"No, you can help me."
Charlie reached out, "Cover my toll fees."
The Ancient One shook her head, "I don't have money, but I can remind you—when you get back, try being Spider-Man again. You might find a surprise waiting for you."
"Fine, I'll trust you."
Charlie turned to leave, but not before adding, "Don't think about retiring all the time. If you're gone, I'll find your diary and share its contents with all your disciples."
The Ancient One: "..."
Watching Charlie's retreating figure, her expression grew heavy.
Then, she silently pulled out her phone and deleted her entire browsing history.
…
At night, back in New York, Charlie donned his Spider-Suit, overlooking the city under the cover of darkness.
His pale blue eyes glowed faintly as the invincible Spider-Man returned to his old ways, saving the city's unlucky good neighbors in the most classic style.
The power of Elios had caused the world's memories to be "reset" to some extent. Even the Sakaar marks left by the Grandmaster on humanity vanished amid the chaos of time and space.
The world had reverted to its former state.
But Charlie couldn't deny that no matter how hard Spider-Man tried to save the world, it always seemed to slip back to how it was.
An invisible force was manipulating the entire world, refusing to let people control their own time and lives.
Everything had to proceed in a predetermined direction.
This was humanity's fate.
Utopia didn't exist.
If it did, it would inevitably be shattered.
The invincible Spider-Man was a joke.
Just like Spider-Man's own fate—no one could change it.
You either followed fate or were destroyed by it.
Perched atop a high wall, Charlie's eyes flickered as he leaped into the howling wind.
Whoosh~
With his superpowers restricted, Charlie relied on artificial webbing to swing through the skyscrapers.
Between bursts of webbing, he flipped and landed on the roof of a low-rise residential building.
In a shadowy alley, several gunshots rang out, followed by a group of goons clutching bags as they fled.
"Oh my God, run!"
"It's a monster!"
"A terrifying monster~"
The fleeing goons screamed, only to collapse one by one, foaming at the mouth and convulsing violently, clearly in bad shape.
"Heh, this is getting more and more boring."
At the alley's entrance, a graceful figure swayed out of the darkness. The familiar leopard-print dress made Charlie, watching from above, pause in surprise.
"Ophidia?"
Hearing his voice, Ophidia, who was about to leave, lit up with delight. She snapped her head up to see the red-and-blue figure under the moonlight.
"Heh, the most perfect man—you're finally back."
"You seem…"
Charlie leaped down, noticing Ophidia's greedy stare. A thought stirred in him, but he still didn't feel his superpowers returning.
Ophidia seemed to sense his confusion. Covering her mouth, she chuckled, "Don't worry, not everyone forgets Charlie Parker."
She swayed her hips, sauntering over to him and resting a hand on his shoulder.
"If you want the truth, you know what to do."
Her eyes glinted playfully, her tone laced with temptation—and perhaps a hint of a threat.
Charlie considered for a moment. "This time, I'm on top."
"Fine by me. I live nearby."
"Wait, don't pull me—"
"Shoot your webbing already."
Two hours later.
In a nearby apartment, Ophidia lounged half-sitting on the bed, lighting a cigarette with a satisfied look.
As she exhaled a cloud of smoke, she glanced at Charlie, who had buried his head in the sheets, and smirked.
"Not bad. Your technique's improved. Who taught you?"
Charlie turned his head, expressionless. "I've always been good. I just prefer being passive, so you misunderstood."
"Oh, is that so? You're one step closer to true perfection."
"Cut the nonsense. I've given you what you wanted, so tell me the truth."
"The truth is, I don't know either."
Ophidia took a deep drag, smiling. "Besides me, a few others remember everything. Maybe it's because we're not native to this universe, so we're unaffected."
Charlie fell into thought at her words.
"That's not enough information. You got off easy this time."
"Besides me, it seems you've let someone else get off easy too, haven't you?"
Ophidia tossed the cigarette away and leaned in close, staring into his eyes.
"I heard about it—a guy living in the sea had Spider-Man's kid. That kid was supposed to be mine!" Her expression darkened.
