"Then why not let Max participate as well?" Andrew tried to make one last desperate struggle, his tone carrying a hint of weakness.
It wasn't that Finn hadn't thought about it, but—
He can discharge electricity.. You know we have a massive pool, right?
Water conducts electricity. If Max gets in the water, we might all be toast.
Visualizing that scene of electric sparks flying and everyone being electrocuted instantly, Andrew fell silent immediately.
That Hamster doesn't even need to rise, humans don't even need to resist; they could directly stage a drama where the Hamsters and humans perish together.
When the drawing ceremony for the live broadcast and recording took place, Andrew's luck was "explosive," and he directly drew [Number 1].
—This is too ridiculous!
Andrew, dazed as if he had foreseen the end of the world: "!!"
Andrew had originally thought that even if he participated, he would just be a bystander, someone who glides through the crowd like a passing human. But the first contestant to appear was destined to become the center of attention, which, for someone with social anxiety like him, was nothing short of public execution.
I'll trade with you." Andrew hurriedly approached Peter with trembling hands, "Peter, I'll trade with you.
—Please, Spider-Man! Sacrifice yourself for the sake of others and save me!
Neither you nor the hamster, Andrew was eager to give the opportunity to be the first Spider-Man to Peter Parker.
"I don't mind.." Peter didn't really care; it was fine if he went first.
No way! Andrew, this is a live stream." As the host, Steve Montgomery immediately jumped in to stop him, a suppressed smile hidden behind his serious expression. "The first person from the Human Resisters camp has already been born, your identity is crucial. Exchanging number tags in private is cheating; you can't act so recklessly. Be serious, Andrew! You are now the number one seed for our Human Resisters, you must lead everyone to resist the rule of the Hamster Legion!
Andrew: ".." My social anxiety is killing me!
"I suspect there's some foul play here." Staring at Steve Montgomery's expression as he struggled to suppress a laugh, Andrew felt as though he had been pre-selected.
After the highly anticipated Halloween Party, although Finn's departure to inherit the family business caused Montgomery, as the party planner, to suddenly lose his "career," immediately following that, Montgomery and the group of active high schoolers behind him were seamlessly poached by Anthony into the Rat Rise project, becoming volunteers for the production team.
—To put it bluntly, they are the traitors of humanity and the loyal worshippers of hamsters.
These volunteers had also received the exclusive custom-made collector's edition Hamster Gift Pack specially prepared by Anthony. Naturally, this group of bribed young volunteers was enjoying themselves, eager to shine as brightly as possible for the Hamsters in the show.
The exceptionally capable Steve Montgomery was, naturally, a top general among this group of followers.
He also became the host of Rat Rise.
What backroom deal? I swear there was none; this is the number you drew yourself." Steve Montgomery teased with a laugh. "This is number one! Don't you think you're incredibly lucky? Don't you? If you just went out for a stroll any evening, you could be scouted by Young Master Finn to become his secretary. You've always been very lucky.
".." Andrew always felt that his luck and misfortune had always arrived together, bound as one.
But there was no other way; Andrew had already become Human Resister No. 1, so he could only bite the bullet and press on.
"Humans never give up!" Steve Montgomery shouted in unison with Andrew.
Andrew: ".." I don't care whether humanity wins or loses.
Honestly, Andrew even felt that facing an Alien head-on would be much easier than going through the challenge right now under the gaze of the live stream camera and the focus of the entire audience.
The first theme was "Star Trek." The setting was that they, a group of humans, were the first batch of humans captured by the Hamsters, held captive directly on a starship and about to be sent to the Hamster home planet as commodities; they had to prepare to escape and find a spacecraft to return to Earth.
As the first one to take the stage, Andrew was already like a man who had lost his soul, charging blindly onto this.. escape route.
His reluctant appearance made him look nothing like a human who wanted to resist, but rather like cannon fodder forced to scout the way.
Then, halfway through, he was spun around until he was dizzy on the Hamster Maze Wheel, with a slip of his feet, he fell straight off the high platform.
