บท 73: Little Peter!
"I really know him!"
In a classroom, an eight or nine-year-old boy puffed out his chest, seriously shouting at his classmates in front of him.
But the few classmates, who had unfriendly expressions, obviously didn't believe him. They laughed and mocked the little boy:
"Come on, Peter, I could also say Iron Man is my neighbor!"
A tall boy, much bigger than the other kids, stepped forward and sneered loudly, drawing the attention of the nearby students.
Noticing the curious gazes, the tall boy seemed encouraged, speaking even more smugly:
"You've been saying this for so long, so why not show us some proof? Isn't today your birthday? On such an important day, why don't you have him come over to wish you well?"
Everyone turned to Peter because they were eager to see the superhero Peter always mentioned.
But Peter just blushed deeply and lowered his head, unable to say anything.
"I knew he was a liar! I've known for a long time!"
The tall boy, seeing Peter's hesitation, pushed Peter roughly, gaining even more confidence.
"Listen up, everyone! Peter Parker... is a complete liar!"
At this moment, the murmurs of his classmates grew louder.
"A liar? Peter learned to lie too?"
"I knew it! How could a coward like Peter know 'Superboy'?"
"Exactly! We've never heard of 'Superboy' having any friends other than 'Iron Man'!"
"Peter must be so foolish to tell such a ridiculous lie!"
"Isn't it normal? Who doesn't like showing off?"
…
After mocking Peter, the tall boy, enjoying the attention of the crowd, walked away with his lackeys.
The bell rang for the next class, and the other students also dispersed.
Only a little boy with his head down and tears streaming down his face remained in the classroom.
He took a deep breath and wiped the tears from his face, then sniffled and ran to his next class.
When Peter entered the classroom, he faced some strange looks from his classmates, but he sat down, took out his book, and pretended nothing was wrong.
A classmate next to him nudged him and asked:
"Peter, are you okay?"
Peter's nose stung, but he bit his lip hard to keep from crying. After a while, he answered:
"I'm fine."
But how could he really be fine?
He felt wronged because he truly knew "Superboy."
To this day, he could still clearly remember every scene of the night when he met "Superboy."
It was a few months ago. His aunt took him to attend the Hammer Industry Expo. That night, in that place, he met "Superboy" Lynch.
The Expo was crowded, the atmosphere was great, the drinks and snacks were delicious, and Hammer's steel soldier presentation was impressive.
But none of that could compare to the two superheroes who appeared later.
Because Hammer and his steel soldiers turned out to be the villains, while "Iron Man" and "Superboy" were heroes.
When Iron Man swooped down from the sky and landed on the stage, everyone couldn't help but stand up and clap and cheer for him.
Including little Peter Parker, who even asked his aunt to lift him up so he could see Iron Man clearly in front of him.
Peter, like everyone else, thought Iron Man was a big surprise arranged for the Hammer Industry Expo.
After all, the steel soldiers looked like copies of Iron Man, so it was normal for Iron Man to show up, right?
But little Peter didn't expect this big surprise to quickly turn into a big scare.
After Iron Man greeted the crowd, the War Machine beside him suddenly pointed its guns at Iron Man.
Iron Man quickly flew away, and rows of steel soldiers chased after him.
Their battle completely ignored the people inside the venue, turning it into a scene of chaos.
The sound of gunfire mixed with people's screams echoed in the night sky, and flames and blood stained the crowd.
In front of the firing steel soldiers, the unarmed, well-dressed people could only run for their lives in panic.
In the crowd, little Peter followed his aunt as they ran out, but in the chaos, they got separated.
Faced with this terrifying situation, young Peter wasn't that scared.
His thinking was simple—heroes would definitely defeat the villains and save everyone.
Even though the battle between Iron Man and the steel soldiers affected so many innocent people, leaving a small grudge in Peter's heart against the superhero.
That day, Peter was wearing a "Superboy" fan costume. Compared to Iron Man, he preferred Superboy.
Because his aunt once said that Iron Man's real identity, Tony Stark, was a morally flawed playboy and arms dealer, often appearing in gossip magazines and war stories.
Since Aunt May didn't like Iron Man, Peter wasn't that keen on him either, because he had another superhero to idolize.
The one with a mysterious background, powerful abilities, and a face as young as a neighbor's big brother—Superboy!
Even Aunt May had expressed her liking for Superboy, so how could Peter not become his little fan?
His room was full of Superboy posters, and he even begged his aunt to buy him a fan costume.
Although Superboy didn't have any special uniform or emblem, that didn't stop clever merchants.
Peter's fan costume included glasses that could emit a red laser and a mask that could spray white mist, specially made based on Superboy's abilities. It was very popular in New York, even if it cost $10 for the whole set.
And on this day, being taken to such a big event by Aunt May, Peter naturally wore his favorite fan costume.
