Beep! Beep! Beep!
The phone rang.
Peter Parker took out his phone, and a message was displayed on the screen.
It turned out he had received a video file.
Peter Parker opened it in confusion, and an image of a room immediately appeared on the phone screen.
From the footage, it seemed to have been recorded by a surveillance camera inside some house.
Peter Parker found it familiar. He seemed to have seen it somewhere before. Then he suddenly remembered.
It was Ned's house.
At this moment, a doorbell rang in the footage.
With the help of the facial recognition system, the camera moved on its own, and an elderly woman with white hair appeared on screen.
It was Ned's grandmother. The old woman came to the door and asked, "Who is it?"
Suddenly, the front door exploded. A mass of green fire surged through the doorway, blasting the old woman away, and the footage immediately began flickering.
"No!"
Peter Parker jumped to his feet. He had more or less guessed what had happened.
Norman Osborn!
He had gone after Ned.
He had every reason to do so.
Ned and MJ were keeping the "Resurrection Device".
Spider-Man couldn't bear to watch any further. He immediately shot out webs and swung past the large screen that was currently broadcasting reports about the disaster at Happy's apartment.
When he reached the area around Ned's house, Peter Parker saw that the house had been blown apart. The police had already arrived and put up a cordon.
He shook his head as he looked at the scene. He could almost guess what had happened to Ned and MJ.
Then he remembered the video on his phone.
Spider-Man took out his phone and continued playing the video.
In the footage, thick smoke billowed. A figure walked through the smoke and flames.
It was the Green Goblin, Norman Osborn.
He raised his head and gave the camera a crazed smile.
Then he walked past Ned's grandmother. The old woman had been turned into a bloody mess, with a broken section of iron pipe sticking into her chest. She looked like she was in grave danger.
Peter Parker's breathing became rapid, fury surging in his eyes.
The footage quickly changed.
It came to Ned's room.
The window was open, and Ned was helping MJ climb through it. But at this moment, Norman Osborn walked in.
The demon smiled, ["Good boy. Give me that thing."]
["The thing in the magician's hands."]
MJ was holding the "Resurrection Device" and shouted, ["In your dreams."]
Norman Osborn shook his head and sighed, ["That's why I don't like children, just like Peter Parker."]
Ned immediately asked, ["What happened to him?"]
Norman Osborn didn't answer. At this moment, outside the window, the Green Goblin's glider flew over, pointing directly at MJ.
["Now, be a good girl and listen."]
["Give me the thing."]
MJ immediately hugged the "Resurrection Device" and jumped down. She disappeared from the screen, and Peter Parker couldn't see anything.
He only saw the glider chase after her, followed by a burst of gunfire and explosions.
Ned tried to stick his head out to see what was happening, but Norman Osborn grabbed him and pulled him back, then threw him onto the floor.
The chubby boy was knocked down so badly that he couldn't get back up.
Then the glider returned, with MJ hanging from it. Her body was covered in blood, but she was still clutching the "Resurrection Device" tightly.
Peter Parker covered his mouth, tears welling in his eyes, "No, don't do this. Please don't do this. Please."
He murmured under his breath.
But in the footage, Norman Osborn grabbed MJ by the hair and snatched the "Resurrection Device" away.
Then he looked toward the camera.
["Look, Peter Parker."]
["They're your last 'safety net,' right?"]
["Now I'll take care of them for you."]
["You'll thank me."]
After saying that, Osborn threw MJ onto the floor, then jumped onto the glider.
He took out two grenades and held them up toward the camera, then activated them and threw them at MJ and Ned on the ground.
Osborn then rode the glider out through the window. Immediately afterward, a flash of light appeared on the screen, followed by surging green flames that filled the entire image.
The video ended there.
Crack!
Peter Parker crushed the phone in his hand.
Spider-Man gasped for breath, tears constantly spilling from his bloodshot eyes.
He let out a shout, shot out a web, attached it to a billboard by the roadside, and swung away with its help.
Peter Parker's mind was completely blank.
May was dead.
Now Ned and MJ were dead too.
'All because of me!'
'Peter Parker, look at what you've done!'
'You released a demon!'
'A real demon!'
In the blink of an eye, Peter Parker returned to the place where he and May had originally lived.
He found the black suit S.H.I.E.L.D. had given him.