After finally crawling out of the pool soaking wet, the volunteers playing Hamster Guards immediately stepped forward, wrapped him in towels, "escorted" him to the "Human Cell," while simultaneously receiving the "warm nourishment" of the hamsters.
Andrew, who won the title of the first prisoner of this program: ".."
Finn was the 45th to take the stage. His athletic ability was quite good, he had successfully cleared more than half of the obstacles. Everyone at the scene was cheering for Young Master Osborn, who had left his massive family estate specifically to participate in the challenge. However, unexpectedly, just as he was about to reach the finish line, Finn unfortunately missed his footing at the final obstacle and fell into the pool.
Not here! I was almost there!" Finn looked at the exit that was so close and felt extremely frustrated. He turned and shouted to Anthony, who was smiling while hosting by the shore, "Anthony, I want to exercise my rights as a Hamster Partner! I want to respawn on the spot!
Finn felt that he had put so much time and effort into this show, all the hamsters could be said to be his life's work.
Even Pippin, the ruler of the Hamster home planet, was played by him, he had been hopping around for so long.
—Surely he wouldn't be denied even a single "Resurrection on the Spot" cheat?
Finn's friends around him also joined in the commotion, laughing and echoing the request for Hamster Royalty to grant a special privilege.
No, everyone is equal before the rules," Anthony said with a laugh, waving his hand. "Get up quickly, don't obstruct other humans from escaping to safety. Besides, don't you have a dedicated Hamster Partner office? If Hamster Royalty gives you special treatment, you can go squat in your office for a while, then you'll be escorted to your cell later.
In the end, Peter jumped into the pool with a smile and fished up the discontented Finn.
So close!" Finn also didn't expect that he would be eliminated in the very first stage, "I'm so frustrated.
"Yeah, just a bit off." Peter smiled as he firmly gripped Finn's waist and helped him sit down on the shore.
As expected, as the 56th Human Resister to appear, Peter Parker successfully completed the challenge with his agile and lithe movements. Although Peter did not fall into the water, he was also soaked to the bone from pulling Finn out of the pool earlier. Since he also had to prepare to take the stage afterward, he did not have time to change.
Finn waited specifically until Peter finished the challenge before pulling him to the Hamster Partner's office to change into clean clothes.
"You're amazing!" Finn said, his eyes full of admiration. Although he knew Peter was Spider-Man and that this level of challenge was nothing to the little Spider-Man, he still couldn't help but admire him sincerely after seeing Peter move flexibly through the various stages with his own eyes.
Hurry up and change out of those wet clothes," Peter urged, "You've been wet for so long.
Peter was still taking off his wet clothes, but out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Finn's gaze was fixed on him, unmoving.
"What's wrong?" Peter asked in confusion.
"Your muscles are truly amazing." Finn's gaze was direct and burning as it fell upon Peter's arms and waist.
Peter's cheeks suddenly flushed red, the tips of his ears burned as well.
"You actually have abs! But I have nothing!" Finn's voice was full of envy as he lifted the hem of his shirt, revealing his fair and flat abdomen.
Peter didn't dare to look at all, hurriedly putting on the clothes he had prepared.
"Can I touch it?" Finn's eyes were sparkling, wanting to reach out and feel what human abs were like.
—Help!
Peter's face turned completely red, the flush spreading from his cheeks to his neck, even his breathing became erratic.
His heart was pounding so hard it felt as if it would burst from his chest.
—This isn't quite right, is it?
But, as long as he met those expectant green eyes of Finn's, Peter found it impossible to refuse.
Sure." Peter said first, his voice trembling with composure, "I.. I exercise regularly.
Finn immediately reached out cautiously, his fingertips lightly brushing against Peter's firm waist and abdomen.
Beneath the warm skin were firm muscles, the sensation clear and real.
[Spider-Man's abs! I actually touched them!]
System PP: [..] Why don't you take a look at Spider-Man? He's about to catch fire.
Just then, there was a knock at the door; it was Noah Hart.
