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Chapter 63: The Art of Making Friends - Little Spiders Skill

In a small coffee shop adjacent to Store Street in the downtown area, Gwen sat across from Peter, slowly stirring her coffee with a spoon. She asked, "Have you already received your internship driving license? Does that mean we can soon take my dad's car to the beach?"

Peter replied, "My uncle doesn't have much time. He recently had a shadow in his lungs detected during a hospital visit. Fortunately, it's just a minor inflammation. You know, he used to smoke cigarettes when he was young..."

Gwen nodded sympathetically, saying, "Of course, it seems like everyone from their generation was like that. Whenever my dad's coat smelled like cigarettes, my mom would argue with him."

Peter shrugged and continued, "Even though I have the internship driving license, my uncle doesn't have time, and I can't drive alone. I haven't even driven a car yet."

"I'm not really confident in my driving skills either. The internship driving license only requires a written test. Right now, I can barely start a car, let alone drive it," Peter added, shaking his head.

"I don't even know when I'll be able to pass the road test. I haven't had many opportunities to ride in a car, let alone drive one."

The Parker household only had an old pickup truck that Peter's uncle used for commuting to work. When Peter interned at Stark Company, he used his spider web to swing between high-rise buildings.

In the U.S., at Peter's age, most people only obtained an internship driving license, which required passing a written test. To drive alone on the road, one needed to pass a road test. Peter had barely touched a car, and no matter how much of a genius he was, he couldn't magically acquire driving skills. Passing the road test seemed like a distant dream.

Sensing Peter's disappointment, Gwen changed the subject, asking, "I heard Stark Industries offered you a substantial internship stipend. Are they considering hiring you for their group in the future?"

Peter replied, "Yes, although I told my uncle and aunt that they would be responsible for my future college tuition, it seems they are frightened by the high cost of some good universities. They want to save all their money in case of any unexpected situations."

"Well, sometimes I think they're being overly cautious, but when certain disasters really strike, I realize their worries aren't unfounded," Gwen remarked. Her kindness and understanding always made Peter feel like he didn't quite measure up to her.

"If your uncle can't accompany you for driving practice, does he have any friends, or do you have other available relatives?" Gwen inquired.

Peter pondered for a moment before replying, "You've reminded me, I do have a few options..."

The next day, in the living room of the Psychological Clinic, Peter explained, "So, the situation is that I need to get some hands-on experience with a car before I can pass the road test."

Schiller paused for a moment, thinking it didn't sound like a big deal. With Peter's genius level, he could probably learn everything in no time if he took a quick drive together.

He said, "No problem, I'd be happy to help. I'll drive first, and you can observe. Then, you can take the wheel yourself. It won't take the whole afternoon; you'll learn everything."

After a few dozen minutes, Schiller was behind the wheel, flipping open a small handbook he'd found from somewhere. While adjusting the steering wheel, he read aloud, "Let me see, it's about turning and merging... Oh, here it is! Wait, this rule seems quite bizarre, doesn't it?"

Pikachu and Peter sat in the passenger seats, exchanging surprised glances. Pikachu commented, "I guess he never read the 'New York Driver's Handbook' before taking his driving license test."

"Well, that's pretty obvious," Peter replied.

"Why don't you think about how he managed to pass the driving test?" Pikachu asked.

Peter stared ahead stiffly and replied, "As long as I don't think about that, I'll feel temporarily safe."

A few minutes later, Peter and Schiller were standing by the car, shivering in the cold wind of early winter in New York.

Schiller held his phone and said, "Hello? Is this the insurance company? Yes... I've sent you the location details... Oh, it's not severe, just a scrape on the side of the vehicle..."

He then covered the phone and loudly scolded the owner of a white Audi parked nearby, "Shut up!! It's all your fault! Haven't you ever read the 'New York Driver's Handbook'? I was going straight, and you can't..."

Twenty minutes later, a flashy red supercar pulled up beside the accident scene. Stark, wearing sunglasses, waved to Peter and said, "Let's go! Your Uncle Tony will take you to experience the scenic New York coastline!"

