I Became Spider-Man's Cousin in Anime Crossover

Chapter 592 What does it mean when the sea is angry?!

When the food was served, the entire restaurant was filled with a wonderful aroma.

Pork rib soup, braised pork belly, sweet and sour pork, stir-fried seasonal vegetables... every dish on the table was Riley's favorite food from his past life. Especially those main dishes, which were tacitly arranged to be placed closest to Riley when they were being plated.

"Come on, eat more meat to nourish yourself. And this soup is so delicious."

Li Xiulan took off her apron and sat opposite Riley. She kept putting food on his plate while talking to him, her chopsticks never stopping from the moment she sat down.

Even though Riley's bowl was already piled high like a small mountain, she only waited a short while before continuing to add more food as soon as Riley ate a small piece, as if she wanted to feed Riley until he became a chubby little boy on the spot.

Liu Weiguo's wife, Wang Mei, sat down next to Li Xiulan and quietly pushed her plate of braised beef towards Riley. Then, while curiously observing Riley who was engrossed in his rice, she nudged her husband with her elbow and asked in a low voice, with a tone of surprise and delight.

"Weiguo, what exactly is going on? Is this child really... really him? But didn't Xiao Peng already... You old guys, don't tell me you've hired an actor to fool us."

Liu Weiguo put down his chopsticks, exchanged a glance with Wang Mei, and smiled broadly.

But before he could speak, Chen Zhijun, who was standing next to him, had already taken over the conversation.

He picked up the wine glass in front of him, not caring who poured it, and downed a large gulp. Then he slammed the glass on the table, his eyes red-rimmed, and said earnestly, word by word.

"Sister-in-law, this may sound absurd, but it's absolutely true. We don't plan to ask about the specifics, and you shouldn't ask the child too many questions either. Just remember one thing—he's alive, he's back. Nothing else matters."

As he spoke, he looked around at everyone present, his tone gradually becoming serious, carrying an air of unquestionable authority, and continued.

"Of course, this matter is too absurd and easily attracts the attention of malicious people. So, we should keep this to ourselves. Once we leave this house, no one is allowed to mention it again, not even our own children. The younger generation is too impulsive and can't control their tongues... If anyone asks, we'll just say that this child is a relative's child from abroad, a mixed-race child who came back to visit. Understand?"

Upon hearing this, everyone exchanged glances.

No one raised any objections; they all nodded without hesitation, which was considered an agreement.

Riley, who had remained silent throughout, smiled slightly again while engrossed in his rice.

……

After the meal, the aunts washed the dishes in the kitchen. Amid the clatter of the dishes and chopsticks, there were a few suppressed sobs and more lighthearted laughter of relief.

Riley and his four uncles sat in the living room, with several cups of hot tea on the coffee table.

The television was on, but the volume was turned down to the lowest setting, and as has been the case for decades, the evening news was playing on time.

But at this moment, none of them were paying attention to today's news. They all remained silent, listening quietly as Riley recounted his experiences over the years.

"...Anyway, as you can see now. My name is now 'Rie Parker,' and in a parallel universe, I've become 'Spider-Man.'"

Riley picked up his teacup and took a sip, moistening his throat from talking too much. After scanning the room, he didn't hide anything and immediately transformed his symbiote-like clothing into a black Spider-Man suit.

Sensing the close interaction between Riley and the humans around him, the symbiote even conjured a chibi-style head on Riley's shoulder, waving its tentacles at the group as a greeting.

At that moment, Riley removed his mask, revealing his true face. He shrugged and continued speaking unhurriedly.

"I was able to come back to life thanks to the help of a senior time traveler. He also helped me get back to see you all this time... However, there are still many troubles over there that I haven't resolved, so I'll have to go back sooner or later. But that senior time traveler gave me the coordinates to go home, so I can assure you that I will definitely come back once I've finished dealing with these matters."

He said this in a casual tone, as if he were reporting on a routine business trip.

But the four elderly people in front of him all had solemn expressions, revealing a mixture of heartache and self-reproach. Even the aunties who were busy in the kitchen seemed to slow down their movements noticeably.

This made Riley's heart skip a beat.

Like most Chinese people, when faced with the warm greetings of his elders, Riley's first reaction was to report only good news and not bad. He glossed over the more thrilling parts—especially the near-death experience he had to gain Spider-Man's superpowers.

But now it seems that the effect was counterproductive, instead causing the uncles to imagine even worse scenarios.

He forgot that although these people in front of him were old, they were not ordinary old men.

Even Riley's little skills in reading people were personally taught to him by these older folks. How could such a subtle tactic escape their notice?

Furthermore, throughout their careers, they always reported to their families in this tone after escaping dangerous situations.

They knew all too well that only when someone had experienced too much danger but didn't want their family to worry would they compress those harrowing experiences into the most mundane narrative. It was as if as long as they spoke softly enough, the listener wouldn't worry.

