Checks and Balances

The cold weather still could not dampen the students’ youthful enthusiasm. The campus remained filled with the heady scent of hormones.

Peter sighed again as he tossed the lockerful of love letters into the trash, finally making room for his backpack.

"Whoa, Peter, you’re not even going to look at them? If those girls found out, wouldn’t they be heartbroken?" Ned, the fat kid, stared at the pile of love letters in the trash with envy and jealousy, wishing they had all been written to him.

"They like Thor. It has nothing to do with me," Peter said coldly.

"You are Thor!" Ned found this incredibly hard to understand.

"Before I became Thor, they wouldn’t even spare me a glance. After I became Thor, they suddenly became interested in me, and the love letters started coming one after another. They don’t like me as a person at all. They only like the title of Thor." Peter put his things away and walked toward the classroom with his textbooks.

"That’s not right, Peter. The old you had nothing that could attract them. You were just a bookworm. Why would they like you? But after becoming Thor, your charm increased dramatically. It’s perfectly normal for them to be attracted to you." Ned walked backward in front of Peter, trying to talk some sense into him.

"So you’re saying that if I’m no longer Thor, they won’t pay any attention to me?"

"Uh… That may sound a little harsh, but that’s indeed the case. You can’t expect girls to like a boy who’s useless in every way."

"Was I really that bad before?" Peter asked with a frown.

"Well, you weren’t that bad. You were just a little lacking in confidence, and aside from your grades, you had no notable qualities. You weren’t physically strong, your athletic ability was average, and you always liked staying home instead of taking part in school activities."

"…" Peter was speechless.

"Of course, most ordinary people are actually like that. But you’re different now. After practicing martial arts, you’ve become a muscleman. Even without superpowers, those muscles alone would be enough to make countless girls scream. Most importantly, you’re extremely confident now. Confident men are the most attractive."

Ned reached out enviously and squeezed the muscles on Peter’s arm. "Peter, you’re not an ordinary person anymore. It’s perfectly normal for girls to like you."

"No, I’m just an ordinary person." Peter was extremely sensitive to claims that he was not ordinary now. He felt somewhat frightened and at a loss.

He was now terrified of becoming the kind of person his master had described.

Peter pushed Ned away and walked forward with a dark expression.

"Hey, Peter, you seem pretty down these past few days, and you and Gwen haven’t even spoken to each other. Did you two have a fight?" Ned asked nosily.

Peter said nothing. He kept his head down as he walked. Once he reached the classroom, he absentmindedly listened to the teacher’s lecture. Then he inadvertently realized that even while distracted, he could still remember everything the teacher said, and could even draw inferences and digest it all with ease.

"Peter, admit it. Once you set foot on the Path of the Martial God, you’ll eventually become estranged from the words ‘ordinary person,’ drifting farther and farther away from them." His master Zhan Liu’s voice echoed in Peter’s ears again, making his face turn even paler.

Peter’s mind was filled with wild thoughts. After finally enduring until the end of class, he saw the teacher come over and say, "Peter, the principal wants you to go to his office."

After thanking the teacher, Peter arrived at the principal’s office with a heavy heart and knocked before entering.

"Principal Coulson, you wanted to see me?"

Coulson warmly invited Peter to sit and personally poured him some tea.

"Peter, Sharon successfully entered the sect a few days ago. She’s now an official disciple of the Ultimate Limit Sect. From now on, she’ll be your third junior sister."

Peter froze. These past few days, he had been like an ostrich, hiding at home. He had not gone to the Martial Arts School and had paid no attention to what was happening there, so he genuinely had not known.

"Is that so? Then congratulations." He forced a smile.

Coulson pretended not to notice his expression. He continued thanking Peter enthusiastically and spoke of his great expectations for Sharon Carter’s successful entry into the sect and development of superpowers.

The more Peter listened, the more deeply he frowned. Finally, he could not help interrupting him. "Principal, do you think Sharon will still be an ordinary person after developing superpowers? Will she still obey ordinary people’s laws?"

Coulson stared at Peter in surprise and asked doubtfully, "Of course she will. Why would you have such a question?"

"Her martial arts are so powerful now that guns and cannons can’t do anything to her. She has no reason to keep acting according to the law. If she breaks the law, who will punish her?"

"Oh, so that’s what you’re worried about. There’s no need for that." Coulson smiled. "This world needs checks and balances. Where there is light, there is darkness. Where there are supervillains, there are superheroes. If Sharon becomes a supervillain, other superheroes will naturally come to punish her. For example, Thor."

"Me?" Peter was stunned. He had not expected the topic to be turned toward him. "I’m supposed to punish Sharon?"

"That’s right!" Coulson smiled. "Wouldn’t you be willing to contribute your strength to world peace?"

"It’s not that I’m unwilling. However, the sect rules explicitly prohibit members of the same sect from fighting one another. Besides, I don’t have the authority to enforce the law. If I tried to stop Sharon, wouldn’t that also be illegal?"

"The sect rules can’t be more important than the Federation’s laws, can they?" Coulson said firmly.

If Nick Fury had heard Coulson say that, he would definitely have come over and given him a vicious slap.

"As for the question of legal authority, why not join a law-enforcement agency? As long as you have authorization from a law-enforcement agency, everything you do will be legal."

Peter suddenly understood. He thought of the S.H.I.E.L.D., which had rarely made its presence felt. Perhaps he should establish closer ties with them.

Coulson continued with a smile, "Of course, the most important thing restraining a superhero’s actions is the superhero’s own morality. A superpowered person with self-discipline is a superhero. One without self-discipline will eventually fall and become a supervillain."

"Superpowers themselves have no good or evil, just like firearms. Some people carry guns to protect others, while others carry them to rob and kill. The root of the matter lies in a person’s moral values. A good person won’t kill others."

"Just like you, Peter. I firmly believe that a good kid like you won’t fall and become a supervillain. Of course, even if you did fall, other superheroes could still punish you. For example, your master, Zhan Liu." Coulson stared intently at Peter.

Hearing Coulson mention his master, Peter frowned slightly and asked hesitantly, "What if my master became a supervillain?"

Coulson furrowed his brows and pondered for a long while before sighing.

"Then there might be nothing we can do, because at this stage, there’s no one who can punish him. Perhaps Tony, you, and Sharon together might be able to exert a certain degree of restraint on him. With checks and balances, perhaps he’ll become more self-disciplined and avoid falling into a supervillain."

"Checks and balances…" Peter thoughtfully toyed with the teacup in his hand, remaining silent for a long time.

Thanks to the book friends Speedy, Yu Wuchang, and For That Untouchable Realm for the rewards!