As Charlie spoke, his form closed in on the power source.
The Hydra agents around him couldn't react in time.
"No!!"
The instant Ruth screamed, a silver blur rapidly chased after the electric arc.
Zzzzt…
Bang bang bang~
In a flash, the arc and the silver blur clashed in Jenner in the void.
Blue sparks flew as the arc tried to reach the power source but was intercepted by the silver blur each time.
Charlie had no choice but to pivot and slam into the horn-like device.
BOOM!!
Before the arc could hit, a wave of crimson mist surged forward, and four mechanical tendrils locked onto the arc, releasing a thick crimson haze that enveloped it.
"Hm?"
Caught in the crimson mist, Charlie's nano-metal suit sparked violently, forcing him to dodge the mist's assault with a swing of his web.
Whoosh!
Charlie swung onto the ceiling's metal framework using his webs.
As the mechanical tendrils slowly retracted into Doctor Octopus's crimson-stained back, Charlie's eyes glinted.
"Hydra's Black Spine!"
The thing Ruth had implanted in Otto was that.
The fourth Black Spine had appeared!
On the other side, the silver blur dissipated, revealing a silver-haired youth in a light blue suit.
Pietro Django Maximoff!
Quicksilver, the Scarlet Witch's twin brother… or maybe older brother.
This was trouble.
Quicksilver's speed was clearly superior.
Charlie's mind raced.
Click click click
Otto's mechanical arms swayed as he stood in front of the artificial sun.
Finding its glow too bright, he used a tendril to grab sunglasses.
The moment he put them on, he fully transformed into the Doctor Octopus Charlie knew.
"Spider-Man, for Charlie's sake, I advise you to stay out of this, or I won't mind using you as fuel for the artificial sun," Otto said coldly.
Charlie took a deep breath. "Your wife is a Hydra agent. You must realize she's ruined you."
"No, she saved my life!" Otto snapped. "And I'm saving hers. A marriage is about mutual redemption. I've accepted her explanation."
Hearing this, Charlie decided he was done wasting time.
Zzzzt…
The arc flashed, and Pietro, who'd been watching casually, flicked his nose and turned into a silver blur to intercept Charlie.
Pfft pfft~~
As the arc and silver blur collided again, a torrent of webs shot out.
"Sh*t~"
With a yelp, the silver blur veered downward, Pietro's body tangled in webs, unable to stop Charlie any longer.
"No!!"
Otto roared, his four tendrils glowing red at the tips, firing crimson beams that locked onto the speeding Charlie.
Click click…
BOOM!!
The four tendrils struck simultaneously, shattering the arc. Charlie's body slammed into the wall, his limbs pinned by the tendrils.
"Spider-Man, your moves can't escape our eyes," Otto said with a chilling smile, as grotesque crimson tendrils with bloodshot eyeball-like suckers extended from his back, ready to devour.
Charlie said nothing, extending four mechanical tendrils of his own.
Clang clang clang~
His tendrils attacked Otto's, but sparks flew, and while Otto's vibranium-infused arms remained unscathed, Charlie's were twisted by the impact.
"It's useless, Spider-Man. These arms are laced with vibranium—Hydra's second gift to my husband. You can't break them," Ruth said, standing beside Otto with her gentle smile unchanged.
"Motherf*cker," Charlie cursed. "Being rich makes you untouchable?"
Zzt zzt zzt
The electric arc spider detached from his chest, and a magic spider crawled onto his arm.
Roar~
It bit down, flooding Charlie with magical energy.
Buzz
Red-and-blue patterns spread across him, his eyes turning blood-red as he entered Venom mode, his muscles bulging.
BOOM!!
With over a hundred tons of force, Charlie's limbs shook, causing Otto's mechanical arms to tremble.
"Trouble! Move!" Ruth shouted.
Pietro, free of the webs, turned into a silver blur, slamming into Charlie repeatedly.
Bang bang bang
Silver light flashed, nano-metal sparking, but the purple-veined muscles beneath the suit withstood the high-speed impacts.
