Half an hour later, Carter, her face grim, led Charlie out of the café.
At the door, Carter took a deep breath. "Don't do that again. If you're broke, just tell me. I'll cover you."
Charlie's lips trembled. "I… got it."
He lowered his head and silently climbed into Carter's red sports car.
VROOM~
The car roared into the street. Through the window, Charlie caught a fleeting glimpse of a figure on the roadside.
Time seemed to freeze, then snapped back.
In the instant Gwen and Charlie's eyes met, something shattered.
"No way…"
Gwen stared, stunned, at the red sports car merging into traffic, her brows furrowing. "He's accepted his fate?"
She instinctively pulled out her phone. "Hey, it's me. I saw Charlie get into Carter's car."
"What?"
On the other end, Mary Jane's body jolted. She stumbled, her phone clattering to the ground.
"Wahhh, he's finally fallen to Commander Carter's money! Is it my fault for being poor?"
In her room, Mary Jane wailed, her cries heartbreaking enough to move anyone.
A woman's heart is fragile.
She swore she'd make money.
Lots of money! After some thought, she picked up her phone and scrolled through her contacts.
Hesitating, she mustered the courage to dial an unmarked number.
"Hey, it's me. I'm in. But I want money. Lots of it."
"Heh, excellent, Ms. Mary Jane. Welcome aboard. How much do you want?"
On the other end, Bronski smirked, waiting for her price.
As the military's rep, his method for recruiting superheroes was blunt.
He might not offer vast wealth, but this operation represented power.
And with power came funding.
But Mary Jane's response caught him off guard.
"Start with a sports car. Red."
Bronski: "???"
"You sure?" he stammered.
Mary Jane replied, "Sure. You're covering insurance and gas too. Oh, and taxes."
Bronski: "…"
"Fine, I'll handle it."
After hanging up, Bronski turned to see General Ross, calm as ever.
"General, she…"
"She wants money, huh?" Ross sneered. "I knew it. She couldn't refuse us. S.H.I.E.L.D. can't match our offer."
Bronski nodded. "She asked for a sports car."
Ross: "…"
He paused. "What's gotten into her?"
"I think she's been triggered."
"Alright, we can't look stingy. Give her two sports cars."
"General, you're too generous."
…
"Where are we going?"
In the car, Charlie broke the silence.
Carter glanced at him. "You got in without knowing?"
"I thought you were driving me home."
"You wish. I waited this long for you to come back. You're getting back to work."
"I want a vacation."
"You've had enough vacation."
Carter's tone turned serious. "I've got a tough case for you."
"How tough?"
"Super tough."
The car pulled over, and Carter led Charlie to a hotel.
Charlie: "…"
"You sure there's a case here?" His eyes narrowed suspiciously.
Carter nodded. "Of course. Follow me."
Skeptical, Charlie trailed her into the hotel.
Room 1104.
Click~
Carter swiped the keycard, and the dark room lit up with sultry mood lighting.
Charlie's mouth twitched. "Yep, there's a case alright. Commander Carter forcing Spider-Man."
"Heh, Charlie, you're quite the comedian."
Inside, Carter leisurely shed her coat, her tone teasing.
"So, you know what I'm about to do to you, right?"
Charlie shrugged. "Sure… I can't wait!"
That last bit was Corrupted Charlie talking.
Before Charlie could silence his inner jerk, Carter spun, unleashing a fiery shockwave from her palm.
But Charlie, as if expecting it, tilted his head, dodging the blast.
BOOM!!
The door exploded into splinters and dust. Charlie waved away the debris, his gaze steady on Carter.
"Not a bad disguise. But that thing in your hand? It's mine."
Carter sneered, raising her hand to reveal a Dragon-shaped Talisman.
"This? If you want it, Spider-Man, you'll have to beat me."
Swish!
Mid-sentence, Charlie's webbing shot toward her.
Carter, as if anticipating it, leaped out the window, dodging the webbing and vanishing from sight.
"Hm?"
Charlie poked his head out the window, finding no trace of "Carter."
Pensive, he dialed the real Carter.
"Hey, where are you?"
"In my office. Got a ton of work to handle."
At her desk, Carter glanced at her files, her tone soft. "Don't rush. I'll see you after work."
Charlie: "…"
"I just saw you."
"You did see me."
"I mean, you just invited me to a hotel."
"Me?" Carter frowned. "You sure?"
"Positive."
Charlie glanced at the coat "Carter" left behind. "They know you well."
Carter's voice grew serious. "Sounds like someone's impersonating me to stir trouble. You okay?"
"I'm fine."
"No, I mean, did you and her…"
"I'm talking about serious stuff here."
Charlie's face darkened. "Help me find this person. I need what they've got."
"Got it. I'll look into it."
As Carter hung up, hotel staff rushed to the scene.
Seeing the wrecked door, the employee fumed.
"Oh, shit, sir, you're paying for this!"
The man stormed into the trashed room, calculator in hand, tallying the damages.
Charlie stood expressionless, unfazed.
Then, his Spider-Sense blared. He dodged as the employee unleashed a Dragon Blast.
BOOM!!
The window shattered. The employee sighed, eyeing Charlie, who'd effortlessly evaded the sneak attack.
"As expected of the Invincible Spider-Man. That Spider-Sense is enviable."
He shrugged and vanished in a flash.
Charlie didn't pursue.
"This guy's got more than one talisman," Corrupted Charlie said.
Charlie nodded. "Monkey Talisman—transforms yourself or others into animals."
"Humans are animals too," Corrupted Charlie chuckled. "They're targeting us."
Charlie agreed. "They'll show up again. Is this a challenge?"
