"What, he ended up at a middle school, and it's a New York school in the Marvel Universe?"
The moment Axel heard Lex's report, his interest was immediately piqued.
"You think I wouldn't be interested in a place like that? You only contacted me because you knew I'd jump at the opportunity, didn't you, Lex?
Want to make a bet? I bet I'll run into Spider-Man at that school. How old should the kid be by now?"
"Haha!"
Lex burst into laughter before replying.
"I knew you'd say that, Axel. The Hulk is your problem now.
As for the bet, I'll pass. I don't even know which version of the Marvel Universe this is, much less how old Peter Parker is.
Either way, with you there, I don't have to worry about the safety of those kids. Thanks, Axel."
The communication ended.
Listening to the disconnected signal, Axel let out a relaxed breath before transforming into a ball of flames and disappearing from the street.
At nearly the same time, shortly before Hydra's operation unfolded, Midtown School of Science and Technology was hosting an open campus event.
Leading a group of visiting parents and elementary school students was a beautiful young woman with auburn hair and light freckles.
Walking beside her was another student who looked slightly younger, enthusiastically introducing the campus.
"Welcome, parents, and welcome to all of our future students. This is Midtown School of Science and Technology's physics laboratory.
Although we're a high school, Midtown has always ranked among the very best schools in New York, and even across the United States.
Our science programs rival those of many universities, especially in physics and chemistry, where we've produced numerous outstanding research achievements.
If you work hard, maybe one day you'll be studying here too. Who knows, I might even become your upperclassman."
With a cheerful smile, she gently pinched the cheeks of an especially adorable blonde girl near the front of the group.
The little girl looked no older than nine or ten.
She giggled brightly.
"You're so cute. What's your name?"
"My name is Gwen Stacy," the little girl answered proudly. "I'm already in fourth grade, and I'll be starting middle school soon.
But I might not come here. My dad's a police officer, and he's being transferred somewhere else.
So... I might have to go to school in another city."
Her cheerful expression faded with disappointment.
Seeing that, the high school girl affectionately ruffled Gwen's hair before turning toward the cool, red-haired beauty beside her.
"Jessica, look how adorable she is."
Jessica gave a small nod.
"Little kids are adorable... at least until they decide not to be."
Used to Jessica's reserved personality, the girl simply smiled before facing the rest of the visitors again.
"Everyone who received an invitation today represents some of the top elementary school students in New York.
Midtown has the highest academic standards in the city, so I hope all of you will consider becoming part of our school in the future."
Just then, her phone rang.
She glanced at the screen, and her face immediately lit up.
Stepping beside Jessica, she whispered excitedly.
"Jessica, can you take over? My boyfriend just texted me.
MIT accepted his application. I need to help him prepare the rest of his admissions materials.
If everything goes well, he'll become my fellow MIT alumnus, just like Tony Stark."
She excitedly grabbed Jessica's arm.
Jessica sighed before smiling.
"Fine. I'll handle the tour. It's only a group of parents and kids."
Relieved, the girl thanked her before hurrying away.
Jessica stepped to the front of the group with both hands in her pockets.
"Sorry, Connie had to leave unexpectedly, so I'll be finishing today's tour.
Unlike her, I'm more interested in law than science. Hopefully one day you'll all become clients at my law firm."
She shrugged casually.
"Still, Midtown doesn't just excel in science. Our liberal arts programs are excellent too, and the school encourages every student to discover what they want to do in life.
Now, let's head over to the gymnasium."
The group followed Jessica across campus.
As Gwen admired the spotless buildings, beautiful gardens, and cheerful students around her, her impression of Midtown only grew stronger.
She gently tugged on her mother's hand.
"Mom... can we stay in New York? I really like this school."
Her mother smiled warmly and stroked her hair.
"But your dad has to move, and we should stay together as a family.
Still, if you truly want to study here, we'll talk with him once we get home."
Gwen nodded thoughtfully.
She wanted to attend Midtown, but she couldn't imagine leaving her father behind.
While she struggled with the decision, another family quietly walked near the back of the tour.
Dressed modestly, Uncle Ben and Aunt May held the hand of a nervous young boy.
