Chapter 178: I know who "Spider-Man" from Earth-1543681 is!
"1543681? I've never heard of this universe designation."
Superior Spider-Man's voice was cold. In essence, he was Doctor Octopus from the 616 Main Universe. To avoid his own death during a battle with the 616 Main Universe's Spider-Man, he chose to swap bodies.
This operation resulted in the death of the 616 Main Universe's Spider-Man, but Doctor Octopus's consciousness entered the body of the 616 Spider-Man, allowing him to survive.
The downside was that Doctor Octopus's mind assimilated with Spider-Man's, becoming a ruthless but justice-upholding individual who decided to live on as Spider-Man and carry out his duties.
Superior Spider-Man had contributed greatly to the establishment of the Spider Alliance. He was its initiator, the first to discover that Spider-Men from across the parallel universes were continuously dying. Thus, he chose to traverse the various universes to rescue the Spider-Men being attacked by the Inheritors, attempting to form a grand army of Spider-Men to fight against the Inheritors.
"Hey, buddy, don't always put on such a profound look, it's not very likable. Who knows how many parallel universes exist? Isn't it normal that you don't know about this one?"
Six-Armed Spider-Man had extra arms, perfect for rapidly operating the incredibly complex Space-Time Shuttlecraft. He could even spare two hands to type on a keyboard while bluntly retorting to Superior Spider-Man.
"Don't say that. He's saved many of us, at least," the extremely ruthless Spider-Man Noir said in a low voice.
"True, but we've also nearly been wiped out more than once by following his lead! Have you forgotten how dangerous it was when we went to Earth-2818? We clearly had the numerical advantage, yet we were almost annihilated by a mere three vampires!" Six-Armed Spider-Man's voice grew a little quieter. "Besides, even without him, I might not have lost to the Inheritor that attacked me... They aren't immortal, are they?"
"I don't remember you being this tough when you were fighting an Inheritor," another Spider-Man mocked.
"Ha, as tough as you, the Mechanical Spider-Man from Earth-2818, who abandoned his human body and rebuilt himself as a robot?"
"...This is the first time I've realized a parallel version of me is capable of species discrimination. I think Tyrannosaurus Rex Spider-Man, Cat Spider-Man, Spider-Ham, Monkey Spider-Man, the Spider-Swarm, and I—it would be even better if a Zombie Spider-Man joined us—should first team up to take you out. On one hand, it would save some trouble for the various special Spider-Men who will join us in the future. On the other, it would ensure the internal unity of our alliance."
As Mechanical Spider-Man spoke, numerous protrusions and indentations appeared on his seemingly normal body, revealing piece after piece of mechanical devices.
He looked like a Transformer.
The crowd of Spider-Men present showed no surprise. During this time, they had seen far too many bizarre-looking parallel versions of themselves.
Mechanical Spider-Man was considered a relatively "normal" robot. They even knew a guy who piloted a Gundam, though he wasn't here at the moment.
But they still had to intervene. After all, not every Spider-Man was a "good neighbor." There were plenty with bad tempers, petty minds, and malicious intent. The other Spider-Men had to find ways to prevent a civil war.
This was especially true for Norman Spider-Man, who was hiding in a corner, secretly fanning the flames and wishing a few of them would die.
The next second, Norman Spider-Man was grabbed by the scruff of his neck by Superior Spider-Man and thrown aside.
Superior Spider-Man felt like he didn't fit in with any of the Spider-Men. He hated Peter Parker, yet the vast majority of people here were Peter Parker. Every single one of them loved to buzz around chaotically, and when their numbers grew, they buzzed even more enthusiastically. They were simply a swarm of flies.
What was worse, he was now also Peter Parker, a Spider-Man.
It was just too ironic.
"I can't be mistaken. I had already begun a secret investigation long before you lot were attacked by the Inheritors. I personally visited many universes and saw many dead Spider-Men. When it comes to understanding the parallel universes, all of you combined don't measure up to me!"
Superior Spider-Man's voice was icy as he suppressed the intense irritation in his heart, carefully pondering this designation that he had no memory of.