"Fast, but not fierce enough," Charlie taunted, as the spider totem on his chest expanded into the void.
"Explode!"
BOOM!!
A massive spider totem erupted, magical energy and debris sweeping the lab.
"Careful!"
As fragments flew, Otto shielded Ruth with his body, while Pietro flickered as a silver blur to dodge.
Unable to evade in time, the fragments could kill him.
Click click click
Bang~
Lab equipment toppled, the power source sparked, and the flickering artificial sun remained radiant behind its shield.
Without the Time Tablet to absorb its energy, the shield was far stronger than in the last experiment.
Whoosh~
A red-and-blue figure shot out from the magical explosion.
BOOM!!
The lab's ceiling shattered, and the figure soared into the sky.
Before Charlie could escape, the broken ceiling reformed into a steel-and-concrete cage under a mysterious force, determined to trap the elusive Spider-Man.
"What?"
Charlie was stunned. Was this Magneto's power?
No way!
What was this, a revival race?
Click click click~
The cage enveloped him, but a second spider totem exploded.
BOOM!!
As the sun rose, dazzling magical energy destroyed the cage, and the red-and-blue figure swung free.
Behind him, the red sun loomed.
Below, the golden artificial sun pulsed with terrifying energy.
Hovering mid-air, Charlie spotted a cane-wielding woman in black by the ceiling's hole and sighed in relief.
Not Magneto.
But things weren't much better.
"Heh, Madame Gao, your sneak attack failed. Looks like the Hand won't get to work with us," he said.
A serpentine shadow slithered forward, a familiar figure making Charlie's heart skip.
Madame Viper of this world!
"Your toxins don't work on him, Madame Viper, which cost me my chance," Madame Gao said, her wrinkled face displeased.
The alluring Ophelia chuckled behind her hand. "Don't worry, it's not time yet!"
Glancing at Charlie, she raised three fingers with a confident smile.
"Timer's on."
"One, two, three."
Charlie: "???"
Ophelia blinked. "One, two, three!" she repeated.
Charlie shrugged. "Counting sheep? Sorry, that won't put me to sleep."
Ophelia's face darkened. "How? I spent so long perfecting that toxin!"
Madame Gao smirked. "Is that your trump card, Madame Viper?"
She raised her hand, telekinetically controlling the debris.
Click click~
BOOM!
Stones turned into cannonballs, hurtling at Charlie, but his webs ensnared them, flinging them back.
Zing!!
Madame Gao's cane flashed, revealing a hidden sword that sliced through the webbed debris.
"Cool!" Charlie clapped, then glanced through the ceiling hole at Pietro in the lab.
The guy couldn't fly, which was a relief.
But with Quicksilver here, where was Wanda? If her Chaos Magic awakened, he was doomed.
Scanning the area, Charlie saw no sign of Wanda.
From the ceiling hole, Otto's mechanical tendrils emerged, his gaze falling on Ophelia and Madame Gao.
"Who's in charge of Hydra?" he asked.
Ophelia smiled. "Something wrong?"
Her fingertips glowed green, wary of Otto.
Otto took a deep breath. "My wife completed her mission. She can't die."
"Of course. When this is over, she'll have more resources, and we'll compensate you. Your lives will be happier than ever," Ophelia said, affirming Ruth's work.
Otto sighed in relief. "Good. Now for Spider-Man."
He turned to Charlie, malice gleaming behind his sunglasses.
"Poor bug, you brought this on yourself. Your death will cost Charlie a friend, but he'll gain a better mentor. We'll be the world's brightest scientists. So, die!!"
Otto roared, crimson mist surging, forming a massive octopus shadow behind him, its oppressive force pushing back Ophelia and Madame Gao.
"What?"
Ophelia's eyes widened in shock, then gleamed with delight.
"Incredible! Otto's compatibility with Hydra's power is beyond imagination. This is Hydra's true strength—Steve and Bucky were nothing compared to him."
Under the terrifying Hydra power, Madame Gao's wrinkles seemed to tremble.
"Truly remarkable," she marveled, as Otto's tendrils turned a deep crimson.
