"Three-armed Spider-Man?" Charlie repeated.
Lizard Parker thought for a moment. "More like six arms."
Charlie: "…"
"So, three pairs."
Not having seen Harry's death firsthand, Charlie felt a bit better.
Yeah, right!
"Let's go. We need to meet Carter in Hell's Kitchen."
"Captain Carter?"
Lizard Parker's eyes lit up. "Great, let's find her."
In that moment, he completely forgot about Gwen's recent death.
So did Charlie.
They turned to leave.
Behind them, Wade's head wobbled. "Hey, hey, take me with you! Don't leave me, jerks!"
An hour later, Hell's Kitchen.
When Charlie arrived at Kingpin's villa holding a head, everyone froze.
"You killed that evil Spider-Man to avenge Harry?" Carter exclaimed.
"Sh*t, I'm not Spider-Man, I'm the Dark Knight, Batman!!" Wade clarified.
Seeing a talking head, the group was stunned again.
"As expected, Spider-Men are immortal," Barton mused.
Wade: "…"
Charlie casually tossed Wade's head into a corner.
He scanned the room, his gaze settling on Ben Parker and Aunt May.
His nano-mask retracted, revealing his face.
Seeing Charlie's familiar face, Ben and May's expressions were complex.
"My little Charlie, you… you've been through so much, haven't you?" Aunt May stepped forward, pinching his cheeks as always.
Ben tugged her sleeve, whispering, "You're his cousin now."
May shook her head. "I know he recognizes us."
"Yeah."
Charlie smiled, opening his arms to hug Ben and May.
"It's great to see you both this time."
"This time?"
They blinked but didn't dwell on it.
After a brief hug, Charlie turned to the disheveled elderly Steve.
"What happened to you?" he asked.
Elderly Steve brushed his charred sleeve, sighing, "Max got me. But unlike him, I can last all day—he can't."
"Makes sense." Charlie gave a thumbs-up.
Carter pushed a wheelchair into the room, accompanied by a haggard man.
"Oh, it's Logan, my best bud!!" Wade shouted, ignored by all.
Logan glanced at Wade's head, frowning.
"Can we sew his mouth shut?" he asked Charlie.
Wade: "…"
Charlie considered. "Why not go all out and smash it?"
Wade: "!!!!"
"Heh, you're worried you'd get your mouth sewn shut too, right?" Professor X chuckled from the wheelchair.
Charlie's eyes narrowed. "I don't like people poking around in my head."
"Sorry, habit," Professor X apologized, lowering his head.
Carter explained, "I ran into them on the way to Hell's Kitchen."
"How'd you know they're participants?" Lizard Parker asked.
Carter shrugged. "They caused some trouble and looked rough, so they had to be Spider-Man's allies."
"Oh, I get it—the old, weak, and sickly team," Lizard Parker said nostalgically.
Charlie eyed them. "You two don't seem like fighters."
In his prime, Logan would've challenged Charlie to a brawl.
But now, his spirit was worn down.
"Yeah, I'm not much use, but the Professor might be."
Logan's expression grew serious. "He could lose control any moment."
"Throw him into Hydra's nest, and we win," Wade suggested.
Logan ignored him. "You wouldn't do that, right?" he asked Charlie and the others nervously.
"Of course not."
Charlie smiled, but Professor X trembled.
Logan startled. "Oh no, he's about to lose it—get back!"
"Relax, I'm calm," Professor X said, his gaze complex as he looked at Charlie.
"I should've listened to you."
He'd instinctively probed Charlie's mind again, but an invisible force blocked him.
In his prime, he could've broken through easily.
Now, he barely managed.
Charlie rubbed his temples. "That's called mental resistance. Watch it next time."
"No next time."
"I think there will be."
Charlie surveyed the group: Carter, elderly Steve, Ben Parker, Aunt May, Lizard Parker, Wolverine, Professor X, and Wade's head.
Plus Barton and Natasha, mere mortals.
This lineup was no match for Hydra.
Unless…
He looked at elderly Steve. "Found the Time Tablet?"
Elderly Steve shook his head. "No time."
"Madame Gao fled first after you died. She's hard to track," Carter explained.
"What about the dragon bone fossils?" Charlie asked.
Carter opened a case, revealing dim fossils.
"We used their power getting to Bleecker Street. They're drained."
Carter knew Charlie's plan, but without energy, the fossils couldn't rejuvenate elderly Steve or boost their fighting strength.
Charlie stayed calm, tapping his wrist device to display a New York map.
"Hydra Steve and the Sinister Six found Mary Jane and Gwen right away. Their starting points must be close.
Plus, where did Harry die?" he asked Lizard Parker.
"Osborn Tower," Lizard Parker replied.
Charlie frowned.
"Osborn Tower, Empire State University, Bleecker Street…"
He muttered, his heart sinking.
The three locations formed a triangle around the Empire State Building, roughly equidistant.
Even at his speed, he could only save one person.
Saving all three was impossible—their deaths were too close in time.
He looked at Wade. "If I recall, you've got a teleportation device?"
"Yeah, want it? I'll lend it, but first, wash my head. My neck's growing back."
Wade's severed neck sprouted tendrils, startling everyone.
What a terrifying healing factor.
Charlie turned away, ignoring Wade.
Wade's starting point was likely near the school. Finding him early could've saved Harry, Mary Jane, and Gwen.