Every universe designation was meaningful. A string of numbers naturally contained a massive amount of information, such as its space-time structure, multiversal coordinates, and even species characteristics.
Take the parallel universe variants here, for example, the Spider-Men. Even if you found two identical Peter Parkers, who were biologically identical down to the gene, you would only need to scan their genes with a more advanced space-time machine to observe their unique, hidden information and determine which numbered universe they came from.
This was the purpose of a universe designation.
The content represented by a universe designation was already embedded within all tangible and intangible things in that universe.
Superior Spider-Man immediately began operating the Space-Time Shuttlecraft.
This machine was something he had built using technology from the 616 Main Universe in the year 2099, or was it future technology from Universe 666?
He immediately input a large volume of data to begin the calculations.
"Hey, you stole my job! Didn't we agree that I would operate the Space-Time Shuttlecraft?"
"No one understands the machine I built better than I do... The results are in, and it's not exactly good news. Before forming the alliance, I once tracked the Inheritors and discovered this universe. I also confirmed that this universe's Spider-Man had already been killed by the Inheritors," Superior Spider-Man said.
"Maybe you're mistaken. Perhaps the Spider-Man of Earth-1543681 successfully fought off the Inheritors, just like I did," said Mechanical Spider-Man.
"That's not the point." Superior Spider-Man's tone suddenly sharpened, his voice filled with deep confusion. "The point is, I clearly remember that this universe had no designation before, but now it does. And inside it is a Spider-Man who should be dead!"
The same universe had no designation before, had been visited by the Inheritors, and its Spider-Man should have been dead. Yet now, it had inexplicably gained a designation, and another Spider-Man?
All the loudly bickering Spider-Men fell silent. Beneath their masks, their faces were filled with bewilderment and uncertainty.
Although quite a few of them disliked Superior Spider-Man, not a single one would doubt his talent in matters of space-time.
No one asked a question like, "Did you miscalculate and mistake two completely different universes for one?"
The truth was about to be revealed because they discovered that the Space-Time Shuttlecraft was still running. A Spider-Man from Earth-1543681 was about to perform a reverse traversal to come to them.
"This might be good news. Maybe you were careless, and the Spider-Man from Universe 1543681 survived by a fluke, using feigned death or maybe a 'molting' skill to trick the Inheritor."
"I bet the technology in Universe 1543681 is highly advanced. At the very least, its Spider-Man possesses advanced tech, allowing him to detect our search and reverse-locate our position."
Pairs of eyes turned over in unison. Some of the Spider-Men at the very front tensed their bodies, ready to act at any moment.
The Spider-Man from Universe 13, widely acknowledged by all Spider-Men as the most senior and also the most powerful fighter, Captain Universe Spider-Man, took the lead, levitating to the very front of the group, a majestic cosmic power brewing within him.
No matter how powerful the being traversing over was, even if it was an Inheritor, Captain Universe was confident he could knock it down with one punch.
Don't ask him why he was so confident. Just by virtue of being Captain Universe from Universe 13 and wielding immense cosmic power, he was that confident.
Although he had never fought a single Inheritor and had no idea how strong they truly were.
Amidst the fluctuation of space-time, a figure on the Space-Time Shuttlecraft crossed the endlessly vast expanse of space-time, skipping over an unknown number of hyperspace currents to arrive at Universe 13, the headquarters of the Spider Alliance.
As the dazzling light gradually faded and the fluctuation subsided, the Spider-Man from Earth-1543681 revealed his complete form.
All the Spider-Men present took one look and were stunned, their faces showing deep bewilderment.
They discovered that this fellow wore the classic red and blue Spider Battle Suit. He was less than three meters tall, but his skull was two meters long; to say his "skull reached his waist" was an understatement.
His slender yet explosively powerful arms had a skeletal structure clearly different from a human's. This was especially true for his incredibly flexible, knife-like tail, which swept back and forth as if a little more force would create a sonic boom in the air.
"This guy... who is he? Is he an unknown cosmic race? Or some kind of animal I've never heard of."
"I've never seen a creature like this. What's this fellow's original species? Did he also get bitten by a radioactive spider to become a Spider-Man? Or is he like Tyrannosaurus Rex Spider-Man, who transformed from a pterosaur into a T-rex."
