggest hurdle being his age. But now, with Harry's financial power and connections, those weren't problems.
He and Harry had agreed to meet at Williamsburg Bank after school today to open a business account.
Besides that, he also had to visit the Tax Bureau and the State Government.
Ben was already impatient. He had wanted to ask the school for leave and go first thing in the morning, but Harry seemed to have other things to attend to.
As he walked downstairs, another door opened behind him.
Peter jumped down the stairs, putting on his jacket, looking rushed.
"Are you coming with me to Osborn today, Benny?" Peter asked.
"Why go to Osborn?"
Peter glanced towards the kitchen, saw Aunt May still making breakfast, and said in a low voice:
"That Lizard Man from last night might show up again. Dr. Connors is an expert in reptiles; I think he might be able to analyze the Lizard Man's habits or other weaknesses."
At this point, Peter hadn't suspected Connors himself had turned into the Lizard Man.
"No, I have other things to do," Ben said.
Peter's gaze turned suspicious.
"Other things?"
"Why have you suddenly become so busy lately?" he asked curiously. "You used to come straight home after school, and I never saw you doing anything else. Are you hiding something from me?"
"Mind your own business about your brother," Ben said, plopping down at the dining table.
"Good morning, kids." Uncle Ben, reading the newspaper, greeted them as they came over. "Times really aren't peaceful, with even Lizard Monsters showing up."
"What, Uncle Ben, how do you know about the Lizard Man?" Peter asked, startled.
"The newspaper," Uncle Ben said, unfolding it for them.
"Masked Spider-Man and Lizard Man, Two Monsters Wreak Havoc on Williamsburg Bridge!"
"What monsters?" Peter shouted in disbelief.
"I... Spider-Man was saving people! How can they report about Spider-Man like this?"
Ben glanced at the newspaper.
"The Daily Bugle, then it makes sense."
He wasn't surprised by the Daily Bugle's attitude towards Spider-Man at all.
J. Jonah Jameson, known as the "1.5 generation Spider-Man hater," had always disliked Spider-Man and was his biggest anti-fan.
Ben pictured Jameson's bizarre grin.
"He's talking about that Spider-Monster, why are you so angry?" Uncle Ben asked, looking up curiously.
"I, just, this..." Peter was speechless and tried to argue, "I just think he's doing good, just like you told me, he has the ability, so he helps others."
"That's good, but how much do you really know about him?" Uncle Ben said.
"This..."
It didn't feel good to have helped others with all his heart only to be suspected.
Especially since Peter couldn't reveal his identity, he was unable to defend himself.
Seeing how wronged he looked, Ben couldn't bear it and quickly said:
"At least the reviews on YouTube are pretty good."
That was true.
News of the masked monster's battle with the Lizard Monster on the Williamsburg Bridge had already spread like wildfire.
The blurry videos on YouTube had received a lot of likes.
Even though it was Peter's debut, his act of saving the cars that nearly fell into the East River had already gained him many admirers.
Currently, there was only one prominent Super Hero in this world: Iron Man. The emergence of Spider-Man had clearly and quickly filled that void.
"I believe time will prove Spider-Man's worth, don't you think, Peter?"
"You're right!"
Peter was easily satisfied. After hearing Ben's words, he happily sat down, ready to have breakfast with them.
After breakfast, Ben and Peter prepared to go to school.
"Aren't you going to work, Uncle Ben?" Ben asked.
Uncle Ben was usually at work by this time, but today he was still at home reading the newspaper.
Uncle Ben's expression was a little unnatural.
"No, I have a half-day off this morning. Should I drive you to school?"
"No, thank you," Ben and Peter shook their heads.
After the two of them left the house, Uncle Ben sighed sadly. He glanced at his wife and said, exhausted, "I really don't know how to tell them that I've lost my job."
"I worked as a mechanic for thirty-five years, but they want to cut costs and increase profits..."
He sat at the dining table reading the newspaper early in the morning, actually hoping to find some work in the paper.
"Don't worry, Ben," May comforted him. "We've gotten through tougher times than this. This is nothing."
"But the kids still have to go to college," Ben said.
It would be one thing if Peter and Ben weren't good enough students to get into college, but as it happened, one of them was a genius, and the other was also quite diligent in his studies.
"They need to go to college. I can't let money make them lose this opportunity."
May walked over to him and hugged him.
"You'll find a job."
Outside the door.
Ben and Peter stood in silence.
"I had no idea. I mean, he never told us," Peter said, a little flustered.
"Uncle Ben just didn't want us to worry, and he didn't want us to miss out on an opportunity that could change our lives," Ben said.
They walked together towards the bus stop.
Along the way, Peter said heavily, "Benny, we have to find a way to help him share his burden. We're grown up now."
"You're right, Peter," Ben nodded. He thought of something interesting.
"I actually have an idea for making money, and it's perfect for you."
"What is it?"
"Remember the Daily Bugle?"
Peter nodded blankly. "They write articles smearing me, I mean, Spider-Man. But I believe they'll change their minds eventually."
Unless Spider-Man disappeared, Jameson would never stop smearing Spider-Man.
Ben thought.
"Actually, they're paying for pictures of Spider-Man. Those videos on YouTube are too blurry."
"Yeah!" Peter's eyes lit up. "You're right! I have a camera, and I know where to find Spider-Man!"
Who could say that Peter Parker taking photos of Spider-Man to sell wasn't a form of opportunistic behavior?
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