"I understand, Professor," Peter said sincerely. "But I truly have no intention of giving up. My dream is to uncover the secrets of Mars in my lifetime, to allow humanity to land on Mars and even develop it into our second home!"
Peter's words were only partially deceptive. This truly was his biggest dream—his pre-Spider-Man dream. He had shared this dream with Dr. Otto before. Bringing it up now was a way to reassure the professor that he had not abandoned his aspirations.
"Are you truly just going out to clear your mind?" Dr. Otto stared at Peter.
Peter nodded emphatically: "I am truly just going out to clear my mind!"
"Very well," Dr. Otto nodded, picked up his pen from the desk, and signed Peter's application. "It's not easy to leave the base. I'll approve one month's leave for you. We might have to stay here for the next few years."
"Great, thank you, Professor," Peter thanked him.
Dr. Otto opened a drawer and handed Peter a bank card: "You probably don't have any money on you. Take this card for now. The password is ******."
"Professor, I can't take your money," Peter tried to push the card back.
"Take it when I tell you to!" The old man showed immediate signs of anger. "You can pay me back later when the project gets a bonus."
"Alright," Peter accepted the card, putting it solemnly into his pocket.
He was indeed low on funds. Graduate students received only a $600 monthly stipend, issued by the government. Consumption within the base was covered by extra allowances; otherwise, he would have starved. As for the $600, he used most of it to buy snacks for his room, leaving his balance at barely over a thousand dollars.
Clearly, Dr. Otto cared about him more than he let on. Peter felt a warmth in his heart.
After saying goodbye to Dr. Otto, Peter returned to his room and packed a small bag.
Getting permission to leave the base was difficult. Even with Dr. Otto's approval, the administrative process took two full days.
It wasn't until the third day that Peter's leave request was approved. Coincidentally, a flight to the nearby provincial capital was scheduled for noon that day.
At midday on the third day, two base security personnel drove Peter in a desert off-road vehicle to the airport, 180 kilometers away.
The journey was silent. The world was calm and peaceful, just as before; no strange demons or monsters had appeared just because Peter had become extraordinary.
It was night by the time Peter got off the plane. He carried only a small backpack containing a change of clothes for cover, his web-shooters, and nothing else—not even his laptop. His goal this time was to find a suitable location and cross dimensions immediately! His laptop was too bulky.
Peter left the airport and found a hotel for the night. The next day, he checked out, found a well-known local tourist spot on his phone, and, pretending to go hiking, slipped into the remote mountains.
... High above the city, a train was speeding rapidly. Strangely, the train had long passed its final station but showed no signs of stopping, maintaining an extremely high velocity. Ahead of the train was a partially constructed bridge spanning the river... The tracks ran out!
On the engine car, a young man in a red, tight-fitting suit was standing, frantically trying to find a solution. His name was Peter Parker, the Spider-Man of this world!
He had been in a fierce battle with the suddenly appearing Doctor Octopus. The cunning Doctor Octopus had lured him onto this city train and destroyed the brakes. Octavius knew that, given Spider-Man's consistent heroism, he could not allow the innocent passengers to die! It was the hero's weakness!
The next moment, Peter made a stunning decision. Using both hands, he furiously shot webs at the buildings lining both sides of the track, gripping the resulting tension lines tightly. He intended to use his own strength to stop the train!
"Aargh—" The opposing tension from the webs and the kinetic energy of the high-speed train relentlessly battered his body. He cried out in a mixture of pain and determination. The powerful forces shattered the glass of the metal engine car and severely warped the train cars, but Peter refused to let go.
On a nearby skyscraper, Doctor Octopus secured himself firmly with two mechanical tentacles, observing the scene below. A smug smile of triumph played on his lips. Deep-sea octopuses can change their color and texture to mimic their environment. Sometimes they look like algae-covered rocks, sometimes like coral. When prey approaches, they strike, leaving the victim no time to react. At this moment, Octavius was acting like a true octopus. He was waiting for Spider-Man to exhaust his strength, then he would appear suddenly and capture him effortlessly!
This was Doctor Octopus! Despite his augmented strength, he preferred using his superior intellect to defeat his enemies.
PATA! Doctor Octopus, intently watching the struggle below, didn't notice a faint sound behind him. Then, a head peered over the edge of the rooftop. Peter (Earth-616) first glanced at Doctor Octopus, who was dangling six or seven meters below him, and muttered, "Tsk." Then, following the sound, he looked at Peter Parker (Raimi) struggling to stop the train below.
"I thought I'd cross over at the beginning, but I ended up in the middle?"
"Who's there?" Hearing the faint whisper, Doctor Octopus snapped his head up.
Peter (Earth-616) carefully examined the "classic model" Doctor Octopus, even waving a hand: "Hello there, Dr. Otto Octavius."
STEP, STEP, STEP... Doctor Octopus frowned slightly, using his mechanical tentacles to quickly climb onto the roof. He stopped a short distance from Peter, looking at Peter's East Asian face: "Who are you?"
Peter smiled: "You don't know me, but I certainly know you. And I even know a female version of you!"
"Hmm?" Doctor Octopus frowned harder, confused and annoyed: "What are you talking about?"