Stark wasn't sure what could heal the wounds inside this universe's Spider-Man, all he knew was that he had to first save him physically, then tackle the psychological issues. Consequently, he could not proceed according to Spider-Man's plan.
From Spider-Man's diary, Stark learned that Spider-Man did not dismiss alternative approaches, like directly locating and destroying the transmitter, preventing anyone else from entering his universe. However, the action must be taken before he turns into a zombie.
Once Spider-Man becomes a zombie, the terrifying hunger consumes his sanity. And if he attempts to damage the transmitter, he would inevitably encounter the zombie superhero, facing impossible odds and a high chance of infection, leading to a quick loss of sanity.
But just because Spider-Man couldn't, doesn't mean Stark can't. Stark wasn't sure how the Iron Man of this universe became a zombie and found it baffling. After all, he's Iron Man, how did the zombies penetrate his armor?
Thinking of this, Stark decided to head to the Stark Building first, putting all other concerns aside and focusing on forging suitable armor.
Stark turned to look at Shiller, who was watching him. Stark rubbed his hands and said, "So, um, whoever you may be, could you give me a lift?"
Minutes later, Stark appeared on the roof of the Stark Building, but as he walked towards the rooftop door, he found it left open, as if someone had entered here earlier.
Stark squinted his eyes, cautiously heading downstairs, only to be shocked as he reached the top level—it was as if the place had been ransacked, utterly emptied.
Was Zombie Iron Man planning to move out?
Stark was completely puzzled until he noticed a familiar tooth mark on some debris near the wall.
"Helen?!!!"
Stark exclaimed in surprise. He looked around, but he did not see his daughter. His eyes then landed on Shiller's face. Shiller had no expression, but Stark was certain this had something to do with Shiller.
If Helen had come to this world and had also undergone a memory reset, would she realize the problem at hand?
Stark wasn't sure, but he was more inclined to believe that Helen was also awake, given that he had long known Helen was not a product of this universe. It was highly likely that she, like Shiller, was unaffected by the memory reset.
Just like her father, Stark thought helplessly, she'd emptied the house that her old man had built within moments of arriving.
But why did Helen rob the Stark Building? Stark was somewhat puzzled. While Helen could create battlesuits, her physical prowess meant that she didn't require any external armor. Had someone come with her?
Not bothering with that for now, Stark continued hunting downstairs. Surely there was something Helen left behind. As long as he had some material, Stark could craft a powerful set of full body armor, making preparation for whatever was to come much easier.
In Central Park, New York, Helen opened her mouth and spat out piles and piles of experimental equipment and devices. Spider-Man gave her a thumbs-up and then started manufacturing at a fast pace.
They had just exited the Stark Building 10 minutes ago. The reason why they had chosen to move everything there was because they were worried that the Zombie Iron Man of this universe might just return.
Helen wasn't scared of him. She didn't believe the zombie virus could affect her. But if Spider-Man were to be bitten, it would be troublesome, so they opted for evasion.
Utilizing the advantage of her Doomsday abilities, Helen emptied all the equipment from every experimental floor by opening her mouth widely.
This Spider-Man was just a sophomore in high school. His technical knowledge was not extensive, and his accumulated knowledge was limited. Moreover, he had never worked for Nick, resulting in a lack of practical experience. Fortunately, Helen's daily visits to the Stark Laboratory weren't in vain. Together, they quickly created a set of full-body protective armor suitable for Spider-Man.
The emphasis was on protection because Spider-Man's greatest concern was a bite. As long as he could be immune to the zombie virus, his alliance with Helen could be considered invincible.
Wearing the battlesuit, Spider-Man felt slightly reassured. He was more afraid of becoming a creature driven by primal hunger than of death itself.
At this time, however, Spider-Man started to feel puzzled. While testing the battlesuit, he said, "Have you noticed something off? Have we ever directly battled with zombie superheroes during our previous resets?"
Helen flipped through her previous memories and shook her head in confusion. "No, we've hardly ever seen them."
They both realized something was amiss. Spider-Man asked, and perplexed, "Where are the Avengers? Or to put it another way, where are the zombies?"
Looking around the streets of Central Park, New York, aside from a few scattered zombies, considering the path they'd taken, although there were a fair number of zombies in Manhattan, they were still far less than the population of New York. What were all the zombies so busy with?
A shadow dashed swiftly through the dim corridor, sprinting down the hallways, rushing down the stairs, even recklessly smashing through the glass to the ground.
But what pursued him was not some monster, just a chilling gust of wind. To an ordinary person's eye, that might have simply been a gust of cold wind that sent shivers down one's spine. But Eddie, who had just landed, could clearly see a giant head with long hair hanging in the window, grinning fiendishly at him with a wide, bloody grin.
