After arriving at the predetermined floor, they saw Quentin Beck, the great director, just emerging from an office. He was excitedly muttering to himself, having secured project approval. This genius of the special effects world was reportedly sponsored by Parker Industries to write, direct, and star in a movie with explosive special effects.
"Mysterio, Rhino, Shocker... they all got what they wanted. Or rather, what Peter knew they wanted," Cindy said, approaching Peter's office. She knocked, but when there was no response, she used her superhuman strength and kicked the door right open.
The office was empty.
"I can sense Peter is here... but he isn't," Gwen walked nonchalantly to Peter's desk, finding only a framed photo of him with Uncle Ben and Aunt May, and another with his best friends, Harry and Amadeus.
Where's mine?
"Ha, looks like he doesn't have any plans to date yet."
Gwen put down the photos of Peter and his buddies. Cindy also glanced over and suddenly asked, somewhat worriedly, "Do you think he might not like girls?"
"...You're overthinking it. I saw him collecting Anne Hathaway posters," Gwen shrugged. As his childhood friend, she was certain Peter's orientation was completely normal. "He just doesn't have time to think about dating right now or..."
"Or he doesn't know who to choose," Gwen mumbled under her breath. Cindy gave her a look, and the two continued their search. Scorpion was still a private detective here, but he had long been sentenced to death for murder. Furthermore, Gwen was shocked to see that Flash Thompson (Carl King) had died in a car accident.
"I can't believe Peter hated Flash Thompson that much."
"Didn't he tell you?"
Gwen paused, then asked, incredulously, "Are you saying Peter had something to do with Flash Thompson's disappearance?"
"It was Flash Thompson who put that spider on Peter's neck. You should know about that. Peter swatted it off, and then that same spider bit my ankle," Cindy recounted the events to Gwen. "I crushed that spider, but Flash Thompson picked it up. He later ate the spider and turned into some kind of spider swarm monster. He ate a lot of people and wanted to eat Peter and replace him."
"...I didn't know any of this," Gwen said with a touch of remorse. It wasn't because Peter hadn't told her, but because she was worried about Peter's state. No matter how much of a bully Flash Thompson was, he was still Peter and Gwen's high school classmate. They knew him. Killing someone you know...
"I was the one who killed him in the end."
"Huh?"
Seemingly understanding what Gwen was about to say, Cindy stated the situation preemptively. Although the process was very different from what Gwen imagined, it was still the truth. The two fell into silence for a moment and continued to search for possible clues.
If Peter wasn't here right now, where was he? Crucially, Cindy's sense was very clear: Peter Parker should definitely be in this place.
Suddenly, both heard footsteps and instinctively hid. They opened the window and scaled the wall, listening as the footsteps entered Peter's office. A rare, almost unheard sound followed: "How strange. Mr. Parker is clearly not here, yet the office door is open."
"Who is that?"
Gwen, who wasn't very familiar with all the supervillains Peter had fought, naturally assumed the newcomer was another potential supervillain Peter had reformed. However, to Gwen's surprise, Cindy also looked confused. She didn't know who this new person was or where they had come from. After listening for a while in confusion, the two decided to peek through the window to see who had arrived.
It was a slightly short, middle-aged doctor. When Cindy saw him, she finally realized: "That looks like Otto Octavius."
"Who is that?"
Venom provided the answer at the opportune moment.
[Doctor Octopus. The evil scientist who studied the symbiote. A total bad guy.]
Well, at least Peter didn't think he was beyond saving, and even gave him a job.
Wait a minute...
While Cindy was still observing, Gwen flipped right through the window, startling Otto Octavius. "Oh my goodness, are you... are you some new superheroes who popped out of nowhere?"
"Uh, yes, we are looking for Spider-Man. We can locate him right here, Doctor," Gwen said with a smile to the stout doctor, pointing toward Peter's office chair. "But we can't find him. He seems to exist here, yet he doesn't exist here."
Otto Octavius adjusted his glasses.
"Alright, ladies, follow me... Oh my goodness!"
Cindy, who flipped over the window next, startled Otto again. He adjusted his glasses once more, clutching his heart, and led the two Spider-Women to his laboratory. Looking at the standard and expensive equipment inside the lab, Gwen leaned toward Cindy and asked, unsure: "Are you sure this is truly the world that everyone's soul desires?"
"That's what the little golden man said."
"Then this is too realistic... How can I not create a lab this realistic?"
While complaining under her breath, Gwen waited for Otto—or rather, the Doctor Octopus of Peter's memory—to provide an explanation. After thinking carefully, he explained, "Alright, after hearing your description, I performed some calculations. The conclusion is that if Spider-Man suddenly disappeared, then based on current inferences, he is not in a quantum state. Otherwise, even if you couldn't touch him, you should still be able to see him."
"But we can't find him, Doctor."
"That is precisely what I was going to say," Otto Octavius adjusted his glasses again. "Your ability to sense Spider-Man transcends time and space, Miss Silk. Neither the barriers between multiverses nor other obstacles can prevent you from sensing him, so your perception is correct: he is undoubtedly here. But the problem is that your perception only involves the three dimensions of space, not time. Therefore, Spider-Man must not be in the same time. The one you can sense is the future or past Spider-Man."
Cindy and Gwen exchanged glances, and in an instant, they understood exactly what was happening.
Peter was fighting Kang the Conqueror.
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An Important Announcement: Time to Write Our Own Novel!
Hello everyone!
Thank you all so much for your support; it truly helps me keep going!
I have some exciting news: after translating many fanfics, I've decided it's time to start writing my own Novels! I plan to begin with a new fanfic—I'm currently thinking of either the Avatar: The Last Airbender or Douluo Dalu universe, featuring a Neutral protagonist.That is exactly what I meant by Neutral Protagonist (This refers to the character's Alignment. A Neutral Protagonist is not strictly bound by concepts of absolute good or evil, nor are they necessarily tied to Law or Chaos. Their actions are generally motivated by their own survival, personal goals, or a desire for balance, operating in a morally gray area.)
Once I've written a few fanfics and gained more experience, I can then move on to developing my own original novel soon after.
If you want a direct hand in shaping the main character's destiny and giving input, be sure to join the poll!
I've launched a poll on my P@t reon page!
HOW YOU CAN PARTICIPATE:
1. Head over to our P@t reon page and become a member. (Don't worry, even those with a free membership can join the poll and share their input!)
2. Select any option you desire in the poll
3. Leave a comment on the poll post or send me a DM if you have any specific thoughts or ideas!
p@treon HongMengZi