In the frozen expanse of time, Charlie fell silent for a moment.
Then, he looked up again at the towering, boundless figure.
"My wish is…"
Charlie spoke slowly. Doctor Doom's figure stirred slightly, gazing down at the helpless Spider-Man.
"Speak your wish."
"My wish is…"
Charlie raised three fingers. "Give me three more wishes."
Doctor Doom: "…"
He'd never encountered such shameless audacity.
But his interest in this brazen Spider-Man only grew.
"Fine, I'll grant it. Name your three wishes."
"What?"
Doctor Doom agreed, but Charlie was stunned.
He actually went along with it?
Shouldn't he be furious enough to squash the annoying bug?
Truly a Marvel big shot—such a cool head.
Charlie gathered his thoughts before continuing. "First wish: restore everyone to their original selves."
"I grant it."
Doctor Doom raised a hand, enveloping the entire planet. A dark magic circle bloomed in his palm, rotating counterclockwise. The tense bodies of elderly Steve and the others relaxed, the red glow in their eyes fading away.
"Name your second wish," Doctor Doom said.
Charlie thought for a moment. "My second wish is to restore the Web of Life and Destiny to its original state."
"Hm?"
Doctor Doom paused at this wish.
Then, he shook his head. "I've wielded many great cosmic powers, but totem power isn't my expertise. I can only send you to the totem world and help you defeat the Leech Totem to save the Web."
"I'm already satisfied."
Charlie took a deep breath and spoke his final wish.
"My third wish is…"
This time, Doctor Doom leaned in to listen.
"My third wish is to give me three more wishes!"
The moment Charlie blurted it out, Doctor Doom finally abandoned his tolerance for the bug's antics.
"Pathetic insect, you've squandered your last chance."
Doctor Doom's voice thundered with rage, the world twisting violently.
In an instant, Charlie's figure was swallowed by the void.
The next moment, he arrived in an unfamiliar universe.
Universe 001.
New York here lacked the towering skyscrapers.
Atop a clock tower, Charlie's eyes took in a cityscape filled with retro European-style buildings.
The sky was gray, the sun dim.
Doctor Doom's voice echoed in Charlie's ears.
"After your wishes are fulfilled, you'll become my toy. This is a fair deal, and you must honor it."
Doctor Doom's voice grew fainter until it vanished.
Charlie scratched his ear. "What a weird guy. But not a bad experience."
He raised his hand, holding a silver mask.
This was Doctor Doom's gift—a tool to help him fulfill his wishes in this world.
Defeat the Inheritor family, redeem the Weaver, and save Spider-Man from his lonely fate!
As for how to use the mask…
He touched its surface, and the mask's eye sockets glowed faintly, projecting a virtual interface before Charlie.
[Grand Battle: Forcibly summon all Spider-Men and Inheritors from the multiverse to a duel world. Only the victors may leave.]
"Hm?"
Charlie pondered the mask's sole function.
Though Doctor Doom had uncovered his secret, he'd still given him a chance.
This chance wasn't given freely.
Charlie had never heard of anyone fulfilling an opponent's wishes before imprisoning them.
This must be the result of negotiations between the Resurrection Match's "organizer" and Doctor Doom.
And the idea of becoming Doom's "toy"? Charlie sensed something off.
Seeing the mask Doctor Doom gave him, he roughly guessed the plan.
The Spider-Man fate war had dragged on too long.
It was time to end it.
Only the victors would earn rebirth.
But if the invincible Spider-Man failed…
Thinking of a certain possibility, Charlie took a deep breath, steeling himself.
This totem war…
"Must be won!!!"
Atop the clock tower, the invincible Spider-Man raised his right hand, shouting passionately.
"Oh my gosh, look! Someone's about to jump!"
Hearing the commotion, passersby looked up at Charlie, gathering below and shouting.
"Young man, come down!"
"Everything will pass!"
"No matter how tough life gets, we have to keep going!"
