After hearing old Steve's suggestion, Charlie made his decision immediately.
"Alright, let's head there. You guys drive and find the bunker. I'll keep him busy."
Natasha frowned. "Won't driving make us too conspicuous? They'll easily track our position."
"Trust me, don't worry about anything else. The faster you find it, the better. I have a plan," Charlie said with certainty.
He couldn't hold off for long, so finding the bunker quickly was key for setting up his strategy in the next restart.
Seeing the confidence on Charlie's face, old Steve decided to trust him.
He hadn't been a leader in years, and after entering the resurrection game, his mind felt blank. It was hard for him to offer any solid suggestions.
Natasha, though not particularly experienced in this kind of situation, still voiced her doubts.
"Little Spider, you seem quite familiar with this resurrection game."
Charlie nodded. "Yes, I've been in a resurrection game before, with that guy." He pointed at Lizard Parker. "I won that time."
"And then you died again?" Steve asked with a curious expression.
Charlie shrugged with a smile. "As you can see, I'm the kind of Spider-Man who enjoys a good adventure. If you meet a green Goblin next, don't be surprised. He knows me too."
Steve: "..."
Natasha: "..."
"Alright, Little Spider, you're even better at causing trouble than the Peter I know," old Steve commented.
At that moment, Lizard Parker twitched his nose, finally catching the scent of living beings in the dry environment.
"Found you!"
He grinned and lunged toward the jeep.
The next instant, a vibranium shield came flying through the air, bouncing off Lizard Parker's face with loud, resonating thuds.
Thud, thud, thud~
The relentless blows sent Lizard Parker crashing down from mid-air.
"Shit, what the hell?" He cursed, holding his bleeding nose.
Old Steve calmly caught the shield as it flew back to him, taking a deep breath. "Good, old friend, still reliable as ever."
"I saw you sneak in a breath there," Natasha quipped as she climbed into the jeep and started the engine.
"Have mercy on an old man," Steve replied with an embarrassed chuckle, quickly hopping into the passenger seat and tossing the shield to Charlie.
"Here, Little Spider, use this. I just gave you a demo."
"Thanks, Grandpa Cap."
"Why do I feel like you're insulting me..."
Old Steve chuckled, pointing in a direction. Natasha hit the gas, and the jeep sped away.
Charlie, meanwhile, hefted the shield in his hand. "Feels a lot better than the one I stole last time."
"Pathetic, you finally showed yourself."
Lizard Parker spat blood, his eyes filled with rage as he charged toward Charlie, claws slashing through the air, emitting a deadly chill.
Seeing the attack coming, Charlie planted his right foot deep in the sand, rotating his body and hurling the shield with immense force.
Whoosh~~
In the movies, Steve Rogers' strength was around five tons, but Charlie's power was greater. The shield tore through the air with a sharp, deafening sound, clearly more dangerous than before.
But this time, Lizard Parker was ready. He swatted the shield away and continued his assault on Charlie.
"Die!!"
Lizard Parker's eyes blazed with killing intent, but in the next second, the ricocheting shield struck him square in the head.
Thud~
Boom~
The powerful blow sent Lizard Parker stumbling to the ground.
"Impossible!!" He roared, clutching the swelling bump on his head.
Charlie fired a web from his wrist, pulling the shield back into his hand. It whistled through the air once more, striking with the same precision and force as if Steve himself were wielding it.
"Sorry, Mr. Lizard, but I'm equipped with god-tier gear now," Charlie grinned.
"Argh! I'll tear you apart!!" Lizard Parker bellowed.
In a fit of rage, Lizard Parker made several wild leaps, only to be repeatedly smacked down by the shield. Charlie's precise, stationary tactics gave him the upper hand.
The shield was even more effective than Charlie had anticipated. He had found a new rhythm in the fight.
Before long, Lizard Parker, covered in cuts and bruises, knelt on the ground. The sharp edge of the vibranium shield was far more damaging than he had imagined, and he was on the verge of collapse.
"Dammit! Are you just going to watch?!" Lizard Parker roared, glaring at the Green Goblin circling above.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Poor Mr. Lizard, you're such a fool. You've ruined my element of surprise," Norman taunted from his glider as he zoomed overhead, dropping several pumpkin bombs.
"Dammit!"
Cursing at Norman for his reckless tactics, Lizard Parker made a desperate leap for safety.
At the same time, Charlie, copying Steve's movements, curled up behind the shield.
Boom, boom, boom!
A series of explosions ravaged the sand dunes, sending dust and debris flying through the air, engulfing the entire area.
Not long after, as the dust began to settle, Norman hovered in the air, scanning the ground for Charlie's body.
"Strange. I don't see it. That shield shouldn't have been enough to protect him."
Muttering to himself, Norman swooped lower, circling in search of Charlie.
Elsewhere, Lizard Parker's head emerged from the sand.
"Norman Osborn, I'll kill you!" he bellowed as he burst from the sand, charging at Norman. The Green Goblin sneered, hurling another pumpkin bomb.
"Ha ha ha, little green lizard, just because we share similar skin, doesn't mean I'll go easy on you."
"And I won't hold back either. I'm going to tear you to pieces."
Boom~~
More explosions followed, but Lizard Parker, moving on all fours, weaved through the edges of the blast and leaped at Norman, knocking him off his glider.
Not far away, hidden under a layer of sand, Charlie lifted the shield slightly, peeking through the gap to witness the scene. His mind churned with thoughts.
Both of these guys were completely unhinged. The mission wasn't even over yet, and they were already fighting amongst themselves. No wonder they were on the "Villainous Team," they didn't even spare each other.
This presented an opportunity for Charlie to exploit.
With the two supervillains locked in combat, Charlie began to crawl away, using the dunes as cover, heading in the direction Steve and Natasha had taken.
The shield had absorbed over ninety percent of the explosion's force, making Charlie incredibly envious of vibranium's durability.
If he had a vibranium Spider-Man suit, this resurrection game wouldn't even be a challenge. He could take on the entire game solo.
As these thoughts ran through his head, Charlie sprinted along the tire tracks left outside the valley.
Whoosh, whoosh~~
Soon enough, fierce winds howled through the desert, burying the tire marks under swirling sand.
Meanwhile, Charlie's unreliable spider-sense briefly returned, sending a warning signal to his mind.
"Hmm?"
Charlie paused, his gaze locking onto the jagged rocks at the edge of the valley.
Behind him, the sound of something slithering and squirming in the sand caused a dangerous sensation to rise within him.
Turning slowly, he was greeted by a terrifying figure.
The newcomer's eyes were shaped like Spider-Man's distinctive upside-down triangles, but with bloodshot streaks spreading across the white lenses. His mouth opened wide, revealing sharp fangs dripping with saliva, and a long tongue, like a serpent, slithered out.
Clad in a pitch-black, oily suit that wrapped around a muscular body, the figure radiated a terrifying aura.
Venom Spider-Man!
This was Peter Parker, merged with the symbiote Venom, and he didn't seem like the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man anymore.