"I understand," Klein said. "I am willing to take the responsibility."
"Hmph... If their parents come looking for trouble, don't say I didn't warn you!" Jedek thought Klein's approach was foolish; wasn't he just inviting disaster?
Klein smiled. "It's fine."
"You're hopeless!" Jedek angrily turned to leave, but stopped after a few steps. "Peter Parker is my student too!" He finished and walked away.
"Understood." Klein knew Jedek's personality, which was why they were friends.
Soon after, news reporters arrived and began reporting live.
"See? We couldn't hide it for long," Jedek returned and said. With reporters covering the event, it would be impossible to keep secret.
Klein thought for a moment and replied, "Leave it to me. We'll hold off the news for as long as we can."
"Alright." Jedek didn't know what else to say and decided to let Klein handle it.
In the center of the ruins, the epicenter of the explosion, Silas barely poked his head out but immediately bumped it on a piece of stone debris.
"Ouch~" Silas grimaced and retreated back into the Shadow Realm, then pulled Peter out with him into the grass patch on the far side of the school field.
"Ugh..." Peter lay on the ground, groaning in pain and clutching his chest.
Silas, too, crouched in the corner, holding his arm.
Flashback to Pre-Explosion
The moment Pace exploded, Silas tightly grabbed Peter's arm and opened the Shadow Realm, diving inside. But the explosion was right in front of them. There was no avoiding it completely. Silas's outstretched arm was instantly scorched by the hot blast upon contact. Luckily, they entered the Shadow Realm just in time, or his arm would have been blown off. Peter was fortunate, having been shielded by Silas. However, the concussive force of the blast still injured his chest. Thanks to his Spider-Man physique, a normal person's internal organs would have been shattered.
"Cough! Cough! Cough!" Peter braced himself with his hands, slowly stood up again, and looked at Silas crouching in the corner.
"Are you okay?" Peter clutched his chest and walked toward Silas with concern.
Silas shook his head. "I'm fine."
"Thank you!" Peter said sincerely. If it weren't for the black-clad figure, he certainly would have been killed. The blast radius was so large, there was no way he could have outrun it.
"Let's go." Silas tried to stand, but a sharp pain shot through his ankle, making him drop back down to one knee.
Peter immediately went to Silas and helped him up. "It looks like your foot is injured?"
"Yeah." Silas's face beneath the mask was dark and conflicted. Oscorp! This feud is now locked in! He knew the Green Goblin was Norman Osborn's creation, and he was certain the person who died was not Norman. Norman wouldn't be stupid enough to wear a self-destruct device to kill himself. Whatever Norman's original intention was, he was going to pay!
"Peter..." Silas began.
"Hmm? What is it?" Peter was initially confused, then looked at Silas in astonishment. "How did you know my name?!"
"It's me, Silas." Silas decided not to hide the truth from Peter any longer. He had initially kept the secret because if Peter found out about the bad things he did, it would definitely cause a rift between the two brothers. If Uncle Ben and Aunt May found out, the situation would be even worse. Now that he had two masks, he could switch between identities freely. Crucially, his leg was injured, and Peter was already starting to suspect the black figure was a student at the school. Stringing those clues together, the result would be obvious.
"Silas!" Peter cried out in disbelief.
Silas checked that there were no surveillance cameras nearby and that they were hidden in the tall grass—a popular rendezvous spot for couples at the school.
Whoosh~
The mask on Silas's face dissolved into black mist, revealing his pale, handsome face.
"It really is you, Silas!" Seeing Silas, Peter's voice immediately became panicked. "Silas, quick! I'll take you to the hospital!"
"No need. We should head to the teachers now. If Uncle Ben and Aunt May hear that we're missing, they'll worry themselves sick." Silas rejected Peter's idea. With such a huge disaster, the school would not only organize students but also contact parents immediately!
"You're right! But I have to carry you! I won't feel safe otherwise!" Peter knelt down in front of Silas.
Silas gave a helpless smile. "Okay, thanks." He then climbed onto Peter's back.
"Don't thank me! We're brothers! Besides, you just saved my life!" Peter laughed. "You know, this is really cool—we're both superheroes! Hey! You should have told me sooner, so we could have come up with a nickname. What should we call ourselves? How about the Spider-Man Duo?" Peter suggested.
Silas scoffed good-naturedly. "In that case, wouldn't everyone only remember you, Spider-Man?"
"Haha! True," Peter laughed heartily.
However, the laughter aggravated the wound on his chest, and Peter coughed several times.
"Stop laughing, you'll hurt yourself even worse," Silas said, patting Peter's back.
"I know, it really stings~" Peter suddenly realized something halfway across the field. "I almost forgot! We're still wearing our superhero costumes!"
"No problem, let's go change inside." Silas opened the Shadow Realm beneath Peter's feet.
"Wha... what is this?!" Peter, with Silas on his back, fell into the darkness.
Inside the Shadow Realm
"Woah~ Silas, your power is really convenient. Every time I need to change, I have to hide somewhere. This is much easier." Peter changed into a new set of clothes in the Shadow Realm. They weren't the exact ones he wore that morning, but no one was likely to notice.
With Peter's help, they arrived at the school field where the students were temporarily waiting. All the students were gathered there, waiting for their parents to pick them up. The next school day was currently postponed—after all, a building had been blown up! Since it was already approaching mid-to-late May, the summer break might start early.
"Teacher Klein!"
"Teacher Jedek!"
Silas and Peter called out loudly.
"Silas?"
"Peter?"
Klein and Jedek looked at each other—it really was the two boys!
"Where did you two run off to!" Klein rushed to Peter, then noticed Silas seemed injured.
"You're hurt, Silas?" Klein saw blood on Silas's leg.
Silas nodded and explained, "We were together, and I accidentally got my foot crushed by a falling rock."
"I see," Klein mused, looking thoughtful.
Jedek laughed. "Klein, we can tell their parents now!"
"Yes!" Klein finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Silas and Peter exchanged a look, both relieved that the teachers hadn't notified their guardians yet. Otherwise, Uncle Ben and Aunt May would have been frantic with worry.
"Now we're only missing five students between our two classes," Jedek said.
"Teacher, which five are missing?" Silas asked casually.
"Ned Leeds, Misty Baron, and..." Jedek didn't get to finish.
Silas and Peter shouted simultaneously:
"Misty Baron!"
"Ned Leeds!"
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