That one sentence completely shattered the self-hypnosis Peter had been clinging to all this time.
Yes—it was true. The reason this world's Peter put on the suit wasn't anything noble. It was simply to avenge Uncle Ben.
Not long ago, on one particular night, his Uncle Ben was murdered without reason by a robber who had a star tattoo on his wrist.
And the utterly useless NYPD still hadn't caught him.
So Peter decided to take matters into his own hands.
That was the real origin of many of his actions after becoming Spider-Man.
No—in fact, at this point, he didn't even deserve the title "man" in "Spider-Man," because everything he'd been doing was purely for personal revenge.
Until just now.
One conversation with Captain Stacy had jolted him awake.
He remembered Uncle Ben's words: "With great power comes great responsibility."
Peter fell silent.
He began to think.
He left the Stacy household and came here, and after a minute of pondering, made a… let's call it an unorthodox decision.
He was going to follow Gwen's dad—a NYPD captain with his own special task force.
A man who firmly believed Spider-Man was a dangerous amateur and wanted to arrest him.
And after tonight, the man might look down on Peter Parker even more, and even try to stop him from seeing Gwen.
Peter definitely didn't want that.
It just so happened that, over dinner, Captain Stacy had mentioned the importance of strategy—like how one car thief he'd recently arrested was actually part of a long-term sting operation, which Peter had inadvertently ruined. That was one reason Stacy had such a low opinion of Spider-Man.
Peter was the kind of person who listened to advice.
So now, he wanted to use a little "strategy" of his own on Captain Stacy.
Maybe—just maybe—he could change the man's view of Spider-Man.
As for changing his view of Peter Parker? That would have to wait.
And that's when the other Peter "took over."
After absorbing all the information, his first thought was:
"Wait—Uncle Ben died in this world too? Don't tell me this world also has an Osborn?"
He quickly sifted through the fragments of memory.
Yes, there was an Osborn here. And apparently, he was closely connected to Peter Parker.
Norman Osborn had been a superior and colleague to Peter's parents, and Harry Osborn was Peter's best childhood friend.
But later, Harry transferred to a private school run by the Osborn family, while Peter stayed in public school. They'd been apart ever since.
So it seemed that Uncle Ben's death here had nothing to do with the Osborns.
Peter let out a tiny sigh of relief.
If it had been connected to them, he would've gone back and asked Aunt May if she'd ever dated a guy named "Ben XXX."
Oh, wait—that world didn't have an Osborn either!
Never mind.
Peter shook his head. "No, no, no—this isn't the time to think about that. Focus. I've got to clear my name!"
He pulled his Spider suit out of his backpack and slipped it on.
And wow—credit where credit's due—this world's suit looked and felt way better than his own "baby pajamas."
Especially the big spider emblem. "Wow, why didn't I think of that design before?"
"Alright—ready to go!" Peter stretched, feeling the tight fit of the suit, and leapt down.
His target: a police car.
Specifically, Captain George Stacy's car.
He'd just gotten a call during dinner and rushed out without even finishing his meal.
Peter guessed it must be an urgent case.
Perfect chance to win back some points in Captain Stacy's eyes.
Yes—that was his "strategy."
…Alright, fine, it was basically just a PR stunt to prove he didn't fight crime just for revenge.
"Wahoo! This is the feeling! Who knew I'd spend an hour swinging around my world, then get to come here and swing again?" Peter whooped as he zipped through the streets.
"Whoa!" At a corner, Peter swerved—and stumbled upon a couple making out in a dark alley, their hands… playing the music of restless hormones.
His sudden appearance broke the atmosphere. Two startled faces turned toward him.
Peter grinned awkwardly and said, "Sorry, don't mind me—I'm a professional Spider-Man. My eyes are only on my target. Definitely didn't see you kissing. Definitely didn't see where your hands were… hey—don't, don't pull a gun!"
He stuck to the wall and zipped away in a flash.
That guy had actually mimed drawing a gun. Scary stuff!
Still, thanks to the original Peter's influence, he was a bit on edge.
Because he had no idea what kind of trouble awaited him once he caught up to Captain Stacy. And if he messed up again… would the man hate him enough to issue a wanted poster?
In his head, he even pictured his face plastered on a bounty notice.
Yeah… terrifying.
A shiver ran through him, and he almost fell.
"Man, what cruel fate—to fall for the daughter of a guy who thinks your other identity is public enemy number one. Talk about 'lucky.'" Peter muttered with a bit of a sour tone.
Still, he had to admit—Gwen Stacy was gorgeous.
Blonde hair, long legs, a gentle, smart demeanor.
Sure, in his own world, there was a girl he liked too—Liz—but she barely even noticed him.
Bzzzt—
As he was swinging and lost in thought—
His spider-sense suddenly went wild!
No—spider-sense was the warning!
At the same time, he felt his hand loosen.
His face changed.
Uh-oh—the web hadn't fired!
His web shooter had malfunctioned.
Peter groaned—this world's Spider-Man really didn't have his act together.
Sure, his own web shooters were primitive compared to the one Tony Stark would eventually gift him—but at least they didn't suddenly fail mid-swing.
And when they did fail… well, the result was exactly what was happening now—
(To be continued…)
—End of chapter—
Author's Note:
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~ Tenacious Hare 🥕❤️