At this moment, countless people inside the building felt their hearts tighten.
Mary, Michelle, the newly awakened Liz, two girls who had feelings for Peter, and Peter's aunt and uncle—hearing that Peter was coming, they felt both touched and worried.
If Peter was truly Spider-Man and could save them all from the shadow of death, that would be wonderful.
But what if he failed?
No one wanted to become a casualty under the hands of a crazed villain, especially one who had already lost his mind.
Harry's image appeared on every television screen inside the building.
Peter, watching through the ventilation duct's exhaust grille, stared at the TV showing his former friend, silent for a long time.
Harry had changed.
Though he still dressed like a high-society elite, always keeping his hair perfectly combed as if even an ant couldn't crawl on those silky strands, now, looking at him, Peter felt both frightened and disgusted.
His once-golden hair was slicked back, but his features were now surrounded by a twisted network of bulging veins along the edges of his face. The light of humanity in his eyes had disappeared, replaced by venomous hatred and cynicism.
It wasn't just Peter; it felt like the whole world owed him something.
"Peter! You despicable coward! Do you know my pain? Do you know despair of a dying man? Why did it have to be my best friend—Peter—who deceived me? Do you know what it feels like to have your heart shattered?"
"I…" Even though Peter knew Harry wasn't facing him directly, he felt a tightness in his chest, and the oppressive feeling made it hard to breathe.
"No! You don't know! But luckily, you'll find out soon enough…" As Harry said this, Peter's heart sank, feeling an ominous premonition.
"No." He whispered, quickly exiting the ventilation duct and climbing up the exterior of the Empire State Building toward the rooftop.
Unfortunately, it was all part of Harry's plan!
A dark-winged figure suddenly appeared above Peter. Through the opened visor, Peter was shocked to see the face of the man before him.
"Mr. Adrian..." In Peter's eyes, this was the man who could have become his father-in-law.
But now, the terrifying wound on Adrian's neck told Peter—this was no longer the Adrian he once knew.
Before Peter could react, the [Zombie Vulture] had already raised his M249 light machine gun, spraying a rain of bullets toward Peter.
"Rat-tat-tat-tat!"
As a man agile enough to dodge even lightning, Spider-Man pushed his mobility to the limit. Shooting webs, he used every nook and cranny of the Empire State Building's exterior as cover, flipping and dodging. Despite the bricks and stones flying around him, not a single bullet hit him.
Meanwhile, a New York TV station helicopter, undeterred by the danger, approached once again.
A male reporter holding a microphone broadcasted live from the scene: "We're not sure what's happening now. One of the criminals occupying the Empire State Building's rooftop is wearing some sort of mechanical flight suit and firing heavily at Spider-Man. Ah, he's shooting at us!"
Before he could finish, the [Zombie Vulture] pulled the trigger again, and the brutal hail of machine gun fire tore into the helicopter.
This was just a civilian chopper with no defense whatsoever.
When the villain recklessly started killing even reporters, the chopper turned into a massive fireball and plummeted.
"Ahhh!"
Countless spectators in New York screamed and fled in terror.
On the Empire State Building's top floor, while Peter was occupied with the Vulture, Harry grinned and ordered the zombies to force the hostages to the edge of the observation deck.
With a single powerful kick, Harry, whose body had been greatly enhanced, sent the railing flying.
A line of nearly ten hostages now stood in the fierce wind on the rooftop of the 102-story, 381-meter-high skyscraper.
There was no railing, only a dizzying drop below, and behind them, terrifying zombies. The feeling was unbearable not just for the young girls but even for Aunt May, a middle-aged woman.
"Please! I don't love Peter! I'm not his girlfriend or Spider-Man's girlfriend! I'm just a random person. Please, let me go!"
She wasn't the only one; another girl also swore that she didn't love Peter, only that she found him attractive.
Their cowardly behavior made Mary and Michelle scoff in contempt.
"Really? Then, you're useless to me!" The cruel Harry lifted both girls with one hand.
At that moment, Gwen was ready to act, even if it meant exposing her identity.
Just then, miraculously, Peter broke free from the Vulture and shot up to the rooftop like lightning: "Harry! Don't—"
Seeing Spider-Man about to reach the top floor, Harry grinned viciously: "Want to save them? Then go ahead!"
With that, Harry tossed the two girls in opposite directions like throwing out garbage bags.
"No—" Peter screamed as he leaped after them, shooting out two large webs, managing to stick both girls to the windswept outer wall of the Empire State Building.
Unfortunately, saving people came with a cost.
"Rat-tat-tat!" The [Vulture] pursued him, firing a burst while Peter was distracted.
One bullet grazed Peter's shoulder, tearing away a chunk of flesh and sending searing pain through his body. He plummeted, nearly falling to the ground.
Falling down ten floors, Peter finally caught his breath and shot a web, swinging in a large arc, regaining momentum to head back toward the rooftop.
At that moment, more hostages were thrown off the building.
Peter's uncle, aunt, and Gwen... Meanwhile, the three girls Peter cared about most were tied to a rope, carried off into the sky by Harry.
The sight made Peter's eyes almost bulge out of their sockets.
He was close—so close to facing that classic dilemma: if his mother and his wife were drowning, who would he save first?
Peter glanced at Gwen, and she instantly understood.
Ugh!
Gwen wished she didn't get Peter's unspoken message—you're falling into the water, but you can swim, so save yourself.
Sure enough, in the next second, the "heartless" Peter turned and chased after the Green Goblin, Harry.
This was so frustrating!
I also want to be a princess and be rescued! And if I save Peter's uncle and aunt, won't my identity be exposed?
In this not-so-imminent life-or-death moment, a bald-headed man arrived.
Wielding two strange long-chained blades, he swung between the skyscrapers with an air reminiscent of Tarzan.
With his broad chest and strong arms, he grabbed Gwen and Peter's aunt and uncle in one move, then kicked through the glass on the 99th floor, crashing inside.
However, in the process, he seemed to have used too much force, throwing Gwen into the women's restroom...
"Th-thank you..." The still-shaken elderly couple said in unison.
Using brute strength, Atreus ripped apart the handcuffs on all three and casually handed Uncle Ben a security guard's revolver: "No need to thank me! You'll need to protect yourselves from here."
"Wait, where's Gwen?" Ben Parker exclaimed.
The couple, both in their fifties, wanted to say something more but suddenly noticed several zombies stumbling toward them.
"You head downstairs; I'll go check on her." Atreus pushed the Parkers into the elevator, pressing the button for the first floor.
The last thing the Parkers saw was the broad-shouldered back of the bald man as the elevator doors closed.
Just as the elevator began descending, a few webs shot out from the darkness, dragging the zombies into the restroom, where they quickly fell silent.
Atreus leaned against the wall with his left elbow, knocking on the door with his right hand: "Are you ready?"
From the shadows, [Ghost Spider] appeared, her voice full of anger: "Ready! I can't wait to deal with that jerk!"
(End of the chapter)