"A power device?"
"With what you've learned, it shouldn't be hard for you to decode its data."
"I don't think I need to tell you what to do next."
Before little Spider-Man could start rambling again, Blaine casually pulled out a purple-glowing alien device and tossed it over.
In truth, he had picked it up earlier during the fight in the woods near the suburban villa. It was likely the electric device Vulture had used to strike little Spider-Man. That detail wasn't important—the important part was that Blaine had already completed the first step. Now all that remained was for little Spider-Man to crack it and transfer the agreed fifty dollars to his account.
As for whether he could decode it, Blaine wasn't worried at all. After all, little Spider-Man's best friend, Ned, was not only his logistical support but also a skilled computer expert. Cracking something like this should be easy for him.
After tossing over the device and finishing his sentence, Blaine vanished on the spot.
And just as Blaine expected, once little Spider-Man returned, he immediately went to Ned. Ned lived up to expectations—he successfully decoded the device and even reached an important conclusion: Vulture's next deal would take place in Washington. In the end, since the purple-glowing device was considered alien technology, Ned kept it under the pretense of studying it further.
The next morning, Blaine woke up as usual, washed up, had breakfast, and headed to school.
However, when he arrived at the classroom, it was completely empty.
At first, Blaine thought he had gotten the date wrong. But when he checked his phone, it clearly showed it was Friday—not the weekend. So why was no one here?
Just as he was wondering, Peter Parker suddenly rushed in through the door, slightly out of breath.
"Finally found you!"
"I saw someone pass by the classroom just now and figured it had to be you."
"Come on, everyone's waiting for you—"
"Waiting for me?"
Blaine was stunned. It wasn't April Fool's Day—why would they be joking like this?
"Yeah, let's go, hurry up!"
"Don't tell me you forgot?"
"Yesterday, after school, the teacher said there's a school competition today."
"Our class is representing the school in Washington, D.C., for a national quiz competition."
Without giving Blaine time to process it, little Spider-Man grabbed his arm and dragged him toward the playground.
With that reminder, Blaine finally recalled that yesterday afternoon, when school ended, he had only half-listened to the teacher. He vaguely remembered something about a competition in Washington.
The timing, however, was a bit too coincidental. Just yesterday, little Spider-Man and Ned had confirmed that Vulture's deal would take place in Washington. And now, today, they were heading to Washington for a quiz competition.
If Blaine didn't already know the plot, he might have thought it was fate.
Originally, Blaine had planned to spend his last day at school quietly and then find something else to do. But now he had to go to Washington with his classmates. Still, he had nothing better to do, so he decided to go along with it.
However, relying solely on his own knowledge—without the system—he probably wouldn't be of much help in the competition. At the very least, he just hoped he wouldn't drag the team down.
On the playground, an old yellow American school bus was parked. Beside it, the students from Blaine's class were lined up neatly, boarding in an orderly fashion.
When Blaine got on the bus, he discovered that the driver was Happy.
Unexpectedly, Tony had arranged for a bodyguard for little Spider-Man. More likely, though, he was there to keep an eye on him. After the trouble last time, Tony must have sent Happy to make sure he didn't run around causing more chaos.
At this, Blaine could only shrug helplessly. Little Spider-Man really was a handful—and Tony, like an overprotective father, clearly worried a lot.
The bus set off toward Washington. Blaine sat in the back row, occasionally glancing out the window at the passing scenery while listening to the chatter and laughter filling the bus. It felt more like a field trip than a competition.
"Hey, Peter…"
"Who did you just transfer money to?"
"Fifty bucks? That's a lot—you must've saved that for a long time."
"I didn't know you had a private stash."
"Shh, keep your voice down."
"That's all I had."
"When we get back, you have to treat me to dinner."
"I'm completely broke now."
Sitting in the row in front of Blaine were little Spider-Man and Ned. The two whispered behind their backpacks, thinking no one could hear them. In reality, Blaine caught every word.
A moment later, as little Spider-Man put his phone away, Blaine's phone vibrated.
There was no need to guess—the payment had arrived.
Blaine took out his phone, glanced at it, and slipped it back into his pocket. It was indeed the transfer from little Spider-Man. With that, the first task for his upgrade was considered complete.
Listening to the hushed conversation of the two inexperienced boys ahead of him, Blaine couldn't help but feel drowsy again. Just as he was about to take a short nap, their whispering resumed.
"Cover for me for a bit."
"This time, I have to catch them myself."
"No problem, leave it to me."
"Shh, keep it down."
"Oh—right, right, quiet…"
"I'll cover for you."
"But when you come back, you have to help me win."
"Last night, we agreed to go to the party."
"You promised you'd show up as Spider-Man."
"But you ditched me."
"You have no idea what Billy and the others said about me."
"Good thing I stood firm and defended Spider-Man's reputation—more importantly, yours, Peter Parker."
"Okay, okay, I'm really sorry about last night."
"But you know…"
"Those arms dealers were selling alien weapons."
"How could I not go?"
"I get it."
"Fine, I promise—this time, when I get back, I'll definitely show up like you asked, okay?"
"Now help me cover for me."
"Deal?"
"Deal!"
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