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71.11% Days as a Spiritual Mentor in American Comics / Chapter 3050: Chapter 2203: Battle of the Twin Cities! (44)_1

章節 3050: Chapter 2203: Battle of the Twin Cities! (44)_1

Peter quickly found himself on a street next to the abandoned junkyard where Kevin was. This place used to be a cluster of small warehouses. Now, one after another, compartments have been turned into dwellings for the homeless, resembling a Mexican slum.

The place was crammed and incredibly low, the street seemed longer than Peter remembered. When he turned behind the small warehouses, he realized he had reached another back street of Gotham which was also a slum; therefore, they became indistinguishable.

Through cracks in the houses, Peter spotted Penguin Man. He wasn't dressed in his usual suit and tie but in an oversized hoodie and baggy pants, blending in well with the homeless here.

Although Peter didn't understand how Bruce identified Penguin Man's location through a criminal who stole police weapons, he indeed had found his target.

"So what next? What should I do now?" Peter wondered out loud, "Should I just walk up to him and strike up a conversation? Ask him where Kevin is?"

"He won't believe that you've come here to seek someone. Haven't you notice? He's on high alert. I bet he's already experienced multiple dangers." Bruce's voice came from the earpiece.

Peter nodded and glanced up warily at the people around him, "I'd say hanging out in the mayor's office waiting to be assassinated by dignitaries is as dangerous as hiding here."

"Here is safer because he isn't the only one here." Bruce concluded, then added, "I think you should go over and tell him you're his supporter and admirer."

"He'll recognize me." Peter replied, "Don't forget, he had encounters with a certain Spider Man, the one who wrote the 'Gotham Travel Notes'."

"This article mentioned that the fire protection measures of Penguin Man's Iceberg Bar were not up to standard and he didn't ensure the proper protection of the ancient building housing the bar. He was detained for two months as a result, without bail."

Peter was as versed in the contents of 'Gotham Travel Notes' as if it were his favourite storybook. Then he analyzed, "From Batman's time record, Gotham was on the eve of a mayoral election. Penguin Man was the most promising candidate, but Batman was too busy with other matters to deal with him."

"So, if not for the punishment because of insufficient fire protection measures and the failure to protect important buildings, Penguin Man could have very possibly become the mayor in that election. Spider Man ruined his mayoral dream."

"Even though I am not that Spider Man, I wager that he despises Spider Man. If he recognizes my voice by chance, there is no way he would cooperate with me."

"On the contrary," Bruce offered a different view. "If you do as I say, he will certainly cooperate with you."

So Peter chose to abandon thinking and decided to parrot Bruce. He approached Penguin Man as planned, walking through the narrow passage between two low houses, stepping over a dirty drain, and then reached Penguin Man who was cleaning his sandals. He removed his mask.

"Hello, Mr. Kopot." Peter greeted.

It was as if Penguin Man was frightened. He turned around, squinted at Peter with his wide eyes, sized him up and asked, "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"I am Peter Parker, nice to meet you."

Peter's longer sentence made Penguin Man frown because he recognized the voice.

Suddenly, as if realizing something, his face turned into a shocked expression, followed by anger. He gritted his teeth and said, "Are you Spider Man?!"

After a brief nod, Peter admitted, "Yes, I might not be the one you're familiar with, but I am indeed Spider Man. What's more, I read the 'Gotham Travel Notes' written by the Spider Man who did know you."

Penguin Man stared at Peter gloomily. Unperturbed, Peter continued his explanation. Penguin Man snorted, "So you're here to what? Beat me up like those naïve bats in the Batcave, or to report that this place doesn't meet fire standards either?"

"I think that's just stupid." Penguin Man was bristling with anger. "You characterize me based on a travel diary written by somebody else and have the audacity to confront me."

"On the contrary." Peter stepped forward and said, "I believe the diary is filled with prejudice against you, reflecting who you used to be. But now, you're making me see you in a different light."

Penguin Man was obviously taken by surprise. The eyes that were sizing Peter up seemed more thoughtful, while Peter looked back calmly, "I didn't expect you to join us to fight against Wayne Enterprises. It must have been a tough decision. Giving up the mayor position you desired so strongly showcases your noble character."

Now Penguin Man was truly stunned. He never thought Peter would say such things. Peter sighed lightly, lowered his gaze and sounded somewhat heavy-hearted.

"You think I would definitively stand on Batman's side? No, I stand on the side of justice and fairness."

