” While investigating Peter Parker, Roy discovered that this universe’s Spider-Man was different from every movie version he knew.
Both Gwen Stacy and Mary Jane were Peter’s classmates.
Harry Osborn, the future “second Green Goblin,” also attended Midtown School of Science and Technology with them.
Not only that, but just like in The Amazing Spider-Man universe, Gwen worked at Oscorp as Dr.
Connors’s chief intern.
And because Peter had known Mary Jane since childhood, he hadn’t fallen for Gwen after meeting her in high school.
Instead, he’d always had a secret crush on Mary Jane.
Once Roy discovered that Peter didn’t like Gwen—and that Gwen was even prettier than Mary Jane—he quickly made a decision.
He would make Gwen his girlfriend!
Although Roy wasn’t a student at Midtown, that didn’t hinder him from pursuing her in the slightest.
It took him only a month or two to go from being a complete stranger to Gwen’s boyfriend in a passionate relationship.
Thanks to Gwen, he also got to know Peter, Mary Jane, Harry, and the others without any trouble.
Not long after Roy sent the message, his phone rang.
Gwen’s name and number appeared on the screen.
Without hesitation, he answered.
“You’re back from your business trip?” Gwen’s clear, gentle voice immediately came through the phone.
“Got back yesterday.” Roy replied.
“Did the commission go smoothly?” Gwen asked.
“Very smoothly.
It wasn’t difficult.” “Are you going to Oscorp for your internship today?” Roy asked.
Gwen didn’t know he was a transmigrator.
However, she did know that Roy was a “superhuman,” and she also knew he wasn’t an ordinary private investigator.
“Not today.
Dr.
Connors has been trying out a new experimental plan lately, so he doesn’t have time to supervise the interns.” Gwen replied quickly.
“All right.
I’ll come pick you up later.” Roy said.
“Mm-hmm.
I’ll wait for you at school.” Gwen answered softly.
After ending the call, Roy put his phone back into the system storage, launched a single-player action game, picked up the controller, and started playing.
…
A little after three in the afternoon.
Roy drove the newest Audi R8 to the area near the entrance of Midtown School of Science and Technology and parked by the roadside.
His garage contained plenty of luxury cars.
Ferraris, Lamborghinis, McLarens, Paganis, Bugattis, and more.
But Gwen didn’t like being too flashy.
So whenever Roy came to pick her up from school, he drove the relatively low-key Audi R8 instead of showing up in a Ferrari, Lamborghini, or some other exotic supercar.
At 3:30 p.m., the final bell rang at Midtown.
It’s nice being young.
Roy sighed inwardly as he watched boys and girls stream out of the school.
He was only twenty himself, just a few years older than these students.
But everything he’d experienced over the past half year had made him feel much older mentally.
Before long, Gwen appeared in his field of vision.
Long blonde hair.
A short black skirt.
Brown knee-high boots.
A white top.
When Roy spotted her, he opened the door and stepped out of the car.
Gwen soon reached him.
Ignoring the classmates nearby, she immediately wrapped her arms around him and greeted him with an enthusiastic hug and kiss.
After they got into the car, Gwen sat in the passenger seat and gazed at Roy affectionately.
“Where are we going?” “Let’s get something to drink first.” Roy replied.
“Okay.” Gwen nodded.
Roy started the car and drove toward Gwen’s favorite coffee shop.
More than twenty minutes later.
Fields Coffee Shop.
Roy and Gwen ordered two coffees and chose a seat by the window.
As Gwen stirred her coffee, she asked, “Where did you go on your business trip?” “Afghanistan.” Roy took a sip of coffee and replied.
Afghanistan?
Gwen froze for a moment.
Then she lowered her voice.
“Don’t tell me you went there to rescue Tony Stark?” Roy had no intention of hiding it from her, so he nodded.
After receiving confirmation, surprise flashed across Gwen’s fair, delicate face.
Then she stared at him curiously and whispered, “How did you find him?” “The news said he was kidnapped by an unidentified terrorist group.
The military couldn’t locate him, so they couldn’t launch a rescue operation.” Roy answered calmly, “I found him with my sensing ability.” “I started from the location where he disappeared and used my ability to detect places where groups of people were gathered.” “After excluding towns, villages, and other irrelevant targets, I checked the hidden locations in the mountains one by one.” “Eventually, I found him.” Gwen looked enlightened.
“So that’s how you did it.” Then she asked, “The commission must have paid a lot this time, right?” “Thirty million.” Roy replied.
Thirty million?
Gwen involuntarily sucked in a sharp breath.
She knew the commissions Roy accepted tended to pay extremely well.
But she’d never expected this one to be worth as much as thirty million dollars.
Gwen’s father, George Stacy, was a captain with the New York Police Department and earned roughly four hundred thousand dollars a year.
Four hundred thousand a year might not sound outrageous.
But in New York, where the average annual income was only around seventy thousand, it was unquestionably a high salary.
Yet Roy had earned thirty million from a single commission.
In other words, a few days in Afghanistan had earned him the equivalent of seventy-five years of George’s income.
“You made that much all at once.
Won’t you have to pay a huge amount in taxes?” Gwen asked curiously.
“No.” “I qualify for a special tax exemption.
Most of my taxes are waived, so I only have to pay a token amount.” Roy replied calmly.
America’s tax authorities were notoriously formidable enforcers.
They were even jokingly called America’s “Western Depot” and the bane of gangsters.
They didn’t care where your money came from.
They only cared whether you’d paid taxes on it.
In America, people would rather have the FBI or CIA knocking on their doors than the tax authorities.
The tax office had once come after Roy as well, demanding that he pay the full amount of his rather substantial taxes.
But after Roy personally visited their headquarters and had a “cordial and friendly conversation” with several senior officials, he obtained a special tax exemption.
The taxes you collect belong to the federal government.
Your lives belong to you.
Whether you want to keep collecting taxes from me or keep your lives and collect taxes from everyone else is your choice.
Paying taxes was every citizen’s obligation!
But Roy felt absolutely no guilt about avoiding taxes in America.
He wasn’t even an American citizen.
Why should he feel obligated to pay taxes to the United States?
If you want my taxes, go argue with my ninjutsu!
“A special tax exemption?” “The tax office has policies like that?” Gwen frowned slightly and looked at Roy in confusion.
“Of course.” “It’s a preferential policy for exceptional talent.” Roy answered with a smile.
Technically, he was telling the truth.
The exemption the tax authorities had arranged for him really had been filed under the category of “exceptional talent.” Gwen decisively dropped the subject and began telling him about some amusing things that had happened at school.
That evening.
After having dinner at a three-Michelin-star restaurant, Roy drove Gwen home.
Although she was already an adult, Gwen still obeyed her family’s rule that she had to return home every night.
Holidays and weekends were no exception.
Roy had no complaints about it.
The “good girl” version of Gwen was even more attractive to him.
Besides, Gwen would graduate from high school in another month or two.
Once she started college and no longer had to return home every night, the two of them planned to live together.