About ten minutes later, Peter, who had been carried by the crowd outside the venue, found that fewer people were around him.
Not far away, a steel soldier was slowly approaching.
Seeing this bad guy who had caused such a disaster, Peter felt a bit scared.
But touching the glasses on his face, a surge of courage rose in his heart.
If Superboy were here, he'd definitely beat these bad guys in a few moves, right?
The steel soldier noticed the boy but ignored him, turning its metal head and continuing forward.
But Peter turned on the switch on his glasses, and two bright red lights instantly hit the steel soldier.
The steel soldier turned its head, noticed the strange boy and the red lights, quickly analyzed and judged the lights as an attack, and issued a directive to eliminate the threat.
"Kakak—"
The machine gun on the steel soldier aimed at little Peter, and the barrel began to spin, preparing to unleash a deadly fire.
"No! Peter! Run!"
In the crowd, Aunt May finally spotted her little Peter, but the situation before her made her feel dizzy.
Realizing something was wrong, Peter felt a flicker of concern, but at that moment, how could he run away?
He pressed the button on his glasses again, which increased the laser's brightness.
At that moment, two beams of red light shot out from behind little Peter, instantly piercing through the steel soldier in front of him.
Peter looked at everything in front of him in disbelief, not just because he had survived, but because…
"Superboy!"
Little Peter turned around and, sure enough, saw a familiar figure, immediately bursting with excitement.
"It really is you! You finally came!"
He thought Superboy would fly off to deal with the bad guys, but to his surprise, Superboy smiled slightly and walked straight toward him.
"What's your name, little boy?"
Peter would forever remember Superboy's voice, which was as youthful and handsome as his appearance.
"My name is Peter Parker!" he excitedly replied.
"Is that so?"
Superboy flashed an even friendlier smile, ruffled Peter's hair, and even said something Peter couldn't have imagined:
"My name is Lynch. Nice to meet you."
"I…"
Peter was so excited he became tongue-tied, and then he was lifted up by Aunt May.
"Are you okay?"
Aunt May, her voice trembling with tears, carefully checked his body to confirm he wasn't hurt.
Then she gratefully looked at Superboy and said, "I really don't know how to thank you…"
"It's okay!" Superboy said with a smile, giving Peter a thumbs up.
"Peter, you did great just now, but don't worry your aunt in the future."
As he slowly floated up to say goodbye to Peter, he said, "Peter, see you next time!"
…
Peter still remembered Superboy's promise; he said they would meet again.
Even if Aunt May said it was just polite talk, Peter didn't take it to heart. He didn't believe it.
Because Peter was smart, and he clearly remembered what Superboy had said that day.
Aunt May?
Peter knew they hadn't revealed their relationship, and most people would think they were mother and son.
But Superboy knew!
This meant Superboy was paying attention to him!
Even though a long time had passed and Superboy hadn't appeared again, Peter believed that one day he would see him again.
Of course, if it were today, that would be even better.
Usually, it didn't matter if his classmates didn't believe he knew Superboy; he wasn't a very vain person.
But today, August 10th, was Peter's ninth birthday.
How wonderful it would be if Superboy could appear on this day!
Then his classmates wouldn't think he was a liar.
Peter rested his head on his desk, daydreaming about how great it would be if Superboy showed up today.
Time passed slowly, and soon the bell for the last class rang throughout the school.
Peter stood up and walked outside with his classmates. But at the door, he saw the person he disliked.
"Hey! Isn't this our big liar, Mr. Peter Parker?"
The tall boy walked over and wrapped an arm around the frail little Peter.
"I want to go home!"
Peter struggled free and ran out.
"Isn't today your birthday? Why didn't you invite me to your birthday party?"
The tall boy chased after him, relentlessly mocking.
Peter's glasses darkened; he didn't want to put extra financial pressure on his family, so he never held birthday parties.
"You can't be not having a birthday party, right?"
The tall boy laughed derisively.
"You—"
Before he could finish his next sarcastic remark, he choked on the words, and Peter looked up in confusion.
The once noisy campus fell silent, and each child gaped at the sky.
In midair, a smiling young man waved to the people below.
"Oh my God! Superboy!"
"I see the real Superboy!"
…
Amid the stunned cheers, Superboy walked toward Peter.
"Happy birthday! My friend Peter," Lynch said, ruffling Peter's hair affectionately.
Meanwhile, the surrounding classmates were already in shock, and the tall boy's eyes nearly popped out.
"So… Peter wasn't lying."
"That's Peter! He really knows Superboy!"
…
"Want to fly back?"
Lynch smiled.
Peter's face turned bright red, and he nodded vigorously.
Lynch lifted Peter off the ground and looked at his friends:
"Tonight, I'll help Peter celebrate his birthday at his house. Anyone who wants to come is welcome!"
With that, the two flew away.
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