Charlie raised an eyebrow. "Who told you?"
As he spoke, he quietly pulled the blanket over her.
He was aesthetically fatigued.
Yeah, that's it.
Ophidia didn't notice his small gesture. She snorted, "Why do you think I got out of S.H.I.E.L.D.? When your teammate was lucid, I used a little trick to find out."
Charlie rubbed his forehead. "Fine, tell me—where's the old man?"
"He's right next door."
"What?"
Charlie froze, then heard a knock at the door.
"Little Spider, you done in there?" Old Man Steve called from outside.
Hearing his voice, Charlie's face darkened.
"He heard us?" he asked.
Ophidia rolled her eyes. "What do you think?"
Charlie sighed, rubbing his forehead again. "Damn it, the good neighbor's reputation is about to collapse."
He tapped the spider emblem on his chest, and nanometal quickly enveloped his body.
Then, he pulled a few bills from his suit and handed them to Ophidia.
"Thanks for your hard work."
With that, he opened the door, grabbed Old Man Steve, and dragged him out of the apartment.
On the bed, Ophidia stared at the bills Charlie left behind, taking a moment to process.
Gritting her teeth, she grabbed her phone.
"Hello, I want to report Spider-Man—"
…
Meanwhile.
On a rooftop, under a dark, windy night.
Old Man Steve stood with one foot on a low wall, hand on his forehead. "Little Spider, what's your take?"
Charlie glanced at the new pose Old Man Steve had picked up and couldn't help but roll his eyes.
"On what?"
"On you being forgotten, obviously."
"It's not even a thing."
Charlie leaned his hands on the low wall, the wind mussing his hair.
"Why aren't you with S.H.I.E.L.D.?" he asked.
Old Man Steve looked helpless. "In their memories, I'm apparently not a good guy. I couldn't take it, so I left."
"You don't exactly look like a good guy."
Charlie turned, plopping down on the wall.
Looking up at the night sky, he took a deep breath. "Any way to get to Asgard?"
At that, Old Man Steve reached out without hesitation.
"Let me try."
He attempted to summon Mjolnir.
Charlie, meanwhile, tapped his virtual computer. Agent Hill was trying to contact him.
The Richards couple was in Australia.
If even Odin couldn't help, he'd have to start with the Richards.
Soon, lightning flashed in the night sky, and Mjolnir streaked through the air, landing in Old Man Steve's hand.
A rainbow beam shot down diagonally.
Boom!!
On the rooftop, Asgard's teleportation magic arrived, and Dark Thor burst out, cursing loudly.
"Jerk, give me back my meow-meow—wait, don't do that! I'll give you anything, please!"
Old Man Steve made a show of threatening to defile Mjolnir, and Dark Thor dropped to his knees, begging.
"Old man, please, don't do this. You'll ruin us," Thor said, staring nervously at his hammer, nearly in tears.
Charlie: "..."
He glanced at the old man, whispering, "Who taught you that?"
Old Man Steve didn't look away. "Deadpool. The female one."
Charlie: "..."
Well, damn. She's gone dark.
He stepped forward to Thor. "Take us to Asgard."
"No problem."
Boom!!
Soon, the Rainbow Bridge's beam descended, and the three arrived at its end.
Under the watchful gaze of Heimdall, wielding his golden sword, Charlie crossed the Rainbow Bridge and finally met Odin.
"Hey, need to see a diary?" Charlie asked right away.
Odin shook his head. "Earth's Sorcerer Supreme already told me. I'm sorry about this."
Charlie's face fell. "If you can't help, then—"
"No, I mean I can only give you one piece of information."
Charlie: "..."
"What are you going to tell me?"
"Ragnarok."
Odin's face was solemn. "Due to this unknown force, Ragnarok has been hastened again. The answers you seek might lie within it."
Charlie pondered. "Got it. See you."
"Wait."
Odin stopped him, waving a hand to send a surge of golden divine energy into Charlie's palm.
