The moment Charlie saw him, he slowly let out a long breath.
The heart that was constantly hanging by a thread…
Finally gave up once again.
Every Spider-Man knows one thing—
A Spider-Man bonded with Venom is absurdly overpowered.
Charlie cautiously tested the waters.
“So…”
“Do you like buying discounted suits?”
Venom Parker grinned viciously.
“I like giving people discounted bones.”
Charlie’s smile stiffened.
“…Right.”
He wasn’t ready to give up just yet.
“Then…
are you interested in a promotion and a raise?”
Venom’s expression grew impatient.
“You talk too much.”
“I’m hungry.”
BOOM!!
In an instant, the black symbiote suit writhed across Venom Parker’s body.
It exploded outward into countless streams of living black liquid, instantly weaving itself into a gigantic web that swallowed Charlie whole.
Whoosh!
Charlie swung the vibranium shield, tearing open a gap in the black web.
He leaped free—
Only to see Venom Parker’s right arm transform into a ten-meter-long blade.
It swept toward him.
BOOM!!
The blade cleaved through solid rock like butter.
Huge boulders split cleanly in half.
Its attack range was so enormous that Charlie had nowhere to dodge.
He barely managed to raise the shield.
The next instant…
An overwhelming force blasted him straight into the shattered rocks.
Buried beneath the rubble, Charlie felt every bone in his body creak under the impact.
The pain was unbearable.
Even the vibranium shield had been knocked out of his hands.
Neither the shield…
Nor his nanotech suit…
Could withstand Venom Parker’s terrifying strength.
A monstrous shadow slowly loomed over him.
The hungry creature stared directly at its prey.
Charlie could only force out an awkward smile.
“Mr.
Parker…”
“How about I take you to fight Thanos instead?”
“I’m going to eat you.”
“…Wait.”
“You’re serious?!”
[You have been eliminated.]
[Resurrection Slot not awarded.]
[Strength Reward: +0.2 Tons]
[Remaining Restart Attempts: 11]
Charlie sat upright on the endless cosmic web, instinctively touching his own head.
“…That guy definitely isn’t Bully Maguire.”
“He genuinely loves eating people.”
Thinking back to his final moments, Charlie couldn’t help swallowing.
Based on a rough estimate…
Venom Parker possessed at least one hundred tons of strength.
And that wasn’t even accounting for any explosive bursts of power.
Charlie simply wasn’t a match for him.
Forget fighting alone.
Even if every contestant in this Resurrection Match teamed up…
They probably still wouldn’t win.
Now that’s truly villainous.
The pressure mounted.
After carefully thinking through his next move…
Charlie selected Restart once more.
[Entering Resurrection Match…]
The scorching desert appeared once again.
Charlie had to sit through Steve and Natasha’s reunion all over again.
“Natasha…”
“Steve…”
The mission began.
Charlie launched both of them away before the missiles arrived.
Then everything repeated itself.
“Head for the bunker.”
The jeep roared into the distance.
Lizard Parker and Norman attacked.
Then immediately started fighting each other again.
This time…
Instead of following Steve’s route…
Charlie deliberately headed in the opposite direction.
The valley formed a complete circle.
Taking the other path would still allow him to meet up with Steve and Natasha eventually.
He wanted to confirm one thing.
Was Venom Spider targeting him from the very beginning?
This time he took absolutely no precautions.
He focused entirely on speed.
If anything happened before he reached the bunker…
His theory would be proven.
Soon enough…
He spotted the jeep in the distance.
Looks like Venom Spider wasn’t following me after all.
Charlie quickly approached.
Nearby stood the narrow entrance to the abandoned bunker hidden beneath a rocky outcrop.
The entrance was so small that with just a little camouflage…
It would be almost impossible to find.
Looking toward the jeep—
Charlie froze.
Steve and Natasha appeared to be…
Stacked on top of each other.
Charlie: “????”
Seriously?
Even now?
Captain’s already old enough.
Don’t overdo it…
Shaking his head at the decline of modern society, Charlie walked closer.
Then his expression changed.
“…Where are their heads?”
His heart skipped a beat.
Charlie sighed helplessly.
“Well…”
“I guess it’s my turn now.”
The next second—
Black liquid flowed silently behind him.
It twisted into the face of a monstrous demon.
Then…
It swallowed him whole.
[You have been eliminated.]
[Resurrection Slot not awarded.]
