America: A Prodigy of Stereotypes

Dr. Banner handed over the banknotes, Gwen accepted them and received change, Stephanie packed the xiaolongbao into a takeout container, and put the chopsticks and sauce in a plastic bag before handing them to Bruce Banner.

After collecting the change, Dr. Banner poured the sauce, made with soy sauce, vinegar, and chili oil in the correct proportions, evenly over the xiaolongbao, then stood on the street with disposable chopsticks and started eating.

Dr. Banner nodded repeatedly as he ate the steamed buns made with fermented dough.

"The taste is very authentic, just like the taste I had in Shanghai," Dr. Banner said.

The audience erupted in cheers as the first match began, and Dr. Banner, carrying a fast food box, squeezed his way into the arena.

Chapter 180 Let You Fly!

"Ready to enter the arena, Starscream!"

Peter took off his shoes and socks and walked barefoot onto the field after the players from the previous match left.

The competition venue was a platform made of wooden planks and steel frames, similar to a lectern or performance stage. It was slightly higher than the concrete ground, presumably to make it easier for the audience to watch the contestants' performances.

“Baby in pajamas, don’t come crying for your mom later,” the opponent said to Peter, trash-talking him.

Peter sized up his opponent for this match; the opponent was dressed like a wrestler.

“Is it okay for you to have such long hair? I don’t want to pull your hair and make you scream like a girl,” Peter retorted.

"Don't jump out of the ring yourself later," the opponent said.

"You can give it a try."

The announcer looked at the two fighters from outside the ring and shouted, "This match is between Starscream and Lonnie!!"

"The one wearing the red mask is Red Spider!"

"The wrestler is Ronnie!"

"Let's see how they perform! Only those who win in the end today deserve to be remembered!"

The host's voice made Li Qun's ears itch, and Li Qun picked at his ear canal with his little finger.

"Start!!" The referee waved his hand and jumped off the stage.

Wrestler Ronnie lowered his body, and Peter also lowered his center of gravity.

Lonnie lunged at Peter, but Peter leaped over Lonnie's body and came up behind him.

Before Lonnie could react, Peter kicked him out of the ring, and Lonnie fell into the audience.

"My God! How can there be such a stupid person?"

The host shook his head and sighed, microphone in hand, while the referee announced Lonnie's defeat and Peter's victory.

"Has it been a second yet?" the audience discussed.

"Did you see Red Spider jump? He really jumped like a jumping spider!"

Peter stepped off the ring, picked up his shoes, and sat back down on the folding chair.

Bruce Banner squeezed through the concrete steps and sat down next to Li Qun.

“How boring, is this all the quality?” Bruce Banner asked Li Qun.

“Peter probably didn’t control his strength well; both Lonnie and the spectator he bumped into passed out,” Li Qun said after glancing at the scene.

Banner stood up, craned his neck, and glanced at the players' waiting area. He saw Peter with his head down, seemingly lost in thought.

"Is he shaking?" Bruce Banner gestured for Li Qun to also look at Peter's condition.

“There were too many people, and he got nervous,” Li Qun said.

"I've tried the xiaolongbao that your classmate sells."

"How is it? Is it delicious?"

"It's delicious. You taught me very diligently, didn't you?"

“Stephanie and Gwen are both very good at chemistry; making steamed buns is almost like doing a chemistry experiment,” Li Qun said.

"When will you make some steamed buns at my place?" Dr. Banner asked.

“I’ll do it whenever I have time,” Li Qun said.

“I asked Wang to help me with something, and he said he’d do it in ‘two days.’ Which day is ‘two days’?” Banner complained.

"Is 'Ertian' Wang Shifu's dialect?" Liqun asked.

“Hmm.” Dr. Banner nodded.

On the ring, two muscular men fought fiercely, drenched in sweat, until one threw the other off the ring – a battle of wits reminiscent of a philosophical duel in the locker room.

Of the eight contestants, four remained after the first round. Peter waited for two more matches before taking the stage again.

Peter's opponent was shirtless, his sweaty skin glistening.

"I'm going to rip your hood off."

"Go ahead and give it a try." Peter stood relaxed in the ring, still barefoot.

"Red Spider vs. Robert!!" the host shouted.

