I Became Spider-Man's Cousin in Anime Crossover

Chapter 288 [3 Chapters Combined] Fighting crime is work, spoiling kids is life

Clearly, at least for this moment, Riley's position in the trio's hearts had surpassed everything else. Even Valon, whom they had originally regarded as their best boss, was no exception.

In a sense, the trio of gangsters, who, like Valon, were only focused on making money, didn't say anything like "Valon, let's not contact each other anymore, we're afraid Riley will misunderstand" to the unconscious Valon in order to prove their determination and sincerity to Riley. This was all thanks to their strong friendship!

Therefore, amidst the rising and falling cries of "plea for mercy," the emotionally charged trio of gangsters clearly failed to notice...

Not far behind them, Valon, who had been "ruthlessly abandoned" by the gangster trio, trembled visibly.

If you look closely, you can see that the corners of Valon's mouth have been silently turned down a little, as if he is disappointed in Valon!

Clearly, Valmont had already awakened the moment Shendu was sealed away and completely freed from Shendu's influence.

The so-called "coma" was just a pretense that Valon deliberately faked after regaining consciousness, fearing that he would be severely retaliated against by Spider-Man.

After all, both Valmont and Shendu were possessed, but in the original storyline, Valmont was not only able to fight Shendu to a standstill in the struggle for control of his body, but the moment Shendu was sealed away by his father, Valmont was able to jump and dance on the sign of the Deer Park Hong Kong branch, celebrating his regained freedom as if nothing had happened!

This proves that although Valon does not know magic, his innate magic resistance is ridiculously high!

Meanwhile, watching the three members of the Black Hand gang rush to confess their crimes, as if afraid their final sentences would be too short, Riley's face, hidden behind his mask, almost split open with laughter.

Taking a deep breath to suppress his laughter, Riley coughed seriously and "threatened" the gangster trio.

"Ahem! Let go of me, all of you! Don't you know that the Danish judicial system strictly prohibits torture and forced confessions! If you keep making a scene and others misunderstand, I might revoke your access to the game room!"

The moment Riley finished speaking, the figures of the gangster trio froze.

The next second, the trio of gangsters reacted as if electrocuted, quickly releasing Riley and standing at attention in unison. Their hands were pressed tightly against their trouser seams, as if the one who had just gone mad was someone else.

But soon, the three lively characters looked around and, in order to stay here for a long time, began to get restless again.

Fortunately, the warden, who had received Riley's message earlier, had already arranged for several prison guards to come and help the three men complete their check-in... oops, I mean, admission procedures. He also brought professional medical personnel to care for the "unconscious" Valon, taking him to the town's hospital for a full examination and treatment.

It was at this moment that the trio of gangsters, immersed in their beautiful dreams of the future, finally realized that they had a legitimate boss who was waiting for them to take care of him.

So, after thanking Riley repeatedly, the once arrogant trio of gangsters now followed the prison guards obediently like docile children. Following the instructions of the medical staff, they lifted Valon, who had been lying on the ground for most of the day, onto a stretcher, quickly pushed it through the corridor, and disappeared from Riley's sight.

"Pfft, they've changed so much... Who would have thought that just a few months ago, they were a group of ruthless international fugitives?"

Just then, Felicia, estimating the time and figuring out that Riley was almost done, crossed the dimensional barrier, stood beside Riley with her hands behind her back and a touch of girlish playfulness.

Then, following Riley's gaze, he looked in the direction the gangster trio had left, and joked with a smile.

"People change." Riley, long used to the teasing from those around him, simply shrugged and smiled in response. "After all, even I initially just wanted to protect my family. Who would have thought that in just a few months, I'd become this all-powerful, all-powerful figure..."

Before Riley could finish speaking, Jade, who had noticed Felicia's "runaway" behavior, also crossed the dimensional barrier and suddenly pounced on Riley from behind, hanging on his back. After looking around and satisfying her instinctive curiosity, she took advantage of her young age to openly rub her cheek against Riley's and excitedly asked.

"Hey, Mr. Spider-Man, the dragon's been sealed away, and the criminals' been sent to jail... Can I take that to mean your job's done and you're free to play with us? Where are we going now? Paris? London? Oh! Or maybe we should go somewhere else—"

"The Golden Triangle and Mexico."

To Xiaoyu's surprise, Riley, who always doted on children, simply reached out and rubbed her head before lifting her off his back and placing her next to Felicia. Even his tone of voice, as murderous intent gradually surfaced, became solemn once more.

