Peter looked around the environment with some shock. When they went to the cemetery, it was already close to evening, so why is it now directly daytime? Is he hallucinating?
Shadow Spider-man lived in an earlier era when there were no advanced video games, and the imagination of science fiction novels was more limited. Although he learned as much modern knowledge as possible after contacting the multiverse, he still didn't have the rich imagination of people in the information explosion era. He only felt that this might be his life flashing before his eyes from excessive blood loss and fainting. He had experienced this before.
Research has shown that the experience of fainting due to excessive blood loss is different from other times, known as "the closest moment to death." Many people also have life flashes at this time, which feels like a long time has passed, though it's only a brief moment.
But soon, Peter overturned his guess because this life flash was too real, unlike dreaming at all. He pinched himself and found it painful; he jumped in place and felt the same control over his body and reality.
He touched his forehead and then discovered, surprised, that the wound was gone. At this time, a person on the road walked over, looking at him with some concern, and said: "What's wrong with you?"
"Ah, it's nothing. I just... Could you tell me where this place is?"
"Here? This is Big Creek Town. Are you a tourist? You didn't get lost, did you? Otherwise, hop in my car, and I'll take you for a spin in the valley?"
"No, there's no need." Peter shook his head, "I'm just feeling a bit dizzy."
"Oh dear, you must be exhausted from rushing overnight."
Peter found it a bit strange. Firstly, this person was a little too enthusiastic, which is not the usual demeanor of America's inland states. America's inland states are very exclusive, and even if he is white, as long as he is a stranger from out of town, he would be looked at with hostile eyes. This has always been the case, never changing over the years.
Another point is that the other person's questions had a certain guiding nature, alternately saying he was a tourist or suggesting he was exhausted from traveling overnight. This kind of assumption about a person's identity and actions is typical of someone who has undergone training.
Shadow Spider-man himself was an agent; wouldn't he know these tricks? If someone truly was in a state of unclear consciousness, asking questions in this way might lead them along that train of thought, and they would fall into the trap.
Moreover, for some reason, upon entering here, Peter felt a lack of energy, and everything around him seemed to speed up. When the other person reached out to stop him, he almost didn't react.
A certain vacant emotion churned inside him, causing his mood to sink all the way down, and he even felt somewhat depressed. He took a deep breath to adjust his emotions, but it didn't seem to work.
"Are you okay?" the person asked again, "My house is nearby. Do you want to come sit down?"
Peter nodded. He wasn't deceived; he just wanted to see what this guy was up to and what was strange about this weird world.
The man's house was indeed very close, just across the street, a newly built blue house. Entering the living room, the furniture was new too, and it was spotlessly clean.
Peter sat down, trying to adjust his condition. At that moment, the other person brought him a cup of warm water. Peter glanced into the cup; it was boiled tap water. It seemed this was indeed Mormon territory.
Peter drank the water. He knew the water might have issues, but he took a sip, just a small one. Yet he found himself feeling more spirited. Could it be a colorless, tasteless tea?
He then drank two more sips in succession, but the cup wasn't large, so the two sips finished it off. Peter wanted to ask for another cup but didn't know how to open his mouth, so he just sighed.
"I've got juice here, would you like a cup?" the person asked again.
Peter quickly nodded. Whatever this guy had added to the water, it seemed to help his unusual condition. Soon, the person brought over a cup of juice, which looked like freshly squeezed orange juice, tasting slightly sour. But Peter took a sip and felt better again.
"Speaking of which, I'm a bit hungry, but it's not mealtime now. Do you have milk? Can I have a cup of hot milk?"
The person was puzzled for a moment but still went to the fridge, took out some milk, and poured a cup, heating it before handing it to Peter.
After drinking, Peter recovered a bit more. He racked his brain to think of other drinks to request, but since he wasn't in a bar, he couldn't just keep drinking like a drunkard—those antics would be far too odd.
Fortunately, with these few drinks, Peter's spirit recovered at least halfway. He took a deep breath and then said: "Thank you so much, I haven't asked your name yet."
"I'm Famillo, but you can also call me Fa Men. I'm the priest of this town; I just finished praying and returned, saw you standing on the roadside shaking your head. Are you really okay?"
Peter shook his head and said: "You're right, I'm just lost. But do you often have tourists visit this town?"
"Of course, our town is one of Utah's most famous attractions, with tens of thousands of tourists visiting every year. You must be here to see the waterfall, right?"
"Oh, yes, I'm here to see the waterfall."
"Shall I take you for a tour? The roads there indeed aren't easy to navigate, I'm worried you'll get lost again."
