Ten minutes later.
Walter collapsed onto the hospital bed, his youthful face rapidly aging.
Felicia, who had been hiding under the bed, too afraid to show herself, slowly emerged.
"Time's up. You only get ten minutes of experience time," Carter said.
Looking at the spine in Walter's hand, its glow had now faded.
Charlie picked up the spine again. His movements were quick, but nowhere near as exaggerated as before.
"It needs to recharge with the mysterious energy from the Time Tablet," he said.
Hearing this, Felicia, still shaken, let out a sigh, her face filled with disappointment.
"So, it's just a temporary converter. To truly heal my father, we'll need the Time Tablet."
The pyramid had already been destroyed, and the method to fully activate the Time Tablet was unknown. The effects of using the fossilized spine weren't as impressive as they'd hoped.
She was sinking into despair.
But Charlie seemed to have an idea.
"I've heard the Hand is searching for a dragon bone fossil that can delay aging. Could this spine be one of those so-called dragon bone fossils?" he said.
"The Hand?"
Carter frowned. "An international assassin organization, just as secretive as Hydra."
"They're already in New York," Charlie continued.
Carter's expression grew serious. "Looks like their target is also the Time Tablet."
"Exactly."
Charlie tucked away the fossilized spine. "The Time Tablet can't stay at S.H.I.E.L.D. anymore. That place is anything but secure."
No sooner had he spoken than Carter received a message.
"What's wrong?"
Seeing Carter's odd expression, Charlie seemed to guess something.
"The Time Tablet?"
"Yes, the fake Time Tablet at S.H.I.E.L.D. was stolen again."
Carter covered her face. "You're right—S.H.I.E.L.D. is dangerous. Too many moles. But lucky for me, I handed it off to Nick Fury. The Time Tablet theft has nothing to do with me."
Charlie thought for a moment. "What about the list I gave you?"
"The mole list?"
Carter shook her head. "I didn't find anything suspicious about them, but Sitwell from the list is definitely a Hydra mole, so the others are highly suspect."
Hearing this, Charlie glanced at Walter on the bed.
"For now, the Time Tablet is safest here. Plus, we can use the fossil to keep Walter hanging on when he's at his limit."
Felicia nodded. "Yes, Walter can't survive without the Time Tablet and the fossilized spine."
"It's probably a dragon bone fossil," Charlie corrected.
"This thing is likely what the Hand is after, but I'm not sure if this is the only fossilized spine out there."
"It probably isn't."
At that moment, Professor Cort tapped on his computer.
"I found something. The New York Museum had a fossil theft a while back. They say it was a dragon bone fossil, and its spine section matches the one we have."
Hearing this, Charlie looked at the computer screen.
In an instant, his brow furrowed.
"Not a dinosaur fossil?"
Professor Cort's expression was off too. "A giant dragon with wings? Did the museum staff mess up the assembly?"
Carter eyed the dragon fossil data and couldn't help but laugh.
"Just a gimmick by the museum. Real dragon bone fossils probably don't look like that."
"Not necessarily."
Charlie's tone carried a hint of doubt.
In the Marvel world, anything was possible.
A giant dragon? Compared to the very real Asgard or ancient Greek gods, it wasn't that far-fetched.
In the pyramid before, the legendary sun god pattern had been the key to unlocking the Time Tablet.
The Time Tablet might even be connected to the ancient Greek gods.
With that in mind, Charlie turned to Felicia.
"Use your Hardy family resources to search for other pyramids. Maybe we'll find a way to activate the Time Tablet. As for the dragon bone fossils, they might have an even bigger role. Looks like we're crossing paths with the Hand again."
"Again?"
Carter raised an eyebrow. "You've tangled with them before?"
"Spider-Man ran into some of the Hand's ninjas last night," Charlie said.
Carter nodded. "The Hand's ninjas are indeed terrifying. But regarding the museum's dragon bone fossil theft, I think S.H.I.E.L.D. has records of it."
"S.H.I.E.L.D. has records?"
Charlie raised an eyebrow. "If that's the case, this information might already be compromised."
"I'll go dig up those files immediately."
Carter's expression shifted, and she hurriedly left the lab.
"I'm coming with you."