"Hahaha, the good news is, Six-Armed Spider-Man has another kindred spirit to dislike."
The vast high-technology base was quiet for only a second before erupting into clamor again. Apart from a very small number of fierce and cold individuals like Scarlet Spider-Man and Spider-Man Noir who were disinclined to speak much, most of the other Spider-Men began to buzz, showcasing their talkative nature.
After confirming that this strange fellow was also a Spider-Man, many of them immediately crowded around, maintaining a safe distance of one or two meters, loudly making comments and expressing their opinions, like they were pointing at a treasure in a display case, or introducing an exhibition hall to a foreign visitor.
Only Superior Spider-Man's reaction was a bit strange. He carefully studied this unfamiliar Spider-Man, feeling as though he had seen him somewhere before, but where exactly?
For Superior Spider-Man, who already possessed super-intelligence and could use Peter Parker's highly intelligent body, this was an extremely rare occurrence. He should have been able to recall anything from his brain's memory banks instantly.
This was a basic ability for highly intelligent people, yet now he couldn't remember no matter how hard he tried. It felt as if some cognitive block was obstructing his thoughts.
"Fellas, I have an announcement to make: we've been doing all the talking, but our new compatriot has remained silent, quietly observing us. I propose we let the newcomer introduce himself first."
Monkey Spider-Man nimbly leaped onto the head of Tyrannosaurus Rex Spider-Man, even casting a meaningful glance at the pensive Superior Spider-Man.
In any case, Monkey Spider-Man couldn't figure out since when everyone started treating Superior Spider-Man as the boss. He, for one, didn't approve.
After another long while, the Spider-Men finally stopped chattering. All eyes focused on this Spider-Man from Earth-1543681.
Under everyone's gaze, the Spider-Man from Earth-1543681 responded. It majestically spread its long, strange arms. On its palms, several long, sharp claws also slowly extended, like some kind of arthropod.
It began to address the multitude of Spider-Men from across the Multiverse.
"Hiss! Hrr! Sss!!"
After a moment of silence, thunderous applause erupted.
"Excellent, excellent! That was so well said! I've never heard such a brief and brilliant speech. It felt like so much was said."
"Although there were only three tones, I truly felt the passion of this comrade-in-arms."
"Wait, am I the only one who didn't understand a thing? When did you guys start taking extra classes behind my back and learn another foreign language?"
"What, you didn't understand either? Dammit, I thought everyone else understood, so I pretended to understand too, just so I wouldn't seem out of place!"
"I'm truly ashamed of your performance! Ptooey! A Multiverse version of 'The Emperor's New Clothes,' is it?"
It looked as if some of the temperamentally incompatible Spider-Men were about to start a fight, their heads already knocking together.
Superior Spider-Man's brow remained tightly furrowed as he stared intently at this "Spider-Man" from Earth-1543681. Finally, a bolt of lightning flashed through his mind. He knew.
"I remember... I remember! I haven't seen this guy, but Peter Parker has!!"
Superior Spider-Man frantically searched the memory banks of this body and found that brief piece of information, his face a mask of disbelief.
"I remember now! The group of powerful otherworld creatures that defeated and captured the God of Fear, Cul, and quelled a Major Event for the 616 Main Universe!!"
In Superior Spider-Man's recollection, Peter Parker was also at the scene, watching with his own eyes as this group of beings crossed space-time. Right in front of the many gods and heroes of the 616 Main Universe, they took the supposedly invincible Cul the Serpent, who had returned from a trip in tattered clothes, and beat him half to death on the spot, brutally dragging him away!
The scene was too shocking. Cul, who had only dispatched eight of The Worthy, had turned Earth and even the World Tree (Yggdrasil) upside down. Everyone thought many would die, but the origin of the calamity, Cul himself, had encountered an unspeakably terrifying crisis in a parallel universe and couldn't even escape!
"How can this be... It had no designation originally, but now it suddenly does... A member of that species, what in the world..."
Superior Spider-Man felt a bone-deep chill wash over him, making him feel as if he had been plunged into an icy abyss.
(end of chapter)