Moreover, although they don't follow trends like young people, given the global influence of the Spider-Man IP, they still know a thing or two about this fictional hero who is full of individual heroism.

They knew that the superhero who could scale skyscrapers in New York City, while seemingly glamorous, was actually a public nuisance who was the most scorned by the newspapers.

Knowing that in that world, ordinary people's attitudes toward Spider-Man are more fickle than the weather—today they're cheering for him, tomorrow they're holding up signs telling him to get out of New York.

I know that in that world, the supervillains who want to kill Spider-Man could line up and circle Manhattan.

What's even more crucial is that, given Riley's current age of only fifteen or sixteen, how much personal time that should belong to "Rieley Parker" would he have to sacrifice to take on the role of Spider-Man? And how many nights would he sneak home covered in injuries, hastily treat his wounds, and then pretend nothing had happened the next day?

So much so that the four old men exchanged silent glances, and the same image simultaneously surfaced in their minds...

A teenager, barely out of school, stood alone on the rooftop of a building in a foreign land.

Behind him was a strange city with neon lights, and in front of him was a group of menacing enemies.

No one offered him support, no one understood him, and even the passersby he had saved on the street might point at his back the next day and call him a "masked freak."

No one knew where this boy came from, and no one knew that he swallowed all his grievances.

Because in this world, he has no one to confide in.

And so, based on Riley's casual words, they conjured up a series of stories in their own minds.

But because of this, when he looked at Riley again, his eyes were filled with both guilt and pride.

What they felt guilty about was that they were too late when they took action back then and couldn't save Riley. As a result, in their eyes, Riley, who had already suffered enough in his previous life, was experiencing an even harder and more difficult life in his second life, and it was all their fault.

They were proud to say that they taught Riley very well back then...

Riley is sensible, discerning between good and evil, right and wrong, compassionate towards the weak, and hates evil as if it were his enemy...

That's why, having died once, he resolutely embarked on a path similar to his previous life.

Seeing the increasingly deep frowns on his uncles' brows, Riley knew that his light-hearted "brief explanation" had backfired spectacularly.

But just as he awkwardly touched his nose, trying to interrupt his uncles' imagination and point out that in the parallel universe, he was the only one who bullied the villains, and no villain dared to bully him...

Zhang Jianguo leaned back on the sofa, his hands folded on his knees, his gaze never leaving Riley's eyes. He took a deep breath, suppressing the complex emotions in his heart, his eyes slightly red, and smiled kindly, teasing him in a seemingly relaxed manner.

"Looks like all that paper money we burned for you before really didn't get received, it was all for nothing... But now that you mention it, I'm a little interested. If you ever have the chance, why don't you take us old folks to your place and have a good chat with the friends who 'took care' of you? How about that?"

After saying that, he turned and glanced at his old buddies.

The elderly men nodded knowingly, agreeing with the suggestion. Only Jia Wenhe, who seemed the most gentle and refined, subconsciously raised his hand and touched his waist, causing Riley's lips to twitch involuntarily.

If he remembers correctly, and if Uncle Jia's habits haven't changed after all these years...

There should be a fully loaded pistol hanging in that spot...?

Clearly, these uncles felt that Riley, as a public "superhero," would be like "Spider-Man" in the movies, and wouldn't be able to bring himself to kill those incorrigible supervillains.

Therefore, they didn't mind bearing the stigma and helping Riley execute those villains.

Of course, aside from the uncles' inherited protectiveness of their offspring and their ruthless virtues...

What surprised Riley even more was how quickly they accepted what he said. And from beginning to end, they didn't question it at all.

My gaze swept across the faces of the four uncles one by one. I noticed that their expressions were indeed very calm. It wasn't the polite silence of "I can't stand it but I'm too embarrassed to interrupt," nor was it the confusion of "What is this kid talking about?" Rather, it was a genuine sense of relief after digesting the information.

This prompted Riley to put down his teacup, raise an eyebrow, and ask curiously.

"No problem, I'll introduce you to Sheriff Black later. He's a great sheriff with a strong sense of justice, you'll definitely get along well... But do you really believe what I'm saying? All that stuff I just said—parallel universes, superheroes, aliens, time travel—don't you think I'm just making things up?"

"In the past, I would have thought you were just trying to make us happy, making up a bizarre lie to cover up where you actually went."

Liu Weiguo picked up his teacup, blew on the tea foam floating on the rim, and suddenly changed the subject.

"But things are different now. Putting aside the clothes you're wearing... you should remember that before you sacrificed yourself, the island nation publicly announced that it would directly discharge nuclear wastewater into the sea, right?"

"Those people who're tired of living and want to drag the whole world down with them (beep) (beep)? Of course I remember... What, the higher-ups couldn't stand it anymore and finally decided to declare war, launching a blitzkrieg against the island nation, and starting with Rainbow Open?"

