I'm making the Marvel Spider-Man in American comics.

Chapter 16: A Stunning Opening (1)

Herman never forgot Spider-Man. He was convinced that to make a name for himself, he had to defeat a real superhero. Compared to the well-equipped Avengers, the Spider-Boy in his cheap bodysuit swinging between skyscrapers was undoubtedly the best choice.

The last rays of the setting sun filtered through the steel frame of the abandoned building, casting dappled shadows on the ground. Suddenly, a flash of silver light appeared—Hermann, clad in silver armor, leaped high into the air, his mechanical arm slamming down against the concrete wall. With a deafening roar, the entire wall shattered. His figure plummeted along with the collapsing bricks, crashing through three floors before crashing heavily to the ground floor, raising a cloud of dust.

"Finally...it's finished."

Improving the Horror Launcher was never a difficult task for Herman; what truly took a whole week was the suit of armor he was wearing. The internally circulating energy device, the backup battery on his back, the arm-armor-style Horror Launcher, and the gold-titanium alloy armor that allowed him to defend against automatic rifle fire. Moreover, the recoil from the vibration waves could be completely converted into kinetic energy, granting him superhuman strength and speed. Concrete was like brittle cakes under his fists, and the hundred-pound metal shell did nothing to hinder his 100-meter sprint speed. The only drawback was the extremely cumbersome process of putting it on—it wasn't some high-tech exoskeleton, just a bunch of metal plates connected by a complex transmission system, which had to be assembled piece by piece like a medieval knight.

As the last piece of armor was removed, Herman breathed a sigh of relief. He had intended to buy some food with the last of his money in his pocket, but the image of Jonah Jameson cursing Spider-Man with spittle flying on the big screen on the street changed his mind. The red and blue bodysuit in the video reminded him of his own rough silver armor—still bearing the scorch marks from welding and the hammer marks from forging.

So he turned and went into the general store, and a few minutes later he came out with two bottles of spray paint.

"It's time for a spectacular entrance."

"Today! Was just an ordinary day!"

High school life flew by. For Peter Parker, nothing particularly good or bad happened. The detective agency's investigation was making no progress, the nights Harry and Amadeus came over to build Lego were filled with laughter, Gwen secretly joined the rock club, and the homecoming season was just around the corner… everything was peacefully uneventful. The only minor annoyances were his internship application going nowhere and the embarrassment of not being able to afford a cosplay outfit—it seemed he'd have to go home early for the homecoming dance this year.

As for Spider-Man? His friendly neighborhood work continues as usual; there are no supervillains, no alien technology or weapons, and even the petty thugs have vanished. If it weren't for Avengers Tower still standing on the skyline, Peter would almost suspect he'd been transported to some parallel universe where only Spider-Man exists.

"Oh dear, this doesn't look good."

The wailing of police sirens and the wailing of ambulances pierced the sky, clearly indicating that something terrible had happened. Spider-Man quickly took action, flying alongside the police cars.

"Okay, what is it this time? Gangsters? Bank robbers? High-tech crimes?"

He landed on a familiar exterior wall, looked at the familiar sign, and scratched his head.

"Or are they all of them? Why would someone rob a bank that's already been robbed?"

The billowing smoke came from Midtown Bank, a building that should have been deemed unsafe due to structural damage. However, Tony Stark used his disaster relief equipment to stabilize the building. Consequently, the demolition of the building became a huge point of contention: various companies inside wanted to remove their remaining assets, using the excuse of "no major security concerns" to delay the demolition.

Therefore, this dilapidated building that "won't collapse" has become a temporary famous tourist attraction in New York.

Peter wasn't sure if there was any money left in the robbed, dilapidated bank building, but seeing the two overturned police cars outside and the officers standing by, Spider-Man knew it was time for him to make his move.

"Hey, sheriff, long time no see."

Spider-Man landed on a telephone pole next to Chief Stacy's patrol car, attracting the chief's attention. Upon seeing the superhero, George had to admit that even if the citizens said they were incompetent, some criminals really could only be dealt with by masked vigilantes.

"You've come just in time, Spider-Man."

