Chapter 41: Marcus Proposes a Trade, Captain UniversePromises a Generous Gift
After hearing this, Solus stared fixedly at Takuya Yamashiro with his dim, vertical pupils. His cracked lips moved, squeezing out a weak yet teeth-gritting sentence: "I will definitely return!"
Takuya Yamashiro looked down at him, his voice devoid of emotion: "There will be no next time."
As his voice fell, he raised his left wrist. His Spider-Bracelet lit up with a white light, remotely synchronizing and connecting to leopardon's control panel.
Behind him, the armor on the outer side of leopardon's right leg slid open once more. The Sword Vigor ejected, its gleaming blade dragging a long, narrow blue tail flame through the smoke and dust.
"leopardon, Sword Vigor!"
The sixty-meter-tall steel giant gripped the sword with both hands, raising it high above its head. The dark green blood remaining on the blade had not yet dried, and a new stream of light was already being activated in layers.
"Slash!"
The great sword descended. The dark blood barrier shattered like thin paper under the blade, and Solus's figure was submerged in the explosive blue light.
The smoke and dust slowly settled. In the center of the ruins, only a bottomless sword mark remained, with dark green blood slowly coagulating at the bottom of the trench.
Takuya Yamashiro stood at the edge of the sword mark, looking down to confirm for a moment. At the bottom of that sword mark, Solus's body had completely lost all vitality—the primal power of the Sword Vigor had torn apart the leech totem veins within him, and even the last trace of dark blood energy fluctuations had dissipated completely, making reincarnation impossible. He withdrew his gaze and turned to walk toward the other side of the ruins.
Daemos and Morlun were still sprawled in the deep pit created by leopardon, lacking even the strength to lift their heads.
Takuya Yamashiro raised his left wrist, and his Spider-Bracelet ejected two specialized binding ropes—the ropes were woven from his exclusive high-strength hemp rope. The ropes tightened automatically in the air, binding the two from shoulders to ankles, layer by layer.
After dealing with the two, he walked to the edge of the ruins and dug out Brix and Bora from the pile of rubble, who had been defeated earlier and temporarily tossed into a corner of the ruins by Punisher Spider-Man.
Both were still in a deep coma, and Takuya Yamashiro used the binding ropes to tie the siblings up tightly as well. The four Inheritors were dragged to the open space in the center of the ruins, lying side by side like four pieces of prey entangled and killed by spider silk.
After finishing all this, he straightened up and brushed the dust off his gloves.
On the other side, Marcus withdrew his gaze. After confirming that Solus's presence had completely vanished, his tense shoulders relaxed slightly.
He laid Captain Universe flat on a tilted broken wall and pressed his intact right hand back over the wound on his abdomen. Although the blade that had pierced his arm had dissipated along with Solus's severed arm, the gash on his stomach was still oozing blood. The moment his five fingers pressed onto it, warm liquid spilled out from between his fingers.
Only then did the piercing wound on his left arm finally intrude upon his perception.
From his palm to his wrist bone and then to his forearm, his flesh and fascia had been torn open into a gruesome channel, and the intense pain surged up wave after wave like a late tide. He looked down for a moment, just furrowed his brows slightly, and then turned his attention back to Captain Universe.
Captain Universe sat leaning against the broken wall, his damaged Nebula suit slowly beginning to glow with a faint light again.
He raised his hand, his fingertips gathering a trace of the weak Enigma Force that had just recovered, and gently slashed through the air, barely managing to open a pale golden spatial rift. The edges of the rift were still flickering unstably, clearly unable to hold for too long.
As soon as the rift formed, a round, pink pig head poked out from it. Spider-Ham's white lenses swept across the scene—the sword mark, the ruins, the four Inheritors lying side by side—and then his gaze landed on Captain Universe sitting against the broken wall and Marcus, whose abdomen was still oozing blood. He blinked, and the pig head zipped back inside.
The rift hung silently in the air.
A moment later, a round figure suddenly rushed out of the pale golden spatial rift. Spider-Ham's two short legs moved rapidly, his body hurtling over like a pink cannonball. He was clutching that silver-gray metal canister stamped with a pink pig head silhouette, unscrewing the lid as he ran, and colorful granules rattled into his palm.
"I knew it! I knew you and Mr. Marcus would definitely win, Captain!" A series of excited sounds squeezed out of his pink snout through the opening in his mask. His short hands directly shoved the feed into Marcus's hands, then he turned around, stood on tiptoe, and stuffed a handful into Captain Universe's mouth. "Quick, quick, quick, eat it and your wounds will heal faster!"
Marcus did not hesitate; he took the pig feed and swallowed it. Warm energy spread from his stomach, and a faint tingling sensation emerged simultaneously from the gash on his abdomen and the piercing wound on his arm.
The pale golden spatial rift trembled again. Octopus Spider-Man stepped out first, his four metal octopus arms slowly retracting behind him, his sensor lenses sweeping over the four Inheritors lying side by side in the center of the ruins.
Scarlet Spider followed closely, his three biological spider legs supporting his broken body, the compound eyes on his forehead lighting up with red light one after another. Behind the two of them, more Spider-Man figures walked out of the portal one after another.
Octopus Spider-Man walked over and stood beside Marcus and Captain Universe, turning his gaze toward Takuya Yamashiro, who was standing at the edge of the sword mark: "Takuya Yamashiro, thank you for your help."
Takuya Yamashiro had just finished tying up Brix and Borawith his spider-rope. Upon hearing this, he straightened up, brushed the dust off his gloves, and spoke with a casual yet sincere tone: "You're welcome. We're all Spider-Man, helping each other is only right. Also, with so many Spider-Man here, you don't need to call me Takuya Yamashiro—just call me Takuya Yamashiro."
Captain Universe, sitting against the broken wall, still nodded solemnly at him upon hearing this: "Regardless, I must still thank you for your help, Takuya."
After thanking Takuya Yamashiro, Captain Universe turned to Marcus, a trace of solemnity appearing on his damaged face: "Mr. Marcus, thank you for your help as well."
Marcus looked at Octopus Spider-Man, his tone flat: "I only helped you because I made a deal with him. Now that the incident is over, I can tell you my condition—I hope you can find the smartest biologist to help me upgrade my ability enhancement serum."
Octopus Spider-Man's sensor lenses flashed with a cold light, and he nodded in a deep voice: "We can completely fulfill this condition."
Captain Universe sat leaning against the broken wall, the faint light of his Nebula suit still slowly recovering, his voice hoarse yet steady: "Regardless of everything, you suffered such heavy injuries to help us. After everything is completely over, I will bring you a generous gift."
Upon hearing this, Marcus did not decline further and turned to look at Spider-Ham: "You can let me go back now."
Spider-Ham was just about to take out the metal disk to open the portal when Captain Universe suddenly raised a hand to stop him: "Wait. You are so heavily injured that even after taking Spider-Ham's medicine, it will take a long time to fully recover. Wait until tomorrow when my energy recovers, and I will heal you directly."
Marcus looked down at the piercing wound on his abdomen that was still oozing blood, then looked at the gruesome wound on his left arm that had been torn from his palm to his forearm, and nodded: "Alright."
Chapter 42: Captain Universe Visits with a Gift! The Golden Spiritual Spider Volunteers to Recognize Its Master
Three days later, in an unknown Marvel cinematic universe, in Queens.
Marcus stood before the floor-to-ceiling window on the second floor of the villa, looking down at the half-withered maple tree in the backyard. His injuries had been completely healed by Captain Universe's restorative energy on the very first day, leaving not even a trace of a scar on his abdomen or left arm.
