Chapter 25
Riley: How much trouble can Peter cause in just a few days?
Of course, it wasn't just news about the Hulk that made the headlines.
By flipping the newspaper slightly, Riley could see another explosive story on the second page.
"The world's richest man, New York City's famous playboy, and current chairman and CEO of Stark Industries, Tony Stark, went missing yesterday in Afghanistan. Traces left at the scene suggest a terrorist attack, but Tony Stark's body has not been found. Further investigations are underway. Stay tuned for our reporters' follow-up reports."
After reading the news word for word from the newspaper, Riley, who had been all smiles, suddenly became strange and complicated.
Hulk appears, Tony disappears...
It seems our recent peaceful days are about to change...
After all, if Riley remembers correctly...
Not only did Tony successfully escape, but his first battle after officially becoming "Iron Man" took place in New York City...
At this stage, Dr. Banner, who sees the Hulk as a "disease that needs to be cured," will also travel to New York City after many twists and turns in order to seek help from "Mr. Blue."
Furthermore, when the Avengers assembled, the main battlefield of the alien invasion crisis they faced seemed to be in New York City as well…
Hmm, thinking about it that way...
New York City truly lives up to its reputation as the inspiration for Gotham City; both are notorious for their tumultuous history...
"Hmm? It's Xiaoyu on the phone... Hello, what's up, Xiaoyu?"
Just as Riley was reflecting on his situation and pondering whether he should persuade his parents to move to District 13 as soon as possible in order to prepare for the impending crisis, his cell phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket.
After Riley glanced at the caller ID and pressed the call button...
Xiaoyu lowered her voice deliberately, as if she were doing something wrong.
"Hey Riley, listen to me, Uncle Dragon has found a new location for the talisman, but he won't take me with him! So I've decided to hide in the lower deck of the plane that Sheriff Black arranged for Uncle Dragon and sneak over there. Do you want to come along?"
"Huh? Are you serious? After the plane takes off, aren't you afraid of freezing to death hiding in that spot?"
"Hmph, I'm a T-girl, of course I've prepared heating gear, enough to last us until we reach our destination! Besides, didn't you say the Black Hand Gang also wants to collect the talismans, so they'll definitely take this opportunity to target Uncle Long, we have to help him!"
"That's true, but I've had a lot of trouble lately, and as for going abroad, I'm still a minor and can't buy a plane ticket, so of course..."
Initially, Riley, whose priority was the safety of her family, wanted to refuse Jade's suggestion because she was unsure when these crises would erupt.
After all, even without Riley's involvement, Uncle Jackie and his team could have collected all twelve talismans on their own.
The reason Riley was so enthusiastic and busy during the Chicken Talisman incident, besides wanting to get closer to his idol Jackie Chan, was simply that he wanted to take this opportunity to find a martial arts master to be his and Peter's teacher. This would help them avoid many detours on their future heroic journey.
"If District 13 can cover my return flight, I'll go with you."
"Of course, no problem! Don't forget, I'm a kid too, so I believe Uncle Long definitely won't abandon us!"
"You still know you're a child? What you're about to do is nothing like what someone your age should be doing."
"Same to you, great hero!"
"Okay, enough joking around. Send me your location, I'm coming to find you now."
"Yay—!"
But before Riley could finish speaking, a screen suddenly popped up in front of him, causing a noticeable pause in his words.
New mission:
Obtain the Ox Talisman.
Reward: 5000 points.
Faced with this sudden huge amount of points, Riley, who had been looking serious, remained silent for less than a second before changing his expression like a Sichuan opera mask, saying, "You really have a good eye for people!"
When Riley spoke again, his attitude had completely reversed.
After a brief exchange and receiving the location information from Xiaoyu, Riley couldn't help but feel curious. Both events were related to talismans, so why did the chicken talisman only give 500 points, while the ox talisman gave 5000 points—a tenfold increase?
But urged on by Xiaoyu, and knowing that the plane that could give them a "hitchhik" was about to take off, Riley, without time to think it over, could only hurriedly find a secluded corner, put on his battle suit, and take out the chicken talisman from the system's storage space, merging it with the nanosuit.
He then opened the communication system, explained his destination to Peter, and asked him to relay the message to May and Ben to avoid worrying his parents. At the same time, following Xiaoyu's location coordinates, he used the spider silk swinging technique in conjunction with the chicken talisman to achieve a disguised "flight" effect, heading straight for the helipad in District 13.
Anyway, Riley still remembered the gist of the story related to the Ox Talisman.
In addition, after several real-world experiences, Peter has shed his naive and inexperienced novice demeanor and gradually become capable of handling things independently.
So, in Riley's opinion...
I'm only leaving New York for a while. Without me keeping an eye on Peter, he probably won't cause any big trouble, right...?
"Oh? You're going abroad with Uncle Long and the others? Okay, I got it. I'll tell Uncle Ben and Aunt Mei. Take care of yourself and have a safe trip!"
Just as Riley was thinking this...
Back in Osborn, Peter, who had recently been working as an intern alongside Gwen at Dr. Connors' recommendation, hung up the phone after a brief conversation with Riley.
"Sorry, I'm back. I hope I didn't take up too much of your time."
"It's alright, Peter. The decay rate algorithm you provided has been a huge help. It has finally given my research, which had been stagnant, a new direction. So, as a way of repaying you, I want you to personally open this door to a completely new field and share this glory with me!"
"You flatter me, Dr. Connors. I found this while making spider silk in the basement... I mean, while doing my homework, I stumbled upon it among my father's belongings. So the credit should go to my father."
"Hahaha! I love your humble demeanor, just like your father's... Alright, son, press that button and begin the experiment."
"No problem, Doctor."
After donning a white lab coat, Peter, who indeed exuded the air of a scientist, entered Dr. Connor's laboratory. He waved hello as he returned to his workstation.
After exchanging a few polite words and some mutual flattery, Peter pressed the large red button in front of him.
A robotic arm equipped with a syringe then approached the cage containing a limbless white mouse that was pacing back and forth in fear.
Finally, amidst the agonizing screams of the mice, the lizard serum, further optimized using the decay rate algorithm, was slowly injected into the bodies of the experimental subjects…