American comic book: Absolute Spider-Man

The news of the arrest of an alien weapons trafficking ring would not cause much of a stir.

But if the police encounter setbacks during the arrest, and can only rely on a masked vigilante with suspected superpowers to bring the criminal to justice, such news would spread like wildfire, instantly reaching every corner of New York.

After all, in this world, regardless of good or evil, superpowered individuals are the absolute top stars and absolute topic generators.

Major media outlets responded immediately, focusing their attention on the masked female vigilante who had suddenly appeared.

New York's mainstream newspapers and social media accounts had already sensed the potential for increased traffic and joined the frenzy.

The Daily Bugle was the first to publish photos of Spider-Woman taken by its own frontline reporters.

Continuing its usual sensationalist style, the newspaper's front-page headline in bold black font read, "Mysterious Masked Heroine Descends on the Street, Alien Weapon Trafficking Gang Annihilated Overnight."

Other media outlets followed suit, some releasing firsthand footage taken by their own reporters, some releasing multiple sources of information purchased from the scene, and some simply cropping original footage from TikTok.

Besides print media and social media frantically trying to capitalize on the trending topic, television news channels are also not to be outdone, repeatedly broadcasting clips of Spider-Woman and the Vulture's battle.

The reporting is clearly polarized.

Some media outlets focused on the details of the capture, praising Spider-Woman's bravery and strength, analyzing her abilities, and highlighting her combat achievements.

Some media outlets have even called for "official recognition of this new hero" and "the Avengers to incorporate this hero as a new Avenger."

Another group of conservative media outlets took a skeptical stance, repeatedly emphasizing that "masked vigilantes pose a security risk" and worrying that their unregulated behavior would cause chaos. Their words were full of vigilance towards unknown superpowered individuals, but in essence, they were still trying to gain attention through controversy.

As for Gwen's mention of TikTok when facing reporters, several media outlets have also revealed her original words to some extent and speculated on the relationship between Spider-Woman and this platform.

Some people interested in superpowered individuals searched for this platform and saw high-definition photos and videos of Spider-Woman on the platform.

The original image quality is far clearer and more detailed than news clips or re-edited segments.

Her figure, soaring through the high-rise buildings of Manhattan in the video, quickly turned some people into fans.

The vulgar are obsessed with physical beauty and pursue the graceful figure of Aphrodite.

But many more are captivated by the speed and power that pushes the limits of human capability—this is an instinctual drive for strength, a straightforward fascination with and awe of absolute power.

In this cruel world where superhumans, powerful destroyers, and alien threats constantly loom, ordinary people, with their mortal bodies, are utterly powerless against the crisis.

Superpowered individuals possess superhuman physical abilities, disregard the rules of physics and life, and have the power to control the life and death of ordinary people. This naturally creates a cross-dimensional species gap, much like ants looking up at humans.

People don't need her to do good deeds or save lives, nor do they need her to protect the city. Her unparalleled and visible strength alone is enough to awaken the instinct for self-improvement ingrained in our genes.

It is both a subconscious yearning for absolute security, a psychological compensation for one's own mediocrity, and the most primitive aspiration and submission to higher-level dominance.

Some ordinary people are even more fanatical about superpowered individuals than believers are about their savior.

For example, Superman from DC Comics is regarded as a god by a considerable number of people with fanatical faith—even though Kryptonians on Earth are not much different from gods.

Or to take it to an even more extreme point.

In the world of The Boys, even if the truth about Compound V is revealed and the superpowered individuals are proven to be artificial freaks whose powers come from the drug, a considerable proportion of the American public still worships Homelander like a god.

This is the attitude of ordinary people towards superpowered individuals in many worldviews: using extreme faith and dependence to mask deep-seated fear and distrust.

……

A corridor in Midtown High School where lockers are placed.

"Peter, how's the data on TikTok?" Gwen asked as she took her textbook out of the locker.

"Not bad. So far, we've had 28.6 clicks. For a platform that hasn't done any promotion and is in its initial stages, that's quite good."

"Is there anything I need to do next?"

Peter closed the locker: "Post more pictures and videos as Spider-Woman, and in the captions, encourage your fans to share their daily lives on our platform. You can also interact with them in the comments section; this will effectively improve user retention. After all, they're all here because of you, their idol."

"Oh." Gwen tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "What's in it for me?"

"From now on, Spider-Woman will be the spokesperson for all Parker Industries products, with 20% of the shares and dividends as her endorsement fee."

Gwen said somewhat dissatisfiedly, "That's all?"

"Hmm... then what else do you want?"

"I haven't decided yet, I'll owe you for now."

Peter exclaimed, "How can we owe this?"

"What? You have a problem with that?"

No, no.

At that moment, Harry and Ned walked in and interrupted the two.

Harry crossed his arms and looked at Peter with a sinister gaze: "So, what's going on?"

Peter pretended not to know and asked, "What? What's going on?"

Ned rubbed his hands together, chuckling, "You, Peter, dared to keep this from us! Tell me, why is the first item on the website we made together Spider-Woman?"

The two cornered Peter in front of the locker, as if they were about to start a bullying incident.

Peter stepped between the two, hiding behind Gwen and putting his hand on her shoulder: "You explain to them, Spider-Woman."

"What?!"

In a corner of the teaching building, Peter and Gwen explained to the two what had happened at the Ottoman technology exhibition.

Before they could finish, Harry excitedly interrupted, "What? Osborn's radiant spiders were a success? Does that mean if we get bitten by a spider, we'll gain spider-like abilities like Gwen?"

Peter immediately dismissed Harry's idea: "Impossible. Those who are not chosen by the totem cannot withstand the double backlash from the totem's essence and the radiation genes after being bitten by a radiation spider. At best, their genes will disintegrate, their organs will fail, and they will die in agony. At worst, their bodies will mutate, they will lose their minds, and become inhuman spider monsters. It is absolutely impossible for them to awaken their full spider abilities."

"What is a totem?" the two asked immediately.

Peter then explained to the two the origin of the Spider-Man totem and the relationship between the totem and the Spider-Men.

He solemnly warned, "Harry, many of Osborn's body modification products have serious side effects. You must not try them secretly out of curiosity."

He looked at Harry and Ned and said seriously, "If you think superpowers are cool and you really want them, there are many safe ways without side effects."

"For example, I can try to get you the improved Erskine serum, the Perfect Extinction virus, the Symbiote suit, and even white magic."

"But you must never touch those that have serious side effects."

"Magic!" Ned exclaimed.

Peter patted his head. Although he was used to Ned's fussiness, he was still sometimes worried that his big mouth would cause trouble.

Remembering that some versions of Ned seemed to have magical talent, he planned to take Ned to study and perhaps temper his temperament.

Peter said, "Ned, I'll take you to the Sanctuary in New York to learn magic sometime."

Ned exclaimed excitedly, "Peter, I love you so much!"

Harry asked expectantly, "And what about me, Peter?"

Peter put his hand on Harry's shoulder: "I've found you a way to regenerate severed limbs, gain superhuman strength, and manipulate heat. The only problem is you'll have to wait a while."