Peter Parker took off the red-and-blue suit he was wearing, revealing his body covered in injuries.
He walked over to a full-length mirror and changed into the black suit.
Looking at himself in the mirror, Peter Parker's eyes were cold, sharp, and determined.
"From today on, there will be no more Spider-Man."
"There will only be a man with vengeance!"
After saying that, he put on the black mask.
Then he jumped out the window.
———
At the same time...
In the night sky above the apartment, a figure standing on a glider was watching all of this.
Norman Osborn!
But in the next second, Osborn's figure flickered with light.
When the light disappeared, a red cape fluttered in the night wind, while moonlight outlined the shape of a black suit.
Homelander smiled as he watched Peter Parker, now transformed into a vengeful ghost, quickly disappear into the distance.
He was the one who had sent that recording to Spider-Man.
His goal was to make Peter Parker completely fall to the dark side.
Now, within Spider-Man's heart, that "Seed of Desire" had already blossomed and borne fruit.
Under its influence, his desire for revenge had been magnified to its limit. If nothing unexpected happened, the Spider-Man of this universe should never return to the way he was before.
"I guess I can count myself as a qualified director?", Homelander smiled.
He had created that video using his "Information Domain" ability, but to make it seem real, he had indeed blown up Ned's house.
He had also destroyed the two robots disguised as Ned and MJ and obtained the "Resurrection Device."
Now that Peter Parker was being controlled by his desire for revenge, Homelander could clearly sense it through the "Seed of Desire."
"Next, I just need to wait for Peter Parker to find Norman Osborn, and everything will be over."
After saying that, he paused, then slapped his forehead, "I almost forgot about the other two spiders."
Homelander looked toward Midtown Science High School and flew over. A moment later, he arrived on the rooftop.
He then used his Transformation spell to turn himself into Peter Parker.
In the movie Spider-Man: No Way Home, there were three Spider-Men in total.
Apart from the one from this universe, there were also the original Spider-Man and the Amazing Spider-Man. Because of the spell, they had also come to this universe.
And in the movie, after Spider-Man suffered a setback, it was Ned and MJ who brought the two Spider-Men to the rooftop of this high school.
The two Spider-Men used their own experiences to comfort and encourage Peter Parker, helping Spider-Man get through the lowest point of his life.
Now, Peter Parker had already fallen to the dark side, determined to take revenge.
Naturally, Homelander didn't want those two Spider-Men ruining his plans.
That was why he had come here.
He would wait for the two spiders to come looking for him, then use Peter Parker's identity to tell them not to meddle in other people's business.
———
At the same time, under a flyover, several homeless people were warming themselves by a fire.
They suddenly heard footsteps coming from the darkness in the distance beneath the overpass. Then a figure walked out.
It was a humanoid mech, its eyes flashing with blue light.
"What the hell is that?"
"A robot? Could it be from Stark's factory?"
"Hey, get out of here right now."
One of the homeless men threw an empty bottle at the mech.
Within the mech's field of vision, the system was assessing the threat level of the homeless people.
The result quickly appeared.
[Threat level: Zero]
The mech then released flames from beneath its feet and back, propelling itself into the air and flying toward downtown New York.
Within the mech's field of vision, a grid-like interface appeared. Inside the grids, reports about Spider-Man were playing.
"There is nothing wrong with my algorithm."
"Why did this happen?"
"What did I miss?"
"My 'brother' is powerful enough to fight Captain Marvel?"
"Even after he has been weakened by 50% in every aspect?"
"Looks like I need to recalculate."
"Extract the variables that have appeared so far."
"This includes my 'brother' escaping Captain Marvel's entanglement."
"The Destroyer failed to stop Norman Osborn."
"The bodies used to disguise themselves as Ned and MJ have been destroyed."
"I have abandoned my original body and activated my backup body through data transfer."
"..."
"Begin calculation."
"..."
["Calculation complete."]
["For this incident, if no other variables appear. The probability is..."]
"My probability of victory has dropped to 48.5%."
"Is the probability really that low?"
"Fortunately, I have a backup plan."
"Now add the new variable."
"If the assistance of the original Spider-Man and the Amazing Spider-Man is included in the calculation, what will the result be?"
"Begin calculation."
["Calculation complete."]
["Probability of victory increased, 61.7%!"]