"It is undeniable that Batman wants to save people, but he has never realized the dire consequences of not adequately preparing for his good intentions. Heroes need to grow through trials, but no one is obliged to pay the price of life for their progress."

At first, Peter only repeated Bruce's words, but he couldn't keep things to himself, and later he began to express his real opinion about Batman of Earth One.

"He thought he was prepared, but that was only from the perspective of a rich man who is not worried about his livelihood. In his previous life, most of his important decisions had a large margin for error."

"If he didn't learn anything, he could refrain from doing anything recklessly. If he did something wrong, the price he had to pay wasn't as heavy as he imagined."

Peter let out a deep breath, saying, "I know the hardships he has endured are unbearable to him, but if placed on the balance of society, his privileged background prevents him from seeing the bottom of the abyss of suffering."

"He wants to be a superhero and combat crime, which is a noble idea, yet this time he mistakenly assessed the weight of his own error, Life is the one thing money can't buy."

"He can no longer casually dampen oversights with his own money and power, as he used to. The loss of life is unbearable for anyone and is a consequence he cannot bear, because he knows better than anyone else that death is irreversible."

"He believed his preparations were based on the premise that there would be no such grave oversights, and if that balancing weight ever dropped, his so-called preparation would become absurd and comical."

"It was never about regular fitness, learning a few combat skills, watching a few crime films, then stepping forward to take on the responsibility of a superhero."

"In the Andrewkin case, while the killer is indeed cruel, his shown mistakes prove that he is incapable of bearing this responsibility. His arrogance and recklessness led him to repeatedly make wrong decisions without turning back, ultimately leading to the tragic consequences."

Peter's lips tightened into a straight line as he said, "And if you bear the responsibility to save ordinary people, the abilities you need are almost infinite."

"Because if you have seen their lives, have stood with them, then you will understand that they are perpetually facing the danger of falling into an abyss. To protect them, you need to be the hero among superheroes, stronger and more determined than anyone else, to safeguard their every ordinary night."

"No matter your motive for hurting Bruce, at least you have prevented him from continuing down the wrong path and causing more innocent people to suffer or even die."

"Perhaps you also saved him." Peter looked at Penguin Man with sincere eyes and said, "After all, he is a good man, and if only innocent people bleed, while he remains unharmed, the guilt he bears is the real sharp blade. That can kill his soul, and physical pain is nothing compared to that."

"I am not advocating violence, and I am more against bloody conflicts, but this is indeed the simplest way to stop this series of farces. You should receive the thanks of the people of New York and Gotham."

The Penguin Man listened to Peter's speech in a daze, right now only one thought was in his mind - so I'm really that great, huh?

Yet on second thought, Peter did have a point. With the recklessness of the rookie Batman, if not severely injured, he would surely be bouncing around every day.

The merger of the two cities was already a mess, and Bruce Wayne's identity made him even more dangerous. Yet he had no awareness of his own abilities, did not take bodyguards with him when going out, and insisted on playing the hero to save people.

When he fails to save the day, it will waste energy to rescue him. Police resources are limited and saving him means not saving others. Everyone knows that, even if only one policeman is left in Gotham and New York combined, he would definitely prioritize saving the world's richest man.

There must be a lot of people who don't want Wayne to have an accident, and they will put pressure on the police department, causing them to waste a lot of police force on guarding Bruce Wayne. And the public safety situation will become worse, with more ordinary people being victimized.

Given the rookie Batman's recklessness, the police might not even be able to keep an eye on him, which would result in a lose-lose situation. The protection of Wayne may not be guaranteed, and the ordinary public might also suffer.

Bruce shot himself in his office - the Penguin Man now thinks that it was just bad luck for Batman, but it also means he shot him, and now both parties have calmed down.

Wayne was hospitalized, hopefully he could be saved, but he would need to rest for at least half a year. During this half year, he couldn't act the superhero. Once the half year passed, the chaotic situation should be mostly settled.

Also, because of his serious injuries, he would be in a harmless state for a long period of time, so those targeting him would lessen their surveillance. As long as the security measures are in place, he will be safer.

With Batman incapacitated, the Joker and his team will be quiet, the police can focus on managing public order, and ordinary people don't have to worry about the lunatics who want to disturb Batman coming to bother them.

The originally difficult situation suddenly turned into a win-win.

On second thought, it seemed like he really did something good. How else could he win the approval of the moral model Spider Man?


next chapter

章節 3051: Chapter 2204: Battle of the Twin Cities! (45)_1

Penguin Man, now endorsed by Spider Man, had mixed feelings.