Then there was the identity leak.
Could preventing it stop the tragedy?
Charlie wasn't optimistic.
Hydra Steve knew everything about him—leaked identity or not, the outcome was the same.
The Sinister Six targeted Gwen, Spider-Man or not.
And the six-armed Spider-Man's strength was unknown, likely tough to handle.
These were all problems to solve before completing the Revival Race.
Charlie gathered the group, collecting intel from Carter and the others.
Soon, TV broadcasts showed artificial sun experiments worldwide, with people cheering.
"My God, thirteen artificial suns at once—the world's changing!"
"The experiments succeeded! Humanity will have infinite energy, and Earth will reach the stars!"
"So exciting!"
But soon, the suns went haywire, black holes swallowing hope.
Amid the chaos, Charlie's group sat before the TV.
"No way to win," Carter sighed. "I calculated it. From the task's start to the suns' failure, we have three hours. With Earth's tech, even the fastest plane can't stop them in time."
"And that's without other participants interfering," elderly Steve added.
"Can't we get the government to launch remote nuclear strikes?" Lizard Parker asked.
Carter shook her head. "The experiments made the news, meaning Hydra convinced them it's legit. They're blinded by the promise of infinite energy and won't believe us."
Logan frowned. "No options at all?"
"Unless we can teleport," Charlie said, eyeing Wade.
Wade, now with a half-grown "baby body," stood, hands on hips, puffing out his chest.
"Over half the suns are already out of control. It's too late."
Logan and Professor X looked disappointed.
First-time Revival Race participants, they had no experience or strategy.
Elderly Steve seemed unfazed, used to it.
Carter looked at Charlie. "No way out?"
She still hoped for Charlie's powers.
Charlie shook his head. "Without key items, this Revival Race is busted."
Lizard Parker scratched his head. "This one lacks the thrill of the last. Total failure."
Barton and Natasha exchanged glances, shaking their heads.
Though they knew Spider-Man's revival secret, with the suns destroying global forces, Hydra would dominate.
Against a world war, superhero strength was trivial.
"Found you."
The TV flickered with code, then a sinister face appeared.
Doctor Zola's eerie smile stunned them.
Zzzzt…
The room's lights flickered, and a terrified Professor X stiffened, trembling.
"Trouble!"
Before Logan could grab a sedative, a psychic storm erupted.
Aged and unable to control his immense mental power, Professor X's outburst was catastrophic.
The first time, it killed six hundred people instantly.
He'd lived with that guilt ever since.
Now, as his mental energy surged, the world's superheroes felt the terrifying mutant power.
"No!!"
The invisible force rocked the room, everyone collapsing in agony, heads splitting.
Charlie fared better, able to move but with most of his fighting strength gone.
"Use this."
Struggling, Logan tossed a sedative to Charlie.
Charlie caught it, moving to inject Professor X.
"Wait, where?" he paused.
Logan gritted his teeth. "Anywhere."
As he spoke, blinding white light engulfed their vision.
[You've been eliminated. No revival slot earned. Reward: Strength +1 ton.]
[45 restart opportunities remaining. Restart?]
In the cosmic web, Charlie woke, dazed.
"Missile bombing the bug again?"
No, the instant disintegration wasn't a normal missile.
A nuclear weapon?
Charlie shuddered.
After wiping out global militaries, Hydra showed its true face.
In a world war, superheroes were indeed insignificant.
So, he had three hours from the Revival Race's start to stop the suns' collapse, or Hydra would dominate, easily eliminating New York's rival participants.
Charlie's muscles trembled—one ton was a drop in the bucket, but it was something.
Restart!
Second Revival Race.
As the countdown ended, Charlie turned into an arc, racing to Empire State University.
Whoosh~
Speeding along, he found Wade peeping at girls showering in the women's dorm.
"Hey, you don't want your girlfriend knowing you're spying, do you?"
Charlie patted Wade's shoulder.
Wade turned. "So what? Who cares?" He shrugged.
Charlie: "…"
His gaze fell on Wade's teleportation device. "No time to explain. Take me somewhere."
Charlie was ready to snatch it, but Wade's response stunned him.
"Sure, where?"
Wade adjusted the device.
Charlie: "???"
"You're not gonna ask why?"
"No need."
Wade opened his arms for a slow hug. "When I first saw you, my heart said you're trustworthy. I'll always love you… Oof!"
Charlie's expressionless knee strike left Wade doubled over in pain.
Before he could wail, Charlie clamped his mouth shut.
"Quiet. We go together, silently."
Wade, enduring the pain, nodded.
Charlie let go, and Wade let out a piercing scream.
"Oh! Wade-fuck, my balls!"
"Ahh!! Pervert!!"
Girls screamed from the bathroom as Charlie and Wade vanished in a faint glow.
When Charlie opened his eyes, he was on the university's rooftop.
Mysterio stood before him, stunned.
"Spider-Man?"
Seeing Charlie's red-and-blue upper half, Mysterio scratched his glass orb.
He didn't reach his head.
Charlie looked down—his lower half was gone.
Beside him, an awkward Wade tapped the device.
"Uh, sorry, it's acting up. Don't worry, I'll get your legs back. Just wait…"
Wade crouched, pretending to fix it.
Charlie's vision darkened.
This was the cost of teaming up with Deadpool…