On the second day, he handed the serum to Octopus Spider-Man, so they could take it back to their own universe to find the top biologists. As for the remnants of the Inheritors family, Takuya Yamashiro and his army of spiders had finished cleaning them up yesterday, and the whole affair was completely resolved.
Today, he had nothing to do, and his money had just run out, so he was planning to go to Hells Kitchen to "borrow" some more from the gangs there.
Just as he was preparing to set off, a golden portal opened once again in the villa's courtyard.
Captain Universe stepped out from the light, a Little Spidercrouching on his shoulder. He looked up at Marcus behind the floor-to-ceiling window, his voice steady: "Mr. Marcus, I have brought you the gift I promised."
Marcus floated down from the floor-to-ceiling window and landed in front of Captain Universe.
Captain Universe extended his hand. The Little Spider, covered all over in fine, pale gold fluff with nebula patterns embedded on its back, crawled along his fingertips onto his palm, its eight slender legs shimmering in the sunlight.
"This is a gift to thank you for helping us." Captain Universe's voice was steady. "I used the Enigma Force to convey my request to the Web of Life and Destiny, asking It to condense over a hundred shares of Totem Power to create this spider. It may not significantly increase your physical strength, but it can grant you a powerful Spider-Sense."
Upon hearing this, Marcus extended his hand. The Little Spider crawled along Captain Universe's fingertips onto his palm, its eight slender legs gently tapping against his skin. It lowered its head, opened its tiny fangs—nearly invisible to the naked eye—and bit down on his skin.
It didn't break the skin.
Marcus fell silent for a moment. He had thought that a spider condensed from the power of over a hundred Spider-Men would be able to break his skin.
He watched as the Little Spider tried a few more times in his palm, persistently scratching uselessly against his skin with its fangs, making a faint rustling sound.
In the end, he raised his right hand and used his fingernail to cut a small wound on his left palm. As soon as a bead of blood seeped out, the Little Spider immediately moved forward, its fangs precisely biting into the wound to inject the Totem Power into his body along with the blood.
A gentle energy surged into his body from his palm. This energy was as light as a spider silk landing on skin, yet it instantly spread throughout his limbs and bones, as if an invisible web had unfurled within him, encompassing every nerve and every inch of muscle.
Marcus moved his mind and opened his attribute panel.
[ Super Strength: Level 4 (79%) ]
[ Super Durability: Level 4 (89%) ]
[ Super Mind: Level 4 (84%) ]
[ Super Speed: Level 4 (77%) ]
[ Bio-field: Level 4 (65%) ]
His attributes after the battle with Solus were rising rapidly. Super Strength jumped from 79% to 81%, 83%, 85%—every attribute was scrolling upward at a speed visible to the naked eye.
After a moment, the numbers stopped jumping. All attributes had increased by 10%. And at the very bottom of the panel, a brand-new ability had appeared.
[ Spider-Sense: Level 4 (50%) ]
As for Dimensional Travel, this ability had remained at Level 1, 50% ever since he arrived in the Marvel universe, without any improvement.
Marcus glanced at it and closed the attribute panel. He looked up at Captain Universe and said sincerely: "Thank you."
Captain Universe smiled and nodded: "This is what you deserve. Since you have accepted the gift, I should go back and carry out the reconstruction work of the Spider Hall."
Marcus looked at Captain Universe, his tone calm but sincere: "If you need help in the future, you can come find me."
"Then we shall meet again in the future, Mr. Marcus."
Captain Universe nodded in farewell, turned, and stepped into the golden portal that had not yet dissipated in the courtyard.
With a swirl of light inside the portal, his figure vanished instantly. The rift closed slowly behind him, and the golden light flickered twice in the courtyard before dissipating completely.
The afternoon in Queens became quiet again, leaving only the half-withered maple tree in the backyard swaying gently in the breeze.
Marcus looked down at his palm. The Little Spider was still lying in his hand; after injecting the Totem Power, it had neither disappeared nor crawled away.
Its eight slender legs were obediently tucked against the sides of its body, and the pale gold patterns on its back flickered slightly, like a miniature nebula.
It raised its delicate front legs and gently rubbed against his palm. The ticklish sensation was exceptionally docile, carrying a sense of intimacy and intelligence completely different from ordinary arthropods.
Marcus raised his left hand, extended his index finger, and gently stroked the Little Spider's back and head.
His fingertip landed on its fluff, which was covered in pale gold nebula patterns. The soft fluff was wrapped in the warmth of the sunlight, and the touch felt like a small, fluffy, warm golden ball of fur.
Under his stroking, the Little Spider obediently curled up its slender legs, and the soft fluff on its back rose and fell gently with its breathing.
"You actually didn't disappear. Well, then, follow me from now on." He said softly.
As his voice fell, the Little Spider in his palm suddenly raised its head and opened its mouth toward him. Immediately after, a few fuzzy sounds rang in his mind. The voice was very light, as if coming from across a thin surface of water, carrying a sort of timid childishness.
"Master... The reason I didn't disappear is because there are still a few strands of Totem Power remaining in my body, supporting my existence."
Marcus looked down at the Little Spider in his palm, his tone carrying a hint of obvious surprise: "You actually have consciousness, and you can even speak."
The Little Spider raised its front legs and gently touched his fingertip. The childish voice rang in his mind again, its tone carrying an innocent and honest frankness: "When I injected the Totem Power into Master's body, the Web of Life and Destiny bestowed consciousness upon me, telling me to follow Master."
Marcus raised an eyebrow slightly and asked suspiciously: "Why did It tell you to follow me?"
The Little Spider lay obediently in his palm, its eight slender legs tucked away neatly, and the pale gold nebula pattern on its back flickered slightly.
Its voice sounded as if it were coming through a thin layer of water, still childish, yet every word was exceptionally serious: "The Web of Life and Destiny said that as long as I follow you, Master, I will definitely be able to find many high-quality hosts of Totem Power in the future."
Marcus raised an eyebrow slightly, then nodded in realization: "So that's how it is."
The Little Spider raised its front legs and gently touched his fingertip, its childish voice carrying a hint of caution, like a cub afraid of being abandoned: "I have told Master everything I know. Master, will you still let me follow you?"
Marcus reached out to stroke its back again, his fingertips brushing over the pale gold nebula pattern, the touch warm and soft. His tone softened a rare few degrees: "Of course you can."
The Little Spider jumped happily in his palm, its eight slender legs lifting and falling in turns, as if dancing to some joyful beat. The nebula pattern on its back flickered on and off with its movements, and the childish voice exploded in his mind like a barrage: "Great! Great! Master won't chase me away!"
Marcus watched it jumping up and down in his palm, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. After watching for a moment, he said in a steady tone: "Alright. I have something to do and need to go out, you come to my shoulder first."
"Okay!"
The Little Spider obediently answered, its eight slender legs nimbly crawling from his palm, over his wrist, and all the way up his arm to his shoulder. It found a spot on the shoulder seam of his black hoodie, and several of its slender legs firmly gripped the fibers of the fabric, securing itself tightly.
Marcus turned his head to look at it. The little guy lay motionless on his shoulder, the pale gold pattern on its back shimmering slightly in the afternoon sunlight, like a small nebula badge pinned to the shoulder seam.
"Are you holding on tight?"
A crisp response came immediately in his mind: "Holding on tight, Master!"
Marcus withdrew his gaze, kicked off gently, and his figure rose silently into the air. His Bio-field smoothed the airflow around him into gentle ripples, and man and spider swept past the low buildings of Queens, flying in the direction of Hells Kitchen.