With a darting glance, Penguin Man turned and walked towards an old house at the back, saying, "Come in."

Peter could clearly detect a change in his attitude. Initially guarded and cautious, he suddenly loosened up. Peter couldn't understand why.

But now he didn't have the luxury of leaning into the earpiece and voicing all of his doubts to Bruce. Opportunities to earn the trust of people like this are rare and fleeting. He had to seize it. By the time Bruce answered his queries, Penguin Man would've already kicked him out.

But Peter had no prior experience with such a situation. He was unsure about how he should behave next to make a further impression on Penguin Man. Even if Peter knew that Penguin Man could never become a good man and had made no preparation for persuading him towards goodness, earning his trust was still not an easy feat.

While Peter was anxious, it suddenly occurred to him that he had another trump card—the great black sun could definitely lend him a hand.

Peter let out a sigh. The gray mist enveloped him in an instant as he once again stood in front of the massive black sun.

Peter didn't know how to pray, so he briefly voiced his confusion, emphasizing,

"In fact, I don't know what kind of person he is, so I don't know how to interact with him. I also don't know what he is currently thinking, so I don't know what to say next. Do you have any advice?"

Peter received the biography of Penguin Man. After carefully reading through it, he scratched his head, still somewhat confused.

He could discern some issues from Penguin Man's origins, but these were clearly irredeemable. Peter didn't have the faith that he could heal Oswald Kolbott's childhood traumas in such a short timeframe. He had always been inept in matters like these.

Peter received some more information.

This batch of information confused him even further because it was emblazoned with the words—"Psychoanalysis Method" on the cover.

"Oh, God," Peter shrieked. "You're not actually expecting me to learn a form of psychological therapy from scratch, are you? That's impossible!"

Then, Peter realized he was trapped.

He could only sigh in resignation, bow his head, and start going through the stack of information. It wasn't a hefty pile, even thinner than Kolbott's life story.

Peter swore that he read through these documents with utmost dedication, yet still felt like the whole thing could be condensed into one word—"guesswork".

But Peter Parker was not Batman. He immediately clasped his hands together in a fervent prayer, his gaze sincere as he looked at the black sun before him and said,

"I will study hard in the future, but for now, please give me the answers. Please, I can't understand any of this without examples!"

Peter tried hard to recall the vocabulary used by his Catholic classmate during prayers, mixing in some scientific terms he was adept at, and improvised a long prayer in an attempt to touch the mysterious god and gain the answer.

Isn't this how gods work? Peter thought. If gaining answers still required studying, why wouldn't he just engage in scientific research?

Other popes could directly receive revelations. Even though he was only a saint heir, should he still need to study for 20 years before asking God for solutions?

Peter thought he heard the black sun sigh, yet he eventually received his answer.

From this answer, Peter learned that the first step in psychoanalysis is to clarify the attributes of the subject of analysis. This is primarily done by identifying their most distinctive personality traits from their past experiences, and by identifying the relevant attribute concerning their present situation.

Undoubtedly, the most important attribute right now was that Penguin Man usually didn't distinguish between good and evil but always weighed his interests. So whether it was a superhero or a supervillain endorsing him, it didn't matter to him.

Upon analyzing this, a significant contradiction arose. Since it didn't matter who endorsed him, why would Penguin Man's attitude change after Spider Man endorsed him?

This led to the question—what was special about Spider Man?

Without a doubt, Spider Man was a good man. But the world was full of good people, so what made Spider Man so special?

While Spider Man observed Gotham, the Gothamites also observed him. They then discovered that this person was an impossibly and outrageously good man, one who they could find no faults with.

He wasn't the type of good man delineated by a myriad of qualifying conditions, with more adjectives than their actual name, only determined under specific circumstances and timeframes.

He was the type of good man who, according to universal values, was completely free of faults, even without a trace of power-hungry attributes, in the eyes of the lunatics in Gotham.

The most unique thing about Spider Man was that he always called himself a hero of the common man. Throughout his stay in Gotham, this was indeed how he behaved.

He didn't go to Arkham Asylum to thrash the inmates, even though he was capable of doing so. Neither did he stake out the buildings Batman frequently visited, intervening in mob activities whenever he spotted them.

The thing he did most frequently was live in the slums—fixing appliances for someone one day, helping another with their pipes the next. He patrolled the streets one after another, not letting any evil forces that bullied and oppressed others slip away. His sense of righteousness was as clear as day, from beginning to end, he adhered to a very simple understanding of good and evil.


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