The pair of three-dimensional little wings, shimmering with diamond dust, adorned the back of Finn's suit, making him shine even more brilliantly amidst the spectacular celebratory cannons. Without a moment's hesitation, the young man leaped from the high award podium, facing the sky full of confetti and the gasps of the entire crowd, like the silhouette of an angel gracefully descending through the dazzling lights.
And then—
He landed steadily in Peter's open arms, held firmly by the other's strong and powerful arms.
The surrounding camera flashes continued incessantly, the screams were deafening.
But in the private world of the two embracing, all the clamor seemed to have become a silent backdrop.
The spotlight fell upon them, gilding their silhouettes with a gentle halo, as colorful confetti continued to drift slowly down, landing on the tips of their hair and upon their shoulders.
This moment made Peter Parker unable to help but recall when he had embraced Finn Osborn amidst the brilliant colors during the color powder game at that previous party, feeling that same surging, overwhelming sense of fullness in his heart.
Searing and intense.
Making his heart pound so intensely.
The sense of emptiness Finn felt in his heart due to the departure of System PP was replaced by a feeling of being held securely in two arms; as he touched the other's powerful heartbeat and felt the warmth belonging to Peter in his palms, he felt as if he were being held up completely.
The young man raised his hand and gently brushed the silver thread wings on Peter's back; the smooth, delicate sensation of the lines against his fingertips made Finn feel—
It was as if his wings had long been branded upon Peter.
Finn looked up with a light laugh, meeting Peter's eyes, which were filled with tenderness and determination.
How was it? My ten-second life shot design this time." Finn asked with a raised eyebrow, his eyes filled with a flamboyant and confident expression, before leaning in close to Peter's ear to whisper, "Of course, it was also because you cooperated so well.
Of course, Finn hadn't originally intended to jump off the stage.
"Is that so?" Peter finally realized that Finn had specially prepared a small confetti cannon just for his descent from the stage after the award ceremony, all to decorate his life's highlight reel. It was truly a small prop making a grand impact. Then again, during the last Osborn Group press conference, Finn's final salute had also become a sensational ten-second highlight reel that went viral across the entire internet, being shared madly by the public.
Peter thought for a moment, a thoughtful expression crossing his face as he said with a smile, "Then I think it could be even more explosive."
“How so?" Finn asked in confusion. Was he thinking his little party popper was too small? Did he need a massive blue-flame Gatling cannon instead?
Peter didn't answer, but instead tilted his head slightly, recreating the same pose he had used while playing the color powder relay game with Finn at the party. Peter wrapped one arm tightly around Finn in his embrace, while his other hand pressed gently against Finn's neck.
Spider-Man's beloved lover..
He is the precious Young Master Osborn of the Osborn Group;
He is Felix, whose identity remains unknown;
He is currently the most popular supporting actor of the year, the center of everyone's attention;
He is even the one and only male protagonist in Peter Parker's life.
The distance between the two closed instantly, their breaths intertwining.
This time, there were no cards between them.
After all, it was no longer a secret crush, but a well-known romance between two wealthy families.
Peter leaned in, gazing into Finn's clear, bright green eyes, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. He closed his eyes and pressed his lips against Finn's. Under the fervent gaze of the entire crowd, the young man openly laid bare his most burning affection on this grand summer night.
Finn was also caught by surprise, his eyes widening in sudden shock.
Not only the entire venue but the whole internet went wild. The surrounding roar and commotion erupted like a tsunami, camera flashes strobed frantically, becoming so bright they were almost blinding, locking onto the figures of the two young men below the stage.
[Some people say they want to keep a low profile, but then they go and kiss right in the middle of a global livestream.]
Finn couldn't help but think to himself, but he still smiled and reached out to wrap his arms around Peter's neck, closing his eyes to calmly respond to this kiss that had everyone's attention.
The evening breeze was warm, the crowd was boisterous.
Unrestrained rushing forward, blatant affection.
A grand, passionate, everlasting summer that belonged to them.
[That really is the most explosive.]
—END—
Chapter 115: System PP Side Story
Finn Osborn.
Is System PP's first host.
As a newcomer, System PP knew nothing about the operating modes of other systems. He had only undergone a standardized pre-job training session on the "System Code of Conduct" before being rushed into his position. As for more information regarding systems, it was Finn, acting as a "senior system veteran," who personally taught it to System PP.
System PP had also speculated in secret—
Assigning him to Finn as a novice mission—could that perhaps be considered a form of "mentoring the new guy"?
System PP was a humble and eager-to-learn novice system, but when it came to assisting the Host, System PP lacked any guidance through the plotline, didn't have any high-level plugins like pain shielding or auto-battle.. Therefore, at the beginning, System PP couldn't help but doubt itself, wondering if it truly was the "Three-No Product" that Finn had described.
Although System PP was truly a little hurt when Finn secretly cursed him as a "trash system" in his heart.
As a result, it contributed 0.09% Misery Value to Finn.
Even thinking about it now brings a slight sense of heartache.
Moreover, System PP didn't understand why, even though they were both systems, Finn, as a senior system, could assist his host in slapping the faces of villains, escaping difficult situations, reaching the pinnacle of life, while he had to assist Finn in accumulating Misery Value bit by bit? System PP didn't understand, he even wished he could become something like the 【Heaven's Justice System】 or the 【Hero from Zero System】, as that might have been a better fit for his specialty.