Chapter 43: Sweeping Hells Kitchen Gangs! Little Spider's First Battle Flops
The alleyways of Hells Kitchen were filled with the sour stench of fermenting trash and the smell of rust.
Marcus hovered above Hells Kitchen, tilting his head slightly. His powerful hearing peeled back the soundscape of several surrounding blocks.
Countless noisy sounds flooded his ears. He filtered out the traffic, sirens, and pedestrians' conversations, locking onto one specific dialogue.
"Are you sure this shipment is the latest model?" one voice asked, filled with obvious suspicion.
Another voice followed immediately, full of boastfulness: "Don't worry, we snatched this shipment from Kingpin himself. It's guaranteed to be the latest."
After a brief silence, an older voice lowered its tone, filled with incredulous fear: "You crazy outsiders, you actually dared to snatch Kingpin's goods."
Marcus flew toward the source of the sound, landing silently on the roof of an old warehouse. He tilted his head to look at the Little Spider perched on his shoulder. The little fellow was lifting its front legs, the pale gold nebula patterns on its back flickering slightly.
"I might get into a fight when I go in later," Marcus said in a low voice. "Can you wait here for a while?"
The Little Spider immediately stood up from his shoulder, its thin legs gripping the shoulder seam of his hoodie. A childish voice rang out in his mind, filled with a defiant seriousness: "Master, let me go with you! Don't underestimate me just because I'm small; I still have some Totem Power inside me. Although I don't have a host and my abilities aren't fully activated, I'm still much stronger than an ordinary person. I can protect myself once we go in."
Marcus glanced at it. The little fellow was lying on his shoulder, all eight thin legs slightly tensed, and the nebula pattern on its back was a bit brighter than before, as if eager to prove it wasn't bragging.
"Alright." Marcus withdrew his gaze and instructed in a plain but serious tone, "Once we go in, you must protect yourself well."
"Mm!" The Little Spider responded firmly, its thin legs gripping his shoulder seam tightly again.
Marcus said no more. He leaped off the roof, his Bio-fieldwrapping around his body, and crashed through the warehouse ceiling like a silent missile.
Broken bricks and shattered steel beams crashed down, dust billowing into the air. The two parties in the warehouse, caught in the middle of a transaction, were startled by the sudden change and retreated several steps.
The dust slowly settled. Marcus stood in the center of the concrete floor of the warehouse. His Bio-field blocked all the dust; his black hoodie didn't have a speck of gray on it, and the Little Spider on his shoulder was also unscathed.
He scanned his surroundings. Rows of metal shelves were piled high with numbered arms crates, and several heavy weapons were still sitting on display stands, not yet put away.
Just as he was about to speak, the two gang bosses, who had been surrounded by their men, had already recovered from their shock.
One of them suddenly pointed at him, his face full of annoyance and impatience, and roared at the top of his lungs: "You street vigilantes are always ruining our business! Open fire, kill him!"
The lackeys heard the order and reflexively raised their rifles and submachine guns, their muzzles aimed squarely at Marcus in the center of the warehouse. The next instant, dense gunfire tore through the silence of the warehouse, and dozens of tracers shot at him from all directions.
Marcus didn't even lift an eyelid. His Bio-field spread out silently, condensing into an invisible barrier around him, simultaneously protecting his clothes and the Little Spideron his shoulder.
The bullets hit the field and were violently deflected. Sparks splashed in the darkness, clattering onto the concrete floor all around.
Marcus tilted his head and looked at his shoulder.
The Little Spider's eight thin legs were firmly gripping his hoodie's shoulder seam, and the pale gold nebula pattern on its back was flashing on and off.
Facing the overwhelming rain of bullets, not only did it not shrink behind his neck, but it lifted its front legs high, its small body leaning forward, just like a hunting dog catching the scent of prey.
"Master, can I help?" The childish voice rang out in his mind, filled with irrepressible eagerness.
Marcus glanced at it: "You can. But be careful."
"Got it, Master!"
Before the words faded, the pale gold figure ejected from his shoulder. Its speed was so fast it dragged a thin golden line through the air, instantly piercing the temple of the nearest gunman.
The Little Spider passed through the back of the gunman's head and landed steadily on the concrete floor. Then, its whole body suddenly stiffened, its thin legs stumbled simultaneously, and it let out an incomparably clear "Blech."
"That spider killed Joey!" Someone pointed at the corpse still twitching on the ground, their voice cracking, "Shoot! Kill it!"
Several gunmen hurriedly turned their muzzles toward the thumb-sized Little Spider on the ground, their fingers pulling the triggers.
Marcus moved.
In the instant before the triggers were pulled, his figure vanished from where he stood. There was no sonic boom, only a few muffled piercing sounds that rang out almost simultaneously.
The hearts of several gunmen were pierced by his arms at the exact same moment. Their fingers, which hadn't yet managed to exert force on the triggers, fell to the ground silently.
The remaining lackeys in the warehouse and the two gang bosses, who had long since turned pale with fright, scrambled out from behind the shelves, running frantically toward the warehouse back door, screaming in broken voices: "Demon! He's a demon!"
Marcus didn't bother with the fleeing cannon fodder. He squatted down, spread his right hand out on the ground, and looked at the Little Spider still wobbling in place: "What's wrong? Are you okay?"
The Little Spider let out another short "Blech," then stumbled as it climbed onto his palm. Its eight thin legs were spread out limply, and its whole body looked like a crumpled piece of golden velvet.
Its voice was filled with thick grievance and annoyance: "Master, I'm fine... it's just that that person's brain was stuck to me, and it smelled too terrible."
Marcus looked down at the Little Spider in his palm, which was covered in "I'm disgusted" from head to toe. He was silent for a moment, his tone carrying a trace of helplessness: "Don't do that again in the future."
The Little Spider lay in Marcus's palm, covered in red and white stains, its thin legs spread out limply, its voice muffled: "Got it, Master."
Marcus stood up, walked to the nearest corpse, and bent down to tear a clean piece of cloth from the corpse's clothes. He held the Little Spider in his right palm, took the cloth in his left hand, and gently wiped the brains and bloodstains off the nebula pattern on its back.
The cloth wiped over the pale gold fuzz, the stains were erased bit by bit, and the nebula pattern began to glow faintly again. The Little Spider lay obediently without moving, only trembling slightly when the cloth wiped the gaps in its thin leg joints.
At this moment, gunfire suddenly rang out outside the warehouse. First, a few short, precise shots, followed by a continuous burst of gunfire. The shots were crisp and clean, without a hint of hesitation.
Marcus put the Little Spider back on his shoulder and pushed open the side door of the warehouse to walk out.
In the alley outside the warehouse, the few lackeys who had fled earlier lay scattered at the foot of the wall. The two gang bosses lay on their backs in the middle of the alley, each with an extra bullet hole in their foreheads, blood still flowing out.
A man wearing a black tactical vest stood beside the corpses. He held an assault rifle in one hand, and on his chest was painted the white skull that Marcus was all too familiar with.
It was the Punisher, Frank Castle.
Frank Castle stood between the two corpses, smoke still drifting from the muzzle of his gun.
He looked down at the two gang bosses with bullet holes in their foreheads, confirmed the targets were dead, and then raised those temperatureless eyes to look at Marcus, who was walking out of the warehouse side door.
His gaze crossed Marcus's shoulder, through the open side door of the warehouse, and saw the pile of corpses inside.
Those gunmen with pierced hearts were piled crookedly on the floor, fresh blood gushing from the fist-sized exit wounds on their chests, pooling into a dark red puddle on the floor.
