Chapter 294: The Deeper Reason
Discrimination would always exist. Unless Reid used telepathy to control every mind, not even he could erase it completely.
In America, where racism was prevalent, prejudice was even worse.
Even under Reid’s influence, when superpowers were no longer seen as hidden threats or watched with suspicion, the truth remained: as long as someone was different, rejection was inevitable.
For Peter, this was even more obvious.
Through LexCorp shares, he had wealth, and the Parker family lived in comfort. But that money didn’t come from the effort of any family member. It came from a cold stock transfer agreement.
In the comics, Harry had been a rich heir. That identity gave him popularity at school, because Norman was indeed Oscorp’s chairman and the mayor of New York. His power and position were enough to silence unfriendly looks.
But Peter was different. He was wealthy, yet he lacked the ability to suppress malicious intent.
Although Richard, before his disappearance, had used his influence within LexCorp to arrange good jobs for Benjamin and May, the truth was that the shares Peter owned were an inheritance left behind by his father. They weren’t truly his.
"Uh..."
Richard was not a psychologist, but he was smart enough to know Luthor was not wrong.
If it were just about wealth, Benjamin and May could still manage. But when that fortune was paired with rare, one-of-a-kind powers, Peter being rejected was almost certain.
"Mr. Luthor, you..."
"I know what you want to say. But Richard, I won’t stand as your son’s protector. I trust you don’t want me to show any open expectation for him either."
Richard fell silent. Luthor was right. The greatest protection he could give Peter was to do nothing, that way the dangerous eyes would turn elsewhere.
At the same time, Richard knew he had to work hard himself. Only if he crushed Hydra and left them no room to breathe would his son be truly safe.
He left the office with his wife. Not long after, the director who had been waiting outside found that Luthor still hadn’t come out. He pushed the door open.
Inside, the man was gone. He had slipped away unnoticed.
After confirming Peter would become Spider-Man instead of some strange monster, there was no need for him to stay.
"He left? What really happened here... no, no, don’t dwell on what doesn’t matter. Just do your job, focus on your work... that’s all that matters."
* * *
Richard and Mary stepped out of the hospital and were immediately met by Steve and Bucky, both dressed in civilian clothes to keep their identities hidden.
"Looks like you made it out safely."
The two nodded as Steve replied, "Yes. We didn’t leave too many traces. With Stark Industries covering for us and Vought unwilling to push for an investigation, avoiding pursuit was easier than expected."
They both understood that while their mission was described as covert, plenty of people already knew about it. Luthor and Reid from LexCorp, Vought’s executives, even Fury, the president of the Hero Association. All of them secretly made things easier.
The reason was simple. They wanted Steve and Bucky to focus their strength entirely on Hydra, not get bogged down dealing with society’s smaller issues.
No one said anything further. All of this had been expected. The only surprise was the appearance of the two mysterious fighters with unusual methods.
Still, whether to investigate them remained uncertain. The chances of them being connected to Hydra were slim.
* * *
On the way back to Los Angeles, Steve suddenly raised a question.
"Why is it that Luthor and Reid both see Hydra as an enemy, yet they don’t just use their power to wipe it out completely?"
Richard let out a quiet sigh. That same question had crossed his mind at the start, but now he already knew the answer.
"Do you want the surface answer, or the deeper one?"
Steve raised a brow. He hadn’t expected there to be two.
"What’s the surface reason?"
"The surface reason is what Reid once told Tony. His telepathy comes purely from himself. Even if he can read minds and find Hydra members instantly, how does he prove to others that what he says is true? Telepathy isn’t something everyone has. If only one person can see into others’ thoughts, how could anyone else be convinced?"
Steve frowned. It was a strong point. Self-verification was impossible. Every word that came from Reid’s mouth would naturally face doubt. Once doubt existed, proof could never be settled.
But after everything he had learned about LexCorp, about Luthor and Reid’s rise and story, he didn’t think such concerns could shake their resolve.
They genuinely sought to rule over mankind, not condemn it to hell. That didn’t mean, however, that the two who stood nearly at the peak of humanity would really care about what ordinary people thought.
If they truly wanted to act, then even if the world refused to believe, what would it matter? They had more than enough ways to make the majority accept their words as truth.
"So then, the deeper reason is this," Richard continued. "The age of heroes, with LexCorp at its head, still isn’t stable. Hydra is needed as a great villain, constantly stirring up crises..."
Silence followed. A tense, suffocating silence. Then Steve exploded.
"How can they think like that? Don’t they know that every day Hydra continues to exist, more lives are ruined? People join that organization, get threatened by them, get dragged into their schemes. Every secret clash can destroy a family."
His anger was sharp because he understood Richard’s meaning.
LexCorp kept Hydra alive so that the flood of rising heroes would have enemies to fight. To ensure the hero era would continue, they spared the organization, handing the responsibility of destroying it to insignificant people like him and Bucky.
"But if Reid really stepped in," Richard said, his voice calm, "and used his telepathy to find every Hydra agent, wiping them out in one move... would you be able to accept that?"
Those words once again made Steve feel the imperfections of this world. And he was also forced to accept Reid’s approach.
If no matter what they did it would never please everyone, then why not act in the way most advantageous to themselves?
"So how much longer will Hydra be allowed to run free?"
A heavy sense of helplessness weighed down on him. He realized that in this era, everything seemed to be under LexCorp’s control. Even he, after learning the truth, could not help but feel his motivation slipping.
If LexCorp had already arranged the outcome, then what meaning did their struggle have?
"Don’t get the wrong idea, Steve." Richard gave him a faint smile. "You shouldn’t be so pessimistic. Mr. Luthor may place everything into his grand plan, but that doesn’t mean he intends to control every step. What we do may not alter LexCorp’s future, but it can at least change our own. Mr. Luthor believes in strength above all else. He won’t let people lose the drive to keep fighting."
He pointed at himself. "Take me for example. Even if I know LexCorp deliberately left Hydra a way out, so what? If it means getting back to Peter sooner, I’ll still use every means I can to wipe Hydra off the map."
**
**
**
Thank you for reading! If you’d like access to extra Chapters and want to support my work, you can visit my P@treon:
P@treon/SilverShark769
Vote with Power Stones for Bonus Chapters!
Your support means a lot, thank you!