With a flick of his wrist, another web shot out and latched onto a pulley on the plane. Just like that, little Spider-Man was dragged along into the air with Vulture and the others.

Stubborn as ever, he refused to give up until he caught them. After all, he couldn't afford to lose face in front of Tony. At this point, it was no longer just about stopping the sale of alien weapons—it had become a matter of his personal pride.

That said, he was clearly pushing himself too hard, trying to play the hero at all costs. Blaine, who had been following behind, hadn't gone far when he suddenly saw the webline snap for no apparent reason. In the next instant, little Spider-Man lost his support and fell straight down.

'Splash…'

Fortunately, the plane had just passed over a large river near Queens. The river connected to the ocean, making it both deep and wide. Little Spider-Man's body plunged straight into the water.

However, he hadn't fully recovered from the electric shock. If Blaine did nothing, the current might overwhelm him. By the time his body floated back to the surface, tomorrow's headlines might very well read: 'A generation of superhero Spider-Man drowns in a river.'

Seeing that he was in real danger—and considering he was technically his first "client"—Blaine was about to step in when something suddenly streaked past with a sharp whoosh.

It was one of Tony's Mark armors.

Without hesitation, the armor dove straight into the river and pulled little Spider-Man out.

"Uh—Mr. Stark, you know, I could've handled that myself. It just got a little more complicated than I expected. But don't worry—I'll definitely catch that gang."

Afraid of being looked down on, little Spider-Man quickly tried to defend himself.

"Don't worry about it."

"No, no—trust me, Mr. Stark. I can handle it. And, uh… thanks for coming all the way out here for me."

Seeing "Tony" again, little Spider-Man was so excited he could barely speak coherently.

Blaine, however, who already understood the situation, simply smiled to himself.

"Well, actually…"

"Oh…"

"…I'm not here."

As the words finished, the faceplate of the Mark armor lifted—revealing that it was completely empty inside.

This stunned little Spider-Man. He stared at the hollow armor in disbelief, clearly never expecting Tony's AI technology to be advanced enough to remotely control a suit from such a distance—and even hold a conversation through it.

As for Tony himself, he was indeed far away at the moment. He was in India, on vacation and preparing for his wedding, currently visiting temples.

What followed was Tony's warning to little Spider-Man: don't meddle in matters beyond your level. Focus on being a friendly neighborhood hero. Criminals like Vulture would be handled by more experienced people.

After finishing his earnest lecture, the Mark armor closed its faceplate, ignited its engines, and flew off, leaving little Spider-Man standing there in a daze.

As for everything Tony had just said, little Spider-Man hadn't really absorbed a single word. He was still fixated on how Tony had managed to send an armor to rescue him from so far away.

"Hey—"

"Oh, uh… Mr. Hunter," he said.

"Why are you here?"

Looking at little Spider-Man, who was still in a daze, Blaine suddenly came up with an idea. He revealed himself and landed beside him.

"Just passing by," Blaine replied casually. It wasn't like he could say he had followed him all the way here.

Little Spider-Man, perhaps still shaken from what had just happened—and from Tony's lecture—looked somewhat dejected.

"What's wrong? Ran into trouble?"

"Yeah. A group of alien weapons dealers just knocked me into the water and got away."

After hearing Blaine's question, little Spider-Man didn't try to hide anything and explained the situation directly. Since Blaine had already appeared wearing the Hunter suit and hood, he didn't question why he wasn't at the party but here instead.

"Not satisfied with that outcome?"

"Want to look impressive in front of Tony?"

"Want to prove yourself?"

Blaine's series of pointed questions struck straight at little Spider-Man's heart. That was exactly it. He had wanted to show what he could do in front of Tony—but instead, Tony had to save him and even lecture him. Of course he wasn't satisfied.

"Mr. Hunter… do you have a way?"

Turning around, little Spider-Man looked at Blaine with wide, hopeful eyes. If Blaine said all that, then he must have something in mind.

"I can provide a clue."

"If you catch them, you can still impress Tony."

Seeing that little Spider-Man was already tempted, Blaine continued to guide him.

"A clue?"

"That's great. As long as you can tell me where they're trading—"

"Or where their base is—I can definitely catch them all."

"Hey, slow down."

"My information isn't free."

"You know what I do."

"I'm a Bounty Hunter—I get paid for my work."

Seeing little Spider-Man about to step forward excitedly, Blaine gave a faint, calculating smile.

"Then… forget it. I don't have any money."

Perhaps little Spider-Man assumed Bounty Hunters dealt in millions—or even hundreds of millions—like the deals S.H.I.E.L.D. handled. As a student, he simply couldn't afford it.

"Hey, don't be like that."

"It's very cheap."

"How about this—first deal, special friend price."

"Tell me, how much can you afford?"

"F… fifty…"

"Deal."

As if afraid little Spider-Man might change his mind, Blaine immediately agreed the moment he heard the number. After all, he wasn't concerned with the amount—what mattered was completing tasks. As long as he could finish system missions quickly and raise his Hunter level, even a small sum was worth it.

"W-wait a second—"

"That can't be right."

"I said fifty… like fifty dollars…"

"Not fifty thousand, not five hundred thousand…"

Little Spider-Man thought he must have misheard—or that Blaine had misunderstood. Especially the final confirmation—it came so quickly that he couldn't process it.

"I know."

"Here—take it."

*************************************

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