In the somewhat dimly lit lab, Otto put a pile of documents back on the shelf, reorganized the labels that he had previously messed up, looked at his watch and sighed.
As he turned around, he used one of the mechanical arms on his back to close the filing cabinet door. But reflected in the glass of the cabinet door, he saw a familiar figure.
"Spider-Man, why now... wait, you're not Spider-Man!" Otto spun around in a flash. His eight arms fully opened in a defensive posture while the Spider-Man opposite said, "Don't be nervous, I'm Spider-Man, just not the Spider-Man from your world..."
"Of course, when I came here, it was with his consent. Dr. Otto, I have something to discuss with you. It will only take three minutes and won't take up too much of your time..."
Otto narrowed his eyes, saying, "Are you that lucky kid from before? What are you coming to me for?"
"Welp, the Spider-Man of your world told me that you and he swapped bodies, so you're the previous Superior Spider-Man..."
Otto leaned on the ground with his mechanical arms, saying, "If you came here just to reminisce, get lost. I still have things to do."
"Ahem." Spider-Man cleared his throat, saying, "The thing is, you should know that humans in our universe have already begun to develop the Solar System but we lack researchers. We need outstanding scientific researchers..."
"Of course, we are not asking you to work for free, you can freely use our advanced technology equipment over there, and even bring back some of the special metals that are unique to our universe. The mechanical arms of Doctor Octopus in our universe are made from these metals. They work quite well. He has already upgraded them to the sixteenth generation..."
"No matter how your world develops, I am not interested. Look outside the city, I built the entire city's monitoring system myself. I am not slower than you and don't need your..."
When Otto was speaking, Spider-Man was constantly muttering under his breath, like rehearsing lines. Before Otto could finish speaking, Spider-Man interjected, "Of course, our salaries are quite good. In addition, research institute funding is very stable..."
Otto snorted, saying, "Do you know that I created Parker Industries in this world? Right, under the name of Spider-Man, I have become the new richest man in the world. Do you think I would care about that funding?"
Spider-Man completely ignored him. He was still busy memorizing his lines. He said, "Of course, there are many outstanding researchers in the institute, besides Dr. Otto, there are Dr. Reed, Dr. Banner, Dr. Ethan..."
Spider-Man rattled off a string of names. This time, Otto didn't say anything. The mechanical arms behind him slowly retracted, and he returned to his work of sorting out data. Then he heard Spider-Man continue:
"In addition, the medical research team from my world developed a type of lizard potion. Not only can heal most external wounds, but it can also regenerate disabled limbs. Meanwhile, they also developed a type of potion that can greatly extend human life..."
Otto's hand paused. He turned around and saw Spider-Man's hopeful eyes. He said, "Alright, I admit that I have encountered some trouble. More specifically, New York from my world is having some trouble..."
"I don't know if you know Nick Fury, but a few days ago, he sacrificed himself, as did Coulson and Doctor Dora. The superheroes are unable to cope and only I, the Spider-Man, can protect the entire New York and guard the legacy of S.H.I.E.L.D...."
Spider-Man paused, and his last sentence had a sense of determination and resolve that Otto couldn't understand. He said:
"Now, I think I can defend the dream of humankind stepping into the Star Ocean once more."
When Otto appeared in Spider-Man's base camp, sixty percent of the Spider-Men had their hair stand on end.
The sound of countless webs being shot filled the room. In a few seconds, the base was filled with spider webs. All the Spider-Men had slung their webs and hung themselves on the walls, staring with their spider-like eyes at Peter and Otto walking on the ground.
"Did Doctor Octopus break in? How did he get here?"
"What is going on? Who is the Spider-Man down there? How did he bring Doctor Octopus here? Isn't the Amazing Spider-Man going to do anything?"
"That damn Doctor Octopus… They're about to go through the transportation portal, where are they going?"
With a flash of light, Peter and the previous Superior Spider-Man, now Doctor Otto, disappeared into the teleportation portal.
Before the Spider-Men hanging on the wall could breathe a sigh of relief, Peter was back. A while later, he disappeared. It was obvious he teleported to another multiverse. After another ten minutes or so, he brought another shadowy figure back, then walked to the teleportation portal and disappeared.
"If I'm not mistaken, that's Electro. How come the Sinister Six is getting along with Spider-Man?"
"Wait! Look! He's back again..."
Peter appeared once again in the base camp hall, then repeated the previous process, walking to the teleportation portal and disappearing. He later emerged once more from the multiverse, accompanying some villain and walking into the teleportation portal once more.
Peter and the other villains were moving from left to right and then from right to left. All the Spider-Men were hanging on the walls and ceiling, their heads turning from right to left, then from left to right again.