"So, Peter," Ben asked gently, "what do you think? Do you like it here?"
Peter looked around hesitantly before lowering his voice.
"...The tuition must be expensive."
Aunt May smiled and rubbed his head.
"That's not something you need to worry about.
You just have to decide whether you like the school.
You'll be choosing a middle school before long, and every good school costs money. If we're going to make that investment, we should choose the best one possible."
Peter nodded quietly.
"I really like it."
May's smile softened.
Peter had always been considerate, worrying about the family's finances even at such a young age.
Life had never been easy.
Ben had recently lost his job after the company he worked for suffered heavy losses during one of New York's many superhuman disasters.
Money had become even tighter.
Looking at Peter's hopeful expression, May felt a pang of guilt.
She wished she could give him more.
Putting on her brightest smile, she reassured him.
"Don't worry. Your Uncle Ben will find another job soon.
Things will get better."
"I know."
Peter looked around with shining eyes.
Compared to his public elementary school in Queens, Midtown felt like another world.
The gardens were immaculate.
The sports fields stretched endlessly.
The gymnasium gleamed like a professional sports arena.
To Peter, the entire campus felt like paradise.
Could he really study somewhere like this?
Could he really become a student here?
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A series of violent explosions suddenly echoed across the sky.
The deafening blasts interrupted everyone's thoughts.
The entire campus froze.
Jessica immediately stopped speaking.
The relaxed expression on her face disappeared, replaced by both tension and an unusual trace of anticipation.
Without hesitation, she shouted to everyone.
"The explosions came from above. We don't know what's happening yet.
Please remain calm.
Midtown has emergency procedures for situations like this.
Follow me to the gymnasium. It's one of our designated emergency shelters, and more students and faculty will be gathering there shortly."
The parents immediately followed Jessica into the stadium's reinforced training area.
Midtown's emergency response proved remarkably efficient.
Because the school wasn't far from Hell's Kitchen, administrators had long prepared evacuation plans for major incidents.
Within minutes, students, teachers, and armed campus security began pouring into the gymnasium.
Security officers guarded every entrance.
Teachers distributed bottled water, food, medical supplies, and bandages to anyone injured during the evacuation.
Inside the enormous arena, fear and nervous excitement spread through the crowd.
Groups of students whispered among themselves.
"I just saw a gigantic flying ship. It has to belong to the Avengers."
"The explosions came from that thing. Missiles were exploding over Brooklyn."
"I saw three or four Iron Man suits flying toward it."
"No way."
"I'm serious. I saw them with my own eyes."
"Did anyone from the photography club get pictures?"
"I did... but they're weird."
"Mine are weird too. I uploaded them to the school forum."
"I saw them."
"They're bizarre."
"Why does one Iron Man suit have a bat symbol on its chest?"
"And that blue armor has an S inside a triangle. Is someone dressed like Superman?"
"That green suit is ugly... but it has insane firepower."
"Wait... could the bat symbol actually belong to Batman?"
"Come on. It's probably just Tony Stark fooling around with custom armor."
Photos spread rapidly across the student body.
Even Jessica pulled out her phone to look.
Nearby, Gwen, Peter, and the other visiting children eagerly leaned closer, hoping to catch a glimpse.
Unlike the children, however, the parents had more pressing concerns.
After confirming Gwen was safe, George Stacy turned to his wife.
"I'm afraid my vacation is over.
Even though my transfer has already been approved, I'm still with the NYPD, and they need every available officer."
His wife nodded anxiously.
"Please be careful."
George smiled reassuringly.
"Don't worry.
The fighting seems concentrated around that flying ship.
It's nothing like the alien invasion.
City Hall was attacked, but that's outside my responsibility.
I'll mostly be helping direct traffic near Midtown and keeping looters under control.
You two stay here. Midtown's emergency preparations are excellent."
After saying goodbye to his wife and daughter, George showed his badge to campus security and left for the nearby streets.
No one inside the gymnasium expected what would happen next.
Less than twenty minutes later, the roof exploded inward.
A massive green figure crashed straight through the ceiling.
===
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