Marvel Spider-Verse, Earth-199999
His Spider-Sense had not gone off, which meant what had just happened was probably not especially dangerous.
That said, Peter was still confused.
He had just finished breakfast, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and started heading to school.
So how had he suddenly ended up here?
Where even was this?
It looked like New York, but something about it felt different.
Then again, the Statue of Liberty not far away told him clearly enough that this was New York.
It just felt unfamiliar.
Had he crossed into another universe again?
[Ding. Detected: Host has been magically summoned to Marvel Spider-Verse Earth-199999. Host is advised to proceed with caution.]
What universe was this supposed to be?
Peter considered himself pretty knowledgeable when it came to spider-related universes, but after running through everything he knew, he still could not place this one.
Had it appeared after he came here?
Or was it some standalone movie universe?
"Woohoo!"
A sudden excited yell reached Peter's ears. He looked up and saw a red-and-black oversized rodent swinging past on a web while carrying a woman in his arms.
Peter only got more confused.
What kind of zoo animal was that supposed to be?
No, wait.
That guy had to be this universe's Spider-Man, right?
Looks like he's doing better than I am.
Though that suit color scheme was definitely stepping on his style a little.
Watching the strand of webbing hanging from the streetlight slowly dissolve, Peter nodded slightly. That web formula looked more advanced than the Electric Webbing he had developed himself.
After all, his own webbing did not have any kind of automatic dissolving feature.
At the same time, Peter became even more curious about this world.
He walked quietly down the street, taking in everything around him. The feeling of it being both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time was genuinely strange.
Compared to the Ultimate Universe, this world was completely different.
Thankfully, aside from that Spider-Man who had flashed by a moment ago, Peter finally spotted another old acquaintance he actually recognized.
J. Jonah Jameson.
Well, the version from this universe.
This world's Jameson was balding badly and looked older, but he also looked almost exactly like the Jameson from Tobey's universe.
For a second, Peter almost wondered whether he had somehow crossed into Tobey's world after all.
But that was obviously impossible.
He knew the designation for Tobey's universe.
As for this world's number, it sounded familiar, but he could not remember where he had heard it.
"This is an extremely serious Spider-Man threat!"
"Governments around the world have launched an investigation into the suspect known as Spider-Man, also known as Peter Parker, also known as Web-Head, a dangerous vigilante who has threatened the safety of New York citizens for years!"
As Jameson's report played across a giant LED screen, a photo of a young high-school-aged boy appeared onscreen.
Peter twitched at the corner of his mouth.
Good thing this world's Peter Parker did not look like him.
And from the looks of it, this version had it even worse. He looked like he was being openly hunted.
Thank God they did not look alike. Otherwise, Peter would have ended up taking the blame for no reason at all.
"Now the whole city, and the whole world, will see his true face!"
Then another photo appeared, showing a trio. At the center was this world's Peter Parker, beside him was a smiling girl, and next to her was a tan-skinned chubby kid.
Looks like the three of them were a group.
Peter frowned as he stared at this world's Peter Parker.
He looked familiar.
Peter had probably seen something about him before crossing over, maybe a movie trailer or something, but since he had thought it looked like some recycled cash-grab, he had only watched a few minutes of the preview and never bothered with the actual film.
The first movie had come out in February 2015 back in his old life, but this looked like one of the later sequels.
And since he had never even watched the first one, there was no way he could know what this plot was.
Rat-tat-tat-tat.
A burst of machine-gun fire yanked Peter out of his thoughts.
He clicked his tongue and looked toward the sound.
Sure enough, every version of America seemed committed to making gunfire part of daily life.
It was practically a curse.
The moment Spider-Man existed, crime seemed to multiply exponentially. Maybe a neighborhood that would normally see two crimes a day suddenly saw five or six once Spider-Man showed up. The only difference was how serious those crimes were.
Peter looked over curiously.
A jewelry store was under siege. Five brazen gunmen were spraying machine-gun fire at a row of police cars parked outside. Muzzles flashed nonstop, and the officers pinned behind the vehicles did not dare poke their heads out.
It seemed like once Spider-Man's identity had been exposed, criminals had started acting even more boldly.
After all, if they knew Spider-Man's real identity, then they also knew who his family was.
That meant they could target his weak spot and make sure he would never threaten them again.
That was exactly why Peter always acted cleanly and decisively, never giving anyone even the slightest chance to uncover who he was.
Because once your identity was exposed, getting hurt yourself was the least important part.
With his abilities, Peter could deal with that.
But his family and friends were ordinary people.
Was he really supposed to let them get dragged into danger because of his own personal heroics?
"Hahaha, you spineless idiots can go to hell!"
"With Spider-Man caught up in this public mess, he's probably not showing up anytime soon! Boss, today we're pulling off something big!"
"You think I need you to tell me that?!"
"Boss! Look at these cowards, not one of them dares push forward! All they do is yell from cover! It's pathetic! Hahahahaha!"
The five gunmen laughed wildly. Their exaggerated muscles and rough, dirty presence made them look like violence personified. Their nonstop trash talk only made the whole scene uglier.
The police and the gunmen both stayed behind cover and traded fire across intersecting angles.
Bullets poured through the area without pause.
Some civilians who failed to get away in time were caught in the crossfire and dropped where they stood.
Peter watched the whole thing happen and did not move.
He had just arrived in this universe and knew absolutely nothing about it.
The less unnecessary trouble he got involved in, the better.
Better to focus on finding a way back to his own universe.
He did have a Multiverse Travel Card in his bag, but he only had one. Better to save it if possible and see whether there was another way home first.
As expected, without Spider-Man showing up, the five gunmen completely overwhelmed the firepower of more than a dozen officers.
Seeing that, Peter could not help wondering whether these cops had any real ability at all.
Were they actually useful, or what?
Still, when he saw that several officers were already wounded, he forced that thought aside.
Maybe they were just outmatched.
Or maybe they were just bad.
(End of Chapter)
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