Spider Gwen hung on the column in the hall, watching Peter come and go with all sorts of villains. She looked over at the Amazing Spider-Man beside her and asked, "Do you know what's going on? Why did you let them use our teleportation technology?"
"Because it's a win-win situation." The Amazing Spider-Man shrugged, "He's providing new job opportunities for the villains of my universe. This way, I don't have to spend so much time maintaining peace. I may be able to finish my major project by the end of this year."
"So you mean, he's taking the villains from your universe to his? And how does he plan on managing them? Isn't he afraid that they would wreak havoc in his world?" Another Spider-Man asked curiously.
The Amazing Spider-Man shrugged, saying, "You guys don't understand his universe. The thing is..."
The Amazing Spider-Man, who had previously traveled to Peter's universe's future, knew what was going on in that universe. He explained to the other Spider-Men.
"Basically, they are in a rapid growth period, dealing with a labor shortage. Anyone with even a hint of special abilities can be employed..."
"Very few of the people we usually deal with are irredeemably wicked or mentally ill. Take Sandman and Electro, for example. They stir up trouble everyday because they've been unfairly treated. Then there's Doctor Otto, who's simply the victim of an unfortunate accident..."
"Once these people arrive in their universe, not only are they not discriminated against, but they're also in high demand by various working groups and project teams. To my knowledge, there are even two institutes over there that have almost come to blows over who gets Electro, the man who can control electricity. Now, Electro has got it made."
Spider Gwen immediately rolled her eyes and said, "How many people do they need? I think my world's Sinister Six should also go do some real work."
"Are they going there to work? How is their salary calculated?"
"Will they be bullied over there? How are their working conditions guaranteed?"
"Can we go over and take a look? I've been thinking for a long time that my original universe is kind of dull. I also want to see the Mercury Base."
"I heard that they got several large spaceships, can I go over and drive one? I don't even need to have control over the steering wheel, just allow me to step on the accelerator..."
"I heard they blew up a star last time. Too bad we didn't get to see it, it must've been spectacular..."
"Has their game industry developed even better? Can I get early access to new releases from those companies?"
Suddenly, the entire hall erupted with chatter. Though only twenty or so Spider-Men were present, they made the noise of two or three hundred. The Amazing Spider-Man raised his hand and shouted, "Everyone, quiet down! Quiet!"
"We can't go there as tourists right now. I heard that their New York is going through a little trouble. Apparently, the military is up to something, and it's not safe there for tourists."
"What? The military is acting up again? I knew it, they never rest!"
"No problem, we can help with maintaining public order when we get there. With a system as big as the Solar System, there must be somewhere for us to stay, right?"
"Yeah, didn't we establish this organization to help each other? If they're in trouble, we should help them..."
"I came here originally because of the vampire family. But now that the Successor Family has disappeared, we could help that Spider-Man instead..."
"Who's going there? I'll gear us up!"
"Me me me! Count me in. I want to see how they managed to leave the Solar System..."
"I'm going too. Besides, in my New York, Iron Man's got everything under control..."
"I'll go too! I'm on summer vacation!"
In an instant, many Spider-Men raised their hands. Peter Parker, being a person who loves to join in on the fun, quickly became excited at the prospect of vacationing in a special universe.
The Amazing Spider-Man then said, "Alright, dealing with the Successor Family last time was pretty taxing. Let's all go and have fun in his universe for a bit. As for the trouble caused by their military, what issue can this many Spider-Men not resolve?"
"Let's go now! What souvenirs can we buy there?"
"Is our money valid there, or do we need to calculate the exchange rate?"
"Where's my dress? I want to wear a new dress..."
The Spider-Men jumped down from the walls one after another, with some heading to the equipment room and others to the cloakroom. In no time, everyone had geared up and gathered in the center of the main hall.
When Peter returned again, he froze for a moment at the sight before him.
"What are you guys doing?" Peter asked, scratching his head.
The Amazing Spider-Man quickly stepped forward, throwing an arm around his shoulders, "I told them about your universe based on what you told me last time, and they're very interested. They strongly want to visit your home."
Peter replied, "But now's not a good time for a visit, didn't I tell you? Over there, things are a bit..."
"No problem." The Amazing Spider-Man waved his hand, "We can help you out with that trouble. Trust us, there's nothing a group of Spider-Men can't handle."
Peter turned to look at the enthusiastic Spider-Men behind him, some with suitcases, others wearing sun hats. They didn't look much like a superhero team, more like a touring group.
Peter made a somewhat awkward face, but eventually said, "Okay, I can give you a place to camp, but you have to promise me that you won't cause any trouble."
The Amazing Spider-Man patted his chest, "Don't worry, don't you know us? We absolutely won't stir anything up!"