Charlie followed Carter.
Outside the castle, Charlie hopped into Carter's vintage car.
"This thing doesn't seem very fast," he remarked.
Carter floored the gas pedal, and the car roared out of the castle.
"It's modified. It's not slower than your average sports car."
"I want one."
"I already gave you one."
"I want one with four wheels."
"Charlie Parker, get real. Even if I gave you one, you couldn't afford the gas."
Charlie: "…"
S.H.I.E.L.D.
Charlie donned his Spider-Suit and followed Carter to the records room.
"Wow, it's Spider-Man!"
"He really is friends with the Captain."
"I want his autograph."
"Agent Hill, I thought you already had a signed photo."
"I think it's fake."
Ignoring her colleagues, Agent Hill stepped forward to greet Carter.
"Captain, I—"
"We need the dragon bone fossil files," Charlie cut in.
Agent Hill nodded quickly. "Of course, follow me. I've been organizing those files."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
In the records room, Agent Hill found the relevant files in under two minutes.
Carter took the files and reviewed them while Agent Hill explained.
"When the dragon bone fossils were stolen, the thieves didn't take everything. To prevent further thefts, the museum's curator decided to move the remaining fossils to the basement, leaving only replica dragon bone fossils on display for the public."
Charlie wasn't too surprised by this explanation.
It was exactly why they hadn't rushed to the museum first.
"Where are the real dragon bone fossils hidden?" he asked.
Before Agent Hill could answer, Carter handed the files back.
"They're in the museum's basement."
Then she asked Agent Hill, "Who else has accessed these files?"
Agent Hill thought for a moment. "Besides you, no one else has looked into the dragon bone fossil files."
Carter frowned. "Has anyone been in the records room recently?"
"The key to the records room is with me. No one—oh, wait, Brock helped me grab some files," Agent Hill recalled.
"Brock?" Charlie understood immediately.
Crossbones, real name Brock Rumlow, one of Hydra's members.
"He was on the list. Didn't you notice?" Charlie whispered to Carter.
Carter sighed. "I know, but he didn't show any signs of being off."
"He's showing them now."
Charlie shrugged. "I'm heading over. Maybe I can still catch him."
Carter nodded solemnly. "I'll bring backup soon."
"Justice might arrive late, but Spider-Man never does."
With that, Charlie left the records room and leaped from the hallway.
Whoosh~
Amid the howling wind, a red-and-blue figure glided through the sky, then shot forward from a web-slinging catapult.
Boom!
At dusk, passersby looked up and gasped as Spider-Man sped by overhead.
"It's Spider-Man!"
"What's so surprising? We see him almost every day now."
"Yeah, true. He doesn't disappear like he used to."
New York Museum
Basement
Zzzzt~
In the dark space, crimson sparks circled the iron door. With a kick, the metal was forced open, and Brock, fully armed, led a group of black-clad figures into the basement.
Click~
The lights flicked on, revealing a dragon bone fossil stretching over ten meters long.
Only half of the fossil remained—its wings and tail were gone.
The moment they saw it, the ninjas behind Brock grew excited, chattering in a language he couldn't understand.
"Cut the chatter. Time's short, and I'm probably already exposed. Move it," Brock said, frowning.
The ninjas nodded.
"Thank you, Brock-san. Rest assured, Madame's promises to you won't change."
With that, the ninjas sprang into action, rushing toward the dragon bone fossil. They quickly collected the spine sections, ignoring the rest of the fossil entirely.
Only the spine held the mysterious power to slow aging.
As seconds ticked by, the ninjas moved fast—but Charlie was faster.
Zzzzt~
Suddenly, a streak of electric arc surged through the hole in the iron door into the basement.
"What?"
Before Brock could react, the blindingly fast arc weaved through the ninjas.
Bang bang bang!
Argh~
As pained screams echoed through the basement, the arc exploded, and Charlie screeched to a halt.
He tossed a sack in his hand and flashed a slight smile.
"Thanks for helping me collect the dragon bone fossils."
"Spider-Man!"
Seeing the ninjas writhing on the ground, Brock's face darkened, and he instinctively stepped back.
"You damn bug, ruining our plans again," he growled through gritted teeth.