"Poor kid…"
The crowd tried to dissuade him. Charlie's smile froze.
He awkwardly lowered his hand and ducked back into the clock tower.
So embarrassing!
Good thing he wasn't in his suit, or Spider-Man would've been the one humiliated.
With that, he waved a hand, opened a portal, and vanished.
Buzz~
The streets were desolate, with few pedestrians.
Most shops along the road were shuttered.
Charlie walked the street as a gust of wind swept newspapers past him.
Whoosh~
He grabbed one from the air, glancing at it and immediately drawn to its headlines.
[Spider-Man Died Tragically Three Years Ago, Spider Totem Still Missing.]
[Inheritor Family Rises to Totem Nobility, Opposed by Other Totem Clans.]
[Harry Osborn Officially Inherits Family Totem—Is This the Start of the Demon Totem's Decline?]
[Empire Research Academy Discovers Lizard Totem for the First Time, Professor Connors Has Something to Say.]
Scanning the paper, Charlie checked the publication date.
He asked a passerby, confirming it was printed three days ago.
So, in this totem world, Spider-Man had been dead for three years?
As Charlie stared at the paper, lost in thought, gunfire erupted nearby.
Bang bang bang~
"Chase him, he's over there!"
"Don't let him escape!"
Bang!
After a hail of bullets, chunks of debris slid off a building's wall. A green shadow dodged the gunfire at a speed barely visible to the naked eye, vanishing into an alley.
Soldiers wielding weapons sped through the streets in cars, some leaning out windows to shoot at where the green shadow had appeared.
Bang bang…
"Damn it, he got away again!"
The soldiers cursed. Charlie stepped to the side, watching the cars disappear around a corner.
Using such primitive weapons to chase a monster—this world's tech wasn't advanced.
From the newspaper, it was clear this world relied on totem power.
The Inheritor family wasn't hiding in the shadows like vampires; they'd become so-called totem nobility.
Without enough intel on the Inheritors, he wouldn't rashly start the grand battle.
With a thought, Charlie stepped back into an alley behind him.
…
Dusk fell, the sun setting.
The dangerous night was coming.
After dark, the city's residents turned off lights and locked doors, the city eerily silent.
Awoo~
Under pale moonlight, a lone wolf howled atop an abandoned factory.
Rustling sounds filled the streets as cat-sized giant rats roamed freely. Spiders cloaked in shadows climbed high walls, occasionally shooting webs to catch prey.
Night was a paradise for monsters, a forbidden zone for humans.
In a corner of Queens, an uninhabited villa was shrouded in thick vines. Sparse moonlight filtered through the leaves, casting faint light into the dark interior.
In the damp, cold room, dust piled high, and a faint smell of blood mixed with the stench of decay.
In a corner, a man breathed heavily, his condition clearly poor.
Crack~
Suddenly, a faint sound broke the silence. The man sensed danger.
Sniff sniff~
His nose twitched, eyes glinting green, his face turning feral.
"The scent of a totem. Damn it, they found me."
He forced his exhausted body to stand, bloodstained skin swelling as green scales rapidly covered it, a long green tail extending behind him.
In an instant, the man transformed into a terrifying green lizard.
Before the lizard monster could roar and charge, the newcomer lit a candle.
In the faint glow, a youthful, vibrant face appeared.
The man froze, his raised claws halting midair.
"Not those vampires?"
"Of course not vampires."
Charlie placed the candle on a rotting wooden table, smiling. "Professor Connors?" he asked tentatively.
"You…"
Totem Connors' eyes flickered, and he quickly turned away. "Not me. You've got the wrong guy."
Charlie didn't call him out. He introduced himself. "I'm Charlie, Charlie Parker."
"Parker?"
The familiar name made Connors tremble, his voice shaking.
"Parker… you know Peter?"
"Of course. Peter Parker. I should know him."
"Should?" Connors glanced at Charlie.
"Yeah."
