Chapter 312: Comforting Harry
A red light flickered behind Rei's back for an instant. The cold night wind whistled past her ears, sending a shiver down her spine.
Whoosh~
Rei paused in her tracks. As a swordswoman, her sharp intuition told her that something was following her.
"Hmm?" Rei frowned, her icy expression shifting into one of confusion. She turned around to look at the dark alley. She was starting to regret giving her katana to Hit-Girl so soon. At the very least, she should have waited until she was safe; in her current condition, she couldn't even defend herself.
Swish!
A shadow darted behind her. Rei spun around immediately upon hearing the movement, but she could only catch a glimpse of a vanishing silhouette.
"What is this?" Rei noticed a strange object floating in the air right in front of her. Her heart skipped a beat as she looked around alertly, yet curiosity drew her toward it—as if it were a lethal yet irresistibly seductive poison.
Morning at School
"See you this afternoon, Uncle Ben!" Peter and Silas waved to Ben Parker at the school gates.
Ben Parker gripped the steering wheel and leaned out of the window. "Hey! Silas, which one is Gwen?"
"Oh~ Uncle Ben..." Peter said, looking completely exasperated.
"Haha~ just kidding. See you this afternoon, boys." Ben drove away from the school entrance.
Peter turned around with his backpack and saw Gwen walking into the school, chatting and laughing with Felicia Hardy.
"Hi! Felicia! Gwen!" Silas called out, opening a door for Peter to speak.
"Oh, hi! Peter, Silas," Gwen and Felicia turned and smiled.
Gwen let go of Felicia's arm and quickly unzipped her bag as she approached Peter. "Peter, here's your camera. You left it with me."
"Oh right! The camera. Thanks, Gwen." Reminded by Gwen, Peter finally remembered the camera's existence—the one Silas had given him. He had sworn to cherish it forever when he first got it, yet less than a year later, he had forgotten it entirely in the heat of the moment.
"You're welcome. Also, I've already developed the photos; they came out beautifully." Gwen gave him a small smile before turning back to follow Felicia into the building. Peter stared at Gwen's smile, dazed for a moment. It was truly beautiful.
"Hey, isn't that a bit much?" Silas waved a hand in front of Peter's face.
"A bit much what?" Peter snapped out of it, tucking the camera away awkwardly. He had originally wanted to keep the digital copies of Gwen's photos to develop himself, but now that Gwen had done it, the files were likely deleted.
"You've got it bad, Peter," Silas teased with a grin. The two walked into the classroom together.
Upon entering, Ned was immediately surrounded by a crowd of classmates like a star, everyone asking for news about Spider-Man. After last night, no one doubted Ned anymore; they were afraid he might actually call Spider-Man to deal with them.
"Ned, what does Spider-Man usually like to eat?" one classmate asked.
"Uh..." Ned thought for a moment. "He really likes cookies. Yeah, cookies."
Peter, hearing this, looked shocked and turned to Silas. "He knows I hate cookies."
"Don't worry, he's probably saying the opposite on purpose so he doesn't expose your identity," Silas chuckled.
"Really?" Peter looked doubtful. He felt like Silas was just comforting him.
"Actually, no," Silas admitted.
"..." Peter.
Harry's Rage
In the back of the room, Harry's face was overcast with a dark gloom.
"What's wrong, Harry?" his desk mate asked cautiously.
"Don't bother me." For some reason, looking at the group in front of him made Harry's chest feel tight. His eyes darted around the classroom as a new plan began to form. Perhaps he could execute his vengeance right here at school. With so many students around, Spider-Man would be too busy protecting them to focus on him.
After escaping last night, a new idea had taken root: he couldn't just kill Spider-Man. He had to torture him, find out his true identity, and make him feel the agony of losing a loved one.
Harry stood up abruptly, startling the students around him, and strode out of the classroom.
"Harry! Class is about to start!" a classmate called out.
"Leave me alone!" Harry roared without looking back.
The sudden outburst silenced the room.
"What's wrong with him?" Gwen asked in surprise.
"How should I know what's going on in those guys' heads," Felicia said, resting her chin on her hand. This Harry seemed to have a terrible temper. She couldn't imagine how someone like this was running the entire Oscorp Industries.
"Harry might be the worst classmate we have this year," Peter said, feeling weary.
"Who cares about him, let's just do our own thing," Silas said nonchalantly. He knew exactly why Harry was angry. Learning the truth about his father's death would mess with anyone's head. However, blaming everything on Peter was just a sign of weakness.
"I'm going to the restroom," Peter said, standing up.
"Go ahead." Silas slumped onto the desk with a yawn. He had stayed up until 5:00 AM playing games again and was feeling it.
The Encounter on the Roof
As Peter walked out, he saw Harry heading toward the rooftop. After a moment of hesitation, he decided to follow him.
On the roof—
"DAMN IT!" Harry screamed the moment he reached the top, kicking a stray wooden chair.
Crash!
After venting his anger, Harry stood at the edge of the roof. "Father... did you know? I saved Oscorp all by myself." He looked up at the sky. "For some reason, I still believe you're alive."
"Your father must still be alive," Peter's voice suddenly spoke from behind him.
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