Charlie hefted the sack over his shoulder.
"Sorry, not only am I ruining your plans, but…"
He sized up Brock.
Crossbones wasn't some nobody. To avoid him entering the "revival race," this guy couldn't die.
Vegetative state it is!
That's the plan!
As Charlie prepared to act, Brock suddenly hurled a pumpkin bomb.
Charlie: "???"
No, it was a genetic disruptor disguised as a pumpkin bomb!
BOOM!!
A white flash erupted, but a streak of electric arc pierced through the explosive light, zipping past Brock in the blink of an eye.
"What?"
Brock's eyes widened as his body began to stiffen.
"How could…"
Behind him, Charlie pushed over Brock's body.
"I told you, a genetic disruptor can't kill the invincible Spider-Man."
With that, Brock collapsed, convulsing, foaming at the mouth, his eyes glazing over.
"All done. Time to wrap up!"
Charlie clapped his hands, grabbed the sack of dragon bone fossils, and left the basement.
Soon after, Carter and her team arrived, fashionably late.
"Captain, Spider-Man did this."
Coulson pointed to the crooked writing on the wall.
[Are you OK? —Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider]
"I know."
Carter shook her head. This guy was so immature.
"Take them away. We're done here."
"Captain, what about the museum's damages…"
"That's Nick Fury's mistake. He'll handle it."
As Carter turned to leave, Coulson shook his head helplessly.
"We still haven't found the Time Tablet," he muttered under his breath.
Meanwhile, back at Felicia's castle.
The Time Tablet continued to charge the dragon bone fossils.
There were only eight usable fossils. After charging them, Charlie strapped them to his legs.
Whoosh~
In an instant, Charlie vanished from the room, circling the castle in mere seconds.
"Not bad. This speed isn't as fast as Quicksilver, but it's enough to keep up with speedsters without being too passive. Add in my max speed in arc mode, and the invincible Spider-Man is invincible again."
Removing the fossils, Charlie planned to integrate them into his nano-suit.
Behind him, Felicia watched with a strained smile.
"With this, no one should be able to kill you now."
"Yeah, what a shame."
Charlie stored the fossils, looking troubled.
"Being invincible is so… so lonely~"
"That sounds awful."
At that moment, Carter found Charlie.
"There are still plenty of ways to kill you. Try this first."
She tossed him a dagger.
Charlie caught it and ran his finger along the blade. The nano-metal parted easily, and his finger bled.
"What's this?"
"Remember those genetic disruptors?"
Carter explained, "They contain tiny fragments of vibranium. I used them to enhance the blade's sharpness."
Charlie laughed, returning the dagger to Carter as his finger's wound healed.
"A little vibranium like that won't kill me."
Carter put the dagger away. "Good to know."
She continued, "Brock's been diagnosed as a vegetable. Looks like you're still cautious."
Charlie shrugged. "It's not always a success. This time, it was luck."
"Luck's on Spider-Man's side."
Carter's smile faded.
"Because of Brock's exposure, the other Hydra moles will be more cautious. It'll be harder to catch them now."
Charlie pondered. "Besides Brock, the other suspects outrank you by a lot. You don't have a chance to test them."
"So?"
"So I'll step in. It's time to take them down. I suspect they're planning a world-shaking conspiracy."
"Your superpowers telling you that?"
"Something like that!"
"What if you're wrong?"
"Don't worry. With Doctor Octopus's brainwave sensor, I won't be wrong."
Charlie grinned. "As long as you can provide their locations."
"No problem."
Carter began contacting her family members.
Meanwhile, Charlie continued to familiarize himself with the super speed from the fossils.
At the same time, atop the Empire State Building, a secret meeting was underway.
"We're about to be exposed."
"Impossible. They have no evidence."
"Spider-Man doesn't need evidence. He has our list. Steve's death caused all of this."
"Steve, that useless fool. Letting him lead Hydra was our worst mistake."
"After Steve's death, someone destroyed all the data on Spider-Man. We're at a disadvantage."
"If that's the case, let's move up the plan."
"Fine. If we can't rule the world, we'll destroy it and build a new order."
"Hail Hydra!"
"Hail Hydra!!"