That night, in the Defense Secretary's office.
A red-and-blue figure flashed outside the window as Charlie swung into the room.
The office was a mess, looking like it had just been ransacked by thieves.
Seeing this, Charlie knew he'd come up empty.
It couldn't be that much of a coincidence.
"Carter, Pierce is gone."
"What?"
On the other end of the comms, Carter's face darkened.
"How is that possible? He's the Defense Secretary—the highest position Hydra could infiltrate in the official system. For Pierce to abandon it so easily, there's got to be a reason we don't know about."
Charlie nodded. "I've got a bad feeling. They must've figured out our plan and pulled out early. For them to completely abandon infiltrating the official system, their next move is probably beyond anything we can predict."
Carter's expression grew grim. "Let's check on the other Hydra moles—"
Before she could finish, Agent Hill burst into Carter's office.
"Bad news. A ton of agents are unreachable. They've vanished, along with their families."
"What?"
Carter's heart skipped a beat. She knew what these missing agents meant.
They were Hydra moles too!
"How many agents are unaccounted for?" she asked.
"Almost two-thirds."
"What?!"
Carter was utterly shocked.
Two-thirds of the agents? That meant S.H.I.E.L.D. had long been infiltrated by Hydra.
No, calling it Snake-S.H.I.E.L.D. would be more accurate.
With a single word from Hydra's leadership, they could easily topple S.H.I.E.L.D.
So what was Steve?
As Hydra's leader, he'd been killed by Spider-Man in his own "home." That was just absurd.
Worse yet, Hydra hadn't chosen to overthrow S.H.I.E.L.D. first before acting. Instead, they'd abandoned years of effort to pursue some unknown plan.
The unknown bred fear.
Carter's body trembled.
She was afraid.
On the other end of the comms, Charlie overheard Agent Hill's report.
He leaped out the window, his body pressed against the smooth glass curtain wall.
Gazing at the neon-lit city under the night sky, the hairs on his arm stood on end—a primal reaction of his body to danger.
This conspiracy wasn't aimed at him, but he couldn't stay uninvolved.
"Another world-shaking disaster?"
He took a deep breath, his racing heart gradually calming.
"Heh, Spider-Man saving the world again? Not bad."
With a faint smile, Charlie leaped off the skyscraper.
Soon, he arrived in Hell's Kitchen.
At Kingpin's villa, Uncle Ben and Aunt May stood on a high platform, delivering impassioned speeches to sway their underground followers.
"With great power comes great responsibility. Today, we're a feared underground syndicate. Tomorrow, we'll be New York's heroes! Yes, we once had no choice, but now we can choose to be good people.
We'll live with our heads held high, not like rats in the sewers.
With our hands, we'll create a brighter future!!"
Below, their followers raised their hands in agreement.
"A brighter future!"
"Long live Spider-Man!"
"Long live Hell's Kitchen!!"
But afterward, whispers spread among them.
"Are they serious? Helping old ladies cross the street?"
"Will the old ladies pay us?"
"Probably not. I just robbed the one next door."
"And that kid at the corner store—I beat him up a few days ago. Now I'm supposed to apologize? I'm ready to retire."
From the rooftop, Charlie overheard their complaints and couldn't help but chuckle.
"Uncle Ben and Aunt May's crime lord journey is just beginning. It's a long road ahead—good luck!"
He swung into the night sky, returning to Bleecker Street, where he personally prepared a bottle of formula for baby Kingpin.
Staring at Charlie in his Spider-Suit, baby Kingpin's little face flickered with uncertainty.
"What's wrong with you?" he asked through the brainwave sensor.
"You're not planning to trick me again, are you? I've already told you everything. Don't do this—I'm scared…"
Charlie tilted his head. "Relax, I'm not trying to hurt you. I just feel I've been rough on you lately, so I'm making it up to you."
Hearing this, baby Kingpin grew even more terrified.
"Something's off. You're definitely up to something. Don't scare me—I'm just a kid! No, I'm just a baby! I'm harmless, waaah…"
Charlie stuffed the bottle's nipple into the baby's mouth. "I've got a feeling I might die this time," he said softly.
