Uncle Ben’s Death

Peter was kicked out of Director Garrett’s office, but there was nothing he could do about it. No matter how he thought about it, he knew that he was the one in the wrong this time.

No matter how much he racked his brains, he couldn’t find a way to solve the problem. S.H.I.E.L.D. had clearly accepted the false evidence provided by Hydra as genuine, yet he couldn’t find a way to disprove it.

As an ordinary high school student, his experience was simply too limited, and he had even fewer ideas for solving the problem.

He even felt the urge to just join Hydra. Surely, its people would tell him exactly what was wrong with the evidence. Or, if all else failed, he could do as his master had said, charge in and beat everyone senseless, solving the problem in the way he was best at.

Fortunately, reason restrained his impulse, and he avoided making a terrible mistake.

With a mournful look on his face, he returned to S.H.I.E.L.D.’s detention room to visit Uncle Ben and Aunt May.

After hearing Peter’s explanation, Uncle Ben seemed to have aged several decades. His waist bent, and his back hunched.

"So that means May and I have been identified as Hydra members, and there’s no way to change that?"

"No, Uncle. As long as I can find a way to prove that this is false evidence, I can clear your names." Peter hurriedly explained.

"Then, Peter, do you have any way to do that?" Uncle Ben looked up at him, his eyes filled with hope.

All this time, Uncle Ben had cared for Peter as an elder. This was the first time he had placed his hopes in Peter. If they had been at home instead of in the detention room, Peter would have been very happy. But now, all he felt was wave after wave of heartache.

"I… I don’t have any way either. But…" Peter hesitated for a while before lowering his voice. "Hydra contacted me in secret. As long as I’m willing to join them…"

"No!" Uncle Ben immediately interrupted him in a stern voice. "I’d rather bear the stigma and be sent to prison than see you go astray!"

Peter protested, "But… but you’re obviously not a Hydra member, yet S.H.I.E.L.D. refuses to distinguish right from wrong…"

"Peter, this world doesn’t revolve around anyone, nor can everything always operate according to the proper rules. No one can have smooth sailing forever. There are countless innocent people wrongfully imprisoned…"

Uncle Ben took a breath and continued sadly:

"That is precisely why systems for criminals to appeal were established, why state compensation exists, and why so many people support abolishing the death penalty. Once a person dies, everything is over. Even if an appeal succeeds later, there is no way to make amends."

"This world isn’t perfect. Injustice may befall anyone. Why should I be the exception?"

"But no matter what this world does to you, you mustn’t give up on yourself. You have to be able to answer to yourself, and you must take responsibility for your own life. If you think this world isn’t good enough, then find a way to make it better instead of joining it in its corruption!"

Peter’s face flushed red as he lowered his head and apologized. "I’m sorry, Uncle. I shouldn’t have said that. I was just too worried about you."

"I understand how you feel, but you’re still young. This is the time when your values are being shaped. You absolutely mustn’t take a wrong step, or you may spend the rest of your life regretting it."

"Peter, you must remember that this world contains many dark places, but there is far more truth, goodness, and beauty. You can’t let the darkness blind you."

After leaving the detention room, Peter’s spirits finally recovered. He was absolutely certain that Uncle Ben was not a Hydra member. He decided to continue investigating, starting with the false evidence.

He went to Director Garrett again, hoping to examine the evidence, but Director Garrett was clearly still angry with him and refused to see him. However, Peter had made a few acquaintances in S.H.I.E.L.D., so through certain means, he still obtained what he wanted.

He didn’t know how to distinguish the physical evidence, so he set it aside for the time being and focused on the witnesses. He then discovered that one witness’s name had not been listed, yet the decisive evidence that had ultimately convicted Uncle Ben and Aunt May had come from that person. His instincts told him that this witness was the key to breaking through the case.

He tried to get his friends to find the witness’s name and address, but this person had clearly also been placed in the Witness Protection Program. All the information was confidential, and only Director Garrett had the authority to access it.

With no other choice, Peter could only investigate the other witnesses first. As for the identity of the final witness, he could wait a few days until Director Garrett had calmed down before going to see him.

Peter went to several different places and visited all the witnesses, but unfortunately, every one of them insisted that Ben Parker was a Hydra member.

Peter knew perfectly well that they were lying, but he couldn’t see through them. Moreover, although their statements differed, they fit together perfectly when cross-referenced, allowing the intelligence agents to piece together exactly the result they wanted.

After a busy day, he had accomplished absolutely nothing.

Peter called Gwen partway through the day, but she hung up on him. He had no choice but to return home and hastily make himself something to eat.

That night, Thomas called again.

"Hey, Peter, I keep my word, don’t I? Whoever I say is a Hydra member is a Hydra member, and those idiots at S.H.I.E.L.D. can’t tell the difference."

Thomas’s voice was filled with smug satisfaction. The fruit was almost ripe, and he had come to harvest it.

"Your uncle and aunt aren’t young anymore. Once they go to prison, they might not have a chance to come out alive. And the only way to save them is in your hands. So? Have you changed your mind?"

Peter snorted coldly and shouted into the phone, "Keep dreaming! I’ll never join Hydra in this lifetime!" He immediately hung up.

On the other end, Thomas stared at the disconnected phone in stunned disbelief.

Hadn’t the experts at Snake S.H.I.E.L.D. said that Peter’s trust in S.H.I.E.L.D. had already begun to waver? It certainly didn’t sound that way!

He hurriedly called his superiors to report the situation. After Snake S.H.I.E.L.D. carefully reviewed the surveillance footage, they discovered the changes in Peter’s mental state before and after his meeting with Ben Parker.

"Looks like Ben Parker has too much influence over Peter. In that case, Ben Parker can’t be allowed to live. Get rid of him!"

Early the next morning, Peter was awakened by the shrill ringing of the phone. As soon as he answered, someone on the other end coldly told him, "Last night, Ben Parker committed suicide in the detention room."

Peter felt as if he had been struck by thunder. The words left him completely stunned, and it took him a long while to react. When he tried to ask more questions, he discovered that the other person had already hung up.

He hurriedly got dressed and rushed to S.H.I.E.L.D. When he arrived, he saw Uncle Ben’s body, already cold, along with a white shirt lying beside it. Written across it in blood were the words: "I am not Hydra."

The S.H.I.E.L.D. official in charge at the scene handed him a tablet. It displayed the detention room’s surveillance footage. Peter watched with his own eyes as Uncle Ben climbed out of bed, picked up the white shirt, bit his finger, wrote the bloody message on it, and then hanged himself. According to the timestamp, it had happened at 2:47 a.m. the previous night.

"The evidence is conclusive. It was a straightforward suicide, so there’s no need for an autopsy or a deeper investigation. He was proving his innocence with his death. Of course, it could also have been a suicide out of guilt."

Peter wanted to argue, but he didn’t know where to begin!

He wanted to curse someone, but he didn’t know whom to curse!

He wanted to vent, smash things, and kill… yet his reason stubbornly refused to let him!