016. I am Spider-Man.

Before visiting Gwen’s home, Su Ye had held no expectation for the so-called lemon sea bass. The very name itself was enough to dampen anyone’s appetite. Yet, when he finally tried it, while it didn’t exactly blow him away, it was far better than he’d imagined—certainly not so bad as to be inedible.

The evening’s conversation with Gwen’s parents and her three younger brothers was, on the whole, quite pleasant. Soon, the topic shifted to Gwen’s father, Chief George, and his work.

“Dad, have you had any interesting cases at work lately?” asked Howard, the third brother.

The subtext was clear: “Chief George, please commence your performance.”

As the family’s pillar and a police chief with a rather legendary career, Mr. George never lacked stories to tell. He cleared his throat and began to recount tales from his past, though it was a pity he had no cigarette to complete the picture.

Keen to impress his daughter’s boyfriend, to demonstrate the authority and consequence of a police chief, and to make it known that anyone who hurt his daughter would face dire consequences, Chief George regaled them with stories of heroism—tales of storming criminal hideouts, solitary feats of bravery, and clever stratagems. Listening to him, one might have thought he was Captain America himself.

Su Ye listened with a cheerful smile, occasionally offering words of admiration, playing along perfectly with Chief George’s performance. A home-cooked meal followed by free stand-up comedy—he could hardly complain.

But the three younger brothers were less impressed. They’d heard these stories a hundred times before and were craving something new.

Philip, the second brother, just a few years younger than Gwen and at the height of his adolescent enthusiasm, chimed in, “Dad, what about that Spider-Man you mentioned yesterday? Have you found anything out?”

“Spider-Man?” Su Ye looked up immediately.

Which Spider-Man? Was he talking about me? I’ve only been active for three days, saved maybe twenty women from danger, and already I’m on the radar?

Chief George nodded. “That’s right—Spider-Man. A masked man who enforces justice at night, an unnamed individual.”

“Enforces justice?”

Su Ye caught the key phrase. In the movies, Chief George never spoke of Spider-Man this way. Wasn’t he supposed to despise him, to wish he could lock him up and throw away the key? Why was he so calm now, even using terms like “enforces justice,” rather than “vigilante” or “public menace”?

“According to our records, he’s appeared for two or three days and has rescued at least a dozen women who encountered danger at night. While the mask is a bit suspicious, I have to admit, he’s made a real contribution to this city,” Chief George said, glancing at Gwen and her mother as he spoke.

Clearly, it was the women in his life who had softened his attitude. He had a wife and a daughter, after all. Who could say whether they might one day have to walk alone at night? In a city like New York, the chances of encountering danger were not insignificant. At times like that, perhaps everyone needed a Spider-Man.

Thank heavens New York had found a friend to women.

With Chief George saying as much, what could Su Ye do but accept the praise in silence? He certainly couldn’t leap up and admit that playing hero was mostly an excuse to experience the thrill of swinging through the city.

After dinner, Su Ye stood with Gwen at the edge of the rooftop, gazing out at the dazzling city lights.

“It’s beautiful!” Gwen said with a smile of wonder.

“It really is,” Su Ye agreed. The brilliance of thousands of lights against the night sky was mesmerizing. Yet beneath those lights, he couldn’t help but think of the countless crimes hidden in the shadows.

“Dad’s used to interrogating suspects—sometimes he sounds stiff. I hope his manner didn’t scare you,” Gwen said.

“It was fine,” Su Ye replied. He still held a healthy respect for the police. Aside from the bad apples, most officers truly wanted to uphold justice—and Chief George was a fine example. To step in as a mortal man and face dangers like those posed by Spider-Man and Doctor Lizard spoke volumes about his character.

“He’s not just a good cop, but a good father, and a hero to this city,” Su Ye added sincerely.

Gwen smiled, then her face clouded over. “He is a hero. Most of his time and energy goes to protecting this city. Rarely do we get to have a peaceful meal together, like tonight.”

No sooner had she finished speaking than the wail of sirens rose from below, loud and urgent—at least seven or eight police cars, by the sound of it.

Such scenes were rare back in the Dragon Kingdom, but here, they were part of daily life.

“There’s been an incident at the Space Exploration Carnival—a lunatic in a devil costume on a glider has launched an attack. I need to get over there, now!” Chief George’s voice rang from downstairs.

“Why are there so many criminals in this city? Dad is always so busy and still can’t handle them all. If only there were more superheroes like Spider-Man in the world,” Gwen said, worry clouding her face. Every time her father went out on a call, she worried until he came home.

The Space Exploration Carnival? The name didn’t ring a bell for Su Ye, but a madman in a devil costume on a flying glider—that could only be the Green Goblin.

So the Goblin was attacking the carnival? Could it be the same carnival that Harry and Mary Jane were attending?

Those poor souls! Harry should be safe enough—after all, even the Green Goblin wouldn’t harm his own son… Wait, that lunatic wouldn’t care. In the movies, he’d thrown bombs without a second thought, not caring whether Harry was in the blast radius or not.

So, should I go? However it played out, Harry was Su Ye’s only friend in America. And seeing Gwen so worried for her father, Su Ye couldn’t help but feel moved.

Fine, I’ll go see. The Green Goblin was his own nemesis, after all—it was only a matter of time before they faced off.

“Gwen, could you hand me my clothes?”

Gwen turned to see Su Ye tossing his clothes aside. A moment later, clad in his red-and-black Spider-Man suit, he was standing at the edge of the rooftop.

“Wow!” Gwen froze, both excited and nervous, barely able to get the words out. “You… you…”

“Wait for me—I’ll be back with your father for a late-night snack!” Su Ye slipped on his mask and flipped backward off the edge.

Gwen rushed to the parapet and looked down, just in time to see a strand of web shoot out, carrying Su Ye’s figure rapidly into the distance.