And the person walking out of the pile of corpses didn't have a single drop of blood on his black hoodie.
Frank's gaze refocused on Marcus's face. His expression didn't change at all, but his index finger, hooked on the trigger guard, tightened slightly for an instant—an instinctive reaction to a potential threat.
"If you're going to do it, do it cleanly."
His voice was hoarse and low, as if stating an unquestionable law, not lecturing, and devoid of any extra emotion. "Never let one escape."
Marcus walked past him without stopping, his tone plain: "They were never going to escape my grasp anyway."
Frank turned his head, watching the young man in the black hoodie walk past him without taking action. His index finger on the trigger never truly pulled down.
Marcus walked to the corpse of the gang boss with the bullet hole in his forehead, bent down to pick up the dropped briefcase, opened the latch to confirm, and saw dozens of bundles of neatly stacked dollar bills in the case, probably several hundred thousand.
He closed the lid, turned his head to look at Frank: "I'll take the money; the arms inside are yours."
After speaking, he kicked off the ground and rose into the air. His Bio-field smoothed out the airflow around him, and man and spider swept across the low rooftops of Hells Kitchen, disappearing into the afternoon sun.
Frank stood where he was, watching the figure in the high sky disappear completely at the end of his field of vision before turning to enter the warehouse side door, walking toward the arms crates piled on the shelves.
Chapter 44: Passing a School Bus, Witnessing a Hijacking, Gwen Volunteers to Swap Hostages
Marcus carried the suitcase as he flew over Queens, preparing to return to the villa first to store the money.
He was flying low, and the eight thin legs of the Little Spider on his shoulder were firmly gripping his clothing.
When flying over a residential area, Marcus suddenly slowed down.
On a two-lane road below, a yellow school bus was parked alone in the middle of the road.
The doors were tightly closed, and all the windows were covered tightly from the inside with black cloth, not even sparing the windshield.
A circle of police cars surrounded the school bus from a distance, their red and blue lights flashing silently.
The officers hid behind their car doors, and not a single one dared to approach.
Marcus hovered in mid-air, narrowing his eyes slightly.
"What is it, Master?" The Little Spider's childish voice rang in his mind, carrying a hint of alertness.
Marcus did not answer, but simply raised his left hand, pressed his index finger to his lips, and gave a soft shush.
The Little Spider immediately covered its mouth with its front legs, the nebula patterns on its back dimmed their glow, and it obediently lay motionless on his shoulder.
Marcus tilted his head slightly, his powerful hearing penetrating the black cloth and the school bus's metal shell, peeling back the soundscape inside the vehicle layer by layer.
The first things to flood into his ears were the voices of four adult males.
One was holding the driver hostage in the front row, one was guarding the door, and another was pacing in the aisle, tapping the back of the seats with a gun barrel and scolding the children to keep quiet.
There was also one demanding the release of their boss who was being held by the police, his tone tight and agitated, as if he were making a final gamble.
Then came the voices of the children.
More than twenty students were squeezed into the seats; some were sobbing softly, some had their faces buried in their schoolbags, not daring to look up, and some were covering their mouths, desperately trying not to make a sound.
The sound of heartbeats was dense like drumbeats, amplified into an intertwined echo within the enclosed metal carriage.
Amidst this chaos, Marcus caught a few extremely quiet conversations pressed beneath the back seats.
"Peter... my stomach hurts so much, I can't hold it anymore..." A boy's voice, carrying a distinct sobbing tone and suppressed groans.
"Ned, hold on." Another boy's voice, kept extremely low but struggling to remain calm, with a tone of composure and unquestionable persistence beyond his age, "If you go right now, the robbers will kill you."
A girl's voice cut in, soft and firm, as if encouraging everyone: "Ned, just hold on for a little longer, we will definitely be saved soon."
Immediately following, another girl's voice rang out, crisper than the previous one, carrying a stubborn refusal to give up: "That's right, just hold on a little longer; my dad will definitely save us."
Just then, the pacing robber suddenly stopped.
He heard the whispering coming from under the back seats, turned around abruptly, aimed his gun at the few children huddled together in the back, and shouted sternly: "What are you few sneaking around and talking about?"
The voices in the back vanished instantly, and the four of them froze in place simultaneously, stammering almost in unison: "N-nothing..."
The robber ignored the others and his gaze fell on Ned's face.
The chubby boy with glasses had his whole face scrunched up, his forehead covered in cold sweat, his lips pale, and his two hands clutching his stomach tightly as he curled into a ball on the seat.
"What's the matter with this little fatty, why does he look so awful?" The robber tilted his head and pointed his gun barrel at Ned.
Ned shuddered all over, his voice shaking so much it was barely coherent: "I-I need to use the bathroom... I can't hold it anymore..."
After hearing this, the robber paused for a moment, then grinned.
That smile made the blood of the children around him run cold.
He slowly raised his pistol, pressing the cold muzzle directly against Ned's forehead, his tone light and airy, as if he were talking about an insignificant matter: "If I kill you, you won't feel uncomfortable anymore."
Ned's face turned deathly pale, his lips trembling, unable to make a sound, and his glasses were completely fogged up from the cold sweat.
Peter, sitting next to him, also froze, his mind going blank as if it had been disconnected.
At this moment, the girl who had spoken first trembled as she opened her mouth.
Her voice was shaking, and the volume wasn't high, but every word was crystal clear: "You cannot kill him. If you kill him, the police will definitely not let you go."
Peter seemed to be pulled out of icy water by this voice; he took a deep breath and spoke up, his voice still lingering with the fear from just a moment ago: "That's right, you cannot kill him."
Before the robber could reply, his accomplice who was holding the driver hostage in the front row exploded first.
He leaned out half his body and roared toward the back row: "Number 3, what are you doing! Take someone down and tell the police to release the person quickly! If they don't agree, tell them we'll kill one person every 10 minutes!"
After hearing this, Number 3 slowly withdrew the gun from Ned's forehead.
His gaze swept across the faces of the four children one by one, finally stopping on the girl who had been the first to speak up and stop him.
"You actually didn't let me kill him," he aimed the gun at the girl, his tone carrying a playfulness that made one's spine go cold, "Then you come with me."
The girl had been forcing herself not to tremble, but now the muzzle of that gun was pointed directly at her.
Behind the pitch-black gun barrel was the robber's face with that playful smile.
She could feel her fingers trembling uncontrollably; the pain of her nails digging into her palms was the only thing she could grasp to stay clear-headed.
She told herself not to cry, not to show weakness in front of this bastard, but her knees still couldn't stop going weak, and her breathing became short and chaotic.
Seeing the girl's deathly pale face, Peter didn't even think before springing up from his seat, his voice rapid and panicked: "Let Michelle go, let me go with you instead!"
Number 3 glanced at him sideways.
The next second, he flipped his wrist, and the gun handle smashed hard into Peter's nose bridge.
With a dull thud, fresh blood gushed from Peter's nose, splashing onto the front of his school uniform.
Peter stumbled backward, his back hitting the seat back, and his vision went black in waves.
"Are you teaching me how to do things?" Number 3 said coldly, pointing the gun back at Peter.
"Peter!" Michelle cried out, the trembling in her voice finally impossible to hide.
She stared fixedly at the glaring bloodstain on Peter's face, her chest feeling as if it had been gripped hard by someone, and an emotion stronger than fear overcame her instinct to tremble.
She couldn't let Peter take a second hit for her.
She took a deep breath, turned to Number 3, and said word by word: "Don't kill Peter, I'll go with you."
Number 3 glanced at her, seemingly satisfied with this result, and reached out to grab Michelle's arm.
