“But I am a hero, am I not?” Peter couldn't help but blame himself. “Felix admires me so much; he is my little fan, which is why he was waiting for me there. I can even clearly remember that the little boy had Spider-Man stickers on his hands. Perhaps he was there just to get my help, but I didn't stop.. to help him.”
Only now, with the benefit of hindsight, did Peter realize what he had actually missed.
He clearly had such an opportunity; he could have lent a helping hand, perhaps he could have prevented that family's misfortune.
Weren't you only sixteen back then too? Don't be so hard on yourself," Noah said with a sigh. He also didn't think a sixteen-year-old could perfectly shoulder the duties of a superhero; such a responsibility was far too heavy and demanding. "We've all seen Captain America's story, I think Captain America should be your idol as well. Peter, you should also know that on the path of a hero, it is inherently impossible to save everyone in time. I believe you have already done your best.
".. But he was only eight years old." Peter's voice was very low.
Alright, Peter, didn't Felix escape?" Noah continued to comfort him softly, attempting to make Peter see the silver lining. "I think it's because you told him to be brave enough to point out his family's mistakes that Felix got into an argument with his father. It was precisely because he realized what kind of person his father was that Felix fled that night, wasn't it? It must have been you who gave him courage.
Yes." At this thought, Peter breathed a deep sigh of relief; at least in that tragedy, Felix, who had fled in the early hours of the morning, had instead become the sole survivor. To have survived was already the best thing that could have happened. "So, I really want to know where he is now, whether he is doing alright. Two years ago, I wasn't able to help him, but two years later, I really want to help him.
We will definitely find him," Noah said, comforting Peter. "Hasn't S. H. I. E. L. D. also intervened to investigate? Besides, you are an Avenger now; I believe your current abilities are certainly much greater than they were two years ago.
Peter's mood was very low, Noah, who had been constantly offering comfort, looked at Finn, who had remained silent, with a strange expression.
Noah also felt that Finn was unusually quiet today.
"Do you want him to come back?" Finn asked abruptly at this moment.
Hearing Finn ask this question, Peter fell into a serious, contemplative silence for a moment, then shook his head. "No, I don't think I want him to come back. I think the only thing this city must have left him are the most painful memories. Felix was an adopted child to begin with; he thought he finally had a happy family, but.. that family was destroyed by Palman. All the siblings he cherished are gone too. This place must be the most terrifying place in the world for Felix."
I sincerely hope that Felix can meet a pair of real parents who will adopt him, love him, cherish him.
In another city, having a new life that belongs to him.
Peter's voice revealed a sense of earnest expectation.
Just like what they say online—
Since you have already bravely escaped from hell, do not stop. Look forward, just run toward the light.
Peter, he will," Finn said, looking at Peter and suddenly smiling, his voice filled with certainty, "He definitely will.
System PP remained silent in the depths of his consciousness.
But at the same time, a sharp, bone-chilling pain seemed to be spreading frantically from the very depths of his programming.
"I also brought a drawing Felix gave me." Peter's mood eased slightly, then he took a folder out of his backpack, carefully taking out the drawing. The colored pencil drawing was perfectly preserved; it was clear that Spider-Man cherished the gift from his hardcore little fan.
“He is also a child who loves to draw.” Noah couldn't help but smile as he looked at the crude yet adorable Spider-Man in the drawing.
This painting has been preserved so well.
It was only at this moment that Peter heard the voice echoing from Finn's silent inner world—
That's so good, he still remembers me.
Peter's hands suddenly froze.
He froze completely, standing dazed in place, his pupils suddenly contracting as he looked up at Finn.
[Remember me?]
What does.. "Do you remember me?" mean?
Peter's Adam's apple bobbed, his mind went blank, his throat wouldn't make even the slightest sound; he only felt an inexplicable, immense panic racing through his veins.
There's a word written here as well," Elias said, looking at the corner of the painting. "It looks like—[Summer]?
A tiny signature on the edge of a painting from two years ago, which even Peter hadn't taken to heart, was now truly laid out before his eyes two years later.
Peter stared at the inconspicuous signature in the corner of the painting, feeling shocked, even terrified.
——【SUMMER】。
Without any warning, without any buildup.
In an instant, countless fragments he had ignored exploded in his mind.
Those voices of past youths echoed in his eardrums, yet they pierced his brain like sharp needles.
When he first met Finn, Finn's heart was filled with excitement and admiration—
[It's Spider-Man!]
[It's actually a real Spider-Man!]
Finn has never denied that Spider-Man is his idol.
When Peter once asked Finn why he liked Spider-Man, Finn said—
[Because.. you're so cool? I just feel like you're incredibly cool.]
[Do you understand that feeling, where an eight-year-old child simply can't resist the charm of Ultraman?]