Baby Kingpin: "???"
"Isn't that normal for you?"
"Yeah, I'm used to it, but this time feels different."
Charlie raised his arm, the hairs still standing on end, signaling that what was coming wouldn't be simple.
"I know, it's your Spider-Sense," baby Kingpin said.
Charlie shook his head. "It's not Spider-Sense. I've never felt like this before."
He picked up Kingpin and placed him on the couch.
"This might make you more comfortable. If you're lucky, you'll hold out until I get back."
With that, Charlie prepared another bottle.
"Your physiology isn't like a normal person's. Even as a baby, you've got some self-sufficiency. I know you can walk."
At those words, baby Kingpin started to panic.
"You're planning—"
"I'm not planning anything."
Charlie ignored the baby's inner turmoil. "Just having a simple chat."
He paused. "Never mind, no time for chats. I'm in a hurry."
He set down a spare bottle, then flipped out the window.
Next door, Charlie clung to the wall.
Peering inside, he saw Mary Jane diligently studying.
He tapped the window, startling her.
"Oh, Spider-Man!"
Spotting the pale blue eyes outside, Mary Jane patted her chest.
She opened the window. "You nearly scared me to death."
Charlie shrugged. "Studying this late? You didn't used to be this dedicated."
"How do you know about my past?" Mary Jane asked, puzzled.
"Charlie told me."
"He tells you everything. What a big mouth."
Mary Jane griped, then added, "What choice do I have? Charlie's getting more impressive, and Harry's a superhero now. I'm just an ordinary girl. If I don't work hard to keep up, I'll lose my friends."
Charlie clapped. "I'm happy you've got that mindset."
"You're happy?"
"No, I'm happy for Charlie."
"Okay, you're acting really different from the last time I saw you."
Mary Jane propped her chin, smiling. "People get weirdly emotional late at night. Even Spider-Man's no exception, right?"
"I'm not that sentimental," Charlie retorted.
Then he asked, "If the world ended, what would you want to do?"
"The end of the world?"
Mary Jane squinted. "You're definitely emo."
She glanced at the window across from hers, lost in thought.
"I'd want to go back to childhood. Back then, we wouldn't—"
"Wait, I asked what you'd do, not what you'd wish for."
"You should've been clearer."
"I was clear."
"Fine. Honestly, I wouldn't do much. If the world was ending, he'd protect me."
"You mean Charlie?"
"Yeah, I'm sure of it."
"Great, I just wasted a few minutes."
Charlie shot a web and swung into the night.
Watching Spider-Man's departing figure, Mary Jane's expression grew puzzled.
"He's acting really weird."
Muttering, she closed the window and went back to studying her script.
Even if she couldn't become a top scientist, she'd at least aim to be a famous stage actress.
...
Soon, Charlie landed on the castle's rooftop.
"Hey, you alone?" he called to Harry in the courtyard.
Hearing him, Harry, who'd been drinking alone, looked up.
Under the night sky, the red-and-blue figure gleamed with metallic light.
"Mr. Spider-Man, care for a drink?" Harry raised his glass, smiling.
Charlie nodded, swinging down to take the glass.
"I only drink juice, actually."
"Juice?"
Harry blinked. "You don't drink?"
"Maybe!"
Charlie flicked a web, flipping onto a web hammock.
He lay back, hands behind his head, gazing at the starry night sky.
"I'm sleeping here tonight."
"You're welcome to."
Harry downed his drink and lazily lay on the grass.
He mirrored Charlie, hands behind his head.
"Man, I miss those days," he said, smiling at the stars.
"What?" Charlie asked.
"The old days. Every holiday, Charlie would come hang out with me."
"You sure he was hanging out?"
"Well, okay, he was mostly there to mooch food. He ate most of our imported groceries."
Harry waited for a response, but Charlie was silent.
Turning his head, he saw Charlie was already asleep.
Harry chuckled. "I get it. No one can wake a pretending-to-sleep Spider-Man."