Just at the moment his fingers were about to touch the sleeve of Michelle's school uniform, another voice rang out from the back row.
"Let Michelle go, let me go with you instead."
It was the other girl who hadn't made a sound until now.
She stood up, her knees trembling, her fingers gripping the hem of her school uniform turning white at the knuckles, but she still stood straight and said in a voice so clear that even she couldn't believe it: "My dad is the New York Police Chief. If I go with you, they will definitely agree to your terms."
Michelle turned her head abruptly to look at Gwen, who had stood up.
This blonde girl, whom she wasn't very close with in class, was currently standing in front of the robber's gun, trembling all over, but not retreating a single step.
Michelle's eyes suddenly welled up with a stinging sensation; she opened her mouth, and the sound squeezed out from her throat: "Gwen..."
Number 3 looked at Michelle, then at Gwen.
His mouth slowly curled into a grin, as if he had weighed the two prey, and then he shoved Michelle on the shoulder, pushing her back into her seat.
Michelle's back hit the seat back, and she watched helplessly as Number 3's rough hand grabbed Gwen's school uniform collar.
"How lucky, there's actually another chief's daughter."
Number 3 dragged Gwen toward the bus door, shouting loudly to his accomplice in the front row as he walked, "Looks like this time we won't just be able to rescue the boss, we'll also be able to make even more money!"
Gwen was dragged along, stumbling, her blonde hair whipping an arc in the dim carriage.
She looked back at Michelle, her lips moved, and she silently said something.
Michelle read the lip movement — "It's okay."
The bus door was pulled open, a corner of the black cloth was lifted, and blinding sunlight poured in.
Gwen was shoved down the steps, with Number 3 following closely behind her, one hand gripping her school uniform collar, and the other hand holding the gun against her lower back.
The door closed again behind him, the black cloth fell, and the carriage was plunged back into darkness.
Chapter 45: Instantly Neutralizing All Robbers on the Bus and Saving Gwen
Number 3 walked out of the school bus doorway, clutching Gwen by the collar with the muzzle of his gun pressed against her lower back.
Outside the school bus, behind the police blockade, New York Police Captain George Stacy immediately recognized the blonde girl held at gunpoint.
His fingers gripped the edge of the car door tightly, his voice hoarse and urgent: "Gwen!"
Gwen looked up, seeing her father through a tear-blurred gaze. Her lips trembled: "Dad."
Number 3 tilted his head, a smirk spreading across his face. He pressed the muzzle harder against Gwen's lower back and raised his voice toward George: "Officer, surely you wouldn't want your daughter to die so young, would you?"
George took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the fear surging in his eyes. He raised his hand, signaling all the officers behind him not to act rashly, his voice low as if squeezed through gritted teeth: "I can agree to your terms, but you must release half of the students first."
At this moment, the Little Spider on Marcus's shoulder suddenly lifted its front legs, the nebula patterns on its back flashing rapidly. Its voice resounded in Marcus's mind: "Master, Master, that girl is a high-quality Totem Powerhost!"
Marcus hovered in mid-air, looking at the blonde girl standing at the school bus doorway, held by the robber.
"Gwen? Are there no other Totem Power hosts in the bus besides her?"
The nebula patterns on the Little Spider's back pulsed slightly, and its childish voice rang in his mind: "I can feel that there is another person inside the bus who is also a Totem Power host. But I can sense that he has his own spider waiting for him. So, Master, let's go save that girl first."
After hearing this, Marcus replied with one word: "Alright."
Then, Marcus flew above a nearby house and placed the briefcase containing the money on the roof. In the next instant, his figure vanished from mid-air.
Number 3 had just opened his mouth to deliver a threat when a black shadow silently landed beside him, caught in his peripheral vision. He didn't even have time to turn his head before a palm clamped onto his gun-wielding wrist.
"Wha—" Number 3's pupils contracted violently. Marcustightened his grip, the crisp sound of a shattering wrist bone exploding in the air as the pistol slid from his twisted fingers. Before Number 3's scream could escape his throat, Marcus had already released him and vanished once more.
The three robbers inside the school bus only saw Number 3 suddenly collapse outside the door, followed immediately by a blurry black shadow sweeping through the carriage.
The dull sounds of bone fractures overlapped into a single sound; six arms and six legs were snapped in the same instant. The robbers hadn't even seen who had attacked them before they were sprawled in the aisle, their limbs twisted at unnatural angles.
Marcus stood in the center of the carriage, ignoring the chorus of screams at his feet. He looked up at the children huddled and shivering in the back seats, saying in a calm tone: "It's alright, children. You may get off the bus now."
Upon hearing Marcus's words, the children were stunned for a moment, as if a switch had been flipped. Long-suppressed fear and the instinct to survive erupted simultaneously; over twenty students sprang from their seats and surged toward the open bus door.
Peter covered his still-bleeding nose, one hand supporting Ned, who could barely stand. Ned's glasses were crooked on his nose, his legs tangled together, and every step was an immense struggle as he kept muttering, "I can't hold it anymore, I can't hold it anymore."
The two stumbled over the robbers sprawled in the aisle. As they passed Marcus, Peter looked up through his blood-blurred vision and said in a hoarse but clear voice: "Thank you."
Michelle, who followed closely behind, paused as she crossed the threshold. Her eyes were still red, but she wasn't crying. She looked at Marcus and nodded, her voice soft yet enunciated clearly: "Thank you."
Seeing Number 3's wrist suddenly crushed and the pistol hit the ground, George immediately rushed forward with his officers. He practically threw himself at the school bus doorway, pulling Gwen into his arms.
Gwen buried her face in his chest, her body, having been tense for too long, finally unable to stop trembling violently as tears silently soaked his uniform.
The police outside also reacted. Amidst the flashing red and blue lights, several officers stepped forward, catching the children as they streamed out of the bus, wrapping them in blankets, and escorting them to a safe area.
Just then, Marcus walked out of the school bus. In his right hand, he clutched a jacket he had stripped from one of the robbers, its sleeves twisted into a thick rope, the other end of which was tied to the broken legs of the three robbers.
He dragged the three men down the school bus steps; their bodies bumped against each step, their broken limbs scraping against the concrete with a dull, dragging sound.
He handed the improvised jacket-rope to the approaching officer and stopped in front of George.
George looked up. One arm was still wrapped around Gwen's shoulders, his eyes bloodshot. The usually stern and impartial Captain moved his lips several times before he could force a complete sentence from his throat: "Thank you for saving my daughter. I'm truly, deeply grateful."
Gwen stepped back half a pace from her father's arms and wiped her tears forcefully with the back of her hand. Her blue eyes, still glistening with tears, gazed straight at Marcus. Her voice was still hoarse with crying, yet she strove to make every word clear: "Thank you for saving me. My name is Gwen. Could you tell me your name?"
Marcus first looked at George, saying in a flat tone: "If you really want to thank me, just stop targeting Spider-Manfrom now on."
George was stunned. He opened his mouth to ask a follow-up question, but Marcus had already turned to Gwen. He looked at the girl—who had just bravely taken the place of a classmate in front of a gun, and who was now looking up at him stubbornly with red-rimmed eyes—and his voice softened slightly: "I cannot tell you my name yet. But you may call me Cosmic Superman."
As he finished speaking, he kicked off lightly, and his figure slowly ascended into the air. The surrounding police officers all looked up in unison, some subconsciously taking a half-step back. Suspended in mid-air, Marcus looked down and added: "There is a bomb on the bus."
With that, his figure became a silent black streak, vanishing instantly into the afternoon sky.