[Strength Reward: +0.2 Tons]
[Remaining Restart Attempts: 10]
The fourth Resurrection Match began.
Charlie mechanically repeated everything he’d already done several times before.
This time…
He had figured it out.
Venom Spider’s first targets had always been Steve and Natasha.
Which meant…
One of them had to be sacrificed.
Behind the jeep, Charlie wasted no time.
He quickly sketched a rough map of the valley in the sand.
“You two split up.”
“Go in opposite directions.”
“The bunker should be around here.”
Steve looked surprised.
“How do you already know where the bunker is?”
Charlie shrugged.
“Don’t ask.”
“Superpowers.”
He grabbed two cans of gasoline from the jeep.
“Take these.”
“They’ll be useful once you’re inside.”
Now that he already knew the bunker’s location…
He didn’t have them drive this time.
After making all the necessary arrangements…
Charlie grabbed the shield and deliberately lured Lizard Parker away.
“Hey, handsome lizard!”
“Come chase this deliciously crunchy little bug!”
“I’M GOING TO TEAR YOU APART!!”
Everything went according to plan.
As soon as Norman arrived…
The two villains immediately started fighting each other again.
Taking advantage of the chaos…
Charlie sprinted toward Steve’s direction.
If he were Venom Spider…
Given the choice between eating a beautiful woman…
Or an old man…
Only an idiot wouldn’t know which one to pick.
Sure enough…
Thanks to his superior speed, Charlie quickly caught up with elderly Steve.
“Huff…”
“Huff…”
“Haa…”
Steve bent over, bracing himself against his knees while gasping for air.
“You caught up already…”
“Youth really is wonderful.”
Charlie took the gasoline can from Steve’s hand.
“Old soldier…”
“Want to play bumper cars?”
“…What?”
Steve blinked.
Charlie flipped the shield upside down and placed it on the sand.
Then he gestured for Steve to sit on it.
Realization immediately dawned on the old Captain.
“…It’s childish.”
“But I’d be happy to.”
Without hesitation, Steve sat down comfortably atop the shield.
Charlie fired a strand of web at it.
Whoosh!
Using the web like a tow cable, Charlie dragged the shield rapidly across the desert.
Blowing sand quickly erased every trace behind them.
Steve’s excitement visibly grew.
“Faster!”
“Let’s go!”
Charlie rolled his eyes.
“Would you shut up already, old man?”
Steve looked offended.
“How can you talk to an elderly gentleman like that?”
Ten minutes later…
Charlie finally stopped.
“We’re here.”
Steve looked around.
“…Natasha isn’t here yet.”
Charlie answered calmly.
“She probably won’t be.”
Steve frowned.
“What do you mean?”
“I’ll explain inside.”
Under Charlie’s urging, Steve squeezed through the narrow bunker entrance.
Charlie followed immediately afterward.
Then he kicked loose stones over the opening, sealing it shut.
Within minutes…
The desert wind would erase every trace that anyone had entered.
Darkness surrounded them.
The roar of the sandstorm became fainter and fainter.
A stale, decaying smell filled the air.
Charlie tapped his wrist device.
The spider emblem on his nanotech suit emitted a brilliant white light.
Under the illumination…
Broken wooden supports lay scattered everywhere.
Spiderwebs covered nearly every surface.
Sand had piled up past their ankles.
Several sections of the tunnel had partially collapsed.
Even so…
There was still enough room for two people to pass.
Steve’s face grew serious.
“You can tell me now.”
“Why didn’t we wait for Natasha?”
Charlie casually brushed the sand off his clothes.
“Because she was already being hunted.”
Steve’s fists instantly clenched.
His eyes filled with anger.
“So…”
“You deliberately sent her to die?”
Charlie didn’t flinch under Steve’s furious stare.
Instead, he answered calmly.
“Don’t look at me like that.”
“She’s already dead anyway.”
“If we win this Resurrection Match…”
“She’ll receive a Resurrection Slot.”
“She’ll return to your world alive.”
“So tell me…”
“Do you really think that’s cruel?”
Steve fell silent.
Moments later…
He slowly calmed down.
“…You’re right.”
After a brief pause, he asked another question.
“So…”
“When do I die?”
Charlie blinked.
“…Uh…”
“You’ll get your chance.”
“Just…
be patient.”
Steve nodded without hesitation.
“No problem.”
(End of Chapter)