The talkative raven in the world of American comics

Chapter 29: Spider-Man: Payday

Ten dollars.

"Wait—what?! This close-up photo is only worth ten dollars?! Are you kidding me?!"

"Are you kidding?"

The middle-aged man with a mustache and a crew cut let out a strange laugh, then his expression turned serious as he said:

"Look at what you've taken! I want photos of him doing bad things! What's the point of taking a few posed shots? I'm being generous with ten dollars!"

His full name is John Jonah Jameson, aka the man with the three-scan hook (JJJ).

He slammed his hand down heavily on the photograph paper on the table.

"and!"

Jameson said, "Look at his shabby clothes, especially around his eyes. Are you sure you're not just cosplaying to scam me out of my money?!"

His voice was exceptionally loud, so loud that even the soundproof windows of the office couldn't block it, and other newspaper staff outside could hear it perfectly.

However, these people are probably used to their boss's style and turn a deaf ear to this.

Peter, on the contrary.

He'd never seen anyone like that before.

Jameson's words made him turn green with rage!

"I...I didn't!" Peter explained.

"Are you a girl? I can't hear you, speak louder!"

"I didn't mean that, and Spider-Man has never done anything bad!"

Influenced by Jameson, Peter's voice also grew louder.

"You're saying he never did it, so you think he never did it? What, are you him?"

Jameson picked up a cigar, cut it, and put it in his mouth to light it, but looking at Peter Parker's young face, he finally put the cigar down.

"I said ten dollars, take it or leave it."

"It should be at least twenty dollars!" Peter tried to negotiate.

Unfortunately, he made the biggest mistake in bargaining.

The will to easily change prices.

So Jameson got excited.

"Five dollars, I don't want it if you try to cut the price any further."

Peter: "!!!"

"Get out of the way, let your Uncle Oz handle this." Oz couldn't stand it anymore; how dare they treat my little brat like this.

"Why did I send you?" Peter asked curiously.

"Calm down your breathing and relax slowly. I only have ten seconds of being a real man. If you miss this chance, you'll have to wait a long time!" Oz said.

Peter obediently did as he was told. He was furious with Jameson; this was the first time he'd been this angry in a long time. Even Oz's jokes about his Uncle Ben didn't seem to have made him this angry...

Wait, are these even comparable?!

When Peter realized that the two things were not comparable, he found himself feeling as if he had detached from his body.

And his body just stood there in place.

He felt as if he were a soul detached from his body, just looking at him.

The first thing Oz did after taking over Peter's body.

He just flicked his bangs and blew a breath.

Two hundred dollars.

"What!?" Jameson was about to yell at the kid for asking for an exorbitant price.

The next second, he heard the boy in front of him say this:

"This is a one-time offer. From now on, I will only provide Spider-Man photos to your newspaper. If you won't even give me two hundred dollars, then I'll go to the New York Times next door. I believe the New York Times, which has been the runner-up for a long time, can definitely become the new number one with this."

After saying that, the boy in front of him tossed his hair again.

Jameson glared at him fiercely. He knew the kid wanted to flick his bangs, but...

If you don't even have bangs, don't flip your hair!

"You cunning kid, deal!"

Jameson activated his Undying Grip again, slamming his hand on the desk.

To Peter, the sound was very loud, almost like someone had suddenly blown a trumpet in his ear.

When he came to his senses again, he found himself back to his previous state, without any strange sensations.

"Oz?"

"Damn you, Morgan Freeman, you actually have this kind of flaw? I timed it perfectly!" Oz's voice was as usual, sounding perfectly fine.

Peter breathed a sigh of relief, but decided that he should not easily allow Oz to take over his body in the future.

This is so strange!

squeak-

The office door was pushed open, and someone delivered a two-hundred-dollar check handled by the Daily Bugle.

Peter happily took it and held it in his hand, examining it repeatedly.

Although it's just a piece of paper, the meaning it carries goes far beyond just two hundred dollars.

"Remember this, kid: if I ever see a new Spider-Man picture in the New York Times, you're finished!"

Jameson held the cigar in his mouth, swaying back and forth, but wouldn't light it.

Peter saluted him. "Understood, sir!"

Just as he was about to leave, Oz called.

"Don't rush off, grab a piece of candy from his desk. I've been craving this for ages!" Oz smacked Peter on the back of the head.

Peter glanced at the candy box on the table, then at Jameson's expression.

"Now? Are you sure?"

"Don't make your Uncle O sad."

"All right."

Peter eventually agreed to Oz's request, whispering, "Mr. Jameson..."

The loud and boisterous Jameson once again displayed his volatile temper.

boom!

Another slap landed on the table.

"What are you planning now!?"

"Can I have a candy?"

"..."

Jameson picked out the smallest candy and threw it to Peter. Peter caught it and was about to run away when Jameson called him back.

"Wait! The contract hasn't been signed yet!"

"But I'm a minor..."

"..."

Peter witnessed firsthand how Jameson's white face turned red.

In the end, Peter still fled Jameson's office, for a very simple reason.

He was a minor.

I walked out of the entrance to the Daily Bugle building.

Peter unwrapped the candy wrapper in his hand, handed it to Oz on his shoulder, and asked:

"How does it taste?"

Oz took a bite and spat it out with a "pui" sound.

"Not my type, so I'll just reject it."

"All right."

Oz said, "So how are you planning to spend those two hundred? You know, going from five dollars to two hundred isn't as simple as it seems. You'll be broke without at least a hundred or so servings of fries!"

Peter thought about it carefully and then made a decision.

First, he and Oz definitely need to keep some. He needs to gather enough for a new spider suit, while Oz... a whole bunch of fries.

Aunt Mei's side definitely can't be less than one hundred.

"Give Aunt Mei 150, and the rest is ours!"

"At least you have a conscience. What are we waiting for? Let's exchange the money and buy some fries!" Oz made a "go for it!" gesture.

Peter shrugged and headed to the bank to cash the checks.

Just after I finished exchanging the money, the phone rang in my pocket.

It wasn't Aunt May or Gwen Stacy who called, but Dr. Connors.

This puzzled him, but he still answered the phone.

"Good afternoon, Dr. Connors."

Good afternoon, Peter.

On the other end of the phone.

Connors chose to put down the phone that was pressed against his ear and place it on his desk, while his other arm was now rubbing his brow, looking very tired.

Are you dressed as Spider-Man?

"No...what's wrong?"

"That's good......"

"What's wrong, Doctor?"

"You remember where my house is... Peter, we need to talk."

"..."