George didn't even have time to process the words "Spider-Man." He whirled around, shouting "Call the bomb squad!" to the officers behind him, while placing his hands on Gwen's shoulders and gently pushing her toward his patrol car: "Go wait for me in my car."
Gwen nodded and trotted into the back seat of her father's patrol car. She closed the door, shutting out the chaos outside until it became a blur of background noise. She looked down at her still-trembling hands and slowly clenched them until her nails sank into her palms, finally quelling the tremors.
She looked up through the car window toward the direction where the black figure had vanished, her lips moving slightly. "Cosmic Superman, huh."
Chapter 46: Five-Fold Enhancement Serum Acquired, Nano-Suit Formed at the Touch of a Button
Marcus picked up the suitcase he had previously left on the rooftop and flew over Queens with a full case of cash.
The Little Spider on his shoulder had its eight slender legs firmly hooked into his clothing, its pale golden nebula markings shimmering faintly in the setting sun.
It had held back for quite a while, but its youthful voice finally rang out in Marcus's mind.
"Master, why are we leaving? I haven't injected Gwen with Totem Power yet."
Marcus did not slow down, replying in a flat tone: "She just went through a dangerous experience, after all, and there were too many people around earlier; it wasn't suitable to inject her with Totem Power. We'll go find her again tonight."
After hearing this, the Little Spider shifted its thin legs slightly on his shoulder as if adjusting to a better, more obedient posture, its voice softening a little: "Alright."
After returning to the villa, Marcus casually set the suitcase in the entryway and walked into the kitchen to make himself a simple dinner.
The Little Spider jumped down from his shoulder and lay on the corner of the dining table, its eight thin legs neatly tucked to its sides, quietly watching him finish his meal.
After dinner, just as Marcus finished cleaning up the tableware, a ripple of energy suddenly came from the direction of the yard.
He looked up and saw the air in the center of the yard tearing silently, a dark red spatial rift slowly opening, with arcs of electricity dancing along its edges.
Octopus Spider-Man stepped out of the rift first. Four metal octopus arms slowly retracted behind him, and his sensor lenses flickered with a cold light.
He was carrying a precise alloy sealed case in his hand, the surface of which was stamped with a spiderweb-patterned anti-counterfeiting mark.
Closely following him, a round, pink figure hopped out of the rift.
Spider-Ham carried a small wooden mallet, his white lenses curving into two crescent moons, and as soon as he landed, he raised his short hand to wave at Marcus behind the floor-to-ceiling window.
Marcus walked out of the villa, his gaze falling on the alloy sealed case in Octopus Spider-Man's hand, his eyebrows raising almost imperceptibly.
"I remember I only gave the items to you yesterday."
Octopus Spider-Man's sensor lenses flickered with a cold light, his voice as steady as if he were stating experimental data: "That is because we went to a parallel universe where the flow of time is thirty times faster than in the normal universe."
He paused, his four metal arms adjusting their angle very slightly behind him, and continued: "I, along with a group of top biologists, researched for a full month before finally completing the upgrade."
"Even if you used the old version of the serum before, you can still obtain the full enhancement by using the new version."
"The new version's effect is halved on the second use and only becomes completely ineffective on the third. Furthermore, there are absolutely no side effects, and the success rate remains one hundred percent."
Marcus took the case, opened the latch, and lifted the lid. Eleven vials of serum were neatly embedded in shockproof slots, the glass of each vial gleaming with a purer luster than the old version.
He closed the lid and looked up: "Didn't you experiment with them? Why are there still so many?"
"Because we borrowed the Time Stone from the Sorcerer Supreme Spider-Man. Every time an experiment was completed, he would rewind the time of the serum back to its state before use," Octopus Spider-Man explained, "so the serum did not decrease."
Marcus nodded: "I see, thank you."
"This was the deal we agreed upon, after all," Octopus Spider-Man replied calmly.
He paused for a moment. A mechanical arm behind him retrieved a silver bracelet from a storage compartment and handed it to Marcus: "This is for you."
Marcus looked at the bracelet without reaching for it immediately: "What is this?"
"I saw you fighting in casual clothes the other day, so I made this nano-bracelet for you. It stores a large number of nanobots; after pressing the bracelet screen, they will generate a combat suit according to your thoughts."
"If the nanobots in the bracelet run low, you can press the bracelet screen and say the two words 'Otto'; he will be able to transmit information across universes, and I will help you replenish them then."
Marcus took the bracelet. He actually had an Empire uniform, but it had been left on the spaceship, and he had forgotten to bring it when crossing over, so he had only been able to fight in casual clothes these past few days. This bracelet came just in time.
He fastened the bracelet onto his left wrist and nodded at Octopus Spider-Man: "I'll accept this. If you need help in the future, you can come find me."
Octopus Spider-Man nodded slightly, his gaze turning to Spider-Ham in the yard.
In the yard, the Little Spider and Spider-Ham were chasing each other back and forth. A pale golden shadow darted rapidly across the grass, followed by a round, pink figure, with the small wooden mallet discarded by the flower bed.
The Little Spider's eight thin legs moved incredibly fast as it darted onto the edge of the fountain, then jumped down and dove into the grass; Spider-Ham's two short legs were in hot pursuit behind it, a string of giggles squeezing out of the opening in his mask from his pink pig nose.
Octopus Spider-Man turned to the pink figure still rolling in the grass and raised his voice: "Stop playing, it's time for us to go back."
Spider-Ham climbed up from the grass, patted the grass clippings off his belly, and bent down to pick up the small wooden mallet from the side of the flower bed, hoisting it back onto his shoulder. He waved his short hand at the Little Spider, his white lenses curving into two crescent moons: "See you later!"
The Little Spider raised its front legs to wave back at him, its nebula markings shimmering once.
Marcus nodded at them: "Take care."
Octopus Spider-Man turned and walked toward the dark red rift behind him that had not yet closed, with Spider-Ham following behind with the small wooden mallet, turning back to wave his short hand at Marcus before entering, his white lenses curving into two crescent moons.
The two figures submerged into the rift one after the other, the dark red light then closing silently, and the courtyard returned to silence.
Marcus turned and returned to the living room, sitting down on the sofa. He opened the alloy case and took out a vial of serum from the slot, the glass gleaming with a purer luster than the old version under the light.
He tilted his head back and drank it all, a familiar warmth spreading from his stomach, and the attribute panel enhanced by Totem Power unfolded silently before his eyes, the numbers beginning to jump again. Once the values stabilized, he picked up the second vial and drank it.
After two rounds of the serum's effect, the data on the panel completely settled.
[ Super Strength: Level 4 (98%) ] [ Super Durability: Level 5 (5%) ] [ Super Mind: Level 5 (2%) ] [ Super Speed: Level 4 (98%) ] [ Bio-field: Level 4 (92%) ] [ Spider-Sense: Level 4 (80%) ] [ Dimensional Travel: Level 1 (50%) ]
Marcus closed the panel and slowly clenched his fists. His knuckles tightened in sequence, and strength surged in layers between his fascia and bones, feeling more solid and heavy than before taking the serum.
He stared at his knuckles, a thought flashing through his mind: I wonder what level my current strength would be considered among the Viltrumites.
This thought only lingered for a moment. He unclenched his fists and did not continue to dwell on it.
A pale golden shadow leaped down from the edge of the dining table, its eight thin legs making a slight rustling sound on the wooden floor. The Little Spider climbed onto his knee, crawled up the front of his hoodie all the way to his shoulder, its nebula markings glowing. Its voice rang out in Marcus's mind, carrying a hint of irrepressible impatience.
