Outside of the glass curtain wall, Charlie squinted his eyes, staring hard at the countdown.
Among the participants in this resurrection match, although the Chitauri soldiers were just cannon fodder under Thanos, they not only had flying vehicles but also wielded alien weapons that shouldn't be underestimated, and they had a clear numbers advantage.
Then there was Peter Parker—could this be another Spider-Man?
As for Tony Stark, Iron Man's aerial superiority would completely crush the Chitauri soldiers' flying devices, making him the toughest competitor in this resurrection match.
Facing such formidable opponents in his first resurrection match was, for Charlie, no less than competing in a championship final.
But just because he couldn't win a fight didn't mean he couldn't win the match.
Tap, tap.
As the countdown on the glass wall ended, Charlie flipped off the building, shooting webs as he swung down toward the street.
Whoosh!
Both hands fired webs that latched onto streetlights on either side, and Charlie pulled back, leveraging the strong tension of the webbing. His body, propelled like a slingshot, shot into the night sky like a cannonball.
He was launched into the air!
Boom...
The wind howled as Charlie weaved between the skyscrapers, the neon lights of the city flashing by in a blur.
When he first became Spider-Man, this feeling was incredibly surreal.
It was both thrilling and nerve-wracking—during practice, he was always terrified of falling from the heights, yet the adrenaline rush of this extreme sport was irresistible.
But now, he had completely mastered the skill.
"Wow, it's Spider-Man!"
"So cool!"
As his momentum began to dwindle, Charlie timed his next web shot perfectly, soaring through the urban jungle, drawing gasps of admiration from passersby.
"Wait, that's not right. Spider-Man just finished fighting Electro—why is he here?"
Suddenly, a voice from the crowd said, and everyone quickly pulled out their phones, staring in confusion at the livestream showing a powerless city.
"Strange, this is Area C. How could Spider-Man be here?"
The crowd was puzzled.
Boom!
The next moment, a burst of fire roared overhead, sending a wave of heat through the onlookers.
"Oh my god, what was that?"
"A cool suit of armor!"
As the crowd exclaimed in awe, more streaks of fire lit up the night sky.
"Oh my gosh, what's going on? What are those monsters?"
"Aliens are invading!"
Citizens glimpsed the humanoid creatures wielding gunblades atop flying vehicles, their faces filled with terror.
Meanwhile, Tony Stark's nano armor zipped through the skyscrapers, but even he was confused.
"Jarvis, have you ever heard of a resurrection match?"
"Sir, I'm Friday."
Tony snapped back to reality. "Sorry, I didn't mean that."
Jarvis was already gone, a consequence of his mistakes, something that still weighed heavily on him.
"It's okay, sir. This isn't a game—please take this competition seriously," Friday reminded him.
"I got it. Lock onto the clock tower's location."
As Tony spoke, he remembered the information he saw earlier on the panel, his face showing a trace of complexity.
Peter Parker's name was on the list of participants.
He had already snapped his fingers, and Thanos' army had disappeared, but how did Peter die?
And there was another Spider-Man in this world.
Was this all a dying hallucination?
——
On the bustling streets, a red-and-blue figure swung past.
Whoosh!
Before long, Charlie landed on the rooftop of a residential building, far away from the bustling downtown area.
In the distance, about tens of meters away, stood a 100-meter-tall clock tower bathed in spotlight.
This was where the battle between the new Green Goblin and the second-generation Amazing Spider-Man took place, and where Gwen had met her end.
There was no sound yet, meaning Harry hadn't reached the clock tower.
There was still time.
Creak, creak.
Suddenly, a rustling noise came from the rooftop in the night, sending a chill down Charlie's spine, as if a terrifying predator had locked onto him.
His unreliable spider sense finally kicked in again.
When Norman attacked, it hadn't given him any warning.
Whoosh!
In an instant, Charlie's body reacted on instinct. He shot a web and swung away just as a monstrous creature lunged at him from the darkness.
Roar!
Bang!!