"I must say, Kingpin and the others reminded me... Now that I have the ability and occupy the position of 'villain,' it's time to clean up more 'pests.'"

"Oh, okay..."

Xiaoyu pouted upon hearing this, clearly not satisfied with Riley's answer.

However, after spending so much time together, Xiaoyu realized that Riley would only refuse her sweet requests when he was doing some extremely bloody and dangerous tasks.

Therefore, not wanting to be a burden to Riley, and even less wanting her own willfulness to give her best friend Felicia a chance to overtake her, Jade could only suppress the urge to stay by Riley's side. Her eyes darted around for a moment, then she smoothly changed the subject.

"Before you finish your work and pick us up to go back to New York, can we go get some mutton stew? Dad says the mutton in northern Shaanxi is incredibly fragrant! Oh, and oil-splashed noodles too! I've been wanting to see for ages how wide the noodles are here, wide enough to be used as a belt!"

"No problem. Considering how hard you've worked, go ahead and have fun. All expenses will be on my tab."

Looking at the little guy's forced smile, Riley casually rubbed his head in response, and then fell into a brief moment of thought.

He then stood up with his hands on his hips, turned his head slightly, looked at the dimensional wall that had opened out of thin air, and made a pointed and joking remark.

"in addition……"

"I'm just saying I still have work to do."

"But that doesn't mean I can't travel with you, right?"

As soon as the words were spoken, ripples spread across the dimensional barrier.

A second Spider-Man, dressed in a symbiote suit and wearing black, appeared before the three of them with a hearty laugh.

"Hahaha! 'I' was right, the newly triggered side quests should be handled by the 'professionals.' And my task is—!"

As he spoke, the second Riley produced two classic Mexican snacks—pointed conical hats made of potato chips, with sauce inside the brim—and placed them on Jade's and Felicia's heads, one on each side.

Then, as was his habit, he picked Xiaoyu up and lifted her off the ground, letting her sit in his arms. While admiring Xiaoyu's new look, he added in a serious but joking manner.

"Bring your two greedy kittens and let's eat our way out of the food street!"

The familiar tone echoing in her ears was enough for Xiaoyu to confirm that the person who had suddenly appeared in front of her was indeed "Rie Parker"!

Moreover, Riley has escaped the risk of losing control of his emotions and returned to a normal state!

This made Xiaoyu's eyes widen, and she exclaimed in surprise.

"Wait, why are there two... cough cough, I mean, two Spider-Men?!"

"The answer is simple: in the current timeline, I am actually from 'Rie Parker' three days in the future."

Faced with Jade's confusion, Riley, the second to appear, didn't hide his answer. Instead, he carried Jade in one arm and held Felicia's hand with the other, following in the footsteps of the first Riley, crossing the dimensional barrier. After returning to their father's side from the Danish prison, he calmly explained.

"And I am Riley Parker, about three hours from now. I just finished eating with Captain America, Happy, Tony, and Obadiah at a barbecue restaurant that tasted absolutely awful."

As soon as the second Riley finished speaking, the first Riley took over and began to introduce himself.

As she spoke, seemingly recalling some "wonderful experience," Riley, who was never afraid of anything, removed her mask to reveal her true face when no one else was around. She then rubbed her stomach repeatedly with a pained expression, muttering complaints.

"Damn it, I seriously suspect that restaurant's ingredients weren't fresh, which is why they used so many spices... and their cooking was terrible! Either the food was overcooked, or it was completely raw! I might as well have grilled it myself!"

As both Rileys said, they didn't actually belong to the current timeline.

Because in this timeline, Riley is currently being tortured at the Sawama BBQ restaurant recommended by Tony, along with Steve and Happy.

Yes, it was torture.

I don't know if it was a coincidence, or if it was fate...

This barbecue restaurant is actually the same one Tony suggested going to at the end of the original Avengers movie, after the Battle of New York.

Leaving aside the actors' personal circumstances—for example, the actor playing Captain America had a beard because he was also filming another show during filming, and his smooth face was maintained entirely by special effects. So he couldn't eat and could only support his face with his hand while watching others eat—if…

They ate without making a sound, remaining completely silent from beginning to end.

Even Steve, who had survived the extremely harsh conditions of the battlefields of World War II where food and clothing were scarce, would rather stare blankly at the food in front of him than take a bite.

That's enough for viewers to roughly guess just how "wonderful" the food at this restaurant is!

