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Midnight!
Jasper was wearing a black hoodie and a face mask, slowly climbing up the side of a skyscraper using the glass windows. Since it was late at night, the building was mostly empty—everyone had already gone home.
He climbed fast, and surprisingly, he didn't feel tired at all. In fact, he felt excited. He was about to experience the thrill of a real-life bungee jump.
But just as he was enjoying himself, he noticed a blonde woman inside the building staring at him in shock. She had stayed overnight in the office, and had just come out of the bathroom—only to see someone climbing a skyscraper with their bare hands.
Was that even humanly possible?
The woman quickly reached for her phone, but the next second, the figure outside started running up the glass. Running. On vertical glass. That had to be impossible, right?
Moments later, a dark figure appeared on the rooftop. He sat on the edge, looking down at the city below.
Jasper glanced at the web-shooter strapped to his wrist and gave it a slight tug. It was solid—very secure.
Peter Parker had done a pretty good job.
His heart was pounding like crazy. The adrenaline was insane.
He took a deep breath... and launched himself forward.
Jasper shot out tens of meters—and then began to fall freely.
The wind whipped past him violently. It was cold. And yeah, there was a little fear too. After all, it was his first time jumping from a skyscraper.
As he was enjoying his bungee-like freefall, a red figure, blazing with jet flames, zoomed toward him.
The next thing he knew, someone grabbed him mid-air.
Jasper: "…"
"Got dumped or something?" said the man in the Iron Man suit—yep, it was Tony Stark himself. He'd just been flying around for fun, and then spotted someone in freefall. So, without thinking, he rushed over to help.
I didn't need saving!! Jasper was a little speechless. But since Tony Stark meant well, it didn't feel right to blame him. Still, if he'd waited just a few more minutes, Stark would've been gone, and he could've had his fun. Guess his luck just sucked.
Jasper didn't say anything.
Tony kept talking: "What, got cheated on?"
Jasper couldn't help but reply, "I slipped!"
Tony glanced at the distance from the building and raised an eyebrow. Yeah, right. "Slipped," and somehow landed here? Who goes to a rooftop and "slips" in the middle of the night?
Clearly, Tony thought Jasper was trying to end it all.
So he switched into therapist mode.
"Every man goes through heartbreak eventually. Well—not me, of course. I'm rich. You know, as long as you've got money, and just a little charm, women will love you. So yeah—try getting rich, kid," Tony said, dead serious, as if he was dropping wisdom.
Jasper could tell Stark was straight-up bragging. Like, not even trying to hide it.
He said, "Put me down."
But Tony continued his "life coaching" session like he hadn't heard a thing. He didn't even realize he was being annoying.
Jasper's expression was deadpan. Is this guy always this annoying?And why was he starting to feel kinda pissed?
Honestly, Jasper was tempted to punch him.
A while later…Tony finally brought him back down to the street and smiled like a proud dad. "Don't try anything dumb again, kid. Life's still long."
Jasper turned and looked at Tony. "You should cherish your time too."
What he really meant was: You don't have much time left.
Tony clearly didn't get the subtext. He tilted his head and replied, "Oh, I totally value my time. In fact, I've got a date with a reporter coming up soon."
"Anyway, see ya, kid!"
Jasper: "…"
What a pain.
Yawning, Jasper wandered down the mostly empty street. It was late, and there were hardly any people around. And honestly, the kind of folks who were out at this hour... probably weren't the good kind. After all, no decent person strolls around at night with a gun in their hand, right?
Jasper noticed most of the people hanging around had guns. He didn't carry one himself—he didn't think he needed it. But then his eyes locked onto a Desert Eagle, and suddenly he felt a little tempted. It looked cool. Like, really cool.
He'd always wanted one.
Too bad his adoptive parents didn't want him anywhere near guns. They owned some, but refused to let him use any.
Jasper sighed. He really wouldn't mind having one for himself. What if something happened to him? Didn't his parents worry about that?
He casually let a few bucks peek out from his jeans pocket. Not because he wanted to get robbed, but more like... a test. He wanted to see what American society was like up close.
After all, this was the "land of the free," right?
So he strolled openly down the street, acting like he owned the place.
Three minutes later, a young man stepped in front of him with a knife.
The guy looked nervous—probably his first time trying to mug someone.
He hadn't planned to rob anyone. But seeing Jasper walking around with cash hanging out? That felt like bait. And hey, even a few dollars could cover a day or two of food. For a homeless guy, that was a big deal.
So he decided to go for it.
"Hand over the money," the guy said.
Jasper looked at him and asked, "You only got a knife?"
The man hesitated, still tense, then nodded. "Yeah… just a knife."
Hearing that, Jasper immediately lost interest. He looked him dead in the eye and said, "No gun? Then you're not qualified to rob me."
And just like that, he walked off.
The guy froze, stunned. Then his face twisted in anger. A kid—an Asian kid—had just mocked him?
Furious, the guy charged at Jasper and stabbed toward his back.
But thanks to his spider-sense, Jasper saw it coming a mile away.
He spun around, easily caught the guy's wrist, and then kicked him—hard.
Even though he held back, that kick sent the guy flying.
If he'd gone full force, that kid probably would've died on the spot.
Even so, the mugger was just an average dude. The impact was way too much for him.
He tumbled across the ground and lay there, totally unable to move.
Now that he'd been knocked flat, the guy was thinking a little clearer. Maybe robbing people wasn't the best idea. But if he didn't rob anyone… how was he supposed to survive tomorrow?
He just lay there, quietly gasping for breath.
Jasper didn't even look back. He walked away without hesitation.
Honestly, for someone who tried to rob him, he'd been pretty lenient.
If it had been someone more hot-tempered, that mugger probably would've been full of lead by now.
Jasper kept casually strolling down the street.
Soon enough, another man popped up—this one pointed a gun straight at his head.
Just as Jasper was about to snatch the weapon, Spider-Man swooped down from above, snatched the gun away, and—before Jasper could say a word—chucked it straight into the river.
Jasper was speechless.
The gunman was quickly webbed up and neutralized. Then Spider-Man walked off with Jasper.
"Jasper! You out here fighting crime too?" Spidey asked happily. He sounded thrilled—like he'd just found someone who really got him.
No, Jasper thought, staring calmly at Spider-Man. I came out here to do crimes.And if you hadn't shown up, I'd have a gun by now.
"....."