American comic book: Absolute Spider-Man

It is 2012 in Queens, New York, where smartphones and tablets have just become widespread.

With broadband installed in every household, WiFi has become more of a necessity than coffee.

However, New York has many old buildings with thick walls and dense steel bars. Home routers at the time had extremely poor wall penetration. They would lag after passing through one wall, and basically lose connection after passing through two walls. The signal in the hallway and bedroom was vastly different.

The public hotspots are newly piloted, and the area is close-knit, so crowded that the internet speed is so slow that even scrolling through images takes forever.

Based on this problem that everyone is troubled by, and for which there is no cheap and easy solution, Peter came up with a way to quickly earn his first pot of gold.

The next morning, Peter stopped Uncle Ben, who had gotten up early and was getting ready to do some odd jobs.

"Uncle Ben," Peter said mysteriously, "you don't need to go out and do odd jobs for the next few days. I have some good stuff here. If you can sell it, I guarantee you'll make a fortune."

Ben Parker wasn't surprised at all; instead, he was nearly scared to death: "Peter, you're not... going to sell flour, are you?!"

"Uh..." Peter realized that his tone was a bit too much like some gang members selling stimulants in movies, so he took out a simple WiFi signal booster from his pocket.

The small box, about the size of a palm, was made from scrap plastic, with uneven edges and a small piece of copper foil showing on the front.

After some effort, Peter introduced his impromptu invention to Uncle Ben and Aunt May, who had rushed over after hearing the commotion.

His little device, when plugged in, amplifies the wireless signal, giving the entire house full internet access.

Aunt Mei was surprised at first, then reached out and gently touched the rough shell, her eyes filled with self-reproach for needing her children to take care of household affairs.

Uncle Ben examined the small invention repeatedly, his tense expression gradually easing, and finally he let out a long sigh of relief.

Peter said, "This thing is really easy to make. The materials are just copper sheets, thin wires, small resistors, and a cheap plastic casing. The cost is less than three dollars. Aunt May, you can take care of cutting, gluing, and assembling the casing; Uncle Ben, you can help purchase the parts and organize the wires; I'll take care of soldering the circuits and testing the signals to make sure each one works. With the three of us working together, making dozens a day is no problem at all."

"Then it's about selling. We don't need to open a store; we can just set up a small stall near the community, in front of the laundromat, or next to the school. I price them at $15 each, which is much cheaper than the high-end products in the mall, but the effect is exactly the same. Now everyone uses WiFi, and the signal is poor in old houses. Once everyone tries it, they'll know it works well and they'll definitely be willing to buy it."

"It will take at least a month before my technology is reverse engineered and competing products at the same price point appear on the market. During this month, we will concentrate all our efforts on rushing to produce the product and do our best to sell it, so as to make as much money as possible."

Ben Parker patted Peter on the shoulder, his eyes full of satisfaction.

But then, he suddenly lost control of his emotions, and tears streamed down his face uncontrollably.

He sobbed, “You’re just like Richard…just as smart, just as brilliant, just as proud of us.”

Ben Parker choked up, raising his hand to wipe his face: "He was the same way back then, always working hard and trying to support himself. I always said he was too hardworking, but now looking at you... Peter, you've inherited all his good qualities. If he were still here, he would be very proud of you."

Peter took Uncle Ben and Aunt May's hands: "I was once proud to be your child, and I will make you proud of me in the future."

Peter has a month left in his summer vacation, and he plans to make good use of this time to prepare for the future.

For the next month, the Parker family's garage was constantly in use, becoming the family's warmest battlefield.

As dawn broke, Uncle Ben took stock of the parts left over from the previous day, and Aunt Mei tied on her apron and carefully cut the plastic shells and polished the edges to make each enhancer look as clean and neat as possible.

Peter used his intellect and hands-on skills to precisely solder circuits and debug signals, ensuring that each finished product could stably amplify the WiFi signal.

The three gradually developed a better understanding of each other, and their daily output skyrocketed from more than fifty to more than one hundred.

As the finished products piled up, their sales began simultaneously.

Uncle Ben pushes his old cart and sets up a stall at neighborhood intersections and next to convenience stores in Queens.

In between replenishing raw materials, Peter would also go door-to-door to sell his products in the surrounding safer neighborhoods.

Peter would have the customer take out their phone to demonstrate the signal comparison on the spot.

In 2012, the walls of old apartments in New York were thick, and the router signal would weaken when it passed through the walls. As soon as their booster was plugged in, the mobile phone signal immediately jumped from one bar to a full bar, and videos and web pages became smooth instantly, with the effect being immediately apparent.

At $15 each, compared to signal boosters that often cost tens of dollars in stores, it was a much better deal. Word spread quickly among the neighbors, and the Parker family's business flourished.

Life was tough, and the three of them had developed thin calluses on their palms.

But no one complains about it, even though Peter is at the age where he is growing and is often so busy that he doesn't even have time to eat, his eyes are bloodshot, and he can fall asleep as soon as he hits the bed.

Aside from feeling sorry for Peter and blaming themselves, the Parkers never said anything to persuade Peter to rest.

For ordinary Americans, letting opportunities to create wealth far exceeding their usual income slip away is not just disrespect for money, but disrespect for life itself.

A month passed quickly, and when cheaper imitations began to appear in supermarkets and convenience stores, Peter notified Ben Parker to stop purchasing raw materials.

He turned the remaining original parts into finished products, keeping only one as a souvenir, and sold the rest of the stock to convenience stores at half price, earning his last bit of profit.

Peter looked at the $30,000 net profit in the ledger and knew it was time to start the next step of the plan.

On September 1st, Peter slept in late, a rare occurrence, and didn't get up until noon.

After a quick lunch, Peter called the Parkers together.

"Uncle Ben, Aunt Mei, what are your plans for the money you earned this month?"

Ben Parker shook his head: "We haven't thought about that. What's wrong, Peter? Is there something you need the money for?"

Peter nodded: "Instead of spending this money little by little, let it create greater wealth."

"Peter," Ben Parker asked, "are you thinking of using this money to start a small business?"

Peter initially denied it: "No, it's not a small business."

Then, he took out a transparent plastic bottle filled with white slime, tossed it gently in his hand, and caught it steadily.

"I plan to start a company called Parker Industries."