He added with a mocking tone, "You should have come to me in the first place. Look at this 'doctor.' Does he look like a real race car driver? I bet he's never driven a car at 100 miles per hour in his life..."

Peter glanced back at Schiller, who was still on the phone with the insurance company, and then he climbed into Stark's sports car.

Not long after, Pikachu tightly covered his ears in the howling wind and yelled at Peter, "Why!!!! Racing!!!! Without a roof up?!!!"

Peter shouted back, "How was I supposed to know?!"

Stark joined in, shouting, "This is called 'Fast & Furious'! Got it?!"

A few minutes later, the sports car came to a stop by the side of the road. Stark somehow produced a small booklet from somewhere and muttered as he read, "Damn... How do you close the convertible roof? I've hardly ever driven manually myself... No, no, no, JARVIS, I don't need your help..."

"Let me see... Ah, here it is! What? Vehicle intelligent management system??? Why is it always so darn intelligent? Can't I just drive manually? Is there no button or something for that?"

Twenty minutes later, Steve picked up Peter on the roadside, whose hair was a tangled mess due to the wind. Pikachu was desperately trying to detangle the hair blown into knots on its body. Peter said, "I should never have believed your nonsense about going for a joyride! I'm just a mouse; I don't need to learn how to drive. Why did I come with you, anyway?"

Peter consoled him, saying, "No relationship, Captain America would definitely not be as unreliable as they are!"

Indeed, Steve arrived in an unremarkable black Cadillac. Once Peter got in, Steve started the car smoothly, at least without pulling out a small booklet to read while driving. Peter breathed a sigh of relief.

However, his relief didn't last long. Steve's speed kept increasing, he didn't slow down on turns, and every drift left black tire marks on the ground. Peter was forcefully slammed into the opposite side of the car door with each turn, and Pikachu, nestled in his arms, almost flew out of the car window.

Then, as they approached a speed bump, Steve showed no intention of slowing down. In the horrified gaze of Peter and Pikachu, the car plowed straight over it. When the car's front wheels hit the speed bump, it jolted violently, lifting the entire front of the car.

Steve paid no attention, and the car almost flew over the speed bump. Peter was thrown from his seat, hitting his head on the roof, and when he came down, his waist was bumped by the seat. He cried out in pain, "Oh!!! My back!!"

By this time, Pikachu had been thrown onto the windshield.

Still, Steve drove on obliviously. Seeing Peter's sorry state, he chuckled and said, "The suspension system of this car is already very advanced. Back in the day when I drove in combat, my legs and arms would be covered in bruises after just 20 kilometers..."

"Learning to drive always involves this process, doesn't it? Speed bumps on the road are much better than spiked traps and anti-ram roadblocks on the battlefield, right?"

Twenty minutes later, Coulson arrived in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s specialized car to pick up Steve and Peter. Steve complained, "I take back what I said about this car earlier. Its quality is too poor; why did it stall?"

Coulson said, "Captain, even if you're Captain America, you can't drive without a license on the main road in New York and overspeed..."

"Damn driving without a license, how could I not have a driving license?!"

"Driving licenses before 1940 don't count."

Steve pursed his lips and said, "Fine, but at least I wasn't speeding."

"Traffic regulations before 1940 don't count either."

Pikachu sat in Peter's lap, looking utterly defeated, and said, "You sure know how to make friends."

Peter, equally disheartened, replied, "I thought there would be at least one reliable one."

"That was just wishful thinking."

Coulson turned his head and asked, "So, were you planning to get a driving license? Why didn't you give us a call? S.H.I.E.L.D. can issue you an official driving license directly, bypassing the Department of Motor Vehicles. We still have that authority."

Peter said, "If you had told me that before today, I would have been thrilled to have you immediately print me an official driving license."

"But now I've learned my lesson. I'll practice on my own, memorize the driver's manual and vehicle instructions book before hitting the road, and update my driving license information regularly every year."

Coulson seemed quite surprised and looked at Peter with appreciation. "Young people like you, who uphold principles and don't seek privileges, are rare."

Peter, exhausted, said, "That's probably because I'm just too good at making friends."