“What the hell are you talking about?”
Peter spun around and kicked without hesitation.
CRASH!
His boot connected with a body charging out of the darkness.
The attacker flew backward like a cannonball and smashed into a nearby glass container.
The reinforced glass shattered instantly.
Thousands of shards exploded outward.
For a moment, Peter didn’t even need to look to know who it was.
Kraven the Hunter.
The man refused to stay down.
Despite having both shoulders shattered and enduring agony that would cripple most people, he had somehow regained consciousness.
His willpower was terrifying.
His physical endurance was monstrous.
Unfortunately for him…
Neither mattered.
Not against Spider-Man.
“AAAHHHH!”
Kraven’s scream echoed through the underground tunnel.
The container he had crashed into wasn’t empty.
It was filled with spiders.
Hundreds of venomous spiders.
The same creatures Green Goblin had planned to use on Felicia.
They immediately swarmed over him.
Crawling across his clothes.
Across his face.
Into his sleeves.
Under his collar.
Biting relentlessly.
Injecting venom from every direction.
Kraven thrashed wildly.
His screams became increasingly desperate.
Then weaker.
Then weaker still.
Until eventually…
Silence.
His body stopped moving completely.
Peter looked away.
Even he found the sight unsettling.
The once-proud hunter now looked more like prey.
Behind him, a familiar voice spoke.
“You know, Spider-Boy…”
J.
Jonah Jameson rubbed his bruised wrists as he emerged from the cage.
“I’ve spent years insulting masked vigilantes.”
Peter glanced at him.
Jameson pointed toward Kraven’s motionless body.
“But today?”
He snorted.
“Today you’re disappointing me.”
Peter frowned.
Jameson folded his arms.
“Mercy is for good people.”
His voice hardened.
“Showing mercy to monsters is cruelty toward their victims.”
The words struck Peter harder than expected.
Silence followed.
For several moments, neither spoke.
Then Peter turned and ran.
Because Green Goblin was escaping.
And Felicia was still with him.
As he raced through the underground passage, Jameson’s words continued echoing inside his head.
Aunt May’s voice.
Jameson’s voice.
Two completely different philosophies.
Two completely different worlds.
“People shouldn’t slaughter each other like animals.”
“Mercy for villains is violence against the innocent.”
Neither argument was entirely wrong.
That was the problem.
Peter’s modern self leaned toward Aunt May.
The ordinary teenager from Queens didn’t want to become an executioner.
But Spider-Man Noir’s memories told a different story.
This world was different.
Corrupt politicians.
Corrupt police.
Corrupt judges.
Every system was compromised.
People like Norman Osborn thrived because the law protected them.
Or worse.
Worked for them.
Peter suddenly understood why Spider-Man Noir had become the man he was.
This city forced people to make impossible choices.
And perhaps…
Tonight would force Peter to make one as well.
A seed had been planted.
A dangerous one.
It would continue growing.
And someday…
It would become impossible to ignore.
Meanwhile, deeper inside the tunnel system, Norman Osborn was running.
For the first time in years…
Green Goblin was afraid.
Not of the police.
Not of politicians.
Not of rival gangs.
Spider-Man.
That damn spider had destroyed everything.
Norman tightened his grip on Felicia.
The hidden tunnels beneath the factory had existed for years.
He had personally overseen their construction.
These passages represented survival.
Insurance.
A backup plan.
Because Green Goblin understood a simple truth.
Everyone was disposable.
Especially criminals.
The businessmen who hired him.
The politicians who protected him.
The police officials who accepted his money.
If things ever went wrong…
They would sacrifice him immediately.
Norman had always expected betrayal.
He simply never expected Spider-Man to arrive first.
Beside him, Felicia suddenly laughed.
A sharp, mocking laugh.
Norman’s face darkened.
“You find this amusing?”
Felicia smiled.
“You’re finished.”
Norman said nothing.
She continued anyway.
“Do you really think City Hall will save you now?”
The smile on her face widened.
“No.”
“They’ll kill you first.”
Norman’s jaw tightened.
“Shut up.”
Felicia ignored him.
“Every politician.”
“Every businessman.”
“Every corrupt official.”
“They’ll erase you.”
Her eyes glittered.
“Because you’re the evidence.”
“You’re the loose end.”
“You’re already dead, Norman.”
Each sentence struck like a knife.
Because he knew she was right.
That was the worst part.
He knew.
“Shut up!”
His voice exploded through the tunnel.
For the first time, genuine panic appeared on his face.
The darkness seemed to close around him.
The tunnel suddenly felt much smaller.
Much more dangerous.
Then—
“Felicia!”
A voice echoed ahead.
Norman froze.
Felicia smiled instantly.
Spider-Man.
WHOOSH!
A black figure dropped from above.
Before Norman could react, Peter slammed into him.
The impact shook the tunnel.
Both men crashed to the ground.
Felicia rolled free.
Norman hit the wall hard.
Peter immediately pinned him down.
The two struggled violently.
Norman snarled.
Peter smirked.
“Surprised?”
Norman laughed.
To Peter’s surprise, there wasn’t any fear in it.
Only mockery.
“So the little spider caught the big bad wolf.”
His grin widened.
“And now you think you’ve won.”
Peter didn’t respond.
Norman continued.
“Before we finish this…”
His eyes narrowed.
“Let’s see who’s under the mask.”
