New York, atop the Empire State Building.
Take a good look; this red-and-blue Spider-Man is called Charlie.
In the darkness of the night, he quietly climbs to the top of the antenna tower.
The clouds obscure the moon as Charlie Parker finds a spot to sit, lifting his hand to remove his mask.
The strong wind ruffles the boy's hair as he gazes down at the neon-lit city, takes a deep breath of the cool night air, and pulls his phone from inside his collar.
Anyone who's ever been Spider-Man knows Spider-Man doesn't have pockets.
He unlocks the phone.
[Spider-Man, I know who you are.]
[I am your father!]
[…]
[Listen, meet me at the Empire State Building at 10 PM tonight, or I will kill everyone around you without mercy.]
Displayed on the phone screen is this message, sent by Norman Osborn, without a hint of disguise.
Norman Osborn, a famous New York entrepreneur, Harry's father, and the supervillain who recently threw the city into chaos: the Green Goblin!
And him, Charlie, a transmigrator, now named Charlie Parker.
Uncle Ben, Aunt May, Harry—he's got all the standard supporting characters.
Not long ago, he was bitten by a mutated spider and, naturally, became Spider-Man.
Super strength, enhanced reflexes, web-shooting, spider sense, and wall-crawling—all of it, present and accounted for.
But, unfortunately, these powers are much weaker than the Spider-Man from the movies. His spider sense is hit-or-miss, his reflexes are only slightly faster than a regular person's, and his strength isn't enough to lift a car. Only his web-shooting and wall-crawling are barely passable.
The weakest Spider-Man has now been targeted by the craziest Green Goblin.
Charlie shakes his head slightly.
Since becoming Spider-Man, he's only used his powers to hassle small-time thugs and borrow some cash here and there—he hasn't even had time to provoke Norman.
Somehow, this guy figured out his identity and asked to meet him here.
He accepted the threat.
Just one day ago, Norman, as the Green Goblin, bombed an Oscorp shareholders' meeting. Harry was there at the time. Norman had completely lost his mind and was capable of anything.
The fate of Spider-Man is tragic, and Charlie doesn't want to lose those around him.
Family, friends, loved ones—all of them would face danger because of Spider-Man's identity.
Spider-Man is lonely.
Living a second life, Charlie doesn't want to accept this miserable fate.
He tried to avoid this destiny, staying away from any spider-related labs and biology exhibitions, but still, a mutated spider inexplicably bit him, turning him into Spider-Man.
It was precisely because of becoming Spider-Man that, in that moment, he found the only way to break free from his tragic fate.
Sacrifice himself!
Only by sacrificing himself could the people around him be safe.
So, even though he had only just gotten used to his powers, and even though he knew he wasn't a match for the Green Goblin, he still came.
He didn't say goodbye to Uncle Ben or Aunt May, nor did he try to persuade Harry to stop Norman.
Because he knew that every struggle could only make things worse.
His "sacrifice" had already been predetermined.
And only by doing this could he gain the strength to protect the people around him.
As his thoughts wandered, the roar of fire filled the night sky.
Charlie looked up to see the Green Goblin racing toward him on his glider.
"Boom~"
Soon, Norman, dressed in his Green Goblin armor, hovered in the air, his evil golden eyes sizing up Charlie.
Harry's good friend—they had met many times.
He had always liked this studious young man and had even thought about how lucky it would be if Charlie were his child.
But there was one thing about him that gave Norman a headache.
"Hi, Charlie, I'm glad you came. I need your help."
His tone was friendly, and he didn't hide his face, removing the Goblin mask to reveal a worn and haggard face, ravaged by illness.
He needed Spider-Man, but he could do without him.
Seeing that the other didn't attack immediately, Charlie grinned.
"So, it's you, Uncle Norman. Is this your armor? It's really cool. The design isn't perfect, but it's simple and personalized. The flight capability of the glider is excellent, very fitting for a Goblin. But the polish on the outer armor has some issues. How about this: take off the armor and let me give it a proper shine for you."
"You know, you don't have to talk." Norman's forehead veins bulged, clearly frustrated by Charlie's rambling.
Other than Harry, not many could stand this guy.
Seeing this, Charlie shrugged with a smile, "Okay, fine, but honestly, your armor isn't as cool as my suit."
As soon as the words left his mouth, a flicker of struggle crossed Norman's eyes before a sinister smile suddenly appeared, and he flung a pumpkin bomb backward.
"Boom!!"
The pumpkin bomb exploded in a flash, Charlie's body instantly turning to bones in the light before being blasted into dust by the shockwave.
Below the antenna tower, the tattered red-and-blue suit was caught by the high-altitude winds and blown into the night, seemingly signaling the tragic end of Spider-Man.
"Yes, your suit does look nice. Nice enough to die for."
Norman flashed a smug smile, then, in a fit of mania, clutched his head and screamed, regretting his impulsiveness.
"Oh god, what have I done? Poor Charlie, I should've talked business first."
The next moment, the remorse on his face twisted into a vicious grin. He put the Goblin mask back on and disappeared into the night sky on his glider.
"I am the most terrifying Goblin. I've never needed anyone's help, hahaha."
The eerie laughter echoed through the night, as his dual personalities switched back and forth, sending chills down one's spine.
——
The stars twinkled as a giant spiderweb stretched across the multiverse.
Hanging upside down on one of the web strands, Charlie opened his eyes. He moved his hands and checked his body, still intact.
Recalling the earlier scene, Charlie crossed his arms with a look of helplessness.
The pumpkin bomb's power was beyond his imagination, and he was pitifully weak.
He couldn't win. Not at all.
Fortunately, when he became Spider-Man, his golden finger appeared.
[Congratulations! You have received an invitation to the Resurrection Match!]
[Do you wish to participate in the Resurrection Match?]
[Yes] [No]
A system prompt appeared before him. Charlie put on his Spider-Man mask and clicked [Yes] without hesitation.
The Resurrection Match, as the name suggests, allows you to return to life if you win.
But this wasn't his true golden finger.
His real cheat was—
[Ding! You have entered the Resurrection Match scene.]
As the thought crossed his mind, the void swallowed Charlie's body, and in the next moment, he found himself back in New York under the night sky.
[Scene: The Amazing Spider-Man Universe]
[Mission: Go to the clock tower and save Gwen Stacy from falling.]
[Reward 1: Resurrection quota x1]
[Reward 2: Strength +10 tons]
[Participants: Peter Parker, 10 Chitauri soldiers, Tony Stark, Charlie Parker]
[Countdown: 30 seconds]
In the darkness, a red-and-blue figure swung through the air, landing outside the glass curtain wall of a high-rise building.
Reflected in the glass were the details of the Resurrection Match and the plot of Gwen's death from the movie.
This multiverse had another Spider-Man, Peter Parker.
After defeating Electro, Harry, now the Green Goblin, inherited the Osborn family's evil legacy, kidnapping Gwen Stacy in front of Peter Parker to vent his frustration and resentment at his friend's failure to save him.
In the battle at the clock tower, Gwen falls from the building, and Peter Parker fails to save the one he loves most.
His once-reliable spider sense witnesses every moment of her death.
A/N: By the way, the truth about how the protagonist became Spider-Man will be revealed in Chapter 14.