"Who are you?"
Carlton Drake frowned instinctively. As the self-proclaimed savior of human civilization, he truly didn't care for the "trash" of society.
The red-haired man grinned, a sinister glint in his eyes. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Cletus Kasady."
"You?!" Carlton let out a startled exclamation. He remembered the name—a serial killer who had committed dozens of murders with zero discernible pattern.
According to his own confession, Cletus had pushed his grandmother down the stairs simply because the whim took him. He had shoved a woman he liked in front of a speeding truck because she rejected him. He was a born sociopath, a demon among demons.
Carlton initially wanted to refuse this uncontrollable lunatic. But before he could speak, Riot directly overrode his body, his silver hands grabbing the steel bars of the cell and peeling them back like wet paper.
Under the terrified gaze of the surviving guards, five figures strolled out of Ryker's Island and boarded a waiting helicopter in the distance.
In the wreckage of the high-security wing, only Aleksei remained, curled up in the corner of his cell, stubbornly clinging to a promise that the rest of the world would find laughably naive.
After the prom ended, Peter and Gwen went to a quiet restaurant for dinner. While they were eating, the television began broadcasting an emergency news flash:
"...Late-breaking news: a violent prison break occurred at Ryker's Island one hour ago. Multiple super-criminals, led by Mac Gargan, have escaped with the help of a mysterious individual. The NYPD has issued a maximum-level manhunt..."
Looking at the photos of the Scorpion and the Slayer brothers flashing on the screen, the smile on Gwen's face froze. Her fork hit her plate with a sharp clang.
"How can this be..."
The bet. She had lost. Completely and utterly.
She couldn't believe that the men who had looked her in the eye and promised to reform had chosen to return to evil without a moment's hesitation. It hadn't even been two weeks.
A wave of crushing disappointment and failure washed over her. She began to doubt everything she had worked for as Ghost-Spider.
As she spiraled into self-doubt, a warm hand covered hers, gently rubbing her skin.
"You don't need to blame yourself, Gwen. They are the ones who failed, not you."
"But people will die tonight because of this," Gwen whispered, her eyes watery. "If I hadn't stopped you... if I hadn't insisted on giving them a chance, they would still be behind bars."
Peter interrupted her, looking directly into her gemstone-clear eyes. "Gwen, self-pity is useless. It's happened. All we can do now is prevent it from happening again."
"Don't force yourself to be something you aren't. You did your best. Leave the rest to me."
Hearing his genuine concern and seeing the value he placed on her, Gwen nodded slowly. The weight in her chest didn't vanish, but she could breathe again.
Neither of them mentioned the "unconditional favor" promised in the bet. This wasn't the time.
After walking a somber Gwen home, Peter immediately contacted Skye. She picked up instantly, her voice bubbling with excitement.
"Boss! I was just about to call you. Guess what I just caught on the feed?"
"Go on."
"I was monitoring the Life Foundation as requested. A helicopter just landed on their roof. Guess who hopped out?"
"Carlton Drake, Mac Gargan, and the others?"
"How did you know?!"
"I breached Ryker's security feed and saw something incredible... I already sent the footage to your private server."
Peter opened the file. The video showed Riot tearing through the prison like a silver whirlwind.
"Riot..." Peter's pupils constricted.
The plot had deviated significantly. In the movie, Riot arrived with Venom and the others. Here, he had arrived early and was already fully synchronized with Carlton Drake.
If he hadn't been watching, New York would have been blindsided by five symbiote-enhanced super-villains.
Gwen wouldn't be able to handle that. It seemed the destruction of the original "Spider-Web" events was causing the universe to accelerate its collapse into chaos.
But as long as I'm here, Peter thought, it doesn't matter how many clowns they assemble.
"They won't make a big move until the rocket actually lands," Peter commanded. "Keep your eyes glued to them. Report any movement immediately."
"You got it!"
As the call ended, Peter glanced at the date and time on his computer. 11:59 PM.
It had been exactly one month since the last shop refresh. At midnight, the inventory would cycle. He washed his face, feeling the anticipation build.
As the clock struck twelve, a mechanical chime rang in his head.
[Countdown zeroed.]
[Monthly Shop Refreshed. Welcome, Host!]
Finally!
Peter sank into his mental space, opening the system interface.
[Sacrifice Point Balance: 14,800]
Eight new items shimmered on the light screen. Peter's eyes widened as he read the very first listing.
[Item 1: Secret Technique - Stand United]
Origin: League of Legends, Kinkou Order
Effect: The ultimate secret of the Eye of Twilight. Grants a massive shield to an ally regardless of distance, and after a short channel, teleports the user directly to that ally's side.
Price: 2,000 Sacrifice Points
Sss—! Peter hissed. Talk about a heavyweight opening act!
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