A green humanoid lizard crashed onto the rooftop, its terrifying strength pulverizing the concrete, sending debris flying.
Charlie, having landed on a nearby building, turned to see the monstrous, hideous green lizard.
The dangerous aura caused the hairs on his arms to stand on end.
"Lizardman?" He furrowed his brow.
"No, that's not Curt Connors."
Charlie quickly realized—this world's Lizardman had already been defeated by Spider-Man.
He thought of one of the other participants—Peter Parker!
In one universe, Peter Parker wasn't Spider-Man but the villain, the Lizardman.
Looking at the lizardman covered in green scales, it stood up slowly after missing its attack, the madness in its eyes making Charlie's skin crawl.
"Spider-Man?" The lizard creature spoke, its green scales shifting on its face, and the madness in its eyes faded slightly, becoming more complex.
"Why is Spider-Man a man?" It scratched its sharp claws together, clearly agitated.
Charlie glanced up at the flying Green Goblin, then attempted to communicate with the massive lizard in front of him.
"Hey, I'm Charlie, Charlie Parker. The Spider-Man you know probably isn't me, but I can vouch as Spider-Man that I won't judge your scales or claws—because, honestly, those are my favorite features. Have you ever watched Godzilla? You know, the giant monster that roars and spits... I think you'd be a great fit for a Sony or Legendary Entertainment collaboration."
As Charlie rambled on, the image of another Spider-Man began to take shape in Lizard Parker's mind.
That was a beautiful girl who loved playing the drums, and she was also Spider-Man, admired by everyone.
Everyone liked her.
He wasn't an exception.
He had always dreamed of becoming her friend.
But he was disabled, having lost his right hand from a young age, and didn't feel worthy of being her friend.
One day, he met Professor Curt Connors, who had also lost an arm. The professor's "Lizard Serum" could give those who took it the regenerative abilities of a lizard, allowing them to regrow their limbs and gain great strength.
To earn the right to be her friend, he risked injecting himself with the Lizard Serum, ultimately becoming a monster.
He would never forget the way she looked at him.
Shock, pity, fear, disappointment.
He was going mad. This wasn't the outcome he wanted, but it was too late to go back.
No, it wasn't too late.
In the last moments of his life, he chose to die so that she could live.
He died at the hands of the same Lizard monster Curt Connors had become.
But it didn't matter. She was safe.
He had proven with his life that he was worthy of being her friend.
She would survive.
She had to survive, just like Gwen in this world.
As long as he was there, Gwen, no matter which universe, had to live!
With this thought, Lizard Parker's gaze grew resolute.
He looked back at Charlie, who was still rambling nonsense, and his eyes flashed with ferocity.
"Gwen has to live, but you, Charlie Parker, you're not what Spider-Man should be like. You've ruined my image of Spider-Man, and I'm going to tear you apart!"
Boom!!
As soon as Lizard Parker's words fell, the rooftop shook violently, the concrete cracked, and in an instant, the Lizard monster launched itself like a cannonball across the residential building.
"I'll tear you apart!!"
Although Lizard Parker was furious, it seemed more like a way to hide the sickness and helplessness that had come with becoming a monster.
Charlie immediately shut his mouth, already prepared.
As the Lizard creature lunged at him, Charlie leaped away, dodging the attack, while firing webs toward the clock tower.
Inside the clock tower, Harry and Peter Parker's fight had already begun, and the real key to the resurrection match was just about to unfold.
Boom
At that moment, the roar of fire filled the air.
In the sky, Charlie's figure passed by Tony Stark in a flash.
"Peter!"
Tony called out, but behind him, the Chitauri soldiers swooped in on their flying vehicles, shooting dense energy beams from their tech gunblades toward the two of them.
"Damn it."
Boom!
A fiery explosion erupted. Tony raised his hand and generated a nanometal shield to block the energy blast, while Charlie, struck by a beam, was sent tumbling across the residential building in a parabolic arc.
"Got you, imposter! I caught you!"
In the night, Lizard Parker charged through, grabbing Charlie's body as the violent monster dragged him away.