For Peter Parker, New York's night sky was never silent. It was his highway, his playground, and where his responsibilities lay. At this moment, he was elegantly suspended in a manner defying all laws of physics, clinging to the lightning rod at the spire of a skyscraper near Times Square, his slender yet tough web line swaying slightly in the night wind.
Below was the dazzling, sleepless pulse of the city, a blurred background noise of bustling human voices, traffic, and the electronic hum of billboards. But Peter's keen Spider-Sense could precisely filter out the discordant sounds from it—the suspicious scuffle in a distant alley, a panicked cry for help behind a window, or... just some unlucky person getting their wallet snatched.
This was his daily 'patrol,' an instinct and obligation deeply ingrained in his bones.
However, tonight, his attention was somewhat difficult to focus. His fingertips were unconsciously tracing across his phone screen—that old, barely functional smartphone he had painstakingly repaired. On the screen, the now almost universally known blue icon was prominently displayed: Hero Association.
Driven by his friend Ned's repeated recommendations (and his own irrepressible curiosity), he had finally downloaded the app. Now, he was browsing the [Mission Hall].
The interface was stark, almost cold. Cards representing 'troubles' were neatly arranged.
[Midtown Manhattan · Wolf-Class]: Multiple thugs robbing pedestrians in an alley; need to stop them and hand them over to the Police. Reward Points: 15.
[Brooklyn Warehouse District · White]: Suspected small drug dealing den; need to dismantle and secure evidence. Reward Points: 45.
[Queens · Gray]: Elderly woman's pet cat trapped on a treetop; need to rescue. Reward Points: 2.
[Prevent Bank Robbery · White]: ... Reward Points: 80.
His gaze, as if drawn by a magnet, was fixed firmly on that '80 points.'
Eighty points!
He didn't know how many points he needed to redeem items, but the equipment in the app's mall—even just the preview images—looked incredibly tough special fiber materials, compact and precise sensors, efficient energy batteries—all made his 'tech geek' heart, who pieced together equipment from self-study and junkyard parts, race.
Last night, to stop the bank robbery in Brooklyn (which was this very mission on the app), he not only exhausted his handmade web fluid reserves but also, while dealing with the armed robbers, accidentally let a stray bullet graze his... second-hand scientific calculator in his backpack.
"Oh, my calculator..." Peter's heart ached so much at the time he almost fell from the ceiling. That thing cost him a full seventy-five U.S. dollars! It was a treasure he had scrimped and saved for a long time to get from a flea market, hoping to use it to cope with the upcoming, rapidly increasing difficulty of high school physics courses.
And now, preventing a bank robbery, at the Association, was clearly priced at 80 points.
What could 80 points do? He didn't know the exact exchange rate, but there was a [Point Redemption] sub-page in the corner of the app, clearly stating: 100 points can be exchanged for a universal shopping voucher or specific supplies worth 1000 U.S. dollars.
That is to say, 80 points was roughly equivalent to 800 U.S. dollars!
Not only could it easily cover his lost calculator, but it could even allow him to upgrade his ancient, second-hand camera that often froze when taking Spider-Man photos! Or... buy more and better materials to improve his web-shooters? The thought made his throat feel dry.
A strong emotion, named 'temptation,' wrapped around him like a spider web.
This was too unfair! He risked his life, lost personal property, and prevented a crime, yet the Association could provide tangible, visible rewards for such actions? This was practically testing his already fragile financial situation and moral bottom line!
"No, Peter Parker!" He shook his head sharply, trying to dispel these 'utilitarian' thoughts, and whispered to himself, "With great power comes great responsibility! Have you forgotten Uncle Ben's words? You do these things to help others, not for rewards! To measure it with money... this is a defilement of the Spider-Man identity!"
However, another, more realistic voice whispered in his mind: "But... Aunt Mei seems to be worrying about next quarter's rent again... If I could earn some extra money in a 'legitimate' way... even if it's just to help her a little? And, upgrading my equipment would also allow me to fight crime more effectively and protect more people, wouldn't it? Isn't this a virtuous cycle?"
The two thoughts clashed fiercely in his mind, making him distraught.
Just then, his extraordinary hearing caught an unusual sound from a few blocks away—the shattering of glass, and a short scream.
His Spider-Sense tingled slightly.
Responsibility instantly overwhelmed all distracting thoughts.
"Alright, business time." Peter took a deep breath and stuffed his phone back into the hidden pocket of his homemade suit. With a flick of his wrist, a milky white web line shot precisely towards a billboard on the opposite building.
"Whoosh—!"
The red and blue figure swung out like a pendulum, cutting through New York's night sky, swiftly heading towards the scene of the incident. His movements were still fluid, his words still (in his opinion) humorous, but deep down, the ripple about '80 points' and '800 U.S. dollars' had not completely subsided.
In a few swings, he arrived at the scene. The doors and windows of a twenty-four-hour convenience store were smashed, and inside, the cries of a cashier and the rude shouts of robbers could be heard.
Peter hung upside down outside the broken display window like a ghost, watching two masked thugs stuffing money into bags.
"Hey, guys!" He cleared his throat and said in his disguised, slightly cheerful voice, "Good evening! Do you mind if I see your... shopping receipt? I suspect you haven't paid for these 'items'."
The robbers were startled and raised their guns.
The next few seconds were a no-brainer, a personal show belonging to Spider-Man. Precise web-shooting blocked gun muzzles, agile maneuvers dodged clumsy shots, and then he used the most effortless way to tie the two guys into comical tamales, hanging upside down from the convenience store's ceiling fan.
"Done!" Peter clapped his hands, made a 'reassuring' gesture to the still-shaken cashier, casually repaired the largest piece of display window glass with his web (at least it could block the wind), and then prepared to swing away coolly.
"Wait! Spider-Man!" The young cashier bravely called out, "Thank you! Do you... do you need any reward? Or... who should I report this to? The Police, or... that new Hero Association?"
Hero Association?
The words pricked Peter like a small thorn. He paused slightly, looked back at the robber still struggling in vain while hanging upside down, and then at the messy convenience store.
If this were an Association mission, would he already have points credited to him now? How much could he exchange? Enough to buy a new calculator?
He forced himself to shake off the thought, waved his hand at the cashier, and said in as lighthearted a tone as possible: "Reward? No need, madam. A five-star review will do! As for reporting... call the NYPD, they're good at handling this."
After saying that, without waiting for the other party to say anything more, he shot a web, and his figure quickly merged into the shadows between the buildings.
But this time, his swinging speed seemed to be a little slower. He no longer immersed himself completely in the pure joy of fighting for justice as he used to. His eyes, hidden behind the mask, occasionally glanced at the brightly lit streets of the city below, and the blue app interface and that dazzling '80 points' involuntarily reappeared in his mind.
The satisfaction of helping others still existed, but a faint, subtle melancholy, akin to 'losing a hundred million,' had quietly mixed in.
He stopped at the top of another tall building, took out his phone again, his finger hovering above the [Register/Login] button, hesitating, struggling.
Join? Or... continue to observe?
For Peter Parker, this seemed to be a more difficult decision than dealing with all the criminals in New York.
In the night, the red and blue figure appeared somewhat silent. And beneath him, in that massive city, the blue emblem of the Hero Association was shining with an undeniable light on more and more screens and in more and more minds.