Chapter 121: Spider-Boy, Reporting for Duty!

Kingpin, a Marvel supervillain, the archenemy of Daredevil, and the most powerful crime lord in New York and arguably the entire United States.

He was meticulous and possessed a brilliant mind. Although he lacked superpowers, his massive frame and incredible strength allowed him to crush an adult human with his bare hands. Whenever Luke recalled that scene, it immediately reminded him of Gul'dan.

Bringing Little Spider to take on Kingpin was a decision Luke had carefully considered. Hydra was a bit too high-level, and the upcoming New York "dungeon" was far too difficult for a rookie like Little Spider. After much thought, he concluded that Kingpin, that classic starter-level boss, was the most suitable choice for Little Spider’s training. His goal was to have Little Spider participate in the Battle of New York; even if he couldn't contribute much, simply surviving the conflict and facing the Chitauri would be a rare and invaluable growth experience for him. As for the fact that Little Spider was only seven years old and whether such brutal training constituted child abuse, Luke had absolutely no such concerns. Nominally, he was only seven years old himself.

Night fell.

In the streets and alleys of Hell’s Kitchen, all sorts of monsters and demons emerged, and various illicit deals were conducted brazenly under the shroud of darkness. For the average person, another night of trembling under the covers had begun.

Luke did not wear his mecha tonight, but he still donned his "newbie" gear: a voice changer and a mask. The only difference was that last time it was an Iron Man mask, while this time he wore a Hulk mask. Having long since outgrown the beginner stage, he was there tonight purely to provide backup for Peter Parker.

The two were currently perched on the roof of a five-story residential building. Not far below was a gang hideout that Christina had identified—a property belonging to Kingpin.

Peter Parker was wearing a full-body Spider-Man suit in red and blue, crouching on the roof alongside Luke. His frame was small, with short arms and legs; even in the suit, he looked far more adorable than formidable.

"Not bad. You can now adhere to surfaces at will; you're getting quite smooth at climbing walls. How does it feel?" Luke asked with a chuckle. Little Spider had just carried him up, effortlessly.

"It feels a bit strange, pal. But overall, it's great!" The spider-eyes on Peter’s mask narrowed and widened, his voice sounding very youthful.

Regarding the voice, Luke had considered changing it, but ultimately decided against it. Tom Holland’s voice in the films was soft and high-pitched, and it seemed it had been that way since childhood, so it could be considered a signature trait. Even the villains often mistook Peter Parker’s voice for a girl’s.

"Hmm, the fit between the suit and your body is slightly off. I'll have Christina help you refine it later. You’ve mastered the web-shooting function, right?"

"Is it this?" Little Peter Parker made a flicking motion with his fingers, and a strand of webbing shot from his wrist into the night sky.

"Yes, that will let you scale walls and soar through the air. We’ll practice that well tonight."

"I can finally fly, pal! This is so cool!" The eyes of the Spider-suit widened and contracted, expressing his excitement.

"You need to master your strength first. Your current control is terrible."

"But I can't help it..."

"It’s alright, just get used to it. Your power comes from the spider; it’s the spider’s strength scaled up to your size. You can lift things far heavier than your own body weight, and if you don't control it, you’ll accidentally break them. You need to learn the difference between control and destruction."

Luke taught with great patience. Even at his young age and size, Little Spider already possessed about eight tons of strength. As he grew, that would eventually reach twenty tons. It was terrifying—considering that a normal adult weightlifter only had 0.1 to 0.2 tons of strength. And that was just raw physical power, excluding the enhancements from the powered armor.

Peter Parker was a fast learner. He had been given the Mark I Spider-suit that morning, and by the afternoon, he had already grasped the basic functions. With Christina’s AI assistance, the controls were practically foolproof. A child could master them quickly. After so many rigorous training sessions, Peter had mastered eight or nine-tenths of his super-stamina, reflexes, agility, speed, and self-healing. Sometimes even Luke had to marvel at how malleable a child could be; if they were willing to learn, there was almost nothing they couldn't master. Besides, these were now essentially Little Spider's instincts.

Oh, and there was one more instinct that required no practice at all.

"Do you remember the lines I taught you?" Luke asked with a smile.

"I remember them, pal!" Peter Parker nodded, muttering to himself—these were the lines Luke had taught him on the way.

"Good. Do you see those three people below?" Luke raised his binoculars, pointing toward the gang hideout. Three burly men were patrolling the entrance, their pockets bulging with what were clearly weapons.

Hearing Peter’s confirmation, Luke said, "See if you can take those three down, then we'll go in."

"No problem, pal, watch me!"

Peter Parker was thrilled. He rubbed his hands together, realized he was wearing the suit, and let out a shy laugh before walking to the edge of the roof.

Suddenly, he extended his left hand, and a thick, long strand of white web shot out, sticking to the wall of the building opposite. Little Spider leaped, his small figure carving a reverse parabola through the night sky—he was truly flying.

Through Luke’s binoculars, he watched as Peter Parker swung between several buildings a few times before landing silently on the eaves above the three men. He crouched there, completely unnoticed by the gangsters.

"Nice work," Luke praised over the comms.

In the binoculars, Little Spider flashed him a V-sign.

Then, Little Spider gave a small cough, breaking the silence of the night: "Good, good evening, gentlemen. Spider-Kid, here to pay a visit!"

The three gangsters were startled and looked up. In the darkness, a small figure was crouched above them, watching, having appeared out of nowhere.

Luke chuckled at this. He had taught Little Spider several such lines, demanding he say them before every fight. While Luke found it embarrassing, Peter didn’t see anything wrong with it—he thought it was cool! Regardless, Peter did whatever Luke told him to do. The maxed-out affinity wasn't just for show.

The three gangsters reached for their guns, but when they saw the size of the short-limbed figure, they paused.

"What am I looking at? Is it Halloween already?" one of them sneered.

"Spider-Boy?" another couldn't help but laugh.

"Hey, kid, if you're trying to play the Devil of Hell's Kitchen, I have to tell you: grow some hair on your chest first!"

The three gangsters burst into laughter. They had been worried for a moment, thinking it was Daredevil.