19 Photographer Parker

Seizing the moment while his opponent was off-balance, Tim immediately launched an attack, but Peter’s reflexes were sharp; he leaped up from the ground to dodge.

The lithe red-and-blue figure clung to the wall, using only one hand and one foot as pivots, and spoke in a low, firm voice: "It's Spider-Man, not some spider-spirit!"

"Humans can't do that!" Tim fired his grappling hook, but Peter shifted sideways on the wall to avoid it.

"Okay, that’s my ability. Maybe I’m a tiny bit mutated, but under this suit, I’m a genuine human—mature, steady, older, experienced... Can you stop attacking? We’re clearly on the same side! Why can’t you brightly-colored birds tell friend from foe?"

Tim was starting to get a headache. That damned Todd hadn't warned him that meeting Spider-Man required earplugs. "Stop talking so much. You attacked a police officer!"

"He was about to shoot someone!" Realizing the misunderstanding, Peter said aggrievedly, "If he’s a cop, he’s definitely not the 'good cop' from those TV shows—he’s a 'bad cop.' I hope there aren't too many 'bad cops' in the Gotham Police Department. What if I’m hitching a ride and they take me to the suburbs to murder and bury me?"

Tim’s attack slowed. He realized this guy calling himself Spider-Man was indeed only dodging, and even when Tim left himself open, the stranger didn't seize the chance to strike. He knew how many dirty cops were in the Gotham Police Department; perhaps Spider-Man really was just trying to help.

According to reports of several encounters with other members of the Bat-family, he had no negative records.

Being talkative was his only current issue.

Seeing Tim’s offensive slow down, Peter breathed a sigh of relief. He glanced to the side and then tentatively walked toward Red Robin.

Red Robin stood his ground, displaying the poise expected of one of the city's protectors.

"Where do you come from?" Bearing the mission of being the first to engage in an in-depth exchange with the new vigilante, Red Robin asked with authority.

"For justice!" Spider-Man replied reflexively.

Tim: "…I mean the specific reason."

"The call of justice," Spider-Man said with a straight face.

Tim: "..."

"You really shouldn't waste time on me," Peter shrugged. "There’s plenty of evil waiting for us to eradicate. Brother, do you want to team up?"

"Team up? What kind of team up?" Tim remained calm; this was a great opportunity to understand Spider-Man's abilities.

"Start with a pat on the shoulder—" Peter reached out his arm toward Tim. Tim dodged instinctively, and Peter’s hand hung in mid-air like someone trying to pet a stray cat. The white lenses of his mask winked at Tim. "Don't be shy."

"Who’s shy?" Red Robin walked back awkwardly and accepted the shoulder pat. Though it was just a fleeting touch, the corners of Peter’s mouth beneath the mask curled up to his ears.

Red Robin went to deal with the unconscious police officer, watching as he carried the man away, noting that this vigilante had considerable strength. Peter ran over to the yellow Beetle and poked his head into the window: "Bumblebee, did you get it? Did you get it?"

"You can entrust anything to me," a deep, authoritative voice came from the radio. Peter affectionately patted the steering wheel and reached out to grab the camera sitting on the dashboard.

The camera had captured the entire process of Spider-Man’s negotiation with Red Robin, from the clash and the fight to the friendly meeting and the shoulder-patting. Although the angle wasn't perfect, it benefited from Bumblebee’s headlights, providing good lighting and sufficient clarity.

Peter Parker was about to get back to his old trade!

The night was heavy. Before ending his patrol, Peter returned to Oscorp. The lights were still on in the top-floor executive office. He crawled along the exterior wall to the roof and peeked carefully through the panoramic glass, seeing Harry still sitting at his desk, staring at a small cube in his hands.

Peter had never seen it; he guessed it was a memento left to Harry by Norman Osborn.

Peter sighed softly, reached out to touch Harry’s head through the glass, and returned to the Camaro. He sent Harry a message of concern before heading back to Wayne Manor.

This time, the garage didn't block the Camaro out; the door slid open smoothly for Peter, which made him feel good.

