In mid-air, after striking his opponent's abdomen, Charlie quickly climbed onto Alexei's back.
"Bang!!"
With a powerful burst, Charlie launched skyward while Alexei hurtled toward the ground at an even greater speed.
"Good Neighbor Venom Drill!"
In freefall, Charlie extended his glider wings under his arms, causing his body to spin rapidly as he descended.
Wind howled, and the spider arms on his back formed a drill-like spiral.
Vroom~
Squelch!!
A black whirlwind crashed down, piercing through the monster's body, and a shrill scream echoed through the forest.
"Ahhhh!!!"
Rip~~
As the black spider-arms tore through the monster's body, the black blood splattered around began corroding the forest floor.
From their distant hiding spot, Gwen and Mary Jane gaped in shock at the sight of the black-suited Spider-Man tearing through the creature, taking a moment to regain their senses.
"He's even more brutal when he turns black."
"So, it was him—he's the one who killed Captain Steve after the plane crash."
"Captain Steve?" Mary Jane was shocked. "That giant octopus was the Captain?"
Realizing her slip, Gwen quickly shook her head.
"No, you must have misheard."
After the mysterious department took control of the scene that day, the news that the octopus monster was actually Steve was classified.
Her father had been there that day, which is how she came to know the secret.
But for the sake of her father's career, she couldn't reveal it casually.
The debate over whether the red-and-blue Spider-Man and the black-suited one were the same person had once been intense.
However, with the subsequent proliferation of Spider-Man sightings and some deliberate misinformation from the authorities, the public interest quickly waned.
Now, having witnessed this moment firsthand, Gwen finally felt certain.
Swish swish-
Suddenly, a rustling sound came from the surrounding woods, causing Gwen and Mary Jane's faces to fill with dread.
Charlie, too, frowned.
This guy wasn't particularly strong, but he triggered Charlie's spider-sense like crazy.
Sure enough, it wasn't that simple.
Under his watchful gaze, the shattered remains of the spider-monster began to writhe and transform into thumb-sized black mutated spiders, which quickly gathered from the woods into a wave of skittering black spiders, surging in his direction.
"That's a lot of little spiders!"
Charlie's scalp tingled as he turned and shot webs to swing deeper into the dark forest.
"Haha, you can't escape."
The wave of spiders momentarily condensed into a human shape before once again transforming into a tide that chased after Charlie's retreating form.
As they watched the swarm depart, Gwen and Mary Jane finally relaxed their stiff bodies.
"That was terrifying. What kind of creature was that?" Mary Jane clutched her chest, still shaken.
Gwen exhaled slowly, her brows furrowing deeply.
"Our powers are too weak. We can't even help Spider-Man."
"You might not be able to help him, but you can help me."
Suddenly, a cold voice rang out behind them.
"What?!"
...
In the night, a city train raced along the tracks.
Inside, the passengers dozed off, but as a familiar face appeared on the television screens hanging from the ceiling, excited shouts jolted them awake.
"Hey there, night owls, it's me again. I'm J. Jonah Jameson, editor-in-chief of the Daily Bugle, here to keep you company through this long night."
As Jonah's face appeared on the screens, the passengers erupted into a chorus of complaints.
"Damn, it's this guy again!"
"I swear, I just want to smash the TV."
"He's been on a roll lately, claiming to be an expert on Spider-Man."
"Oh no, I can't watch this jerk. I have the night shift in a bit!"
"We're not insomniacs, for crying out loud."
Amid the outcry, Jonah lit a cigar on screen and began his monologue.
"I'm sure you're all curious about what's going on with all these new Spider-Men popping up, but that's not what I want to discuss tonight."
He held up three photos of Spider-Man for the camera.
"Today, we're talking about the black-suited Spider-Man."
Pointing to one of the photos, he continued, "This is the original Spider-Man, back when his suit was just a modified pair of cheap pajamas. He's the one we first came to know.
"In the second photo, he's upgraded to a metallic suit.
"And the third photo—this is the black-suited Spider-Man."
At this point, Jonah paused, allowing the host beside him to chime in.
The host quickly asked, "Mr. Jameson, are you saying that all three Spider-Men are actually the same person?"
Jonah laughed. "Hahaha, of course they are."
"How can you be so sure, especially with so many Spider-Men around nowadays?" the host pressed.
Jonah replied confidently, "I'm sure because I was there when the black-suited Spider-Man first appeared.
"While his fighting style has become more aggressive, it's something my eyes can't be fooled by.
"I've been watching him since the beginning, and none of the new Spider-Men that have shown up have his level of strength."
After listening to Jonah, the host remained skeptical. He pointed at the three photos.
"But from the pictures, it seems like their body types are different. I think they're not the same person."
"Hahaha, I figured you'd ask that."
Jonah explained, "Yes, the Spider-Man we usually see looks like a scrawny little bug. It's hard to imagine how such a frail body could pack so much power.
"But I've observed that when he goes into battle mode, his muscles swell to some extent, and he becomes taller and more muscular. That's when his strength increases—it's a special ability of his."
After Jonah's explanation, the host clapped along, saying, "Wow, that's incredible. He can actually control his body size!"
The passengers on the train also looked enlightened.
"So that's how it is."
Suddenly, a muffled noise came from outside the train.
Thud~
In the forest near the tracks, Charlie's arm muscles bulged as his black fist slammed into the ground. The wave of pursuing spiders exploded into a mist of black blood under the force of the impact.
However, the blood quickly re-formed into mutated spiders, seemingly indestructible as they swarmed around Charlie, testing his patience.
He finally understood what it was like to face an unkillable enemy.
"Hahaha, you miserable bug, you'll never be able to kill me."
The swarm of mutated spiders gathered into a humanoid shape, with Alexei's mocking laughter ringing out before the mass once again transformed into a wave rushing toward Charlie.
Meanwhile, the passengers inside the train remained oblivious to the danger outside.
They were too absorbed in Jonah's broadcast.
"Now, let's discuss Spider-Man's wall-crawling ability."
On-screen, Jonah raised a hand. "In my opinion, Spider-Man's fingers must have mutated.
"I've interviewed some of the impostors, and their fingers appear normal. But when needed, they can produce tiny bristles that help them climb walls.
"But I think there's more to it than that. Many people have seen Spider-Man climb smooth glass surfaces—those bristles wouldn't be enough for that.
"So, I believe Spider-Man's body might generate a special kind of bio-static electricity. This allows him to create an electrostatic reaction between his body and surfaces, which enables him to climb smooth surfaces even through his suit."
Jonah continued to elaborate on his theories.
Outside the train window, a black-clad figure climbed swiftly, chased by a wave of mutated spiders.
"Hahaha, poor bug, thank you for delivering me a train full of dinner," Alexei's voice echoed through the swarm.
Charlie turned back. "You know, I was just thinking—even villains need to read more."
"What?"