"Oh wow~"
"You guys are too slow!"
"Damn it, Carine is mine!"
"Charge!!"
At the abandoned factory, a crowd of mutants shot their webs, swinging between the low factory buildings.
In the chaos, some mutants, lacking experience, occasionally fell to the ground. The contest was held here because even if someone fell while web-swinging, they wouldn't be fatally injured.
"Burr, Fao, and Sadie, you're grounded, you're out!" shouted the freckled guy, who was acting as a part-time referee.
"Oh no, my Carine!!" "Just thinking about her being taken by someone else makes my heart ache. It hurts, it hurts so much..."
As the voices of lament grew more distant, Charlie kept a steady pace, maintaining his position in the top three. Behind him, in midair, a figure clad in orange clumsily swung his webs, showcasing impressive web-swinging talent—though it severely lacked style.
Charlie raised an eyebrow. "Is that you, Ned?"
"You're... the Spider-Man from last night?" Ned asked in surprise, though he didn't slow down his pace.
"I'm going to overtake you!"
"That might be difficult."
Charlie smiled. As he soared through the air, he suddenly pulled on his web, his body moving like a shadow past the rooftop water tank, skillfully dodging all obstacles and leaping ahead to take the lead.
"Damn it, he's faster again!"
Several mutants noticed something off about Charlie.
But Charlie took the opportunity to give them a tip: "You guys keep losing control when turning. Unless you can fix that, you'll never catch up to me."
With that, he swung into the amusement park at an almost perfect angle, leaving everyone behind.
"Oh no, he's there."
"Go for second place!"
"What? Someone else just overtook us."
"It's a girl!"
"It's two girls with amazing figures."
"Ugh, Carine's so lucky again."
"My Carine!" Ned dropped to his knees, crying out as he lost his shot at the top three.
Amidst the cries of disappointment, the crowd gathered at the carousel. Before the freckled guy could announce the winner, the area was suddenly bathed in a harsh spotlight from above.
"Is there someone else in the amusement park?"
"No way, is it a surprise?"
The crowd looked hopeful, but Charlie sensed something was off.
He quietly stepped back, pulling Gwen and Mary Jane into a corner with him.
"What's wrong?" Mary Jane asked, confused.
Charlie waved his hand. "We need to get out of here. Something's not right."
Just as he spoke, gunfire erupted from the darkness beyond the light.
Rat-tat-tat!
As the gunshots rang out, the scene plunged into chaos, filled with screams. Blood splattered, and those who couldn't dodge the bullets fell to the ground, wailing in pain.
"Ah! My leg!!"
"Run!!"
"Help..."
"Oh no! My butt!"
Ned clutched his bleeding wound, hopping around in pain, temporarily unable to swing his webs.
The gunfire suddenly stopped.
From the darkness emerged dozens of men in suits, armed with guns, quickly taking control of the wounded mutants.
It was clear they didn't want to kill the mutants.
Among them, a stunning figure—Carine—walked out, leaving everyone in shock.
"Carine!"
"What's going on?"
"Carine, what is this?" The freckled guy looked terrified.
Carine gazed down at the bedraggled mutants, her eyes full of disdain.
She didn't bother answering, instead chuckling to herself.
"Haha, what a bunch of losers. Spider-Men who can't even dodge bullets. How disappointing."
"What are you trying to do?" Ned asked weakly, losing blood fast.
"You gathered us all here just to kill us, didn't you?"
"You're such a monster."
The wounded mutants voiced their grievances.
Carine had no interest in their complaints. She simply gestured with her fingers, and the men in suits immediately sprang into action, tossing the injured mutants into a waiting truck.
"Oh, there are still three missing?" Carine noticed after a headcount.
"They must have escaped," a suited man replied, bowing.
"Escaped?"
Carine lit a cigarette and slowly exhaled a puff of smoke.
"They won't get far."
In the forest outside the amusement park, three figures darted through the trees.
"They're members of the Empire. They set up an ambush here in advance."
Perched on a treetop, Gwen caught her breath, her face pale beneath her mask.
Charlie frowned. "What's the Empire?"
"The Empire is New York's most terrifying underground force. Their leader is Kingpin, a ruthless super-criminal with blood on his hands," Gwen explained.
Her father, George Stacy, often dealt with Kingpin's men, and she had learned about the underworld king from him.
Hearing this, Mary Jane was shocked. "Why would they target us? And Carine—she orchestrated this whole thing. Is she working for Kingpin?"
Gwen sighed. "Probably. We'll need to be extra careful and stay hidden from now on. They could find us at any time."
Charlie pondered. It made sense for HYDRA to be targeting these mutants, but why would Kingpin be interested in them too?
Crack, crack, crack~
As he was lost in thought, strange noises came from the forest ahead. Trees toppled over, and a massive shadow rushed toward the treetops where the three of them hid.
"Found you!!"
Boom!
Amid a maniacal laugh, a tree trunk shattered under a powerful blow, forcing the three of them to land abruptly.
"Who's there?"
"What a big guy!"
"It's Rhino."
"No, it's a mech!"
Charlie focused on the metallic glint in the darkness, his eyes settling on the mech's most striking feature.
It was a fierce weapon resembling a rhino horn.
A new villain had emerged.
Rhino!
Thud, thud, thud~~
The ground trembled, and the sound of metal grinding filled the air as the nearly three-meter-tall black rhino mech stomped over the crushed trees.
In an instant, the overwhelming presence of the giant filled the area. Gwen and Mary Jane felt like they were suffocating.
"You two are different from those other weaklings. Tonight might actually be interesting," came a booming voice from inside the mech.
Gwen's heart was in her throat as she stared at the massive hulk before them.
"We need to split up," she whispered.
Mary Jane's legs wobbled. "I... I think my legs are numb." She was on the verge of tears.
Hearing this, Charlie clapped his hands and said, "Great, your legs are numb, so he'll probably catch you first."
Mary Jane: "???"
"You jerk!"
By the time she turned around, Charlie had already disappeared into the forest.
Gwen: "..."
The mech pilot seemed equally taken aback by what he just witnessed.
"He ran?"
"Well, I'll just have to catch you two first."
Rhino answered himself, then crashed his massive metal fists together, sparks flying as the black beast charged forward.
"Hahaha, poor Spider-Men, you're in for it now..."
With a crazed laugh, Rhino's steel fist, as large as a boulder, came crashing down with a gust of wind. Gwen froze in place, overwhelmed by the terrifying power—there was no way she could withstand it.
Everything was happening too fast.
"Get out of the way!!" Mary Jane screamed.
She shut her eyes, unable to bear the thought of witnessing the brutal scene.
Boom!!
In the next instant, a thunderous crash shook the ground. The chilling wind whipped up fallen leaves around them.
Whoosh~~
Leaves brushed past her face, her red hair swaying in the breeze. But Mary Jane didn't feel the violence she had feared.
She slowly opened one eye, and when she saw what had happened, her terror turned to unrestrained joy.
"Spider-Man!"
"Spider-Man!"
"Spider-Man!"
Suddenly, three voices rang out almost in unison.