Bab 499: Bully Maguire

The newcomer photographer Eddie and Peter were competitors, and Jameson presented them with a job position to compete for. In true fashion of Jameosn, the requirement was naturally related to tarnishing Spider-Man's reputation.

The one who could capture a photo of Spider-Man doing something wrong would secure the formal job. Undoubtedly, Eddie emerged victorious; he actually captured a photo of Spiderman robbing a bank and proudly displayed it on the wall.

The newspaper quickly organized a simple welcome event for this newcomer. Eddie was happily sipping champagne when, at that moment, Peter in the black Spiderman suit arrived to confront him.

"Eddie, you have no shame, you fabricating my fake photos!"

Peter didn't waste time and immediately exposed Eddie's trick. Eddie, of course, was unwilling to admit it, accusing Peter of being childish and unwilling to admit defeat, until Peter presented evidence.

In the face of concrete evidence, Eddie had no more room for excuses. He had to surrender, claiming that he did it to save money for his wedding with his girlfriend, emphasizing the importance of this job to him. He pleaded for mercy, stating the severe consequences for a photographer if caught fabricating photos, as no newspaper would hire him again.

In the end, Eddie hoped that Peter would show mercy and let him off the hook. If it were the old Spider-Man, he might have actually spared him. But now, it was the darkened Spiderman!

Peter wasn't lenient; he coldly left with the words, "You should have thought about this earlier." He threw the evidence to Jameson, who had never liked him and walked away effortlessly. With overwhelming evidence, Eddie's actions were quickly exposed. Jameson was furious and didn't give Eddie any chance to defend himself, promptly asking him to pack up and leave.

This guy had just celebrated his job entry, and now he was kicked out before his seat even warmed up.

Some viewers were still marveling at the drastic change in Spiderman, saying Spider-Man had completely changed. However, many felt that this change wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

"Don't tell me you guys are blind? Right and wrong are crystal clear. Whether it's Harry Osborn or this photographer Eddie, they brought this upon themselves!"

"Exactly, I don't think Spiderman is bad; he's cool, and it's satisfying to watch! This new photographer Eddie doesn't deserve sympathy at all. Violating professional ethics and laws, fabricating photos... really, such people are despised and looked down upon everywhere!"

"What did Spider-Man do wrong? He just revealed some truths. Honestly, I don't see this as a fall into darkness. Think about it, if it were Batman, he might break his legs, buy the entire newspaper, and kick that annoying J Jonah Jameson and Eddie out!"

"Normal Batman's actions are more extreme than Spiderman. I really can't see who's in the wrong here."

In the world of Batman in Gotham City

Bruce and Dr. Banner from the Justice League were also present under the spotlight. They had just had a brief encounter with Ra's Al Ghul, who had sent many shadow Ninjas to gather information in Gotham.

Bruce was concerned that this parallel timeline Gotham might cause trouble, so he brought Dr. Banner to keep watch. After wandering around for a while, it seemed relatively calm, as Bruce hadn't made his debut as Batman and other supervillains hadn't emerged yet; it was still the usual small-scale activities by some gangs.

Compared to the Justice League world, where evil forces from outer space were already in play, this Gotham was surprisingly quiet. So, Bruce decided to watch the live Quiz game.

Now, he heard many viewers below comparing Spiderman's dark turn with himself, and couldn't help but sigh.

Dr. Banner's hearing was also good; he was suppressing a laugh while observing him. "Ahem, Bruce, I think maybe they don't understand you well enough..."

"No, they're right," Bruce's voice was low. "Based on the video clips released so far, the actions of the darkened Spider-Man are indeed less extreme than those of me."

He paused for a moment, looking down at the crowds gathered below, "But Batman has never been a hero and doesn't need people's admiration and love."

Just like this parallel timeline version of himself, they were both Batman. However, Spider-Man was different, or other superheroes have their own differences.

Even though the Spider-Man in the video doesn't seem to be severely corrupted or malicious, it's still a worrying trend. Who can guarantee that under the influence of the Venom symbiote, Spider-Man won't continue to turn even more evil?

In the video, Peter also enjoys the bad Spider-Man form. After returning from the newspaper, he receives a call from Dr. Connors. Earlier, Peter had asked Dr. Connors to study the Venom symbiote. Despite the mismatched expertise, Dr. Connors has finally come up with some conclusions.

He discovered that Venom could amplify the aggressiveness of the host. So, he specifically called Peter to remind him. Unexpectedly, at this moment, Peter has already turned bad, and carefree, answering the call while teasing the landlord's daughter, asking her to feed him this and that.

Compared to the previously restrained and somewhat introverted Peter, the current Peter has undergone a 180-degree transformation.

It's unclear whether he heard Dr. Connors' warning or heard it but didn't take it seriously. In any case, Peter is increasingly enjoying the feeling brought by this transformation.

The bad Peter also chooses to bid farewell to his previous life. If the previous Peter was a well-behaved baby, then now he has undoubtedly become the troublesome boy in the eyes of his parents—talkative, flirtatious, walking with a gust of wind, and dancing.

All the previous shyness and timidity have been thrown aside. Now he is sprinting in the direction of a playboy, approaching the landlord's daughter, the newspaper's female assistant, former college classmates, and even girls he encounters on the street, Peter will approach and flirt with them.

He even bought himself a cool set of casual suits, although second-hand, it's definitely a bold move!