When Noah once asked Finn how exactly he met Spider-Man, Finn replied casually—
[It's just that we happened to run into each other on the street, said a few words, then we knew each other.]
[The probability of a New York City citizen running into Spider-Man is as high as 50%.]..
So it was true.
It turned out that those seemingly casual jokes and careless answers were all true.
Those words, which Peter had never given a second thought to, only now struck his heart like a series of belated bullets, hitting him with precision.
There was an extreme, bone-chilling cold.
Creeping up the spine.
Like falling into the coldest ice cave in the world.
Peter even suddenly thought back to the time after the great battle in New York, when he had fallen into self-doubt and was struggling with whether he was truly qualified to join the Avengers; it was Finn who had stayed by his side, providing him with the firmest support, at that time, Finn had said one sentence to him—
I hope you know. Even heroes cannot save everyone.
[If one day in the future, you encounter.. a regret that even you, as Spider-Man, cannot undo, I hope you do not blame yourself for it, even less, do not be sad.]
At this moment, Peter felt as if he could no longer breathe.
It was as if he had only now truly understood the kind of irreparable regret hidden behind those words..
—Is it you?
Peter thought once again of the question Finn had asked him during his manic phase: [If I weren't Finn Osborn, would you still love me?]
—Then, if Finn Osborn wasn't Finn Osborn, before he became Finn, before he became the System, who was he?
Peter stared intently at Finn, yet it was as if he saw the figure of a small, brightly smiling boy through the young man before him.
—What exactly did I miss two years ago?
Peter's heart trembled frantically.
That most cruel answer was bloodily tearing through his chest.
He could hardly look directly at the young man before him, who possessed such a bright smile, sincere eyes, a pure soul.
He was also someone held deep in his heart and loved dearly, so beautiful that he seemed not to belong to this world.
Finn continued to look at him with those crescent-shaped eyes, his bright green eyes filled with the pure gaze that Peter loved most, watching him with his whole heart.
But at this moment, something was inside Peter's body—
With a bang, it collapsed.
Chapter 98 Insomnia Summer
Hard to breathe.
This was all Peter could feel.
His heart was pounding wildly, each beat heavier than the last, striking his empty chest so hard it became unbearably painful.
"Peter?" Finn looked up at Peter in confusion.
Everyone in the living room could clearly sense Peter's abnormality.
The young man's expression turned pale instantly, his eyes filled with a near-panicked confusion, an expression Peter rarely showed.
“I—” Peter's fists clenched so tightly they turned white and trembled; he could almost imagine just how terrible his expression must look right now. Peter desperately told himself he couldn't be like this, forcing himself not to show such an inexplicable expression, managed to pull his lips into an extremely stiff, strained smile. "I just remembered, S. H. I. E. L. D. asked me to.. upgrade my suit, I have to head there first."
How could I have forgotten something so important?" Peter said, his voice trembling. He took as deep a breath as possible to try and maintain his composure, attempting to suppress the surging emotions, but the feeling of suffocation in his chest grew heavier and heavier. "It's clearly.. such an important matter.
The young man's voice was extremely hoarse.
Peter's voice trembled more and more. He was afraid that if he stayed for even another second, his emotions would completely break through the dam and cause him to collapse in front of everyone.
He didn't even dare to take another look at the painting on the table.
"I have to go right now, really, it's just too urgent, I must rush over there immediately," Peter said, taking a deep breath.
".. Is it really that urgent?" Even Noah thought Peter's current state looked very strange, his speech had become incoherent.
"Yes, it's really urgent, I have to go." Peter felt like he could hardly hold on. He could barely lift his head to see the expressions of others, let alone face Finn's gaze at this moment. He could only leave in a hurry with his head bowed, looking more like he was fleeing in a pathetic state.
“I still have to make a trip to the recording studio.” Elias watched Peter's retreating back as he left in a hurry, then stood up and spoke calmly. Meeting Noah's worried expression, Elias leaned down to give Noah a kiss, reaching out to pat his shoulder comfortingly, "You and Finn can discuss the costume designs for the [Summverse] series first. See you later."
Peter was walking quickly outside.
From the moment he walked out of the villa, his tears could no longer be controlled.
He even clamped his hand tightly over his mouth, struggling desperately to suppress it, terrified that he would break down and burst into tears right there.
—He was going crazy.
—He was truly going crazy.
Peter's whole body was trembling uncontrollably; he was gasping for breath, every breath came with a tearing pain.
Every detail he had ignored, every word he had misinterpreted, was terrifyingly clear at this moment, linking together into a cold and horrific chain of logic that smashed heavily against his heart.
—Finn Osborn is Felix.
The little boy he met two years ago was Felix.
The truth turned out to be like this.
He had clearly been able to hear Finn's inner thoughts all along, yet Peter only realized it now.. Finn's true identity.
It turned out the mystery had been right before his eyes all along, never having been hidden.