Peter Parker was already getting used to the older Spider-Man’s gaze, which was filled with a mix of doubt and caution.
After all, for a hero who had never even heard of the multiverse, it was incredibly hard to accept another Peter Parker just dropping out of the sky.
Fortunately, Peter simply explained his origins and the entire concept of the multiverse, using their shared spider-sense to successfully gain his trust.
The spider-sense never lies, only failing under very specific circumstances.
“The multiverse is amazing.
It looks like I need to brush up on my quantum physics,” the older Peter said.
Having cleared up his doubts, he breathed a huge sigh of relief, and his attitude toward the younger Peter instantly became much friendlier.
In this universe, the older Spider-Man was incredibly lonely.
He was always fighting his battles completely alone, struggling just to make ends meet and keep his grades up at school.
He even had to work a grueling job delivering pizzas just to cover his tuition and basic living expenses.
A superhero delivering food to survive was a reality almost no one would ever believe.
The crushing pressure of his daily life, combined with his terrible personal relationships, had even caused him to temporarily lose his web-shooting powers.
But the younger Peter’s sudden arrival gave the older hero the rare chance to finally open up to someone who truly understood him.
The two Peter Parkers sat in the small apartment, eating simple leftovers from the fridge and talking non-stop for three straight hours.
The older Spider-Man poured out all his confusion and anxiety about being a hero.
In return, the younger Peter shared wild stories about the villains he had faced, the heroes he knew, and his work with S.H.I.E.L.D.
and the Avengers.
Hearing about all the incredible technology in the younger Peter’s world, the older Spider-Man could not help but sigh.
“I wonder how long it will take for our world to develop that kind of tech,” he said.
Peter thought about it for a second and gave a vague guess.
“Maybe ten or twenty years?
Who really knows?”
Just then, Peter noticed a piece of paper stuck to the refrigerator door.
It was a wanted poster for Spider-Man, offering a massive bounty of ten million dollars.
In this era, that was an absolutely staggering amount of money.
Looking closely at the signature on the poster, Peter realized it had been published by the Daily Bugle.
Jonah Jameson actually put up a ten million dollar bounty for Spider-Man?” Peter asked, finding it incredibly hard to believe.
The older Spider-Man finished the last bite of his sandwich, his voice dropping sadly.
“It was not Jameson.
It was probably Harry who put up the money and just used the Daily Bugle to publish the warrant,” he explained.
“Well, it sounds like you and Harry need to clear up this misunderstanding if you ever get the chance,” Peter said, looking at the poster with a thoughtful expression.
The older Spider-Man just shook his head helplessly.
If the massive rift between him and Harry Osborn was that easy to fix, things never would have gotten this bad.
It was a completely unfixable blood feud.
Even though he was just trying to protect New York City, the Green Goblin had died during their fight, and that was a brutal fact he could not deny.
This was exactly why he wanted to move out of the apartment he shared with Harry.
He was terrified his best friend would figure out his secret identity.
“Anyway, my strength is almost back, and my arm is not hurting as much anymore.
I am ready to go after Doctor Octopus,” the older Peter said, rolling his shoulder and getting up from the bed.
Looking at the fully recovered hero, Peter suddenly realized he had overlooked one of this Spider-Man’s greatest abilities.
His ridiculously high physical defense.
Using his own body to stop a speeding train had not actually caused him much physical damage.
He was mostly just suffering from extreme exhaustion.
Whether he was getting hit by a train, falling off a massive bridge, taking a brutal beating from Sandman, or taking a Green Goblin pumpkin bomb right to the face, this Spider-Man always walked away with only minor injuries.
If Miles Morales’s special powers were electric shocks and invisibility, then this older Spider-Man’s unique abilities had to be his super strength and near-invincible durability.
If Peter successfully completed this timeline jump, there was a very high chance that those two incredible abilities would unlock at Fate Node 96283.
Realizing this, Peter felt a massive rush of excitement.
When he eventually faced down his own supervillains armed with electricity, invisibility, super strength, and super defense, how would they even stand a chance?
Meanwhile, deep beneath the streets of New York City lay the largest and most complex sewer system in the world.
With over six thousand miles of sewage pipes, the underground was a massive, twisting maze.
Hidden in a dark, forgotten corner of this maze was a crude, makeshift laboratory.
Doctor Octopus stood right in the middle of the lab, which he had built inside an abandoned water pumping station.
The four mechanical tentacles extending from his spine were busy welding thick alloy plates to his body.
He had scavenged the heavy metal from industrial waste, cutting and shaping it to build a full suit of armor that covered his head and most of his body. Read this novel at novelping dot com for the best experience.
It looked a bit rough, but it was incredibly thick and sturdy.
After being knocked out cold by a single punch from Spider-Man, Doctor Octopus had sworn he would never let that happen again.
That was why he immediately built the heavy armor.
But while the doctor was busy upgrading his defenses, he had absolutely no idea that two uninvited guests were rapidly closing in on his secret hideout.
Deep inside the dark, echoing sewer pipes, the two Spider-Men walked side by side.
They both kept a close eye on the glowing 3D projection coming from Peter’s wrist.
The flashing red dot on the radar was getting extremely close.
After walking through a long, narrow pipe, the space around them suddenly opened up into a massive underground chamber.
Peter looked up and spotted an old, rusted sign for the pumping station hanging from the ceiling.
“The abandoned pumping station is about a hundred and fifty feet ahead.
Dr.
Otto should be hiding in there,” the older Spider-Man whispered after quickly checking the area.
“Let us split up.
You go in straight through the front, and I will sneak around to the back to cut off his escape route.”
Even though this was his very first time teaming up with another hero, the older Spider-Man had fantastic tactical instincts.
Peter nodded in agreement and tapped his ear.
“Stay in touch.” Before they left the apartment, Peter had given the older hero a spare earpiece he got from S.H.I.E.L.D.
“Copy that,” the older Spider-Man replied, giving a quick thumbs-up before silently disappearing into the dark shadows of the tunnels.
Peter waited a few minutes to make sure his partner was in position.
Once the time was right, he moved forward and quickly spotted the makeshift lab lit up by bright emergency work lights.
Stepping out of the shadows, Peter looked directly at Doctor Octopus, who was now heavily encased in thick metal armor.
Peter’s calm, steady voice echoed loudly through the cavernous pumping station.
“Surrender, Dr.
Otto.
You are surrounded by Spider-Man.”