Closing his eyes, he fell asleep on the grass.
Soon, the old butler approached, draping blankets over both of them.
Looking at Spider-Man on the hammock and Harry on the grass, the butler's wrinkled face broke into a smile.
"Not bad. These two kids are still the same as ever."
He glanced toward the castle, as if seeing Norman's shadow.
"Old John, leave those two alone and get some sleep. Staying up's bad for you."
"Sir, you're staying up too."
"No, I'm different. I'm up for Harry's future."
"Sir, I'm the same—for Harry's future and yours."
"Haha, we all have bright futures. I'm certain."
In the butler's eyes, Norman's shadow faded.
"Sir, our future…"
His cloudy eyes brimmed with tears.
"Like you, I have no future left."
He approached Charlie, turning his back to him.
He pulled down his collar.
Under the moonlight, a blood-red Hydra mark slowly appeared on the back of his neck.
"Spider-Man, you saw it. Go find Doctor Octopus now—maybe there's still time."
With that, the butler adjusted his collar and shuffled away.
On the hammock, the dim inverted triangle eyes suddenly glowed pale blue.
Charlie sat up, sighing softly as he watched the butler disappear.
"Thank you, Mr. John."
Zzt zzt zzt~
The electric arc spider crawled onto his chest, and a dazzling blue light tore through the night.
The darkness before dawn.
At a coastal villa, a group of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents was calibrating a horn-like device.
"Power stable."
"Tritium levels corrected."
"Preparing energy output."
Buzz~
Suddenly, a faint golden glow emerged from the dust, rapidly expanding.
The dazzling light poured through the windows, illuminating the night. Doctor Octopus stirred from his coma.
"Ugh… what happened?"
Opening his eyes, he saw Ruth beside him, packing away surgical tools.
"You're awake."
Ruth wore her usual gentle smile. She wrung out a blood-soaked towel, the crimson dripping into a basin, the sharp scent of blood not bothering her at all.
She seemed used to it.
She gently wiped Octopus's face with the bloody towel.
"How do you feel?"
"I feel…"
Octopus struggled to sit up, his eyes dazed.
"I feel fine, but what happened?"
Ruth smiled. "I implanted something incredible in you. It'll help you control your mechanical arms better and fulfill our dream."
"Our dream…"
His mechanical arms swayed slightly, the red lights at their tips flickering.
In that moment, Octopus saw a rising mini-sun through his arms' sensors.
It was his artificial sun.
"What? How is it…?" Octopus gasped.
Ruth stroked his face. "Relax. They didn't steal your work—they're helping you complete your dream."
She looked at the lab's radiant glow.
"There aren't many spectators here, but I know you'll be satisfied. At this very moment, artificial sun experiments are happening worldwide.
After today, Otto's name will go down in history. You'll be the world's most famous scientist, bar none."
"The same artificial sun experiments?"
Octopus's eyes widened. "No, no! The last experiment's data showed the tritium values aren't precise enough. I need more accurate calculations. You'll ruin me—and the whole world!"
He struggled to stop it, but Ruth hugged him tightly.
"No, my husband, don't interfere. We can't stop them."
Her eyes pleaded. "It's because of the artificial sun's instability that they decided to launch this plan."
"What do you mean?" Octopus froze.
Ruth sighed, turning to pull down her collar, revealing a Hydra mark on her neck.
"Do you understand? I'm your wife, but I'm also Hydra. This is their plan. To keep you alive, I had to give them your research."
Ruth gripped his hand, pleading, "Please, don't stop them. The black hole from a failed artificial sun is unstoppable. It'll destroy military bases worldwide.
What nuclear weapons can't do, a runaway artificial sun will. Hydra will rise from the world's end. No one can stop it—not even Spider-Man."
"You're… insane!" Octopus trembled.
"A black hole will swallow everything. Don't you know that?"
"But a black hole can't swallow their ambition."
As her voice rang out, a blue electric arc zipped past them, racing toward the artificial sun.
"Doctor Octopus, we have to stop them. Your experiment was meant to make the world better, not destroy it!"