Although Noah Hart did not participate as a challenger, he is one of the largest sponsors of the [Human Resisters] in this show—
The outfits for the Human Resisters were all designed and provided by Noah himself.
He ignored Anthony's request and didn't place a single hamster on it, as it did not suit his aesthetic.
All the clothes provided were clearly printed with the words [METAL HUMAN], both showcasing the unyielding, steel-like spirit of human resistance and flaunting the presence of the [METAL] brand.
"What are you doing?" Noah pushed the door open and walked in, immediately seeing Peter, who was blushing and flustered, Finn, who was leaning in close to him.
I'm feeling Peter's abs," Finn answered candidly. This time, he could tell Peter was being shy. "What's wrong with that? He's even being shy with me.
Peter had already buried his flushed and burning face in the soaked clothes he had taken off earlier.
Noah looked at Finn's matter-of-fact expression, his mouth twitching slightly, sighed silently in his heart:
[This kid keeps flirting so relentlessly, flirting without knowing it, his hands are far too heavy.]
Stop messing around and hurry up and change your clothes." Noah stepped forward and reached out to help Finn change, "Anthony is still looking for you.
"Oh, what does Anthony want with me?" Finn's movements also became more efficient.
Noah: "What for? To send you back to your cell, of course."
Finn: ".. Fine."
Only after Finn's footsteps faded outside the door did Peter finally breathe a sigh of relief.
"When do you plan to confess your feelings to Finn?" Noah suddenly asked.
Peter's breath hitched again, his entire body stiffening as he turned to look at Noah in shock.
Is it that hard to tell?" Noah sneered, crossing his arms as he looked at him. "It's not like I'm those Osborn brothers who don't even have a romance plugin installed; my eyes aren't blind. Only that heartless Finn wouldn't be able to see through your little scheme.
Noah had been waiting to see when Peter would finally confess his feelings to Finn, but in the end.. there had been no action at all.
"It's been so long, you aren't still planning on waiting for Finn to catch on, are you?" Noah asked.
You could say Finn and Peter aren't a young couple, yet sometimes they are far too ambiguous.
Noah had been waiting and watching the situation unfold. It wasn't that Noah had high hopes for Peter or wanted him to start dating Finn immediately. It was just that these two had been flirting back and forth in front of him, yet they never actually started dating, which made Noah feel quite impatient.
Moreover, for Finn Osborn, perhaps having a small boyfriend with a compatible personality and sufficiently stable emotions wouldn't be a bad thing. At least, Noah Hart also felt that his condition had become much more stable after he started dating Elias.
"Regardless of whether Finn can accept it, you know that if you don't bring it up yourself, he won't even think in that direction, right?" Noah had waited for so long that even he couldn't help but urge him to make progress; he didn't know how Peter could be so patient.
"I.. I wasn't thinking of confessing my feelings," Peter said hesitantly.
Why?" Noah asked curiously, "Do you just want to be one of the countless good friends by his side?
Peter fell silent.
It was precisely because he knew better than anyone what Finn wanted.. that he could not allow this relationship to deteriorate.
Peter feared that his affection would hinder Finn from pursuing the [other life] he wanted.
The moment Peter thought that Finn might feel troubled or lost because of this, Peter would feel that maintaining the status quo was the best choice.
"Because Finn has a mental illness, you're afraid he'll become your burden?" Noah looked at his silent expression and spoke first, making a guess with a hint of probing in his tone.
Of course not!" Peter immediately looked up to refute, his tone carrying a hint of urgency, his eyes full of seriousness, "I have never thought that way.
That's because Finn is Harry Osborn's younger brother. Are you afraid that Harry will break off his friendship with you because you want to steal his precious little brother?" Noah continued, "After all, he has always treated you as his best friend, yet you are actually after his precious little brother.
Peter Parker, with a complex expression: ".." Ah, what you just said is also a serious problem.
"I can't figure out what you've been hesitating about," Noah asked. He felt that Peter did not seem like the type of person to have such a personality. Even if it took some time to think things through, it shouldn't be this feeling of indecision, as if he never dared to take a single step forward.