The Detective Club's enrollment process was exactly as Jessica described—besides filling out basic information, one also had to solve a meticulously designed logic puzzle. The puzzle was astonishingly rich in detail, professional enough to be published as a detective novel.
For example, the logic puzzle Peter encountered, without going into specific case details, broadly described a victim whose stomach was burned through, with the method being the replacement of drug capsule granules with metallic sodium. Setting aside feasibility—just the sheer imagination of it would be enough to drive an ordinary high school student crazy. One couldn't arrive at the answer without using the process of elimination.
"I'm done."
"Congratulations, Peter Parker. You're officially a member of the Detective Club." Jessica smiled and pulled a cardboard box from under the table. "This is a membership souvenir—a deerstalker hat from 221B Baker Street."
The box was stacked with at least twenty hats, dust motes dancing in the sunlight. Peter picked one up and glanced at the tag.
"Made in... Oh!"
"Believe me, even if you actually bought one from Baker Street, the tag would still say that."
Peter actually had a genuine 221B Baker Street deerstalker hat that Gwen had brought back from London, and its tag indeed said it was made in the UK. But he decided not to embarrass his senior.
Amadeus followed closely, completing the puzzle and receiving a similar "souvenir." Harry, meanwhile, was still deep in thought, until ten minutes later he suddenly slapped the table:
"I got it! The murderer used—"
"Shh!" Jessica put a finger to her lips. "Answers must be written down; no spoilers."
Harry sheepishly handed in his answer sheet. Jessica read it and nodded in satisfaction: "This year's new members are really good; all three of you got perfect scores—usually, we only require a passing grade to join."
"Are there few people in our club? It feels empty."
"Not too few, but there are over twenty members. It's mainly that when there are no activities, only the on-duty member is here—usually me. We do take on some requests, like a student's lost item, or someone suspecting their boyfriend or girlfriend is cheating and needing evidence... these requests don't count for academic credit."
Only the Detective Club's official activities undoubtedly counted for academic credit.
So Amadeus asked the question.
"So, what kind of activities does the Detective Club usually have?"
Jessica chuckled, picked up a remote control from the table, and lowered the screen. The projector displayed a pre-made PowerPoint presentation with a striking bold heading.
[Ultimate Challenge: Discovering Spider-Man's True Identity!]
"What?!"
"Surprised, aren't you?"
Misinterpreting Peter's startled reaction, Jessica naturally explained, "Almost all superheroes have revealed their identities, only Spider-Man is an exception. So, finding Spider-Man's true identity, isn't that the most challenging puzzle the Detective Club should solve? I know it's difficult, but this is what we're going to do!"
Peter began to doubt the wisdom of joining the Detective Club. He gawked at everything, momentarily at a loss for words.
Harry, however, reacted quickly: "Doesn't that mean Spider-Man doesn't intend for his identity to be revealed? If so, he'll definitely protect his secret identity."
"And detectives seek the truth."
"Wait, won't this infringe on his privacy?"
Although he felt he had hidden his identity well, Peter still decided he should say something. Jessica hesitated when she heard this, then came to a conclusion.
"That's true, but we can't exactly get Spider-Man to come here and stop us, can we?"
Peter's vision went black for a moment as he leaned back, then he sat upright, took a deep breath, and tried to analyze rationally.
"Okay, even if we investigate, what clues do we have? He swings around in the sky; there are no weaknesses to catch."
But to this question, Jessica simply smiled.
"Indeed, generally, it's hard to get such clues. Currently, the only footage of Spider-Man available on social media is from dealing with a few robbers earlier. It's very short, and hardly reveals anything."
"But—!"
Jessica raised her voice, then pressed the remote control again: "I have exclusive material here, and it should be the earliest known footage of Spider-Man's activity."
At that, Peter Parker raised his hand.
"May I ask where you got it?"
"I filmed it myself. My home is in Manhattan, and it was affected by the alien invasion. Spider-Man saved me." Jessica said, tucking her hair behind her ear a bit shyly. "Personally, I wanted to find him and thank him. The school was also very interested in this activity, and the student council approved it as soon as I suggested it!"