"If you need me, come directly. Thor loves his hammer too much, and I don't want your friend disgusting him."
Charlie clenched his fist, smiling faintly. "It's training for him, you know."
With that, he took Old Man Steve and left Asgard.
The next morning, the Rainbow Bridge's teleportation magic appeared on Australia's coast.
Boom~
On a red-sun beach, the colorful light faded, magical energy scorching the sand.
Charlie and Old Man Steve stepped out of the array.
They scanned their surroundings, looking a bit lost.
"You ever been here?" Charlie asked.
Old Man Steve shook his head. "Nope."
"You never traveled here?"
"My pension's not exactly generous."
"Fair enough. Good thing I came prepared."
Charlie tapped his virtual computer, and a stunning Felicia appeared on the screen.
"Hey, Spider-Man, Captain Carter says I'm to assist you. Need me tonight?"
The white-haired girl flashed a teasing smile. Charlie thought it over seriously.
"Not convenient these days. Another time."
"Wow, Spider-Man, you're even sweeter to your fans than I thought."
"Fans? Nah, I'm a proper Spider-Man."
"Wait, I can be improper too—"
Felicia changed the subject. "I'll send you an address. Come over. One of our team is injured."
"Got it."
Soon, a car pulled up to the coast and whisked them away.
At a suburban villa.
In a room, Rhino-Man Aleksei lay pale on a bed, wrapped in bandages, with bloodied cloths piled nearby.
Click~
The door opened. He glanced at Spider-Man behind Felicia and snorted.
"Damn bug, you here to laugh at me?" His eyes were hostile.
Charlie thought for a moment. "Charlie sent me to check on you." He held up a fruit basket.
At that, Aleksei's face lit up with a goofy grin.
"Thanks to him, then. I want an apple."
Felicia: "..."
Charlie couldn't help but chuckle.
This guy was still ridiculous.
He handed over an apple and asked, "How'd you get hurt?"
"Why should I tell—"
Aleksei stopped mid-sentence as Charlie silently put on a "Charlie" photo mask.
Instantly, Aleksei's grumpiness vanished.
"We were tracking an evil organization. During the fight, a vampire got me."
"Vampire?"
Charlie frowned. "Can you elaborate?"
"Of course."
Aleksei stared at the mask. "Guy's name was Morbius. He flies, turns into a bat. No one knows why he's like that."
"Vampire Morbius?"
Charlie mused.
He'd thought it might be an Inheritor.
But it was this guy.
Breaking through Rhino-Man's defenses? This Morbius seemed different from what he'd imagined.
He didn't dwell on it.
Enhanced villains were a dime a dozen.
He pressed on, "Why's Morbius here? What's it got to do with the Richards couple?"
Aleksei didn't know, so Felicia explained.
"We weren't the first to get wind of this. Plenty of people want the tech from scientists who can make mutant spiders. Morbius is one of them."
Charlie rubbed his chin. "Their real target is Spider-Man?"
"Exactly. You."
Felicia continued, "Mutant spiders made the invincible Spider-Man. Getting the Richards means getting another invincible Spider-Man."
Behind him, Old Man Steve shook his head. "Bunch of naive fools."
Charlie turned to Felicia. "So where are the Richards, exactly?"
Felicia shook her head, looking at Aleksei.
Aleksei, for Charlie's sake, said, "I'm sure Morbius hasn't found them, but another guy might have."
"Who?"
"Tony Stark."
"Huh?"
Charlie frowned. "That guy…"
Aleksei was certain. "I'm sure of it. Another Iron Man. I saw his white armor."
"Oh, him."
Charlie realized—the card character left by the Grandmaster was still in this world.
Because Elios disrupted this universe's time and space, the real Tony seemed to have ignored Charlie's earlier warnings, leaving White-Armor Tony unchecked.
That gave White-Armor Tony breathing room.
For that guy, finding the Richards and getting Spider-Man's data meant he could develop weapons to counter him.
Take down Spider-Man, and no one in this world could stop him.
With that, Charlie locked his target on White-Armor Tony.