"Who's inside?"

"Based on speculation, it is Hermann Schulz."

"Who is that?"

"The head of the bank robbery gang you arrested here last week escaped from the NYPD. His men said he invented that weapon and used it in bank robberies. Both of our police cars were overturned by the shockwave, so it can only be him."

Peter then realized who Sheriff Stacy was talking about.

"Oh, Mr. Horror, I remember now. It's alright, Sheriff Stacy, I'll bring him back."

After watching Spider-Man make his bold statement and swing into the bank lobby, Chief Inspector Stacy could only arrange traffic control while wishing him good luck.

Spider-Man entered the bank and found that nothing had changed. The traces of the battle left a week ago were still there. More importantly, his spider-sense was completely still, showing no signs of danger. In contrast, the dimly lit bank was empty, with no signs of intrusion.

"Hello? Herman? Mr. Horror? Are you here?"

After shouting twice and receiving no response, Spider-Man continued forward. He saw the bank's vault door, which was ajar, as if it had been opened, but strangely, it didn't seem to have been blown open by a shock weapon.

"I used to call myself the best locksmith in New York, that no safe could stop me. I used to think that was just a boast, but this vault door tells me that it really is. I can pry it open, not break it."

A man's muttering came from behind the vault, sounding particularly clear in the empty building. Spider-Man stood outside the vault, calmly waiting for him to finish, then shrugged: "How about you come out and talk? Or I can go in, as long as you promise not to shoot me with your 'Ghost Gun'."

"Don't you think they're stupid, Spider-Man?"

"Who are you talking about? Yourself? After all, who would come to rob a bank they've already robbed and then rob it again?"

"But they didn't take a single penny; they left it all here, as if they were waiting for me to rob them."

A sharp, intense pain shot through Peter's brain. The last time he experienced this level of pain was when he faced the Chitauri mothership. Peter instinctively flipped backward, narrowly avoiding the vault door that flew out of the way. The several-ton metal door crashed to the ground, and Spider-Man, upon landing, only had time to utter a curse word.

A deluge of US dollar bills erupted like a golden avalanche, and emerging from this avalanche was an opponent he had never seen before. He wore heavy, shock-absorbing armor in shades of yellow and brown, with segmented metal plates used for his shoulder and chest armor, and his entire body covered in a honeycomb-like shock-absorbing structure. His arms were equipped with gauntlet-style shock-emitting devices, and his brown helmet resembled that of a dangerous owl.

"It's like I'm waiting for you to come back!"

At that moment, Herman Schultz—no, he should be called "Surprise"—threw a left punch, sending a shockwave powerful enough to blast the vault door apart towards Spider-Man. Spider-Man dodged it using his spider-sense and then swung back to the bank lobby on his webs—where there was a wider space to fight.

"I'm truly flattered, Herman. You upgraded your gear just to beat me up? You even built a suit of armor?" Spider-Man, pressed against the wall, watched the horrified figure emerge step by step. "Look at your inventions! You're a genius! You could use your talent to do something meaningful. You could help a lot of people, even become a hero. What do you say?"

Peter paused for a moment, lowered his arm, and could sense that his spider-sense had decreased slightly.

"You're absolutely right, Spider-Man." The Horror nodded, looking up at Spider-Man. "Except for one thing."

"You should have invited me when I was still a nobody!"

Sheriff George was waiting outside the bank to see what was happening inside, but the situation was clearly not good. A large hole had been blown in the bank's outer wall, and Spider-Man had been sent flying backwards through the hole.

"Don't go in, Sheriff! Herman is dangerous! Evacuate the surrounding area!"

Spider-Man, who was blasted away by the Thriller Launcher, used his webs to stick to the bank lobby floor and bounced back to the battlefield. The upgraded launcher had an exaggerated range, and even with his spider-sense, he couldn't completely dodge it.

At that moment, he had no choice but to land in a standard superhero style, landing directly in front of Herman.

"Alright, Herman, it seems I need to get down to business with you first."

To conform to 21st-century standards, the scary costume is like the one in Marvel's Spider-Man games, not the bodysuit from the comics.

(End of this chapter)