Chapter 163: Peter Pulls the Train
The webbing snapped immediately.
"Faster!" Peter stretched out both hands, wildly shooting webs all around him. Strand after strand of webbing stuck to the walls of the tunnel.
"Ah!" Peter felt agonizing pain tearing through both arms. It felt as if his arms were being ripped apart.
The conductor, completely huddled in the driver's cab, stared wide-eyed at Spider-Man's back. He swore that if he lived, he would be a Spider-Man fan for life.
"You can do it! Peter!" Peter yelled. Perhaps shouting so loudly was the only thing that could alleviate some of his pain.
Creak~ Creak~ Creak~ The train scraped against the side wall, sending up a shower of sparks.
Hiss! Peter's suit began to tear under the immense pressure.
"Oh no!" The conductor saw the debris ahead. They were only ten meters away from the ruins. Could he stop it?!
Peter clenched his jaw and looked forward. Could he truly not stop it?! He looked down at the train tracks.
"Ready the brakes!" Even now, Peter could still abandon everyone and escape himself. But he didn't! Because he was Spider-Man!
Peter no longer kept his feet on the train. Instead, he jumped down, slamming his feet firmly onto the train tracks.
"Ah!" The pain on the soles of his feet felt like being bitten by a swarm of bullet ants, coupled with scorching heat.
Boom! Bang!
The entire train screeched to a halt, listing to one side, stopping half a meter away from the debris. The debris stopped a mere three centimeters in front of Peter!
"I did it..." Peter looked at the ruins in front of him and smiled with relief. He succeeded! He stopped the train by himself.
"I am..." Before Peter could finish speaking, a wave of weakness washed over him. Thud! He collapsed onto the ground, lying motionless. Only the faint rise and fall of his chest showed he was still alive.
"Hey! Are you alright?" The conductor quickly jumped out of the train and helped Spider-Man up. But Peter couldn't answer him anymore; he had passed out. After all, he was still just a kid.
"Don't worry, we're all safe, and so are you, Spider-Man." The conductor smiled, draped Spider-Man's arm over his shoulder, and carried him towards the carriage.
Clang!
The conductor closed the door, placed Spider-Man on his seat, picked up the communication system, and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, there's no need to worry. We all survived."
"And the train stopped because Spider-Man saved us. He used his own body to pull the train to a stop. He is our hero... a superhero!" The conductor's voice was filled with gratitude. He was determined to let the passengers know who saved everything!
The Carriage
"Spider-Man!"
"Spider-Man!"
"Spider-Man!"
The passengers' cheers drowned one another out.
In the driver's cab, the conductor put down the communicator, knelt down, and helped Spider-Man up again. "It's too hard here. I'll take you to a softer spot."
"Hmm..." When the conductor looked at Spider-Man's mask, he suddenly had an inexplicable urge to pull off the mask and see the hero's true face. The conductor's right hand slowly approached Spider-Man's face, and the closer it got, the more his hand trembled.
"No! John! Spider-Man saved your life. You can't do something that betrays a hero's principles."
Conductor John sharply slapped his own hand, abandoning the thought. He carried Spider-Man toward the main carriage, intending to take him to a seat to rest.
He opened the door connecting to the carriage, and all eyes turned to Spider-Man on John's back.
"I think..." Before John could finish speaking, everyone in the carriage made way for them.
"Thank you," John said on behalf of Spider-Man.
"No, we should be thanking you."
John slowly walked, carrying Spider-Man. Every time he passed someone, they silently reached out their hands, contributing their strength to support the hero.
Just as John was about to reach a seat, a little boy blocked his way.
"What's wrong, little one?" John smiled.
"Will Spider-Man wake up?" The little boy took a mask out of his backpack—it was a Spider-Man mask.
"Of course. Our hero is just tired and needs a good rest," John understood the boy's worry.
The little boy smiled happily upon hearing this and let John pass.
John walked to a seat, gently placed Spider-Man down, and then looked at the crowd, saying, "Everyone, please don't worry. The rescue teams will arrive soon."
"Is anyone injured?" John asked.
"Yes!" A middle-aged man quickly shouted, revealing a woman with an injury behind him. "This is my wife, Ruth. During the violent shaking of the train, she was accidentally stabbed in the stomach with a knife." The man cried out anxiously. To prevent others from accidentally bumping his wife, he had deliberately shielded her with his body earlier.
"That's not good." John looked up and shouted, "Is there a doctor here! Is there a first aid kit on the train!"
"I am a doctor!" A person quickly stepped forward. He looked under thirty and said, "In her condition, we need to stop the bleeding immediately."
"Do you have a needle, thread, and a surgical knife? I can attempt to perform surgery," the doctor said, though the sweat on his face indicated he was under considerable pressure and it wouldn't be as easy as he sounded.
"I apologize, we only have basic medical equipment," John shook his head. They weren't doctors, after all, and their medical supplies were only common tools for stopping bleeding.
The doctor urgently called out, "Does anyone else have a knife or blade!" Although Ruth was impaled by a knife, the knife absolutely couldn't be pulled out without a guaranteed way to stop the bleeding.
"I have one..." Peter slowly opened his eyes. He was awake, but his body was still very weak; he couldn't even prop himself up.
"You're awake!" John said joyfully.
Peter nodded weakly. With a thought, the Spider Squad retrieved medical equipment and a scalpel from the Shadow Realm. After receiving the Spider Squad as a gift from Silas, Peter had thought to carry some medical supplies with him. He realized that carrying medical supplies would significantly increase the efficiency of saving people after rescuing many injured victims.
"That's wonderful!" The doctor quickly took the tools from the Spider Squad and said, "I need to perform surgery now. Please clear some space, thank you."
"Thank you!" The man's tears flowed with excitement.
"I don't have 100% certainty," the doctor said. Although he didn't want to discourage the man, he had to state the facts upfront.
"It's alright. Even if something... happens, it's not... your fault," Ruth closed her eyes.
"May the Lord bless you," the doctor picked up the tools and began the surgery.
Others took off their jackets and surrounded the doctor and Ruth to provide a screen.
Tap tap tap~ A series of sounds came from the roof of the train.
"What's that sound?" John looked up at the ceiling in confusion.
"I have a bad feeling about this," Peter murmured.
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