"He's the ugliest of the three Spider-Men!"
"So trash!"
"No improvement at all!"
"Other Spider-Men solve problems; he just creates them!"
"... "
A series of complex criticisms echoed in Peter Parker's mind, making him open his eyes with a bit of annoyance.
He didn't know what was wrong with him.
Ever since a web suddenly appeared in his mind a few days ago, these voices had also appeared in his ears from time to time.
"Spider-Man? Are they talking about me?" Peter walked into the bathroom, cupping some water to clear his head, and looked at himself in the mirror.
About a month ago, he and his classmates went to an extracurricular science activity, when he was accidentally bitten by a spider.
That night, he developed a high fever.
The next day, he woke up and found that his body had become extraordinary.
Then, he spent a week figuring out what had happened to him: he was bitten by a spider, and he inexplicably gained spider abilities.
But he didn't know what to do with this ability.
Maybe he could be a great hero who saves the world, just like Iron Man and Captain America on TV?
Peter had watched the video of Sokovia, which happened around the same time he was bitten by the spider.
They even saw the live broadcast of the Hulk and a large Iron Man fighting!
As a result, many of his classmates thought the Hulk should be killed.
But then, he really disappeared. No one knew if Iron Man had taken him away or if he was being held in secret.
Peter was initially worried that he would end up like the Hulk. However, his admiration for the Avengers and his desire to become a hero prompted him to use this power.
So, he found the performance costume he used in the school drama club and added some high-molecular fiber materials to create his own Hero Suit!
—Just like Iron Man's Iron Armor, the Hulk's shorts, and Captain America's star-spangled suit.
Peter thought this suit was also a symbol of his!
Next, following the strange synthesis formula that appeared in his mind, he secretly made high-toughness Artificial Webbing and Web-Shooters using the materials in the school during the experiment class.
Thus, he became a friendly neighbor. Some people called him Spider-Man, Spider-Boy, or Spider-Man because of his clothes and his ability to shoot Web.
Although there were mixed reviews, and many people thought he was a busybody, he enjoyed it.
But things had been different for the past few days.
After that strange web appeared in his mind, some strange voices had also begun to surface.
Although he couldn't see who was speaking, Peter had a strange intuition that those voices were indeed talking about him!
"But why me?"
"Other Spider-Men? Are there others like me?"
Peter wiped the water from his face and lay back down on the bed.
He had to force himself to sleep, because it was already three in the morning, and he had something very important to do tomorrow!
Tony Stark, the famous Iron Man, had sent a letter saying he would visit him tomorrow!
"Why would Mr. Stark come looking for me? Could it be that he's discovered my true identity and wants to invite me to join the Avengers?" Peter thought expectantly, slowly closing his eyes.
When he closed his eyes, the giant web in his mind involuntarily reappeared before him.
Only this time, this web was different from before!
On the web, a strange bright spot appeared at one of the intersections of the many threads!
"What is this?"
Peter wondered, focusing his consciousness on the bright spot.
The next moment... "Argh!"
He felt as if his consciousness had been yanked from his body, and then suddenly, it was sucked into that bright spot!
"Where am I?"
When Peter came to, he found himself no longer on his bed at home, but in a small, enclosed room.
In front of him was a small table made of boxes, with a few photos and a pile of documents on it.
"Argh!"
In his brain, a nerve was violently vibrating. Upon closer inspection, he could see a glowing nerve fiber slowly reaching towards a glowing point on a massive web within his mind.
When the fiber connected with the glowing point, countless memory fragments flooded his mind!
It was 1933, and New York was in the throes of the Great Depression.
Because he had angered the wrong people, his Uncle Ben Parker was tortured and murdered by Norman Osborn, the "Green Goblin," New York's biggest extortionist.
At the same time, the Green Goblin extended his dark and evil hand towards Aunt May and him—Peter Parker, attempting to kill them both.
Fortunately, they were saved by Ben Urich, a photographer from the Daily Bugle. Peter, due to his character, earned Urich's admiration and became his helper.
Not long ago, during a secret mission to photograph the Green Goblin's dealings with the mafia, Peter was unexpectedly bitten by a spider that crawled out of a cursed spider statue they were trading. He then saw the Spider-God, Anansi, in a vision. As a result, he gained mysterious and powerful new abilities, becoming Spider-Man!
But because of this, he discovered even more things hidden in the darkness.
For example, his respected Urich was actually blackmailing and extorting the Green Goblin's gang, receiving hush money from Osborn by covering up their actions!
Not long ago, Urich told Peter that he was going to expose all the evidence he had secretly gathered about the Green Goblin!
Peter didn't know why he suddenly wanted to do this, perhaps it was a pang of conscience?
However, that night, he was shot dead in his home by J. Jonah Jameson, the person he had contacted to expose the information!
Fortunately, Felicia Hardy took Urich's hidden evidence during the chaos and delivered it to Peter.
From Felicia, Peter learned some truths.
Urich and Felicia both knew he was Spider-Man, and it was because of this that Urich decided to expose the Green Goblin and bring him to justice.
But Felicia told him not to trust Jonah!
Peter couldn't quite believe it. He still remembered Jonah's words when he was brought into the Daily Bugle by Urich:
"There are a million very sad stories out there, Parker. But for this tragic age, none of them are particularly special, until... we make them special!"
"I can give them facts and data, and Ben's photos will help them truly understand!"
"I'll tell our readers what they should think about the city's current shitty situation!"
"This dark age needs someone to stand up and light it up, to let people see the darkness within the darkness! Your Uncle Ben and Aunt May were such people, and so am I, J. Jonah Jameson!"
Can anyone who says such things not be believed? Is this era really this dark?
(End of Chapter)