章 101: Aliens Among Us
Soren made a sound of mild confusion and said, "Oh, is that so? Then I must have been mistaken. I apologize, Peter. My eyesight must be failing me, to have confused you with Spider-Man."
The brown-haired boy peeked out from behind his notebook with wide, expressive eyes, "No worries, no worries, that's totally normal. We've all wondered at some point if someone around us might be a superhero—"
"Look! It's Iron Man!" Soren suddenly exclaimed, pointing out the window.
Peter instantly turned around excitedly, but at that very moment, Soren reached out and nudged the uncapped bottle of water on the table.
Just as it was about to tip over, Peter, without even looking, he instinctively caught the bottle in his hand.
"…"
Peter stared at Soren with wide, panic-filled eyes, seeking help with his gaze.
Soren nodded his head.
He clapped his hands and commented, "Nice use of your Spider-Sense."
"That wasn't Spider-Sense! That's just… I'm just naturally a little quicker than most people," Peter Parker stammered, desperately trying to cover his tracks.
Soren looked at him thoughtfully, "The moment my fingers touched the water bottle, your hand was already there to catch it. Your reflexes are indeed remarkable."
Peter was speechless, he lowered his head and said, "Uh… that's because…"
Soren shook his head, "Listen, Peter, how old are you now? You're still just a kid, but being a superhero is a dangerous job. You need to get in touch with S.H.I.E.L.D., okay? They'll send professionals to help you. You have to learn how to protect yourself, how to control your powers… S.T.A.R Labs has a collaboration with S.H.I.E.L.D., and I can help you get in contact with them."
"I'm not, I swear I'm not!" Peter waved his hands frantically, refusing to admit that he was the newly famous superhero from New York—Spider-Man.
And with that, he bolted, running off like a monster was chasing him, too terrified to even look back.
Soren Hargreaves!
This guy is terrifying!
How on earth did he figure out that he was Spider-Man?!
Peter was horrified.
But what scared him even more—
When he sprinted back to his dorm faster than a 100-meter dash, two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents in black suits, wearing cold, dark sunglasses, were already waiting for him in his room.
The female agent in a black suit flashed her ID at him: "Peter Parker, we need to talk."
Peter looked at the prominent S.H.I.E.L.D. logo on the badge and swallowed in despair.
Soren Hargreaves, was he the devil?! A devil with the face of an angel!!
His despair reached its peak that night when he received a private message on the forum from @SkywalkerSH.
"In S.H.I.E.L.D., do well, and you might have a chance to join the Avengers. Good luck, Peter!"
At the end of the message, there was even a cute "cat playing with a ball of yarn" gif.
Tears welled up.
Peter Parker couldn't help but cry.
…
On the weekend, Soren invited Clark to drive with him to Philadelphia to attend the annual Philadelphia UFO Conference—though it was called a "conference," it was more like a sci-fi fan convention.
Fans of sci-fi works from all over the country would gather here, either dressing up as aliens or selling and buying various sci-fi merchandise.
All kinds of panel discussions on UFOs and extraterrestrials would take place throughout the day.
Over time, it had become a sacred place in the hearts of sci-fi fans and no true fan would want to miss it.
As a die-hard fan of all kinds of sci-fi, Soren, of course, wouldn't miss this event.
He excitedly dragged Clark along, darting through the conference venue like a nimble little fish, knowing every booth and exhibition hall like the back of his hand.
He even handcrafted a uniform that he wore during his time in the New Earth Army and wore his communication helmet with great care.
Every time he encountered fellow sci-fi fans dressed as bizarre aliens, he would puff out his chest with confidence and say, "I'm dressed as a New Earthian from New Earth!"
"New Earth? I've never heard of that planet. Where is it? Tell me all about it!" Someone would always ask him curiously.
Whenever New Earth was mentioned, Soren would perk right up.
He'd eagerly explain the exact location and environmental features of New Earth within the galaxy.
At the end, he would always add, "Don't you know? Angemon is come from New Earth."
"Oh, then why didn't you dress up as an Angemon?"
Soren would respond seriously, "That would be too boring! Innovation, we need innovation."
And poor Clark—he was forced to wear a Kryptonian casual outfit instead of his Superman costume.
Soren would drag him out and introduce him to others: "This is my companion. He's dressed as a Kryptonian."
At that point, they'd always be met with admiring looks: "Wow, his cosplay is perfect! Look at his build, he's almost as buff as Superman!"
Soren would feel so proud, as if they were complimenting him: "Exactly, exactly! He's great at cosplaying!"
...Meanwhile, Clark could only stand behind him, touching his nose and trying hard to stifle his laughter.
But they weren't the only "aliens" blending into the crowd.
Walking next to Soren, Clark was helping him organize the Star Wars posters and merchandise he had bought.
He leaned down and whispered to Soren, "The man wearing the hat on your left is a biorobotic model. I saw a small Arquillian sitting inside his head."
Soren nodded in agreement: "That makes sense. I thought the way he walked is looked off."
He elbowed Clark, tilting his head toward the other side, signaling him to look over, "See that man in the brown uniform with blonde hair? His eyelids seem stiff, almost like gills. He's definitely a disguised Cephalopid!"
Clark followed his gaze and quickly used his X-ray vision to scan the man Soren had pointed out.
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