"No, not at all. Due to various factors, we only protested openly, but did not take any substantive action... As you know, they are backed by that glorious and righteous 'world police.' If a real war breaks out, it will definitely trigger World War III and destroy the hard-won peace."

"So, although those people in that island nation, I don't know what they're thinking, still dumped nuclear wastewater into the sea despite strong protests from their own citizens, causing a huge uproar and drawing condemnation from the whole world. But in the end, no one can do anything about it."

Chen Zhijun took over the conversation, his voice not loud, but between the lines it was filled with resentment that he wished he could kill those inhuman creatures with his own hands.

But after a slight pause, Chen Zhijun's expression became somewhat strange.

"Just then, Ultraman Tiga appeared."

"Oh, Ultraman Tiga... Wait, Uncle Chen, what did you say happened? Ultraman Tiga?!"

"Yes, it's that tokusatsu show you loved watching when you were a kid, imported from Japan. You originally thought it was just a fictional character created by Japan, but on the day Japan discharged nuclear wastewater, the whole world witnessed the arrival of Ultraman Tiga."

Looking at Riley, whose eyes widened in disbelief, Chen Zhijun's solemn expression remained unchanged. He simply nodded slightly and continued speaking in a complex tone.

"A gigantic, jet-black giant, accompanied by a blue giant, appeared out of nowhere from the sea. The moment it appeared, the entire island nation was covered by dark clouds, creating a scene of utter desolation and impending doom."

"We later checked and it turned out that it should be Dark Tiga and Ultraman Agul."

"I don't know what Agul did, but he just flew over the sea and cleaned up all the nuclear wastewater. Even the radiation levels and various kinds of garbage pollution in the sea were reduced to zero within a day."

"And Dark Tiga flew directly to Tokyo."

"Those officials who stubbornly decided to dump nuclear wastewater into the sea, as well as the politicians from the Cheli Giant lineage, none of them escaped; they were all killed by Dark Tiga. The Yasukuni Shrine, which they used to distort the truth and enshrine war criminals, was also completely destroyed by Dark Tiga—literally, the entire site was ripped up, leaving not even the foundation, but only a deep pit."

"After a few rains, the pit filled with water and turned into a lake. Now, according to young people online, it's called 'Lake of Divine Punishment'."

He paused, took off his glasses, wiped them with the corner of his shirt, put them back on, and smiled slightly.

"So we old folks have seen it all. We believe what you're saying—parallel worlds, superheroes, alien armies…"

"Because before this, we have witnessed even greater miracles."

Riley leaned back on the sofa and suddenly felt the breath that had been stuck in his chest for so long finally come out.

No wonder the uncles, after confirming their resurrection, never rushed to ask what had happened, nor did they suspect that they were foreign spies who had deliberately disguised themselves and approached them after investigating "Peng Jinghui's" life story...

No wonder that senior colleague wasn't worried at all about me putting on a "I don't eat beef" act when he drove me back...

So that seemingly kind senior had actually already used a more explosive and direct approach to deliver a powerful blow to the schemers of this world long before I did!

"So, you're saying that if I come back next time, you wouldn't be surprised if I brought a few people home for dinner?"

Riley picked up his teacup and took a sip as if nothing was amiss. Meanwhile, he secretly instructed Silly Girl to search online for the "great achievements" left behind by that time-traveling predecessor in this world.

"Don't worry about a few 'people,' you could even bring back aliens, as long as they don't drool everywhere like in the movies."

Zhang Jianguo leaned back on the sofa, his hands clasped on his knees, his fingers, which had been trembling slightly, were now completely steady.

He looked at Riley, suddenly grinned, and continued to get straight to the point.

"You just said you have a bunch of kids waiting for you to come back. Are they reliable? Do you need us old bones to go and lend a hand?"

"It's alright..."

Upon hearing this, Riley's face immediately scrunched up, revealing an expression reminiscent of an old man looking at his phone on the subway. He responded in an exaggerated, condescending tone.

"That's Peter's younger brother; he's better at causing trouble than fighting. Sigh, young people these days are so hard to manage!"

"Hahaha! You have the nerve to say that? When you were young, you weren't necessarily much more sensible than your brother!"

"Exactly! I remember the first time you went on a call, you made a funny blunder, that day..."

"Hey, hey, hey! That was so long ago! Uncle, why do you still remember that? Oh, no... the one who's embarrassed is 'Peng Jinghui,' what does it have to do with me, 'Rie Parker'! Hmph!"

"Hahaha! Good lad, you've really cut ties with your past self! Now that you mention it, I'm even more eager to visit your place. I absolutely must share your... oh no, 'Peng Jinghui's' glorious deeds with the kids there!"

"Huh? No way! My glorious image will be completely ruined! No... please don't do that!"