"Master, it's already dark; can we go find Gwen now?"
Marcus turned his head to look at it. The little creature had its front legs resting on his shoulder line, its whole body leaning slightly forward, clearly having been thinking about this ever since dinner.
Marcus stood up and raised his finger to tap his head lightly: "Come up to my head."
The Little Spider's thin legs nimbly leaped from his shoulder onto his head, finding a comfortable spot among his hair to lie down, its nebula markings flashing on and off twice.
Marcus raised his left wrist and pressed his right hand onto the bracelet screen. Nanobots surged from his wrist, spreading along his arms to his torso and limbs, and the pure white Empire uniform quickly formed in the night, with straight shoulder lines and the emblem on his chest as sharp and cold as if cut by a blade.
Chapter 47: A Late-Night Visit, Bestowing the Spider Totem upon Gwen
Marcus's figure rose silently from the villa's courtyard, his Bio-field smoothing the airflow around his body as he flew toward the direction of Gwen's home.
He did not fly high, and the moonlight plated his pure white Imperial uniform with a layer of cool silver radiance. Before long, he was hovering above the two-story house where Gwen lived.
Little Spider perched on top of his head, its eight slender legs carefully gripping his hair. It poked its head out to look down, and a childish voice rang in Marcus's mind: "Master, does Gwen live here?"
"That's right." Marcus tilted his head slightly, keeping his voice extremely low, "But don't be impatient; let me listen to see if they are asleep."
Little Spider immediately fell silent, placing its front legs on his forehead and remaining motionless: "Oh."
Marcus focused his hearing, his powerful senses penetrating the roof and walls, peeling back the soundscape of the entire house layer by layer.
In the master bedroom on the first floor came two steady, long breaths; they were fast asleep. In the room on the right on the second floor, the breathing was light and awake, mixed with the faint rustling sound of a pencil tip rubbing against paper. Gwen was not yet asleep.
Thus, he landed silently by the second-floor window, curled his finger, and tapped lightly on the glass a few times.
Inside the room, Gwen was hunched over her desk, holding a pencil, with a vague humanoid outline drawn on the paper.
She hadn't decided what kind of facial features to give this humanoid figure, when the knocking sound from outside the window suddenly interrupted her thoughts.
Gwen looked up, her brows slightly furrowed. This was the second floor; who would be knocking on her window?
She put down her pencil, walked to the window, and pulled back the curtain. Under the moonlight, the pure white Imperial uniform came into view, and the face she had just seen this afternoon was hovering outside the window. It was Cosmic Superman.
Gwen was both happy and afraid of waking her parents. Although she was puzzled as to why Cosmic Supermanwould come to find her, she couldn't suppress her excitement. She opened the window, poked half her face out, and asked in a low, hurried voice: "Cosmic Superman, do you have something to see me about?"
Gwen was still waiting for an answer, but heard Marcussay in a flat tone: "You should change your clothes first."
She looked down and saw she was still wearing that purple silk pajama set, and her cheeks instantly burned. She didn't scream, but just slammed the window shut, swished the curtains closed, and turned her back against the window, her heart beating so fast it felt like it was going to jump out of her throat.
She hurriedly changed her clothes in the room, took a deep breath, and pushed the window open again. The evening breeze blew onto her still-hot cheeks, and she tried hard to make her voice sound less shaky:
"You can tell me now, why are you looking for me?"
Marcus hovered outside the window. He looked at Gwen, his tone calm but direct: "Because you have been chosen by the Totem Power, that is why I have come to find you."
Gwen stood by the window, the evening breeze brushing against her still-hot cheeks, and her brows furrowed slightly: "What is the Totem Power?"
Marcus did not answer immediately. He raised his left hand, palm facing upward. Little Spider pushed off with its feet, leaping onto his palm with a faint golden shimmer, its eight slender legs tucking in neatly as it lay still. Pale golden nebula patterns flickered on its back, like a miniature star.
"The Totem Power is a type of extraordinary power that can make you a superhuman." Marcus held Little Spider, his tone steady yet every word clear, "After accepting it, if you encounter something like this afternoon again, you will be able to protect yourself, and protect your friends and family."
Gwen was stunned. The images from this afternoon flooded back into her mind in an instant: Ned's pale face when a gun barrel was pressed against his forehead, the blood splattered on Peter's nose, and the nauseating smell of tobacco when Number 3's rough hand gripped her collar. Then there was her father. Every time her father went out on a mission, every time the siren sounded, her heart tightened a little more.
She took a deep breath, and the hesitation in her eyes was replaced by something more resolute. She looked down at the pale gold spider in Marcus's palm, her voice still carrying a hint of cautious doubt: "This spider is?"
Marcus looked down at Little Spider in his palm, his tone flat but certain: "Next, it will inject the Totem Power into you."
Gwen blinked, staring at that pale gold spider, and suddenly thought of the most crucial question. She looked up, her voice carrying a hint of irrepressible nervousness: "If I accept the Totem Power, I won't turn into a spider monster, will I?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Little Spider in Marcus's palm frantically raised its front legs, gesturing back and forth several times, while the nebula patterns on its back flashed brighter than ever before, as if someone had stepped on its tail.
Marcus watched it spinning around in a panic and raised his other hand to point at his own face: "Don't worry, the Totem Power won't turn you into a monster. I am also a holder of the Totem Power, and don't I look just like a human?"
Hearing this, Gwen finally felt at ease. She took a deep breath and reached her hand out the window. Little Spiderjumped from Marcus's palm onto the back of her hand, lowered its head, and bit down gently.
Gwen felt a slight pain on the back of her hand, like being flicked by a rubber band. Immediately after, a gentle energy surged into her body along her blood vessels, spreading to her limbs and bones. Her fingertips trembled slightly and involuntarily; some power she had never sensed before was awakening within her muscles and bones.
Little Spider retracted its fangs, pushed off with its eight slender legs, and leaped back onto Marcus's shoulder, settling down obediently.
Gwen looked down at her hands, feeling her body incredibly light. Subconsciously, she wanted to steady herself by grabbing the edge of the table. As soon as her five fingers touched it, there was a crisp cracking sound, wood shavings fell from between her fingers, and a piece of the table corner was crushed off by the force she had applied without realizing it.
She hurriedly raised her hand, only to find that the splintered piece of wood hadn't fallen to the floor, but was stuck firmly to her palm.
She was so scared that she held her breath instantly, glanced subconsciously toward the bedroom door, listened intently for a few seconds, and confirmed that the breathing downstairs was still steady before quietly letting out a sigh of relief.
Marcus watched Gwen, who was at a loss with the piece of wood stuck to her palm, and glanced down at the missing corner of the table. He turned his head and whispered to Little Spider on top of his head: "I thought it was because my body was special that the Totem Power could take effect so quickly. So, others can do it too?"
There was a hint of small pride in Little Spider's voice: "Normally, the Totem Power wouldn't take effect this quickly. But when the Great Web of Life created me, it specifically strengthened the activation speed, which is why she reacted so quickly."
Gwen was looking down, studying the piece of wood that she couldn't shake off no matter how hard she tried. Hearing the conversation between Marcus and Little Spider, she looked up subconsciously. She froze for half a second, then suddenly realized that the childish voice hadn't come from outside the window, but had rung directly inside her own mind.
Chapter 48: No Warning of Danger! Unknown, Eerie Thunderclouds Appear Over London
Gwen stared at the pale golden Little Spider on Marcus's shoulder and subconsciously blurted out, "This spider can actually talk."