Wayne Manor was quiet tonight as well. Worried about being interrogated again about where he had been running around, Peter breathed a sigh of relief and ran back to his room. He took out the small computer he had pieced together from junk, watermarked his photos, and emailed them to the editor-in-chief of the *Gotham Gazette*.

The first high-definition photos of the new vigilante! And a buy-one-get-one-free deal—it was a photo of him and Red Robin together!

Red Robin was a star among Gotham's vigilantes. Even though it was the middle of the night, the editor-in-chief replied to Peter’s email instantly, buying the photo at a high price.

With a small fortune about to come his way, Peter calculated what small gifts he could buy for Mr. Bruce and Alfred, and drifted into a dream with a smile on his face.

·

It was a very normal day for CEO Drake.

At nine o'clock, he was woken up by his alarm. His assistant told him over the phone that the meeting was about to start, so Tim had to drag himself out of bed and take a Wayne luxury car to Wayne Enterprises.

Bruce was still sleeping in his bedroom at the time. Tim wanted to kick Bruce’s door on his way out, but his good upbringing made him suppress the impulse.

He rushed through meetings, signed documents, listened to reports, and signed more documents. He ate his lunch randomly while signing papers. By nearly two o'clock in the afternoon, Tim realized he had an important small class to attend, so he immediately called his driver and headed to Gotham University.

Getting into the car, only then did Tim have time to drink his first cup of coffee of the day.

He was browsing news notifications on his phone when his fingers paused upon hitting the *Gotham Gazette*.

A photo of Red Robin and Spider-Man appeared in the feed, titled: *Red Robin and Spider-Man! Unknown Intimacy and Deals!*

Who had secretly taken this? Was there a third person at the scene? How had he not noticed?

Tim zoomed in on the photo to look closely, only to discover a tiny watermark in the bottom right corner.

*Photography: Peter Parker.*

Tim spat out a mouthful of coffee.

He wiped the coffee off the leather seat in a panic, repeatedly confirming the name. It was Peter Parker, no doubt.

There were so many people in Gotham named Peter Parker; perhaps it was just a coincidence?

Tim thought hopefully, but his actions were honest—he called Peter, asked which classroom he was in, and then rushed over.

Peter was in a chemistry lab class. He was bewildered to receive Tim’s call, thinking it was past lunch time and wondering if Tim was in such a rush because he wanted to audit the class.

Still wearing his safety goggles, he hurried out of the classroom to avoid attracting too much attention.

Tim was still in a full suit; he hadn't had time to change.

The two found a deserted spot to talk. Tim’s expression was complex as he showed Peter the photo: "Peter, did you take this?"

Peter recognized his masterpiece at a glance. Completely unaware of anything amiss, he was actually quite proud: "You saw it? They even put my name on it! I didn't think they would! How is it? The composition is pretty good, right?"

"The composition... is very good," Tim encouraged him with difficulty, "but... how did you manage to take it?"

Peter sensed something was wrong and asked cautiously: "What’s wrong? You seem to be very concerned about Red Robin."

Tim was silent for a moment, trying his best to return his expression to normal: "I’m a fan of Red Robin."

Peter raised an eyebrow. He never expected that the most mature and steady young man in the household, the Wayne CEO, would actually like a vigilante.

Tim had to make himself seem more credible: "Because Red Robin... his uniform color scheme is the coolest, his weapons are handsome, and his martial arts are stylish and precise! That's all."

His face turned bright red from praising himself. Peter just thought he was shy about expressing love for his idol.

Previously, he had always felt that there was too much of a gap between him and Tim, but now that he knew the other guy liked the same things the youth admired, the psychological distance immediately shortened.

"So, how did you take it?" Tim stared at Peter, trying to read something from his expression.

Peter was natural; he had already prepared a reason: "I was passing by, heard some noise, and secretly took a few shots from the mouth of the alley. Red Robin must have been too focused on Spider-Man at the time, so he didn't notice me."

The reason sounded... wait, Tim’s train of thought was distracted by something else.

Passing by?

If he remembered correctly, he had run into that spider in the red-light district.

The new little brother... passing by a club??

Tim’s expression turned grave.

Peter Parker’s thoughts and behavior were in desperate need of correction!