Therefore, if you turn back time and change the camera angle, you will see...

Inside the shawarma barbecue restaurant recommended by Tony, Captain America, Steve Rogers, who always manages to overcome any obstacle, was currently resting his chin on his fist, holding a knife and fork in the other, staring blankly at the charred meat roll in front of him. A full ten minutes had passed with the knife and fork hovering in mid-air.

Riley, in his middle-aged human form, and Obadiah, whose wounds had just been treated, silently watched Tony, who was sitting in the main seat and had booked the entire shop, with identical resentful eyes.

"...Hey guys, don't look at me like that, this is ton of meat! And it's from a top ten restaurant online! It's just cooked a little differently, giving it a unique exotic flavor. If you taste it carefully, you'll find that it's actually...!"

Tony, being stared at by his two elders, broke out in a cold sweat. But his proud and stubborn nature compelled him to argue while simultaneously forking a few slices of meat and quickly chewing them to prove his taste was right.

The next second, there was a brief pause in the movement.

Tony suddenly bent down and pulled over the trash can that Riley had anticipated and quietly kicked over from under the table.

When Tony straightened up again, his expression became increasingly embarrassed. He also quietly replaced the plate in front of him, which was filled with various pieces of unknown meat, with a vegetable salad.

Well, it's definitely not because Tony thinks it tastes too bad. It's just a side effect of the palladium reactor that forces Tony to constantly take vitamins to maintain his health.

Yes, that's right, that's exactly it...!

Meanwhile, seeing that even his boss couldn't stand the taste of the food, Happy, who had been trying to remain calm, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Then he quickly followed suit and pushed his own plate further away.

Then, while taking photos with her phone and posting them to Facebook, she quickly edited the caption, her lips twitching slightly.

"I'm really curious, who gave this restaurant such a high rating... I've only ever tasted this kind of flavor once before, when I was invited to sample authentic Indian cuisine. I thought that was the limit of human culinary skills, but I never imagined there was something even better! Whose subordinate is this?!"

And when Happy started criticizing the restaurant's food online...

Riley chewed with mechanical difficulty, trying to swallow his fifth bite of meat.

With each chew, the symbiotic suit, constantly monitoring Riley's emotional state, instinctively flinched. It feared that Riley might lose his temper and flip the table, unleashing a massacre on the spot!

Fortunately, the symbiote's concerns were completely unnecessary.

At least, that's true until this meal is over.

After all, Riley's unique experiences in his previous life had led him to eat raw insects covered in mud and sewage.

Compared to that, the grilled meat slices in front of me, sprinkled with seasoning, are definitely much better.

In addition, the experience of being "afraid of hunger" for generations has imprinted the instinct and virtue of "cherishing food" deep in the souls of the vast majority of people in this food-loving country.

This is why Riley, despite his complete aversion to the food in front of him, still tried to stuff it into his mouth as much as possible.

However, just like Steve, who came from the battlefield, he couldn't accept this taste.

Eating live insects is something that can only be done under extreme conditions to survive, and it cannot be used as a reference standard for the taste of human food!

So while he ate, Riley couldn't help but silently offer his heartfelt greetings to the restaurant's chef with every chew! He also felt deep sympathy for the source of the meat, exclaiming that it had died such an unjust death!

It was this experience that caused Riley, who had just resolved the issue of the real and fake Obadiah and was feeling much calmer, to become irritable and impulsive again.

After what seemed like an eternity, the meal was finally finished, and everyone silently walked out of the restaurant.

Thanks to their special connection, the symbiote, which can clearly sense Riley's emotional changes in real time, has begun to consider whether it should break away from Riley's body and find another host to temporarily avoid the brunt of the conflict!

Of course, when Riley was in a bad mood, he would usually go to the criminals in New York City and randomly select a "lucky one" to have a good "talk" with.

Unfortunately, Riley had already apprehended most of the criminals in New York City.

Those who narrowly escaped all rushed to turn themselves in, fearing that Spider-Man would come knocking on their door!

As a result, even if Riley wanted to repeat his old tricks and stage a double-cross to vent his resentment, he simply couldn't find a suitable person to do it!

Left with no other choice, Riley, who had already planned to get back on track, decided to pull off one last big heist.

He thus traveled through time and space back to the point in time when he, Steve, and Happy had just left Stark Industries and headed to the barbecue restaurant to be "punished."

