Chapter Twenty-Three: The Decay Rate Formula

"Who is the doctor you mentioned?" Arthur asked.

"He was my father's colleague, named Curt Connors. He works in biological research at Oscorp," Peter revealed his father's story to Arthur.

"Is this man trustworthy? You just handed him the decay rate formula? Haven't you ever wondered why your father never shared it with anyone? Do you even know if genetic manipulation has side effects on humans?" Arthur thought Peter was simply too young, acting without considering consequences. (Nick Fury: You have no right to say that about others!)

Peter fell silent, agreeing with Arthur's point, but he still believed the doctor was a good man. "I trust him. He wouldn't conduct human experiments without thorough research."

Arthur stared at Peter, thinking, Soon you'll regret those words!

After school, Peter, Gwen, and Arthur wandered the streets together. Watching Peter and Gwen laughing and chatting, Arthur felt he really shouldn't have agreed to come along.

"Are you two together now?" Arthur asked, jealousy in his voice.

Peter gave Arthur a knowing look. "Yes, we're together," he said, taking Gwen's hand and gazing at her affectionately.

Arthur felt as if he'd been hit with a damage score of 9999! He thought the world was full of malice toward single people.

The three went to see a newly released movie and then had dinner together. Peter and Gwen enjoyed themselves immensely, but Arthur was utterly uninterested.

Arthur drove Gwen home first. In the car, Peter said to Arthur, "Gwen invited me to her house tomorrow night."

"Oh, so soon to meet the parents?" Arthur replied with a blank expression.

"What should I do? Will Gwen's family dislike me?" Peter was a little anxious.

"Rest assured, her family definitely won't like you!" Arthur said, dampening his spirits.

"Why?" Peter looked at Arthur.

"You've managed to win over their beloved daughter while still in high school, and you expect them to be friendly?" Arthur explained.

"Isn't dating in high school normal?" Peter countered weakly.

"That's why you should dress formally tomorrow, make a good impression on Gwen's parents, and preferably bring a gift to show you mean well," Arthur advised.

"A gift..." Peter was troubled.

"I have two bottles of good red wine at home. Take them as your present," Arthur offered, knowing Peter had little money. It would be inappropriate to give him something too valuable, but two decent bottles of wine seemed suitable for a student, likely to satisfy the parents.

"Thank you so much! You really helped me out!" Peter said gratefully.

Arthur looked into Peter's eyes and asked seriously, "Do you know Spider-Man?"

"I..." Peter hesitated, then said, "Actually, I am Spider-Man!" He told Arthur how he gained his powers after being bitten by a spider.

Arthur looked at Peter... and laughed. He was glad Peter hadn't chosen to hide the truth from him.

"You don't seem surprised," Peter remarked, puzzled.

"I guessed long ago. Besides, I've met a few superheroes already. There's nothing to be shocked about," Arthur replied calmly.

"You guessed already?" Peter was astonished by Arthur's claim that he'd met superheroes, but assumed Arthur meant he'd seen them online.

"I figured it out just from watching the videos. Your silhouette was obvious," Arthur said half-truthfully.

"Is it really that obvious?" Peter doubted Arthur's explanation.

...

On the third morning, Arthur sat at home on his sofa, watching TV and eating breakfast. Then his phone rang—it was Tony calling. Arthur answered, "Hello?"

"Arthur, I have some great news!" Tony's voice was brimming with excitement.

"Did you find a way to solve the palladium poisoning?" Arthur asked.

"How did you know? I discovered information from my father in some old film reels. He had predicted I'd invent the energy reactor, and left me clues about a new element," Tony explained.

"Do you feel like you just got schooled by someone from over ten years ago?" Arthur joked.

"You figured that out too? Now I finally won't die! So, what do you say—come over and let's throw a party to celebrate?" Tony said, ecstatic.

"Party again? You just had a birthday bash a few days ago, and you fought with Rhodes. You even gave him a suit of armor but never gave me one," Arthur complained.

"Oh, you have some nerve! I invited you to my party and you didn't even show up, and now you want a suit? No way!" Tony shouted.

"I had something important that day, had to attend my classmate's uncle's funeral. Besides, your birthday parties are just chaotic nonsense, not my thing," Arthur explained.

"Fine, I'll forgive you this time. Next time, I'll invite you again. I'm busy working on my new armor, so I'll talk to you later. Hanging up!" Tony ended the call.

Arthur put down his phone and suddenly noticed the news on TV: "A major incident occurred last night at 9 pm on the Williamsburg Bridge. Witnesses claim Spider-Man was involved, and the police have officially issued a warrant for his arrest!"

Arthur deduced that the Lizard Doctor must have made his appearance. He decided to visit Peter soon to ask about the details.

Arthur arrived at Peter's house and knocked. Aunt May opened the door. "Hello, Aunt. I brought some local specialties for you to try."

"Arthur, you sweet child. You didn't have to bring anything," Aunt May replied.

"It's just some seafood, freshly caught this morning. Is Peter home?" Arthur placed the seafood box on the table.

"Peter, your friend is here!" Aunt May called.

Peter came out of his room, delighted to see Arthur. "What brings you here? Let's go to my room."

Peter led Arthur to his room. "Why did you come?"

"I saw the news. What happened, exactly?" Arthur asked.

"It was a creature that looked like a lizard, on the Williamsburg Bridge. It caused chaos, and I went to rescue people," Peter replied.

"Do you know who the creature was?"

Peter thought for a moment. "No, I didn't see its face clearly."

"Alright. How did your meeting with Gwen's parents go?" Arthur asked.

"Not bad, but Gwen's father is the police chief of New York. He seems to have a deep misunderstanding about Spider-Man," Peter said with resignation.

"Don't worry. He'll eventually come to believe Spider-Man is a good person," Arthur comforted him.

"Here, let me show you something!" Peter took out a small glass vial containing a dead spider. Its body was red, and its legs were transparent.

"This is the spider that bit me," Peter said.

"It's beautiful," Arthur said, admiring the spider in the vial.

Peter also showed Arthur some of his "collection" and photos he had taken. Later, Arthur stayed for breakfast at Peter's home, savoring Aunt May's meat pies—a flavor that lingered in his memory...