America: A Prodigy of Stereotypes

“You haven’t mistaken me for someone else.” Wade, who made money using the codename Deadpool, moved closer to Peter.

“You’ve guessed who I am. If you don’t tell me who you are, I’ll follow you to your house,” Wade whispered in Peter’s ear, gently patting Peter’s shoulder.

“I am Peter,” Peter said softly.

"What? Pete?"

"Is that you, Pete, the servant girl?"

“No, it’s Peter Parker,” Peter emphasized.

“…So it’s Parker.” Wade stepped back and carefully looked Peter up and down.

"You're utterly wicked too."

"You're a high school student, and you're actually participating in a fighting competition?"

Wade patted Peter on the chest.

"Don't worry, I'll help you advance," Wade said to Peter.

"What happened at home? Is your uncle or aunt sick?" Wade asked.

“No, they are in good health,” Peter replied quietly.

"Do you owe someone money? Did you get a female classmate pregnant?" Wade continued to ask.

“No, my family and friends are all fine,” Peter said.

"Then why do you need money?" Wade asked.

“I… I’m going to college next year,” Peter said, finding a good reason for himself.

"I understand, you need tuition fees." Wade nodded.

“You definitely need this bonus more than I do.”

After the others had decided on their opponents, the four groups drew lots to determine the competition venue.

The four locations are called Back Alley, Abandoned Factory, Parking Lot, and Bar. Peter and Alexei drew the Bar as their location.

The organizers explained to the players that all four venues were real locations, and that Peter and Alexei were actually going to have a fight in a bar in Queens.

"What? There's a pre-game skit to perform?" Wade complained.

The organizers distributed a thin script to the eight contestants and asked Peter and his team to perform according to the script before the match.

Peter quickly skimmed through the script; the bar scene was a common bar provocation plot seen in movies and TV shows.

"What does it say?" the Russian giant Alexei asked Peter in a low voice.

"Can't you understand?" Peter asked, looking up.

Peter watched as Alexei's face turned as red as a boiled lobster within seconds.

Chapter 187 The Paper Wall

"Group project, that's right..."

"We were having such a great time that we lost track of time."

"We even forgot to eat dinner."

"Yes, there are also midterm exams."

"Peter is on his way home, let's wait for him."

Li Qun hung up on Ben Parker and then called Peter. Peter hadn't had time to answer Li Qun's previous calls, but this time he answered.

"Peter, are you done with your work?" Li Qun asked.

"I'm finally done with work. I'm on my way home."

“Peter, remember this: you came home so late tonight because of your group assignment, and you also reviewed some material for the midterm exam.”

"I've got it, group assignments, and preparing for the midterm exams..."

"Peter, are you driving with the window down? It's a bit windy."

"The window was open..."

Peter, with his phone tucked between his shoulders and spider silk in his hands, swung between the skyscrapers as he made his way home.

After leaving the television station building, it was completely dark, and New York City had entered its nighttime hours, which made Peter very anxious.

"There's one more thing. You didn't bring your backpack home because we need your class notes. Remember not to make a mistake."

"I've got it."

Li Qun hung up the phone, and Peter put the phone away.

The spider's web allowed Peter to move faster than a car, and he soon returned to his vicinity.

Peter's heart began to race when he saw the lights on in his house.

Peter took out his key, opened the door, and went inside to see Uncle Ben and Aunt May sitting on the sofa watching TV, just like any other day.

"Nothing happened, right?" Uncle Ben asked Peter.

“No, everything is fine,” Peter replied.

"I'm going back to my bedroom."

Get some rest.

Peter went upstairs, gently closed the door, and his heart was pounding.

Peter was relieved that Uncle Ben hadn't asked too many questions and that he hadn't been suspected of doing anything wrong behind their backs.

Peter took out his phone and called Li Qun.

"Hey Peter, what's wrong?"

"I am home."

"How's it going?"

"smoothly."

"Were you scared to death?" Li Qun asked with a smile.

"No."

"Did Uncle Ben ask anything?"

“He only asked me one question, asking if I had encountered any problems, and I answered no,” Peter replied.

“I always felt that we couldn’t hide it from Uncle Ben, and that he would find out one day,” Li Qun said.

“Liqun, if we get caught, I’ll be the one in trouble. It was my own choice to participate in the competition,” Peter said.

"Do you regret it now?" Li Qun asked.

"A little bit."

"Liqun, guess who I ran into today?"

“Peter, you seem to be changing the subject,” Li Qun said.

“Did you know that Mr. Wade Wilson also participated in the competition? He also wore a red mask to conceal his identity, and his codename was Deadpool,” Peter said.

“Okay, you’ve successfully changed the subject. What’s his name, Deadpool?” Li Qun said.

“I don’t know, maybe it’s because the codename Deadpool is cool?” Peter said.

What about the other players?

“The main tournament no longer allows players to draw lots; the organizers let us choose our own opponents. Mr. Wade initially chose me, and a Russian also chose me. In the end, I took the initiative to choose the Russian as my opponent. If I had eliminated Mr. Wade in the first game, he wouldn't have received much money.”

“I think Mr. Wade still has a chance to win the second or third place prize,” Peter said.

"The organizers also wanted us to perform a short story before the competition. My opponent, the Russian, wasn't very literate, and he couldn't understand the script. We almost started fighting beforehand."

"Besides the few people from your Queens district, have you seen any players from other districts?" Li Qun asked.

"There are only eight of us today; we haven't seen any contestants from other districts."

“The main tournament will begin when we start seeing promotional videos for the games on the streets,” Peter said.

"My first match was in a bar, which you probably can't get into."

"What about the restrictions on the arena?" Li Qun asked.

"The organizers didn't say anything, but it felt like the restrictions on the ring had been lifted, and the whole bar was like a fighting arena."

Peter began to recall the new competition rules he had only learned about that day. No one had mentioned them, nor had anyone asked about them.

“The audience will probably enjoy it,” Li Qun said.

“We contestants don’t draw lots, but the competition venue does. Besides bars, there are parking lots, back alleys, and abandoned factories. How could there be an abandoned factory? An abandoned factory must be in the suburbs, right?” Peter said.

"Not necessarily. You can find a large warehouse in Queens and convert it into a factory workshop. It's quite simple to set up a place that looks like an abandoned factory."

"This year's organizers have some interesting ideas; the planning team has definitely changed," Li Qun said.

……

……

Midtown High School has entered its mid-term exam review week, followed by the Thanksgiving holiday.

The two-day Thanksgiving holiday, combined with the two-day weekend of Saturday and Sunday, forms a four-day short holiday. This weekend coincides with the final of the New York Street Fighting Championship.

Street fighting events and promotional videos are being broadcast throughout New York City, generating some buzz in this international metropolis, but it remains a niche activity.

While Peter was playing his first match, Li Qun, Harry, and the other students from the kung fu club were stopped outside the bar. Even though each of them had a ticket to watch the match, the bar security guards wouldn't let these minors in.

"That's a shame. Is it allowed to film inside?" Stan Lee asked the bar security guard at the bar entrance.

"Filming is also prohibited inside; you'll have to put your camera outside." The security guard gestured to the sign at the entrance.

“That’s such a shame, don’t you think?” Stan Lee said.

Stan Lee walked into the bar, Harry raised his hand to the others with a helpless gesture, then turned and led his club members to a nearby restaurant to treat them to dinner.

"You've messed with me, kid!!" came the roar of Alexei, a burly Russian man, from the bar, echoing into the restaurant next door.