Furthermore, based on the principle of "waste utilization"... [crossed out]

With the fear that Kingpin and his crew might be plotting against him while he was eating, Riley decisively chose to target Kingpin and his men, becoming today's "lucky one"!

This also explains why Riley, who was influenced by Peter and had become somewhat talkative during fights, was so decisive and ruthless in this operation, without any intention of teasing or playing tricks on them!

Yeah, I just don't know...

If Kingpin and his crew could know from beyond the grave that their small villainous alliance was wiped out so quickly because that Sawama barbecue restaurant was "too good at cooking"...

I wonder how interesting the expressions on the faces of these three "lucky ones"—any one of them could be considered a BOSS-level figure on their own?

But, in conclusion...

There are at least three Rileys in the current timeline.

Riley, who is "suffering" alongside Steve and Happy at the Sawama BBQ restaurant.

He killed Kingpin and Mr. Negative, and helped Jade and the others seal away Riley, the master of the underworld.

And then there's Riley, who, after regaining his mental normalcy, travels back to this timeline from some point in the future to pamper and care for the children, and to accompany Jade and Felicia on their travels and adventures.

"Yay! I knew you were the best—!"

Of course, Xiaoyu didn't care about all that.

All she needed to know was that even though Riley was busy fighting crime, he could still find time to play with her, and that was enough.

Therefore, after hearing the two Rileys' explanations, Xiaoyu was only slightly taken aback before smiling broadly and moving closer. She gave the masked Riley from the future, who was holding her, a fleeting kiss on the cheek.

Then she sat sideways on Riley's arm, swinging her short legs impatiently, urging him on.

"Let's hurry, let's go! I checked online before, and there are still noodle shops open even in the early hours of the morning! Let's go first..."

"Cough cough cough, stop searching online, that stuff is really unreliable... I do know a few old brands, although they're closed now, but can we travel through time to the time they open and be among the first customers?"

"Great! I'll do whatever you say!"

Before long, amidst the cheerful atmosphere, Riley from the future timeline led Jade and the others across a new dimensional barrier to begin their journey of sampling local delicacies.

Riley, who remained where he was, stood with his hands on his hips and watched them leave with a smile.

He then waved his hand, opening a new dimensional barrier.

Before stepping inside and beginning the "pest-clearing" operation, she seemed to remember something and used the girl's communication function to make a call to Nick Fury.

"...Hey, Fury, it's me, Spider-Man...Didn't you say you'd repay me for saving your life? Keep an eye on the news these next couple of days. I might cause a bit of trouble, and I'll need S.H.I.E.L.D.'s help to clean up the mess."

"Make some noise?"

During their conversation, they mentioned the time difference.

Compared to where Riley was standing at that moment, it was only a little past four in the morning in China.

In New York, where Nick Fury is located, it's still midday with the sun blazing down.

But for some reason, after answering Riley's call and listening to Riley's request...

Nick Fury felt as if he had suddenly arrived in the Arctic Circle, and his whole body shivered uncontrollably.

He then manipulated the computer, constantly reviewing the various intelligence about Spider-Man that Coulson had gathered, in order to make up for the lack of understanding of the world he had lost during the time he was replaced by the Skrulls. He was also briefly silenced by a sudden, inexplicable sense of foreboding.

Nick Fury, having already formed some guesses based on the intelligence report's description of Spider-Man's current modus operandi, broke out in a cold sweat and asked, half-jokingly and half-seriously.

"You wouldn't be... finally unable to control your impulse and want to storm the White House and become President of the United States yourself, would you? Is it too late for me to vote for you now?"

"...What are you saying? What are you saying! Where is the most basic trust between people? I'm Spider-Man, a legitimate superhero! How could I do something as treasonous as forcing someone to abdicate! Besides, the White House isn't called the Xuanwu Gate!"

It must be said that at the moment Nick Fury asked the question, Riley, in his dark state, did indeed have the urge to seize power from the White House by force.

But soon, considering that the time was not yet ripe, and that if he really did that, he would become a public enemy. In his dark state, after tasting the benefits, he might not be able to resist trying to establish a dictatorial rule like Superman from the Injustice movie next door, thus igniting a new world war.

Riley, who still had weaknesses and concerns, could only reluctantly abandon this tempting plan after a moment of contemplation.

He then adopted a wronged expression and retorted righteously.

"Don't worry about it. You know my current physical condition. If I 'accidentally' make a big fuss, it won't be easy to handle, so I'm letting you know in advance so we can be on the safe side."