"This cosmos is truly fucked up," Venom couldn't help but swear. "What exactly is this? Brainwave attacks?!"
Eddie swallowed, took two steps back and said, "This isn't the time to talk about it. Maybe this universe is simultaneously experiencing a zombie and ghost outbreak. We should get out of here fast, it would be trouble if we were caught."
As Eddie turned to run, he saw a creature as black as an alien, entangled in a fight with a Mothman whose body was covered in fuzz and wings like a moth on its back.
Eddie did not want to waste his strength. He ran in another direction, only to see a figure in a red dress holding a red umbrella. Eddie immediately realized something was amiss and changed his course again.
In their hide-and-seek, the monsters, ghosts, and zombies were everywhere. Eddie was left with no choice but to break through the direction with the fewest monsters. He made a beeline towards the nearest, tallest building.
Then he noticed a familiar building to the south, surrounded by numerous monsters within a radius of several kilometers. There were even hordes of large figures coming this way.
Unable to hold back his frustration, Eddie cursed, "Isn't that the Avengers Base?"
No wonder he hadn't seen any zombie superheroes while lingering around. All the other monsters in this universe had them trapped inside the building.
Eddie looked into the distance, where a hanging bluish-black corpse, a monstrous ghost with wild hair, a mummy wrapped in cloth bands, and terrifying bugs the size of a building were going mad trying to storm the Avengers Base. All sorts of monsters from classic films and series were appearing.
Eddie heard faint cries in the wind, seeming to come from several familiar superheroes, including but not limited to Captain America, Iron Man, and Spider-Man. Clearly, the zombies were at a disadvantage.
Eddie found this very strange. Did someone plan this deliberately? Ghosts should be the ideal counter to zombies, let alone those substantially tangible monsters.
Firstly, the zombie virus spread through blood, but ghosts, possessing no blood, were immune. Zombies prowled relentlessly for flesh to regain stamina and enhance their strength. However, ghosts were intangible, rendering the zombies unable to sustain through battling.
Eddie drew closer and observed from atop a tall building. He could glimpse through a few windows into the base. He saw that it was not the invading monsters or even any enemy that horrified the zombies, rather it was their own mates.
It looked as if Captain America was under some control. He swung his shield wildly at those around him. Ant-Man and Wasp Woman were unceremonious, punching back at him. But soon they too seemed to have seen something terrifying and retreated backward.
Iron Man was ramming his head against the wall, crying. Dr. Banner cowered in the corner, clutching his head as though he had slipped in an illusion.
The Avengers in the base looked as if they had gone mad. Eddie felt a chill down his spine. He swallowed another gulp of his saliva. "Are they possessed by ghosts? I've heard that ghosts manipulate their enemies to commit suicide when exacting revenge...."
If you're referring to brainwave attacks, that's definitely possible," Venom responded. "Your brainwaves have been forcibly altered several times, and I have put them back in place."
"Can't you see ghosts?"
"I can see them with your eyes when our brainwaves are in sync. When your brainwaves match with the frequency and wavelength of the ghosts, their attack will affect you. But so long as I forcibly switch your brainwaves, you'll be fine."
"What exactly is going on?" Eddie was confused. "What exactly are ghosts? How do they influence humans?"
After a brief moment of deliberation, Venom said, "As I understand it, ghosts are a special type of electric wave. Their unique combination of frequency and wavelength grant them a unique property, allowing them to exist independently without relying on any matter."
"If your brain waves are far from those of the ghosts, you wouldn't be able to see them nor be affected by them. But if your brainwaves are similar to theirs, you will inevitably see them, and be affected by them."
"The method they use to attack humans is by merging with your brainwaves at the instant their frequency and wavelength are most similar to yours, thus taking over your body."
"And the method of resisting them is to switch your brainwaves at that very instant, completely changing the frequency and wavelength so that the ghosts are directly booted out."
After some hesitation, Venom continued, "This involves some elements of human idealism. If you believe in ghosts at first, but then completely disbelieve them at the moment they affect you, you can boot them out."
"But this seems difficult for humans to do. You're not only unable to control your own brainwaves, but you also can not flip your own belief in a short period of time, so it's hard for you to break free from ghost control by yourself."
"Of course, there could be someone extremely adept at controlling their emotions, capable of changing what they believe in an instant. That person could perhaps sober themselves."
Venom's description made Eddie think of a person, or rather, a profession - a psychiatrist.
"As for the Avengers..." Venom looked at the crazy members inside the Avengers Base. "I suspect they've just experienced some kind of emotional shock, which resulted in their brainwave frequency and wavelength becoming similar to those of ghosts. Then, the ghosts seized the opportunity, infiltrated and took control."
"As to whether they can break free? I highly doubt it."