"I still have a chance!"
It was Starro's mech. A long trail of flames shot from its back, propelling it forward as it accelerated away.
———
In downtown New York, outside the apartment building where the battle had just ended...
"Nothing to see here. Move along, move along."
A police officer waved his hand, dispersing the people gathered behind the cordon.
The citizens left under the police's direction. As the crowd dispersed, a middle-aged man wearing a brown jacket stared solemnly at the heavily damaged building.
Then he quietly left.
He walked into a nearby alley and suddenly said, "Come out."
"I noticed you back there."
"You've got a pretty sharp sense."
From behind him, a figure dropped down from the shadows above and landed on the ground.
It was someone wearing a uniform, with red and blue reflecting off each other. It was Spider-Man's suit.
The middle-aged man turned around and spread his hands, "Looks like you were drawn here by Spider-Man too."
"I mean, the Spider-Man from this universe."
"So, what should I call you?"
The Spider-Man crouching on the ground stood up, took off his mask, and revealed fluffy hair and a young face.
He looked to be in his twenties, but not yet thirty.
"Peter Parker. You?"
The middle-aged man with a somewhat goofy-looking face scratched his soft hair, "Well, that's a problem."
"Because my name is Peter Parker too."
The fluffy-haired man froze for a moment, then shot a web at the middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man nimbly jumped onto the wall and clung to it, then raised his hand and shot a web back as well.
The fluffy-haired man dodged to the side, an incredulous expression on his face, "You're Spider-Man too?"
"Wait, you don't use web shooters?"
The middle-aged man asked in return, "Why would I use web shooters? Can't you shoot webs yourself?"
"I can't."
"After I was bitten by a spider, all I could do was climb walls, become stronger physically, and receive more information. But I can't shoot webs."
The fluffy-haired man said excitedly, "Oh my God, you can actually shoot webs yourself."
"Can you shoot them from anywhere else?"
Coming down from the wall, the middle-aged man shook his head, "No. I can only shoot them from my wrists."
"That's incredible. Can I see your hands?"
Just then, the two of them simultaneously looked toward the entrance of the alley.
There was another figure there. Because it was dark, they couldn't see him clearly. They could only see two points of blue light on the person's face in the darkness.
"Peter Parker," the person said.
The fluffy-haired man and the middle-aged man answered at the same time, "I am."
Then the two awkwardly looked at each other.
Starro walked out of the darkness and pointed at the middle-aged man, "You're both Peter Parker. To tell you apart, I'll give you code names."
"You'll be called the original Spider-Man."
His finger moved.
He pointed at the fluffy-haired man, "You'll be called the Amazing Spider-Man."
The Amazing Spider-Man looked at the middle-aged man, "Why is he called the original? Is it because he's older?"
"He was the first person to become Spider-Man among the known Spider-Man universes," Starro said. Then he pointed at the large screen on a distant building, "You two already know what happened to this universe's Spider-Man, right?"
"He needs your help."
"This universe's Spider-Man is still only a high school student. Tonight, he lost the person closest to him."
"He must be feeling lost, hurt, and helpless right now."
"I believe the two of you can certainly give him the right guidance."
"Please don't let him fall into darkness. Please."
The two Spider-Men exchanged a glance.
Then the original Spider-Man said, "I came over as soon as I saw the news."
"I also think he could use someone who's been through it to share some experience."
"After all, I'm just like him."
"I lost Uncle Ben."
The Amazing Spider-Man looked away and let out a long sigh, "Me too."
"If I hadn't fought with Uncle Ben at the time, he wouldn't have died."
"I also lost Gwen, the person I loved most. During that time, I was completely devastated."
The original Spider-Man patted him on the shoulder, "That's really sad."
"Luckily, you've moved past it."
The Amazing Spider-Man nodded.
Starro said, "Yes. You've both experienced painful things, and you both successfully came out of the darkness."
"So I think you can give this universe's Spider-Man some advice."
"A little advice from people who've been through it."
"He's here right now."
Starro placed a phone on the ground. The phone displayed the coordinates of Midtown High School.
After putting down the phone, Starro backed away into the darkness.
The original Spider-Man picked up the phone.
The Amazing Spider-Man then asked, "Buddy, who are you?"
"I'm the person who least wants to see Spider-Man fall," Starro said this.
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