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When the train stopped, Peter finally relaxed.
His body collapsed forward from exhaustion.
People caught him before he could fall—the conductor, the driver, several passengers all reached out to support Spider-Man.
They carried him into the train car and laid him gently on the floor.
Someone knelt beside him. "Is he alive?"
"He's breathing!"
Everyone looked at Spider-Man with profound gratitude. Without him, they'd all be dead.
They thanked him silently, from the bottom of their hearts.
Under their watchful eyes, Peter stirred. Moved his hand.
He'd just been exhausted. After a brief rest, he had some strength back.
The crowd smiled with relief.
Someone helped Spider-Man sit up—
CRASH!
A mechanical tentacle smashed through the train car door.
Doctor Octopus stepped through, wearing sunglasses and a long coat over his mechanical arms.
He saw Spider-Man among the crowd. His face twisted with anger.
"Give him to me!"
The crowd swallowed nervously. But they didn't back down.
A middle-aged man stepped forward. "If you want him, you'll have to go through me!"
"And me!"
"Me too!"
"Count me in!"
Dozens of passengers stood between Doctor Octopus and Spider-Man.
Otto smiled at their courage. Admirable. But foolish.
Two of his mechanical arms shot into the crowd and swept sideways.
WHAM!
People were thrown aside like toys. Many cried out in pain.
Spider-Man pushed away the person helping him. "Let me go. I don't want them hurt because of me."
He stood and faced Doctor Octopus.
Otto smiled triumphantly.
One mechanical arm shot forward and struck Peter in the head, knocking him unconscious. Then Otto wrapped him in his tentacles and carried him away.
In the distance, Marcus watched through his telekinesis as Doctor Octopus took Peter.
His expression remained calm.
Everything was proceeding as expected. No need to interfere yet.
At the Osborn mansion, Harry was drinking alone when Doctor Octopus crashed through the window, carrying an unconscious Spider-Man.
Harry's eyes widened. "You actually caught him!"
"Where do you want him?"
Harry pointed at the couch.
Otto deposited Spider-Man on it, then turned to Harry expectantly. "Where's my tritium?"
He didn't care about Harry's grudge with Spider-Man. He only cared about completing his experiment.
Harry opened a wall safe and retrieved a container—much larger than the fingernail-sized sample from before. This piece was fist-sized.
Otto's eyes gleamed with fanaticism. He grabbed it and left without another word.
Harry barely noticed Otto leave. His attention was fixed on the unconscious Spider-Man.
Hatred burned in his eyes.
He picked up a knife and approached. "I want you to feel the pain I felt."
His voice was cold. "Now let me reveal your true face. Watch you die in agony."
Harry reached forward and pulled off Spider-Man's mask.
The moment the face was revealed, Harry froze.
"Peter...?"
The knife and mask fell from his hands. He staggered backward.
This couldn't be real. His enemy—his father's killer—was his best friend?
The shock was too much. Harry collapsed onto a chair, staring in disbelief.
Peter woke up.
He saw Harry's face—pain, disbelief, shock all mixed together. Felt the air on his exposed face.
His identity was compromised.
BOOM!
Thunder crashed outside. Dark clouds gathered, lightning flashing. The weather matched their mood—terrible.
After a moment of silence, Peter stood and snapped the ropes binding him.
He went to Harry, voice urgent. "Where's Mary Jane? Where did Doctor Octopus take her?"
Peter couldn't deal with Harry's emotions right now. Mary Jane was in danger. That came first.
Harry blinked, confused. "Doesn't he just want the tritium?"
"Tritium?!" Peter understood immediately. "Doctor Octopus is building another fusion reactor. It'll destroy all of New York!"
His voice hardened. "Where is he?"
Harry stared at Peter with red, wounded eyes. "You killed my father—"
"There are more important things than personal grudges right now," Peter said firmly.
Harry was silent. Finally, he told Peter what his people had discovered: an abandoned pier by the river.
Peter glanced at the devastated Harry, picked up his mask, and left.
Saving Mary Jane and New York City took priority over everything else.
At the abandoned riverside pier, inside a dilapidated warehouse, Doctor Octopus stood before his rebuilt apparatus.
It had taken enormous effort to construct this device. But now he could attempt fusion again.
Otto placed the tritium element at the center of the machine, preparing to activate it.
"Shut up!" he snapped.
"Hey! I'm talking to you!"
Mary Jane was chained to a support pillar nearby. Otto turned to look at her with irritation.
"You got what you wanted," Mary Jane said desperately. "Let me go!"
Otto shook his head. "No. You'll call the police."
He smiled cruelly. "Besides, Spider-Man is dead. No one can stop me now."
"I don't believe you!"
"Believe what you want."
Otto turned away, put on his protective goggles, and activated the machine.
Hummmmm.
Laser beams converged on the tritium. Invisible fluctuations rippled through the air.
After a violent reaction, the tritium transformed into a massive fireball.
The artificial sun began growing.
Otto suddenly noticed movement and smiled.
A figure crawled along the ceiling, coming toward Mary Jane.
The figure dropped down. "I'm here to save you!"
Mary Jane looked up at the voice and saw Spider-Man.
Joy flooded her face. "I knew you were okay!"
Spider-Man nodded and reached for her restraints—
A thick metal beam shot toward him like a spear.