Perhaps because it was in its novice protection period, System PP felt that its first host was a very good person.
Finn was lively, enthusiastic, kind, innocent, as well as hardworking and intelligent. He loved excitement and enjoyed being the center of attention in a crowd, because he had just become human, he harbored a burning curiosity for everything. Even System PP, once bound to Finn, would be infected by Finn's optimistic and positive emotions, feeling that everything was incredibly interesting.
However, Finn also possessed a set of solidified systemic thoughts; any random thought was a satisfying script about slapping faces of villains and making a comeback. His heart was filled with the desire to become the "villain" who gets slapped and tormented. With these thoughts, Finn even customized three personal "total defeat" plotlines for himself:
[VS Andrew's Dignity Confrontation Track: Rich Second Generation's Total Defeat Plan]
【VS Harry's Inheritance Struggle Track: Plan to Defeat Younger Brother】
【VS Peter's Nemesis Duel Track: Villain's Total Defeat Plan】
Anyway, the ending Finn had set for himself was either in prison or a mental hospital, he was always fantasizing about his future life in a mental hospital.
These plans did not align with System PP's own concepts, but he was persuaded by Finn; after all, as a System, he should do his utmost to assist the Host in completing his tasks. However, under System PP's watch, these tasks went astray one after another, eventually reaching a point where they completely went against expectations.
To be honest, System PP saw it coming from the moment things first started going off track.
Moreover, while following the plotlines, Finn would often suddenly add extra drama to slap others in the face; perhaps this was a professional habit, or perhaps it was because he was simply too good at it.
But System PP also intentionally didn't give a warning—
Yes, he just wanted to see just how far things could go off track.
The result was, of course, a complete mess. Finn racked his brains but still couldn't understand why it was completely different from the "Total Defeat Plan" he had originally conceived. Meanwhile, System PP felt both heartache for his host and a sense of joy, as the people surrounding Finn saw the true Finn beneath the facade of his inconsistent words and actions.
System PP even thought of a very vivid metaphor:
If Finn's attribute were that of a cat.
In Finn's own mind, his self-image was likely that of an invincible, evil big cat.
But to everyone else, Finn—
He is just a cute little kitten who wants to get your attention; what bad intentions could he possibly have?
Every single line of the plan failed, leaving the ambitious Finn feeling very frustrated, but System PP still morally comforted his Host, saying it was all because the initial planning and setup had been done well.
Just say—
Is the Misery Value skyrocketing?
Even though the process was completely wrong, at least the result was right, wasn't it?
And, there was also a huge unexpected gain.
Perhaps System PP was the first to discover that Peter Parker had fallen in love with Finn Osborn.
Probably because—
System PP knew eighteen-year-old Peter Parker all too well.
Right, System PP had never once mentioned that his true identity was from another parallel world—
Twenty-eight-year-old Peter Parker.
Actually, there wasn't anything particularly complex about the story. Peter had long ago calmly accepted that his destiny as a superhero would inevitably be full of hardships. He saved countless lives, but at the same time, he was deeply embroiled in every crisis, in the end, Peter died heroically during a catastrophe in his twenty-eighth year.
This is the end—the end of the story of Spider-Man.
Twenty-eight-year-old Peter Parker had once believed in the existence of parallel worlds as well. Sometimes he would wonder, exactly how many Peter Parkers in parallel worlds would become Spider-Man? And what kind of lives would the Peter Parkers who did not become Spider-Man lead?
Peter never expected that after his death, he would become a System.
He also never expected that while assisting the Host in completing missions in his capacity as a System, the first world he was sent to would actually be the one where he met her—
The eighteen-year-old Peter Parker from a parallel world.
Their experiences were different, but they both resolutely embarked upon the heroic path of Spider-Man.
System PP thought it was wonderful; fate had given him such an opportunity to face his young, innocent self head-on.
Finn didn't understand romance very well.
But as a bystander, System PP saw it all clearly: the moments when eighteen-year-old Peter Parker's ears turned bright red, every time his gaze involuntarily drifted toward Finn, the occasional uncontrollable physical closeness, the way the corners of his mouth would uncontrollably curl upward because of the young man's dazzling eyes and brows.. all those details revealed the fluttering of a first crush.
Peter had truly fallen in love with Finn, who had made him his target for the Life-long Nemesis plan.
However, this was not part of Finn's plan to achieve total victory.
To avoid bothering Finn, who was solely focused on accumulating Misery Value and completing missions, System PP remained silent regarding Peter Parker's feelings. That is, until that night after the Great Battle of New York, when Peter was deeply mired in self-doubt, questioning whether he truly had the qualifications to join the Avengers.
Finn's emerald-bright eyes gazed fixedly at Peter, his tone carrying a confident and firm resolve:
“You did an amazing job today.”
I know you weren't prepared for all this, but you've been ready for a long time, haven't you?
Just like this kind of opportunity.. you've been waiting for it a hundred times over.
Nothing can stop you from joining the Avengers. In my eyes, you are the greatest hero in this universe.
These words not only struck eighteen-year-old Peter Parker hard and directly in the heart, but they also deeply shook the core of System PP.
It was as if even his stopped heart had felt the violent vibration of resuscitation.
—And what was that about a "Life-long Nemesis"?
——After you finish saying that, Peter Parker will have to love you for the rest of his life.