New York, atop the Empire State Building.
Pay close attention. The red-and-blue figure climbing the spire is none other than the new Spider-Man, Charlotte.
Under the shroud of night, Charlotte Parker silently scaled the antenna tower. With the moon hidden by drifting clouds, he found a spot, sat down, and pulled off his mask.
The wind tousled his hair as he gazed over the glowing cityscape. He drew in a deep breath of the cool night air, then reached into his collar and pulled out his phone.
For anyone who has ever worn the mask, they know Spider-Man doesn't have pockets.
He unlocked the screen.
[Spider-Man, I know who you are.][I am your father!][…][Listen carefully. Tonight, 10 p.m. Empire State Building. If you don't come, I'll kill everyone close to you without mercy.]
The sender's name appeared clearly: Norman Osborn. No disguises, no pretense.
Norman Osborn. Famous New York entrepreneur. Father of Harry. And now, the supervillain who had thrown the city into chaos, the Green Goblin.
As for him, Charlotte was a transmigrator. His new name here was Charlotte Parker.
Uncle Ben, Aunt May, Harry, all the pieces of Spider-Man's life were still in place.
And after being bitten by a genetically altered spider not long ago, he had naturally inherited the mantle of Spider-Man.
Super strength. Enhanced reflexes. Web-shooters. Spider-sense. Wall-crawling. He had them all.
Unfortunately, his powers were far weaker than the Spider-Men from the movies. His spider-sense flickered unreliably. His reflexes were only slightly faster than an ordinary person's. His strength? Not even enough to lift a small car. Only his webs and wall-crawling could be considered passable.
The weakest Spider-Man… now marked by the craziest Green Goblin.
Charlotte shook his head.
Since becoming Spider-Man, he had only used his powers to hassle petty thugs, occasionally "borrowing" some cash. He had never even had the chance to cross Norman.
So how did Osborn find out his identity? And why demand a meeting here?
Still, he accepted the threat.
Just yesterday, Norman, fully transformed into the Goblin, bombed an Oscorp shareholders' meeting. Harry had been there too. Norman was utterly insane now, capable of anything.
Spider-Man's fate was always tragic. Everyone close to him—family, friends, lovers—was destined to suffer because of his identity.
Spider-Man was doomed to walk alone.
Charlotte, reborn into this world, refused to accept that fate.
He tried to avoid it, staying away from labs and exhibitions involving spiders. Yet fate still forced his hand. The mutated spider still found him, and he still became Spider-Man.
And with that, he discovered the only way to break free from this cursed destiny.
Sacrifice himself.
Only by sacrificing himself could he keep his loved ones safe.
So even though he had barely begun to understand his powers, even knowing he was no match for the Green Goblin, he still came.
He didn't say goodbye to Uncle Ben or Aunt May. He didn't try to persuade Harry to stop his father.
Because every desperate struggle might only make things worse.
His "sacrifice" was already sealed.
And only through it could he gain the strength to truly protect the people he cared about.
His thoughts were cut short by firelight blazing across the night sky.
Charlotte looked up. The Green Goblin was approaching fast on his glider.
With a roar, Norman hovered high above, clad in his grotesque armor, golden eyes gleaming with malice as he sized up Charlotte.
Harry's best friend. They had met countless times before. Norman had always liked the boy, even thought, if only Charlotte were his son.
But there was one thing about him that drove Norman mad.
"Hey, Charlotte. Glad you came. I need your help."
Norman's voice was strangely warm, as he casually removed his mask, revealing a face weathered and twisted by illness.
Seeing that he didn't immediately attack, Charlotte grinned.
"So it really is you, Uncle Norman. That armor, pretty cool. Not perfect, but definitely stylish. And with the glider's air superiority, you've nailed the demon vibe. Only problem is, the plating could use some polish. Tell you what, take the armor off and I'll shine it up for you."
Norman's forehead pulsed with veins. Charlotte's endless chatter was torture.
Other than Harry, hardly anyone could stand this guy.
Charlotte spread his hands, still smiling. "Fine. What I really wanted to say is my suit looks better than yours."
Norman hesitated for a split second, then his lips twisted into a cruel grin. He hurled a pumpkin bomb.
Boom!
The explosion lit up the sky. Charlotte's body was engulfed in flames, reduced to a charred skeleton, and then to ash.
Below, the tattered red-and-blue suit fluttered into the night wind, as if announcing Spider-Man's tragic end.
"Yes, your suit looks good. Deadly good."
Norman smirked, only to clutch his head in a manic fit, regretting his own rashness.
"Oh, God, what have I done? Poor Charlotte… I should have talked first…"
But the regret vanished as quickly as it came. His face twisted back into a devilish sneer as he donned the mask again and vanished into the night sky.
"I am the greatest demon. I need no one's help! Hahaha!"
His laughter echoed through the city, warped and chilling.
Stars glimmered. Across the vast cosmos stretched an endless spiderweb.
On one silken strand, Charlotte dangled upside down, his eyes snapping open. He flexed his hands, checked his body, completely unscathed.
Remembering the explosion, he folded his arms with a weary sigh.
The pumpkin bomb's power was beyond anything he had imagined. And he himself was pathetically weak.
He couldn't win. Not a chance.
But at the moment he became Spider-Man, his cheat had awakened too.
[Congratulations! You have received a Resurrection Match invitation!][Would you like to participate?][Yes] [No]
The system interface hovered before his eyes. Charlotte pulled his mask back on and hit [Yes] without hesitation.
A Resurrection Match. Win it, and he would come back to life.
But that wasn't the true cheat.
[Ding! You have entered the Resurrection Arena.]
The void swallowed his body, and in the blink of an eye he stood once more beneath the New York night sky.
[Scenario: The Amazing Spider-Man Universe][Mission: Reach the Clock Tower and save Gwen Stacy from falling.][Reward 1: Resurrection Ticket x1][Reward 2: Strength +10 tons][Participants: Peter Parker, 10 Chitauri soldiers, Tony Stark, Charlotte Parker][Countdown: 30 seconds]
Charlotte swung on his webs, landing against the side of a skyscraper.
The glass reflected the mission briefing. And in its reflection, the story he knew all too well: The Death of Gwen Stacy.
In this multiverse, another Spider-Man existed, Peter Parker.
After defeating Electro, Harry, consumed by anger and madness, became the Green Goblin. Seizing Gwen as his hostage, he dragged her to the Clock Tower.
In the end, Gwen fell.
And Peter, despite all his power, failed to save the one he loved most.
His vaunted spider-sense forced him to witness every detail of her death.