"Begin!" The referee jumped off the ring again, circling outside the ring with his eyes fixed on the two people in the ring.

Robert was much more cautious than Lonnie, hunching over as he slowly approached Peter, his fists poised in a boxing stance.

Peter took a step forward, quickly squatted down, and kicked Robert's shin with one hand on the ground.

Robert didn't even have time to react before Peter kicked him down onto the ring.

As Robert's head slammed into the ring, Peter came to Robert's side, bent down, grabbed Robert's belt, and threw Robert off the ring.

The audience was stunned. They couldn't believe that among the eight competitors today, the smallest and most slender "Red Spider" was actually the most powerful. In the first match, they thought "Red Spider" won by luck, but in the second match, he displayed astonishing attack speed and power.

Robert was thrown out by Peter and landed at the feet of the audience, standing up in a daze.

"Red Spider wins!!"

The referee stepped onto the ring and raised Peter's arm high.

"Hey!!" Robert yelled, his face full of resentment.

“That’s it! Red Spider!! Keep winning!!” Li Qun stood up and shouted to Peter.

Peter heard Li Qun's voice and waved in Li Qun's direction.

Peter only needs one more win to advance.

Peter no longer needed to leave the ring; his opponent for the final match of the day stepped into the ring.

Peter's opponent was wearing leather gloves and looked like a boxer. His upper body was also dressed very revealingly, showing off his muscles to the audience.

"I will win in the end, kid."

Peter shook his head.

"What do you practice?" the other person asked.

Peter raised his hands and made a fist salute.

“Please,” Peter Parker said calmly.

"Red Spider versus Hurricane Johnny!!"

Fighters who are confident enough to add nicknames before their names are usually quite skilled. After the referee announced the start of the match, Johnny took small steps toward Peter and quickly threw punches with both hands, trying to subdue Peter.

Peter stepped back and crouched down again, looking like a spider about to launch an attack.

From Peter's perspective, Johnny's movements were too slow. During their daily sparring sessions, Peter was often the one who couldn't react in time.

Johnny was full of openings, which made Peter unable to resist getting up and throwing an uppercut at Johnny.

Peter, who had been crouching low, stood up in front of Johnny and threw a punch, concentrating all the power of his rise into his fist. To Li Qun, who was watching from the sidelines, Peter's punch was a rising dragon punch.

Hurricane Johnny was thrown into the air and landed outside the ring like a kite with a broken string, his jaw struck and he lost consciousness.

"Oh my god, ga!! Red Spider ended the match with an absolutely beautiful punch!"

"Today, the final victor is Starscream!!"

"A highly venomous red spider!"

"Red Spider, who can defeat the enemy in one strike!!"

"Let's cheer for Starscream!!"

The referee and the host raised Peter's hands high on either side, and the audience around the ring all stood up. The screams, whistles and cheers made it impossible for Peter to hear anything.

"Let's hear Starscream's victory declaration!"

The host held the microphone to Peter's mouth, but Peter didn't speak. He hadn't thought of what to say yet, and the audience gradually quieted down.

"I……"

Peter heard his own voice coming from the speakers around him, and he felt a sense of unfamiliarity with his own voice.

“I…I am not a violent person,” Peter said in a low voice, trying to sound profound.

Chapter 181 Which young master?

"Sorry, we've sold out of xiaolongbao! That was the last one."

"Okay, will you come again tomorrow?"

"We'll follow the competition schedule, and we'll move to the next venue tomorrow."

Harry gave each customer who queued up but didn't get any xiaolongbao a gift certificate. The next time they came to buy xiaolongbao, they could use the gift certificate to get a free seaweed and egg drop soup.

After Peter won the game, the hungry crowd surrounded several nearby food trucks and bought up all the food they were selling.

Stephanie and her friends had signs on their food truck that included Chinese food names. Many people had never tried xiaolongbao before, but they boldly gave it a try because it was Chinese food and the promotional photos of xiaolongbao looked appealing.

As the food truck closed for the day, Peter crept up to it furtively.

“Peter, where are your shoes?” Harry laughed.

"I don't know who stole it." Peter looked a little sad.

“It was stolen by a spectator who took it home as a souvenir,” Li Qun said.