"Ahhhhh!!!"
A scream pierced the night sky, drawing glances from the crowd, but the festive atmosphere in the garden remained undisturbed.
People simply assumed it was a girl startled by a prank.
"Something's wrong!"
Gwen stopped her leisurely stroll and looked in the direction of the scream.
Her keen senses helped her detect the terror and panic in the scream. This was not the sound of someone merely startled by a prank.
"Lucas, please keep an eye on Helen and little Gwen. Erin and I will go see what's happening."
After giving the instruction, Gwen took out her web-shooter, pressed it on, and with a flick of her wrist, she swung into the night sky using her webs. The entire process was fluid, she didn't even need to hide to change her spider suit.
It was Halloween night, so she could openly wear her Ghost-Spider suit while out and about.
"Look! Ghost-Spider! It's the real Ghost-Spider!"
"Ghost-Spider, I love you!"
"Ghost-Spider, look at me!"
Accompanied by the crowd's exclamations, Erin sprinted, reaching speeds of tens of meters per second, far exceeding human limits, chasing in the direction Gwen had disappeared.
However, those running on the ground clearly received less attention than those swinging through the air. As a result, no one recognized Sorcerer Spider-Man, Erin.
As fellow Spider-Men, Sorcerer Spider-Man was completely defeated in the popularity contest.
Helen asked worriedly, "Was there something wrong with that scream? Will Gwen and Erin get into trouble?"
"Probably not."
Lucas looked in the direction of the scream, his expression a little strange.
What did he see?
Sandman!
The third villain from the Spider-Man series he had encountered.
The first was Vulture, who was dead beyond dead.
The second was Mysterio, who was still alive and well.
Lucas was a reasonable man, never judging others by future crimes or crimes from a parallel Universe.
Thanos had already done it. He had been carrying out massacres throughout the Universe for a long time, it just hadn't reached Earth yet.
And while Mysterio had ulterior motives for joining the Phantom Band, he had been well-behaved for the past seven months, so Lucas naturally wouldn't bother him.
"Let's go, we'll go take a look too."
A white energy surged, instantly engulfing little Gwen and Helen, then disappearing from their original spot. Before they could react, the two were brought to the scene by Lucas.
At this moment, Gwen, who had arrived first, was already locked in battle with Sandman.
Further away were the daring New Yorkers, gathered in groups, snapping photos of Ghost-Spider and Sandman with their cameras.
"Damn it! Can you stop throwing things around!"
Gwen created some distance, complaining as she took off her boot and poured out a small pile of sand from it.
"Ghost-Spider, I know you." Sandman said coldly, looking at Gwen. "I'm going to kill you!"
"Why do you want to kill me? To become a big star and get people's attention?"
Gwen answered her own question, "Then you should do more good deeds. Your abilities are quite good. If you try to sign the Super Hero Registration Act and work for the government..."
Sandman roared, "I don't want to be some Super Hero! And I certainly don't want to work for the government!"
"Now I just want them to feel my pain!"
"To feel the pain of every cell in my body collapsing, every minute, every second, constantly present!"
Then he sneered, "Ghost-Spider, if it weren't for you Super Heroes catching me and locking me in prison, I wouldn't have gained my current abilities. I will make you pay with blood."
As Sandman spoke, quicksand continuously gathered at Gwen's feet.
A chain made of sand suddenly formed, binding Gwen's feet.
Gwen lightly tapped her toes and backflipped, dodging Sandman's sneak attack.
"So, you were caught by a Super Hero, locked in prison, and then gained superpowers in prison? And the side effect of these superpowers is pain?" Gwen said, dodging the chains formed by the sand.
"But isn't that your fault? If you didn't commit a crime, no one would arrest you and put you in prison."
Dodging and weaving, Gwen closed in on Sandman's main body and kicked him in the waist.
Bang!
With a spray of sand, Sandman was kicked in half by Gwen, splitting into upper and lower sections.
However, there was no expression of pain on Sandman's face. Instead, he revealed a cunning grin, as if his trick had succeeded.
The next second, Sandman's two body segments merged.
At the same time, a massive fist smashed towards Gwen.
"Ghost-Spider, prepare to die!"
In a flash, Gwen only managed to bring her arm across her body to block Sandman's fist. But even so, she was sent flying by the immense impact, tumbling several times in the air before dissipating the force and landing.
Although she looked disheveled when she was sent flying, her landing pose was as elegant as ever.
"Ghost-Spider!"
Seeing Gwen sent flying, a worried gasp erupted from the crowd.
"Lucas, hurry and help! Little Gwen and I will be careful ourselves, we don't need your protection." Helen urged Lucas anxiously.
Lucas sighed helplessly and first comforted Helen, "Don't worry, Sandman is no match for Gwen."
Under Lucas's years of enhancement, Gwen's physique had been greatly strengthened in all aspects, more than enough to defeat Sandman.
However, most Spider-Men shared a common flaw: they didn't want to hurt others.
Therefore, they rarely fought with full power.
But Lucas knew this, while others did not.
Just as Gwen was sent flying and Sandman pursued his advantage, Sorcerer Spider-Man, Erin, finally reached the battlefield on foot.
Seeing this, Erin attacked Sandman from the side, relieving pressure on Gwen.
Bang!
Erin delivered a powerful punch, using the momentum of the impact, striking Sandman on the shoulder and creating a dent, causing Sandman's entire body to sway.
"It worked!"
Erin was overjoyed and was about to pull back her arm to deliver a second punch when she found her arm clamped and unable to be withdrawn.
"Sorcerer Spider-Man, I recognize you too." Sandman grinned, a cold glint in his eyes.
He raised his arm, about to smash a fist towards Erin. Erin still couldn't pull out her arm or escape from around Sandman.
Whoosh!
Sandman's fist tore through the air, making a whistling sound.
In her panic, Erin could only block with her other arm.
Bang!
A collision sounded, but Erin felt no pain.
As her arm moved away, Erin saw Gwen, her body shimmering with a white light, catching Sandman's fist with her left hand.
Immediately after, Gwen delivered a punch with her right hand, striking Sandman's shoulder, disintegrating that part of his shoulder and helping Erin pull out her arm.
Then, with another kick, she sent Sandman flying far away, plowing a deep furrow in the ground.
At the critical moment, Gwen no longer held back, using the power Lucas had given her. And this power suppressed Sandman's sand-controlling superpower.
Sandman lied on the ground, unable to get up for a long time, having lost control of his body.
In terms of power comparison, Sorcerer Spider-Man was once again defeated.