America: A Prodigy of Stereotypes

“I can’t remember what my birthday is,” Dad said.

"2268, is this a mathematical puzzle? Is it Dr. Banner's birthday?" Wade continued to guess.

"Actually, no one is celebrating their birthday; you guys just wanted an excuse to eat cake."

Wade looked at his dad with a suspicious gaze.

"Is the cake sweet?" Dad asked.

“Liqun asked me to ask the cake maker to make a cake that isn’t sweet, but I haven’t tasted the cake to see if it’s sweet or not,” Wade said.

"Put the cake upstairs."

"I'll go see what dishes Liqun is cooking."

Wade placed the cake down and stood at the kitchen doorway, looking inside. The dishes Li Qun cooked were all his father's favorites and dishes his father had taught him to make.

"What day is it today?" Wade felt a little cat scratching at his heart; he was so curious.

"The answer will be revealed when Dr. Banner arrives," Li Qun said to Wade.

"Do you need any help?" Wade asked.

“I don’t need it here, but you can ask your father.”

Wade went downstairs, and his father came upstairs and stood at the kitchen door to check on Li Qun's progress in preparing dinner.

Dr. Banner arrived ten minutes before dinner was ready, carrying a gift in his hand.

“It’s tea,” Banner said to his father.

“As long as it’s not a tea bag, it’s fine.” The old man smiled at Banner.

The old man opened the gift in front of him; the tea Banner gave him was a black tea cake.

“This is Kamar-Taj tea.” The old man recognized some features of the teacup; he had seen the exact same tea cake in Kamar-Taj.

“Yes, it’s made from the tea leaves of those ancient tea trees,” Dr. Banner said.

"Is there anything special about the ancient tea trees in Kamar-Taj?" Wade asked from the side.

“It’s an ancient tea tree that’s over a thousand years old; that’s what makes it special,” Dr. Banner told Wade.

The old man stored the tea cake away, and Liqun also prepared dinner and served the food on the table.

"Can I speak now?" Wade asked, opening a can of ice-cold beer.

“2268 is my dad’s age this year, Wade, did you guess it?” Li Qun looked at Wade.

"Are you kidding me?" Wade thought he had misheard.

“I’m not joking,” Dr. Banner said.

“Okay.” Wade looked at his dad.

"Dad, are you like me? Your body is immortal?"

“I’m even more afraid of death than you are, because I’ve lived this long because I’ve always been afraid of death,” the old man said with a smile.

"That's incredible!"

Wade took a deep breath.

“That’s a joke,” Dad said.

"Actually, I took a longevity drug, which greatly slowed down the aging process. I am getting older every day."

"So, Dad, your superpower is that you can survive a lot."

"My superpower is that I'm not afraid to die."

"Dr. Banner's superpower is the Hulk."

"Li Qun's superpower is picking up a stick."

Peter's superpower is turning into a spider.

“We have five people, enough to form a superhero club!” Wade said.

"There are six people. Hulk is Hulk, Banner is Banner." The Hulk projection appears; he belongs to an independent personality.

"Okay, let's count six people."

"Let me think... Steve Rogers can join us, and so can John. John's superpower is that he's incredibly good at killing..."

“We can call it the Justice Gang!” Wade suggested, his mind racing.

“We have superpowers, but our superpowers aren’t particularly super strong; calling us the Justice Gang is just right,” Wade said.

"Can't you come up with some original names?" Li Qun complained.

“Then let’s rename it Dr. Banner the Incredible and His Seven Henchmen,” Wade said.

"The Justice League is also known as 'Superman and his five accessories'," Li Qun continued to quip.

"Dr. Banner, could you please put on a red cloak?"

……

……

"Aunt Mei, I miss you."

Peter gave Aunt May a big hug, and Aunt May kissed Peter on the cheek.

"Have you had any conflicts with your roommate?" Aunt Mei asked with concern.

“No, we got along very well,” Peter replied with a smile.

"That's good."

"Aunt Mei, there's something I need to tell you."

"Peter, have you gotten into trouble outside?"

“No, Uncle Ben already knew about this, and Li Qun and Gwen knew too. I felt it wouldn’t be good to keep it from you any longer,” Peter said.

"Since you haven't caused any trouble, I'll listen to your honesty. What would you like to eat for dinner?" Aunt Mei opened the refrigerator and looked inside.

"Aunt May, I am Spider-Man."

"Are you Spider-Man?" Aunt May turned around and glanced at Peter.

"Yes, I am."

Peter pulled open his shirt, showing Aunt May the spider bodysuit he was wearing underneath.

Peter's actions reminded Aunt May of the Superman movie she saw in the theater more than ten years ago, starring Reeve, where Clark Kent used the same action to reveal the "S" on the chest of his Superman suit.

“Oh, Peter.”

"I really am Spider-Man."

Peter jumped lightly, letting his palms stick to the ceiling and suspending himself.

“I could tell you and Ben were hiding something from me, but I never imagined it would be this,” Aunt May said, leaning against the refrigerator door.

“Uncle Ben’s original plan was to let you find out about this slowly, but plans don’t always go as expected. Besides my friends, other people also know that I’m Spider-Man,” Peter said.

"Aunt Mei, don't be angry."

“Your explanation is indeed infuriating,” Aunt May said, looking at Peter.

"It's my fault, Aunt May."

“No, it’s your Uncle Ben’s fault.” Aunt May walked up to Peter.

"When did it start?" Aunt Mei asked.

“Uncle Ben asked the same question. I gained my superpowers last summer, and became Spider-Man six months ago,” Peter replied.

“The greater the ability you demonstrate, the greater the responsibility people will expect of you, and that responsibility will exceed your limits, Peter,” Aunt May said, cupping Peter’s cheeks.

“Aunt May, I have very good friends, and I’ve discovered that I’m not alone,” Peter said.

"Besides you, are there other Spider-Men?" Aunt May asked.

“From an experience standpoint, it’s like joining a club for people with superpowers,” Peter said.

Chapter 370 Prepared

Peter sat on the rooftop, looking up at the Queens night sky.

He caused Aunt Mei and Uncle Ben to quarrel.

In Peter's memory, this seemed to be the first time he had seen Aunt May and Uncle Ben arguing.

Aunt May criticizes Uncle Ben for putting Peter in danger, to which Uncle Ben replies that Peter's abilities are not a reward from God, but a responsibility.

Aunt May kept attacking, while Uncle Ben was defending hard.

Hey, you're here.

Uncle Ben climbed from Peter's bedroom window onto the roof and found Peter sitting on the roof.

“Peter, lend a hand.”

Peter pulled Uncle Ben aside; Uncle Ben was holding a case of beer in one hand, and the two sat down on the roof.

"Now you know why we wanted Aunt May to gradually find out you're Spider-Man, right?"

"If I suddenly tell her something this important, she'll turn into a bomb and blow us all up with a bang." Uncle Ben laughed as he opened a can of beer and took a sip.

“We haven’t argued in over twenty years. The last time we argued seems to have been when we were dating.”

“You two are truly in love,” Peter said.

"Back then, I was an investigative journalist, investigating dangerous news stories, which made May worry about me all the time."

"Later, I got a job in an office, and it was also because you started living with us that I was able to put Mei's mind at ease."

“Dr. Banner told me that I had to recognize that I was different from ordinary people.” Peter took the beer from Uncle Ben’s hand.

"My body is not afraid of bullets; a bullet hitting me will only hurt me for a moment."

"You let them shoot you with guns?" Uncle Ben looked at Peter.