Charlie raised his hand, revealing a spider emblem that made Totem Connors' pupils shrink.
"Spider-Man!" Totem Connors exclaimed.
Charlie tucked the emblem away. "Looks like you recognize this." He grinned.
Totem Connors' face showed shock, then quickly calmed.
"Who are you, really?"
"Just a passing Spider-Man. No need to remember me."
Charlie waved a hand, stepping to the window and parting the thick vines to let more moonlight spill in.
"No!"
Totem Connors' face changed. "Stop! They'll find us!"
Charlie ignored him, unfazed by his words.
"Who?"
"Monsters. Totem monsters."
"Oh?"
Charlie crossed his arms, smirking. "Sounds interesting."
"You'll get us killed!"
Totem Connors gritted his teeth.
Charlie shrugged. "The invincible Spider-Man doesn't die."
Hearing the name Spider-Man again, Totem Connors took a deep breath.
"Spider-Man's already dead. What are you trying to do?"
"Prove my identity."
Charlie said, locking his gaze on the darkness outside.
In the shadows, green glints were rapidly approaching.
Giant, man-eating rats.
"Those are the totem monsters?" he asked, turning back.
Totem Connors, too tense to think, hid in the corner.
"Yes. They're sacrifices of totem evolution. Rat totems are the most common totem power, with the most failed experiments."
Charlie was still confused, unable to grasp why totem power created these monsters.
If he couldn't figure it out, he'd stop trying. He had time.
Gripping the spider totem, he turned to Professor Connors. "Professor, watch closely."
"What?"
In Connors' stunned gaze, the spider emblem in Charlie's hand turned into red-and-blue liquid, rapidly covering his body.
Totem Connors had never seen such a Spider-Man suit.
Under moonlight, the metallic sheen reflected dazzling light. The high-tech suit hugged a not-so-burly frame, its pale blue inverted-triangle eyes shining like stars in the night.
"This is… Spider-Man!"
After three years, Totem Connors saw Spider-Man again!
In his slit-pupil eyes, a student named Peter Parker reflected.
Peter Parker gradually overlapped with the Spider-Man before him.
He was Connors' favorite student, the young man he saw as his own child.
But his child was brutally killed by a group of monsters.
They stole Peter's spider totem, and he could find no evidence. He could only watch those murderers walk free, even earning the honor of totem nobility.
For three years, he'd tried to gain new totem powers, hoping to use their strength to avenge Peter.
But he failed. He was no match for them.
Injured, he hid in this dark corner like a stray dog.
And here, he saw Spider-Man, gone for three years, return.
He was back!
No, it wasn't him!
In a flash, Totem Connors snapped out of it.
The Spider-Man before him radiated confidence and power.
He wasn't Peter.
Peter's insecurity was etched into his bones.
Even as Spider-Man, Peter remained a pure, shy boy, never changing.
Peter's kindness saved many, but it also killed him.
Now, a new Spider-Man had appeared.
Would he become the next Peter…
Or die at their hands again?
No, he wouldn't.
Because Totem Connors witnessed a shocking scene.
Roar!
The invincible Spider-Man leaped into the air.
In the night sky, moonlight reflected his form. A surge of magic swept the heavens, a blazing meteor streaking downward. Terrifying pressure descended, making the totem monsters around the villa tremble.
Squeak squeak squeak~
Hiss~~
Before the monsters could flee, a terrifying wave of magical energy mixed with totem power crashed down.
"Friendly Neighborhood Nuclear Kick!"
Rumble!!
A deafening explosion rang out, radiant magic soaring skyward. The dispersing energy formed a hemispherical barrier, enveloping half of Queens.
In that moment, totem monsters across the city turned toward the dazzling pillar of light erupting in Queens.
That fearsome totem power could kill any totem monster.
At the same time, major totem families sent teams to Queens to investigate, hastily convening meetings.
They needed to know what this totem power in the city was.
This night was destined to be anything but calm.