"Definitely. Not just a challenge—they're cocky."
As Corrupted Charlie spoke, a strange bird-like screech came from outside.
SCREECH!!
Charlie turned, spotting a black dot rapidly growing through the shattered window.
"What's that?" Charlie muttered, surprised.
"A freaking Quetzalcoatlus!!"
Corrupted Charlie groaned. "A dinosaur? Why not a kaiju?"
As the massive Quetzalcoatlus dove, targeting Charlie, he stretched lazily.
"Getting interesting. Let's play."
He tapped his chest, leaped from the building, and shot webbing to swing between skyscrapers.
SCREECH~
The giant pterosaur locked onto the red-and-blue figure, a glint of mockery in its eyes.
BOOM!!
Its wings flapped, stirring a gale as it swooped low.
WHOOSH
A hurricane tore through the streets, leaving shops in disarray.
Pedestrians were thrown into chaos.
"My God, what's that?"
"It's a dinosaur!!"
"How is this happening?"
"The dinosaurs are back!!"
"Look, it's Spider-Man!"
"Oh no, it's after Spider-Man! Do dinosaurs eat bugs?"
"Run, Spider-Man!!"
Amid the screams, Charlie glanced back. The pterosaur was fast, closing in within seconds.
SCREECH!!
Its exaggerated beak aimed for Charlie's heart.
One hit, and he'd be a high-protein bug kebab.
His Spider-Sense screamed, but mid-air, Charlie seemed trapped.
Corrupted Charlie shouted, "What are you doing? Dodge!!"
"Can't."
"Useless, let me handle it!"
Instantly, dark energy flared in Charlie's eyes, a wisp of Demon Chi spreading. His webbing morphed into a black whip.
CRACK!
SCREECH~~
The whip struck, and the pterosaur wailed, crashing diagonally into the city.
BOOM
It slid across the street, flipping cars and smashing into a café.
Landing on a building's wall, Charlie's eyes lost their glow.
"As I thought, you're not just controlling my body—you've got some Demon Chi left." He smirked. "Caught you."
Corrupted Charlie gritted his teeth. "Jerk, I wouldn't have shown myself if I didn't want to avoid being a kebab."
Charlie shrugged. "Looks like you tried the Tiger Talisman while I was out. Didn't work. I'm thrilled."
"Thrilled, my ass! He's back!!"
As Corrupted Charlie spoke, the buried pterosaur shifted in a glow, its flesh writhing. Scales glinted coldly in the sunlight. The massive creature stood, its gaping maw roaring, the soundwave causing pedestrians to clutch their ears in pain.
ROAR!!!
"Ahh, my ears!"
"What am I seeing?"
"Mommy, it's a T-Rex!"
"Run!!"
BOOM!!
A massive foot crushed a car. The twenty-meter beast shook its tail, its hot breath steaming over a hapless bystander.
In their terrified gazes, the T-Rex's tiny arm grabbed a man.
It turned to Charlie, baring ferocious fangs in a threatening grin.
"Spider-Man, want to save him?"
The T-Rex spoke, stunning the crowd.
"It talks!"
"Unbelievable, what's happening?"
"Get Commander Carter from S.H.I.E.L.D.!!"
"Too late…"
BOOM!!
The T-Rex's tail sent a car flying, and citizens fled in panic.
But the Invincible Spider-Man strolled into a toy store.
"Boss, how much?" He grabbed a toy casually.
The trembling clerk under the counter stammered, "N-no charge."
"Haha, you saw Spider-Man's broke too? I won't say no."
Charlie grabbed a pile of toys and returned to the street.
The T-Rex, confused, watched him.
What's Spider-Man doing with toys? Whatever. Time to make a name for himself.
The T-Rex's pupils narrowed, and it roared.
"Spider-Man, your era's over!!"
BOOM BOOM BOOM!
Tossing the hostage aside, it charged, crushing cars toward Charlie.
THUD THUD THUD
The ground quaked. Charlie chuckled, tossing a model toy.
"Spider-Man Squad, assemble!"
Buzz~
As the Rat Talisman's light enveloped the Spider-Man model toys, life sparked within them.
Click click…
Swish!!
To the T-Rex's shock, the tiny Spider-Man models shot webbing, swinging through the air like miniature Spider-Men, fully alive.
"How?! You've got a talisman too!!"
The T-Rex gaped as the mini Spider-Men erupted with dazzling magical light.
"Whoa, a big dinosaur!"
"Sweet, the Jurassic movie's saved!"
"Friendly Neighborhood Spin Kick!!"
"Friendly Neighborhood Nuke Kick!!"
"Friendly Neighborhood Crow-on-a-Plane!!"
Instantly, streaks of brilliant light rained down, terrifying magic spreading. Explosions engulfed the T-Rex's world.
BOOM!!
A blazing energy pillar shot skyward, blooming into beautiful fireworks.
Gazing at the "lovely" scene, Charlie smiled, satisfied.
"Not bad. This is the real Spider-Man."
Corrupted Charlie was stunned. "Didn't expect the Rat Talisman to keep those powers in the models. That's not science."
Charlie shrugged. "That's not the biggest surprise."
He pulled a golden rod from his pocket. Corrupted Charlie froze.
"Wait, where'd you get that?"
"Guess."
As Charlie placed the Rat Talisman on the golden rod, cosmic starlight enveloped him.
Buzz~~
Radiant starlight poured from the sky. The T-Rex, battered by the Spider-Man models, sensed something and looked up.
Seeing the giant of light formed from endless starlight, the T-Rex despaired.
"What kind of talisman is this? It's nothing like mine!!"