Suddenly his hand shot upward.
Peter’s heart skipped a beat.
No!
Instinctively, he grabbed Norman’s wrist.
His secret identity could never be exposed.
Not here.
Not anywhere.
People he loved would become targets.
Aunt May.
His friends.
Everyone.
The struggle intensified.
Then—
SLAP!
Peter accidentally struck Norman’s face.
Something strange happened.
RRRIP.
The sound resembled tearing cloth.
Peter froze.
A section of Norman’s skin ripped away.
Revealing something underneath.
Something horrifying.
His face.
Peter’s eyes widened.
Green skin.
Bulging growths.
Twisted flesh.
His appearance resembled something between a human and a monster.
A creature born from nightmares.
For a moment Peter couldn’t move.
The sight was too shocking.
Norman noticed immediately.
A cruel smile appeared.
At the same time, his free hand succeeded.
RIP!
Peter’s mask came off.
The two stared at one another.
Norman blinked.
Then laughed.
“So it’s you.”
Recognition flashed across his face.
“Ben Urich’s little assistant.”
His smile became vicious.
Peter barely heard him.
His attention remained fixed on Norman’s face.
“What happened to you?”
Norman laughed again.
A bitter laugh.
Filled with decades of hatred.
“What happened?”
His eyes darkened.
“My entire childhood happened.”
His voice became strangely calm.
“When I was young, children threw rocks at me.”
“They called me a monster.”
“I couldn’t attend school.”
“I couldn’t get a normal job.”
His fingers curled into fists.
“I survived in freak shows.”
“People paid money to stare at me.”
“To laugh at me.”
“To point at me.”
His eyes filled with rage.
“Every piece of bread I ate was purchased with humiliation.”
The tunnel fell silent.
Peter listened.
Norman’s expression twisted.
“But things changed.”
A grin spread across his face.
“When people hear the name Osborn now…”
“They don’t laugh.”
“They fear me.”
“They respect me.”
“They obey me.”
The grin widened further.
“And everyone who sees this face…”
His eyes locked onto Peter’s.
“Usually dies.”
The killing intent in his voice was undeniable.
“So tell me, little spider.”
Norman’s muscles suddenly bulged.
“Are you ready to die?”
The next second, Norman exploded forward.
Peter’s eyes widened.
The strength was incredible.
Much stronger than before.
Norman actually managed to force him backward.
The two separated.
Peter nearly lost his footing.
Then—
Spider-Sense screamed.
DANGER!
Instinct took over.
Peter tilted his head.
BANG!
A gunshot thundered through the tunnel.
The bullet passed mere centimeters from his skull.
Norman stared.
Disbelief filled his eyes.
Nobody should be able to dodge that.
Not at that distance.
Not after the gun had already fired.
It was like Peter could see the future.
Unfortunately for him…
Spider-Man practically could.
The near-death experience shattered Peter’s hesitation.
No more talking.
No more distractions.
He lunged.
THWIP!
Webbing erupted from both wrists.
Norman barely had time to react before he was completely restrained.
His arms.
His legs.
His torso.
Everything was bound.
He struggled violently.
Nothing happened.
The fight was over.
Green Goblin knew it too.
His shoulders slowly relaxed.
A strange smile appeared.
“Go on.”
He looked directly at Peter.
“Kill me.”
Peter raised his revolver.
The tunnel became silent.
His finger touched the trigger.
Images flooded his mind.
Uncle Ben.
Ben Urich.
Aunt May.
Felicia.
Jameson.
The victims.
The suffering.
The pain.
Then came the voices.
“People shouldn’t slaughter each other like animals.”
“Mercy toward evil is cruelty toward the innocent.”
Peter closed his eyes.
What was the right answer?
What would his Aunt May choose?
What would Spider-Man Noir choose?
What would he choose?
The answer slowly emerged.
Not from one Peter.
But from both.
Peter lowered the gun.
Norman blinked.
Confusion appeared for the first time.
Then—
CRACK!
Peter’s fist shattered his right arm.
Norman screamed.
CRACK!
The left arm followed.
CRACK!
CRACK!
Both legs.
Bone splintered.
The tunnel echoed with agonized cries.
Peter crouched beside him.
His expression remained cold.
Controlled.
Certain.
Norman trembled.
Unable to move.
Unable to fight.
Unable to escape.
Peter looked directly into his eyes.
“You don’t get an easy death.”
Norman’s pupils contracted.
Peter continued.
“You’ll face justice.”
“You’ll answer for every murder.”
“Every victim.”
“Every crime.”
His voice became steel.
“The world will know exactly who you are.”
Norman’s face twisted with hatred.
Peter stood.
His decision had been made.
The Green Goblin would live.
For now.
And if the system failed…
If corruption protected him again…
If justice proved meaningless…
Then another answer would be waiting.
A darker answer.
One Peter wasn’t quite ready to embrace.
Yet.
As Peter dragged the defeated Green Goblin back toward the surface, a strange feeling appeared in his mind.
The glowing thread connecting him to this world pulsed.
The Web of Destiny was reacting.
As though acknowledging something.
As though recognizing that a choice had been made.
A choice that would shape every Spider-Man he became from this day forward.
Because heroes are not defined by their power.
They are defined by the choices they make when revenge is within reach.
And tonight—
Peter Parker had made his first truly difficult choice.
To Be Continued…
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