"I'd better not," Peter hesitated. Because his condition hadn't fully recovered, he still felt somewhat frail and his mood slightly down. He thought it must be the tricks of this strange world, and it's not suitable to carry out any exploratory activities right now, better to rest.
"Is there a hotel here?" Peter asked.
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Famillo shook his head and said, "It's peak season now, and the inn is fully booked. But I have a guest room at my house; if you don't mind, you can stay there."
"No problem," Peter said, "I'm really tired, and I urgently need a bed to rest."
"Come with me then." Famillo led him to the guest room next door. Peter lay down directly on the bed and quickly fell asleep.
But when he woke up, he didn't see the man who called himself Famillo; instead, it was a familiar face.
"Doctor Schiller?"
"I'm not a doctor." The other person sat by the bed and then asked, "Do you feel unwell in any way?"
"Indeed, not very well." Peter briefly described his feelings and then said, "I feel like there's a stronger curse here than outside; I'm feeling terrible."
"I see," the other person said, "if you're very uncomfortable, drink more water and take deep breaths, repeatedly, and you'll feel better. I came here to tell you that he's already found you, and you must return immediately."
"What do you mean?"
Before Peter could hear the answer, there was a knock on the door. Peter turned to look at the door, and then he realized the person had already climbed out the window and left.
Peter immediately deduced more clues from his words. This world is indeed fake, likely a trick by evil spirits. But what did he mean by "he's already found me" and that I must return immediately?
Peter doesn't like it when people speak halfway, but there's nothing he could do about interruptions. He trusts people here less than Shiller, especially the priest named Famillo. He's not a very clever guy, practically wearing "I have issues" on his face.
Famillo came in holding a plate of food, it was a Caesar salad. Peter wasn't hungry, but recalling the extra effects of the food offered before, he picked it up and started eating.
After eating, he felt much better, almost at full strength again. So he said, "Thank you so much, I'm feeling a lot better. What time is it now?"
"It's already afternoon, do you need more rest?"
"No need, let's go see the waterfall."
So the man named Famillo took him to the waterfall next to the town. It was indeed beautiful here, mist sparkling in the sunlight. Remembering Shiller's previous warning, together with the refreshing air, Peter couldn't help but take a few more breaths.
Famillo watched his actions and smiled, saying, "The air here is really nice, right? You look like someone from a big city, where the air isn't as good as in our town."
"Indeed, the air in New York isn't that great." Peter followed his line of conversation, then walked to the other side of the lake, watching the fish, and said, "There are quite a few fish here. Do you fish?"
"Sorry, fishing is not allowed here," Famillo said, "but this is a water source for a pretty big mineral water company, you can take some water back."
Peter was tempted. After all, he couldn't always drink the water provided by them; though the wild water might not be clean, it would suffice. But from what Famillo suggested, there might be something off about the water here too. Nonetheless, Peter insisted on taking a bottle back to see what's going on.
Famillo gave him a mineral water bottle. Peter filled it, drank two sips, and realized this water had a stronger effect, and he was completely back to his peak state.
Peter couldn't resist and took another sip. As he drank and walked down the mountain, he instinctively turned his body. With a whoosh, an arrow brushed past his nose, which he directly caught with his hand.
Peter's eyes widened in disbelief as he turned back toward the lake. He wasn't looking at who shot at him but had just realized it was his Spider-sense!
Previously, he thought he had returned to his peak state, implying the non-superpowered version, the Peter Parker limited by the Battleworld system — only with a normal person's strength and reflex, at best with better flexibility and balance due to physical attributes, but not a match for Spider Man at all.
Although Shadow Spider-man isn't among the stronger Spider Man versions, his strength is not high, so he needs firearms for assistance, but he's much stronger than an ordinary person. Especially his Spider-sense—it ranks among the top capabilities in Spider Man. In this scenario, it had been completely nullified.
But now, he felt that part of his sensing ability had returned; though not fully, it was much better than a normal person. This was likely due to the two sips of lake water he drank.
Famillo had the look of someone who had seen a ghost. Peter immediately reacted, pretending to check the direction from where the arrow was shot. He said, "Damn it, this is attempted murder! Who's there?!"
With that, he chased in that direction. The man called Famillo couldn't stop him at all.
Once Peter started running, he felt he might have regained some ability. With sensing power as aid, no obstacle was a problem, and agility and speed were more than doubled. Had he reacted like this before, a mere car accident couldn't have hurt him.
Because he caught the arrow and chased immediately without hesitation, the archer didn't manage to get far. Peter caught up to the waterfall in just a few steps and saw the figure sneakily running away.
"Stop!" Peter shouted. He reached for his waist, finding he had brought the gun in. Without hesitation, he drew the gun, aimed, and fired.
"Bang! Bang bang!"