Hearing this, Marcus suddenly turned his gaze toward Gwen, his brows lifting almost imperceptibly, his tone carrying a hint of obvious surprise: "You can hear it speak?"
Just as Gwen was about to answer, the Little Spider stood up on Marcus's shoulder and spoke first, explaining, "Because Gwen was infused with my Totem Power, she has also connected to my web channel, so she can naturally understand my voice."
Marcus gave a thoughtful "Hmm," and Gwen nodded along, the two of them saying almost in unison: "So that's how it is."
The moment the words left their lips, they subconsciously exchanged a glance.
The instant their eyes met, a strong, tingling sensation exploded from the back of both their necks. Their Spider-Sense resonated without any warning, two identical ripples of perception colliding and overlapping at extremely close range.
Marcus felt as if his entire nervous system had been swept by an electric current, and a violent dizziness exploded deep within his brain. Amidst this dizziness, Gwen's face suddenly became incredibly charming in his field of vision, every detail magnified by some uncontrollable instinct.
But his Level 5 Super Mind crushed these strange sensations the very next instant, and his pupils regained their clarity.
Gwen, however, did not have such resistance. Her Spider-Sense and Marcus's sense were like two guitar strings being plucked at the same time, resonating wildly.
Gwen's mind went blank, dizziness swallowing all reason, and all that remained in her vision was Marcus's face, its cold outline etched by the moonlight. Feeling as though her body was no longer under her own control, she braced her hands against the windowsill, leaped, and threw herself at Marcus.
Seeing Gwen pounce from the window, Marcus couldn't just let her fall. So, he reached out and scooped her up, catching her steadily.
But as soon as Gwen landed in his arms, her hands began to restlessly explore his body, her fingertips sliding from his shoulders to his chest. She then raised both hands, cupped Marcus's face, and leaned in to kiss him.
Marcus remained expressionless, one arm wrapping around Gwen to hold her in place, while his other hand rose to tap the back of her head gently with his fingertips. The force was precise; before Gwen could even let out a hum, her body went limp in his arms, and she passed out completely.
Marcus then carried Gwen through the window into the room and laid her flat on the bed. He pulled over the hand that had splinters stuck in it, and with a gentle pinch of his fingertips, he removed the wood shards one by one, tossing them into the small wastebasket by the bed. After confirming there were no remaining fragments on her palm, he placed her hand back under the quilt and tucked her in.
He stepped back out the window, his fingertips gripping the frame to gently close it. Moonlight shone through the curtains onto Gwen's peaceful, sleeping face, her breathing steady.
Marcus turned and flew away from Gwen's home. After flying a certain distance, he asked, "What was that about just now?"
The Little Spider poked its head out from his shoulder, its eight slender legs tucked in neatly, its childish voice sounding in his mind with a hint of caution: "Master, this is all a normal phenomenon; people bitten by the same spider will be attracted to each other."
Marcus was silent for a moment, then replied in a flat tone: "I see. In the future, even if you encounter someone with potential, regardless of their gender, you are not allowed to bite them without my command."
The Little Spider's slender legs shifted slightly, its voice drooping a little: "Alright."
Marcus said nothing more, his figure sweeping silently through the night sky as he flew toward the villa.
Before long, he landed in the villa's courtyard. As his boot soles touched the lawn, he suddenly remembered something. He turned his head to look at the Little Spideron his shoulder and asked, "By the way, how much Totem Power did you infuse into Gwen, and how much do you have left yourself?"
Hearing him take the initiative to ask about it, the nebula patterns on the Little Spider's back brightened slightly. It stood up on his shoulder, its childish voice becoming cheerful again: "I infused Gwen with three portions of Totem Power, and I have three portions remaining inside me."
Hearing this, Marcus walked into the house and raised his hand to press the bracelet screen. The pure white Imperial uniform turned into nanobots and receded from his entire body, shrinking back into the bracelet on his wrist like a tide. He lowered his hand and continued to ask, "With the reduction of Totem Power in your body, won't that cause any problems?"
The Little Spider leaped from his shoulder and landed lightly on the tabletop. Its eight slender legs tapped the surface, and its childish voice carried a note of certainty: "Don't worry, Master. As long as I still have Totem Powerinside me, I won't have any problems. Plus, I can also generate more Totem Power by eating and absorbing energy."
"That's good." Marcus walked to the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, took out a plate of sliced cold meat, and set it on the table. The Little Spider jumped to the edge of the plate and took a big bite, the nebula patterns on its back brightening and dimming with the rhythm of its swallowing. Watching it devour the food, Marcus asked, "How much do you need to eat to generate one portion of Totem Power?"
The Little Spider lifted its head from the pile of meat, its mouth stained with meat juices, and said in a muffled voice: "I don't know either. I feel like if I eat this meat, I'd have to eat a lot, a whole lot, to generate one portion."
"You don't know either? In that case, take your time eating; I'm going to sleep."
The Little Spider raised its front legs and waved them gently at him, the nebula patterns on its back flashing softly: "Goodnight, Master."
After saying this, it lowered its head and buried itself back into the pile of meat.
Marcus replied, "Goodnight," and turned to walk toward the bedroom.
And just like that, nine months passed.
During these nine months, Marcus went to train Gwenevery few days. Sometimes, when he was bored, he would go to Hells Kitchen or other districts to fight criminals; when he ran out of money, he would go to the gangs to "borrow" some.
Of course, his own training never stopped, but without high-intensity combat, his attribute panel improved extremely slowly, with each attribute increasing by only 1%.
Most importantly, after repeated training, Gwen could now control her Spider-Sense at will. Even if the two of them locked eyes again, she would no longer lose control.
One day, Marcus stood on the summit of Mount Everest, his pure white Imperial uniform snapping in the high-altitude wind.
Beside him, Gwen wore that homemade suit interwoven with white, black, and pink, the web patterns clinging to her slender figure, the pale golden spider emblem on her chest shimmering in the thin sunlight. She was gazing at the continuous snow-capped peaks and the sea of clouds beneath her feet, her eyes behind her goggles shining brilliantly.
"We can go back now, right? We've been looking for ten minutes." Marcus turned his head to look at her, his voice steady.
Gwen withdrew her gaze from the sea of clouds, the corners of her mouth curling slightly beneath her goggles: "Okay."
Marcus reached out to wrap his arm around her waist, kicked off lightly, and rose silently into the air. A Bio-fieldenveloped the two of them, smoothing the high-altitude gale into gentle ripples. The snow-capped mountains and sea of clouds shrank rapidly beneath them as they followed the high-altitude airflow route on their journey home.
"Why did you want to come here today?" He looked down at Gwen in his arms.
Held by the waist, Gwen naturally rested her hands on his shoulders, her voice carrying a hint of irrepressible excitement: "With a friend like you who can fly, of course I want to go and see all sorts of places."
Marcus looked down at her, his tone flat but carrying a hint of indulgence: "Alright then. If you want to go anywhere else in the future, you can tell me."
Gwen snuggled into his arms, nodded vigorously, and let out two cheerful "Mmh-mmh" sounds from her nose.
Marcus withdrew his gaze and continued flying forward. As they flew over London, the sky changed without warning. Thick thunderclouds surged in from all directions, blocking out the sun, muffled thunder rolled deep within the clouds, and dark purple lightning leaped silently among the cloud masses. The entire sky changed from clear to gloomy within seconds.
Marcus slowed down, his brows knitting almost imperceptibly. His Spider-Sense did not detect any direct threat from these thunderclouds, but precisely because he could sense nothing, it felt even more wrong. He stopped flying forward and descended with Gwen toward the city below.