Spider-Man has already received your thanks, senior. Please don't violate Spider-Man's privacy.
Peter suppressed a grimace as he watched Jessica click on the video. The video began outside the window of an apartment in Midtown Manhattan. A giant portal tore open in the sky, and Chitauri forces poured out like locusts. The camera shook violently, and Jessica's voice could be heard:
"What is that? Aliens?!"
In the footage, only the afterimage of Iron Man rushing towards the enemy could be seen, followed by explosions blossoming in the air. Peter tried to recall what he did during the Battle of New York, but couldn't remember, so he sighed and spread his hands.
"So, an entire alien army descends from the sky, shooting everywhere, and what you do, senior, is pull out your phone and start recording?"
Good thing it's only 2012. If it were 2020, Jessica would probably be livestreaming.
Jessica just offered an awkward smile.
"There's no Spider-Man here, so let's fast-forward this part."
The video fast-forwarded a few minutes. A colossal Chitauri leviathan emerged from the portal, and Chitauri soldiers, spewing from it, burst into building after building, accurately plowing through Jessica's home window. Peter didn't know how Jessica, who was filming the video, managed to dodge them, but her phone flew out and landed perfectly by the wall, the camera still able to record inside the room.
And Jessica? Oh, the Jessica in the video was already unconscious on the floor; the aliens didn't even need to fire.
A Chitauri soldier aimed its weapon at the unconscious Jessica, preparing to fire. In the nick of time, a red and blue blur flashed into frame, kicking the enemy off-screen, then also rushing out of frame. A few seconds later, the Chitauri soldier was flung out the window, plummeting from high above.
"He was there, right there, when I was injured by the blast and lost consciousness."
Jessica's eyes lit up, immersed in the footage, completely oblivious to Peter's slightly strained expression. The Spider-Man in the video saw Jessica lying on the ground, picked her up, and laid her flat. He then spread his hands, seemingly at a loss, but quickly began standard CPR.
Peter couldn't say if he remembered it or not; that day had been too exhausting. But he quickly offered his insight before anyone else.
"Spider-Man has basic medical knowledge; his CPR technique is very standard."
"But it's clumsy, as if he only knows the basics," Harry said, surprisingly knowledgeable about CPR. "Definitely not a medical professional. Oh, wait, he's bandaging the senior's head. Why isn't he using his webs?"
"That's probably because it's inconvenient. Look, he has a wrist device, meaning Spider-Man uses a mechanical device to shoot webs."
Harry heard Amadeus's explanation and was immediately incredulous: "Wait, Spider-Man can't naturally produce webs? I thought his webs came from his veins."
Peter sighed helplessly.
"Humans don't have silk-producing organs, Harry. If he produced webs like a spider, they should come from his abdomen."
Perhaps because of the CPR, Jessica unconsciously coughed twice. Spider-Man then put one arm around Jessica, wrapped her and himself in webs, and leapt out the window.
Amadeus shook his head in disbelief.
"He just... held you like that, and jumped from... how high?"
"Thirty-three stories. He took me to a safe place and left me there, away from the dangerous battlefield."
"Carrying a person, from thirty-three stories high, and considering acceleration, Spider-Man's strength surpasses Captain America's," Amadeus sighed. "It's ridiculous."
"Alright, we're not here to marvel at superhero strength. Has anyone found any relevant clues?"
"His shoes. Even though Spider-Man is wearing a costume, his shoes are red sneakers. I have an identical pair."
Peter proactively shared this clue that Gwen had discovered, but he had made himself shoe covers and had already used them today, so this was now an outdated clue.
A few more scattered observations were made, ultimately leading to the same conclusion as Jessica's earlier: no definitive results.
And it wasn't until they finished their first day of Detective Club activities that, as they were leaving, Harry suddenly turned back: "By the way, senior, what's your full name?"
"Jessica Miriam Drew," she said, waving with a smile. "But just call me Jessica."
Peter, who was drinking water, nearly spat it out. Others might not know what that name signified, but he certainly did.
The original Spider-Woman, Jessica Drew.
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