Click click click
The four tendrils surged hundreds of meters, crimson mist warping the air, intent on killing Charlie.
Unfazed, Charlie's spider totem glowed with magical light, but a scarlet surge erupted from below.
"Trouble!"
Charlie frowned, his totem retracting as the electric arc spider crawled onto him.
Zzzzt~~
The arc dove, clashing with Otto's tendrils and the scarlet energy, whipping up a red storm.
"Wanda, your target is Spider-Man," Ophelia ordered.
The scarlet figure didn't linger, chasing Charlie with her energy.
BOOM
The sky roared with fire as micro-missiles rained down.
BOOM BOOM BOOM!!
Explosions scattered the scarlet energy, and the arc shot toward the artificial sun's device, tangling with Pietro.
Soon, a gold-and-red Mark suit descended.
"Hey, having a party?" Tony quipped.
Above, a helicopter roared in.
Inside, Carter led Harry and others.
"I'll help Spider-Man. You keep an eye on these guys," Carter said, strapping dragon bone fossils to her legs.
Buzz~
BOOM!!
Carter rocketed into the lab like a cannonball.
Zing!!
BOOM BOOM BOOM!!
In the lab, blue arcs and golden light clashed, and a silver blur was smashed into a wall by a shield.
"Here."
Carter tossed two dragon bone fossils to Charlie.
"Got it."
Charlie caught them, strapping them to his legs.
The arc and golden light merged, putting Charlie in a strange state.
Buzz~
A silver blur struck again, but Charlie didn't clash directly, becoming a faint electric glow that zipped past stunned agents.
Zzzzt…
The arc and silver blur froze.
Charlie held a gun to Pietro's head.
"Think this can kill you, buddy?" he said, waving the gun.
Pietro raised his hands, forcing a smile.
"I could dodge a bullet, but something about your moves screams bad intentions."
"Wanna find out?"
"Nope."
Whoosh~
Pietro vanished like smoke, his mission complete.
Charlie tossed the gun aside. "Fine, I forgive you."
Zzzzt~
The arc flashed, and Charlie wrecked the horn-like device, disabling the artificial sun's shield.
The sun's light dimmed, then flared brightly.
BOOM~~
Scorching waves surged, and the arc whisked a screaming Ruth away.
"Ruth!"
Otto ignored the Avengers, rushing toward the lab, only to see Ruth with Charlie.
"Damn you, Spider-Man! Let my wife go!" he roared.
"Let her go?"
Charlie eyed Ruth, grinning.
"Thanks for the reminder, Doc. Now you're taking orders from me."
"Despicable Spider-Man!" Ruth spat.
Charlie shrugged. "Don't blame me. Your husband's a damn genius."
Ruth: "…"
With Ruth as a hostage, Otto didn't dare move.
The lab was soon engulfed by the artificial sun's heat. Carter threw the Time Tablet inside.
Buzz~
Golden light spread, absorbing the sun's rampant energy, barely containing the heat.
A standoff ensued.
Tony's face was grim.
"We need to deal with the artificial sun first. If it turns into a black hole, we're all done for," he said to Ophelia.
She chuckled. "It's just an artificial sun. Even as a black hole, it'll only swallow New York, not the world." She seemed unconcerned.
Tony: "…"
Not the answer he wanted.
"But Stark, since we're here, let me introduce a friend you might remember."
Ophelia tapped a virtual computer, projecting a crimson skull.
"Dear Mr. Stark, remember me?" Red Skull's voice was mature, alluring, as fleshy tendrils on her face revealed a seductive visage.
Tony's body shook.
He remembered that night.
A woman, to buy weapons to bomb Spider-Man, had offered herself to him.
The experience was unforgettable.
But that woman…
"No way! That woman from that night can't be this disgusting freak!!" Tony paled, gagging.
Charlie grimaced.
Red Skull was a woman in this world?
Or had she undergone surgery?
Tony stooped that low? He must've been desperate.
But now…
This was blackmail material to reclaim the artificial web patent.
I'm gonna be rich!