New York, at this moment, is engulfed in flames, with collapsed ruins everywhere. The once towering buildings have now become a part of history.
On the streets, there are remnants of viscous fluids, blood, and abandoned vehicles.
Large groups of zombies roam the streets, searching for fresh flesh.
A red figure swiftly moves through the air, a web line attaching to the half-collapsed wall of a distant building. In his arms, he holds a survivor. Swinging through the air, he finally reaches the building and rushes inside with the survivor.
"Thank you, thank you, Spider-Man, I... I…"
The survivor is a young boy, not very old, his face full of fear and tears in his eyes, unable to speak coherently out of gratitude.
This is not surprising. After witnessing a series of bloody and brutal scenes, anyone would react this way.
Just moments ago, he was surrounded by a large group of zombies. If it weren't for Spider-Man's desperate rescue, he might have been devoured. The mere thought of such a scene is despairing.
Spider-Man shook his head without speaking. It wasn't that he didn't want to, but he was utterly exhausted.
He brought the survivor inside the building, which had already gathered a large group of survivors, including Captain America, Steve Rogers, and several other superheroes.
They had gathered to protect this place.
"Captain."
Spider-Man wearily brought the boy over, simply greeting Captain Rogers as he approached. The survivor, following the indication, stayed with the other survivors.
Other superheroes stood guard at the entrance. Rogers, clad in his star-spangled uniform and holding a vibranium shield, patted Spider-Man on the shoulder with his free hand. "How are things?"
"Not bad, but the situation outside..." Spider-Man removed his mask, revealing a middle-aged, weary face, the mask now pointless.
Peter Parker's eyes were filled with sadness and exhaustion. He had witnessed his lover, Mary Jane, turn into a zombie and devour Aunt May.
If not for the Captain, he might have succumbed to his overwhelming grief and been bitten, turning into a zombie himself.
In this catastrophe, he had lost his only family and lover.
Driven by a sense of responsibility and mission, Peter struggled to find a way to persevere.
"Sigh…"
Steve Rogers sighed, with blood and dust on his body, evidence of many battles. His companions, other superheroes, had also been devoured and turned into monsters.
Such scenes left him feeling powerless.
"The emergence of this disaster caught us off guard. We need to protect the innocent and also find the source of this event. We must find a solution, otherwise..."
Rogers glanced at Natasha, Hawkeye, Daredevil, and others standing guard at the entrance, sighing again.
"Is there still hope for us?"
Peter Parker, at this moment, was lost in confusion. "Mr. Reed, Mr. Stark, Thor, Asgard... Don't forget, we saw that enormous life form. If it weren't for its sudden arrival on Earth, diverting Thor and the others' attention, we..."
Peter didn't finish his sentence, but the implication was clear.
This left Rogers silently contemplating. Indeed, if that enormous life form hadn't appeared, distracting the powerful zombie fighters like Thor, Earth's situation would be even more dire.
This diversion gave them the chance and capability to protect the remaining survivors.
But if Thor and the others returned to Earth, how could Peter, Hawkeye, Natasha, and the rest resist?
Their fate would likely be to be devoured.
"I just contacted the X-Men. The X-School is also in a bad state. A large number of zombies attacked, and many students have turned into zombies. Only Logan and a few others are leading a group of students in fleeing." Despite the grim situation, Rogers shared even more bad news.
The X-Men were also struggling.
They had lost potential strong reinforcements and now had to hope that the remaining mutants could survive. Otherwise, the zombie army would gain powerful mutants.
That would mean Earth truly had no hope.
Peter fell into a state of despondency again, his ears filled with the roars and screams from outside the building. He felt his spirit crumbling.
"Peter."
At this moment, a hand rested on his shoulder. Peter looked up blankly to see Rogers gazing at him seriously. "Look at them, then look outside. Those who were once familiar to us have become monsters. We cannot lose hope."
"We must not abandon hope. I believe there is a way to resolve this. During this process, you, I, Natasha, Barton, and others might fall, die, or even turn into those monsters."
"But I believe that as long as we don't give up hope, the darkness will eventually be dispelled."
Rogers spoke without grandeur, his tone somber, yet his words had a certain magic, always able to inspire.
Peter remained silent for a moment. He wasn't encouraged, but he knew he had a responsibility to carry out, even in his pain, never to abandon hope.
"Captain..."
Peter had just begun to speak when a loud explosion interrupted.
Peter felt his body tremble. His spider sense warned him of impending danger. Not only him, but Captain America beside him also sensed the threat. In the midst of the deafening explosion, with survivors inside the building screaming in panic, the entire building, except for the ground floor, was lifted and thrown away by an immense force.
All survivors, including Peter and the others, were exposed to the sunlight.
Everyone, filled with fear and despair, looked up to see those terrifying figures floating above, gazing at them with greedy eyes.