Marvel’s Spider-Man: Across the Multiverse

By the time they were done sorting everything out, nearly ten minutes had passed since they got off the subway.

Peter couldn't help but feel a little anxious about what was happening over there.

In hindsight, he should have equipped everyone with a communicator; that way, they wouldn't be stuck like this now.

Previously, their communications had been directly linked to the computer in the spider den beneath the Ultimate Spider's lair. The only two communicators they had were given to Peter and Spider-Gwen for convenience.

This meant that without someone near the computer, there was no way for them to communicate with the others.

Including the time spent before, nearly twenty minutes had passed with no updates from the other side. They had no idea what the situation was over there.

Now that Spider-Gwen's condition had stabilized, Peter naturally wanted to head back quickly to help.

Spider-Gwen shook her head, rejecting Peter's suggestion, insisting that she would go with him.

Her reasoning was simple: she had been Spider-Woman in her own world for many years, always facing danger alone.

Getting hurt was nothing new to her; she didn't see herself as a delicate flower. It was just a wound, and since it had already been treated, there was no point in making a fuss.

"Besides, technically speaking, I'm still your senior! Don't underestimate me!" Spider-Gwen declared as she leapt down from the web, looking up at Peter.

From Peter's angle, looking down at her, he could clearly see her petite but well-proportioned frame.

He quickly muttered to himself, "Don't be disrespectful, don't stare," and then jumped down from the web with the medical kit in hand.

"In that case, let's go," he said, not one to argue further.

Spider-Gwen was right.

Her experience as Spider-Woman far exceeded his.

A minor injury like this wasn't enough to hinder her combat abilities.

His hesitation was unnecessary. If anything, he could just keep a closer eye on her during the fight.

After returning the medical kit and thanking the subway station staff, Peter and Spider-Gwen left the station together.

The subway entrance was less than a kilometer away from Aunt May's house.

With their combined speed of swinging on webs and sprinting, it would take only a few seconds to get there.

In fact, as soon as they emerged, they saw a small figure in a black spider suit being chased by another figure dressed in a purple suit!

"It's Miles!" Spider-Gwen shouted.

"I see him! I'll save him!" Peter responded, launching himself forward at high speed.

He fired a web at the young Black Spider and gave it a hard tug.

Just then—

Bang!

A gunshot rang out.

Someone had been hit!

But it wasn't the Black Spider—it was the Prowler!

By some twist of fate, Peter's pull seemed to have saved the Prowler instead.

He immediately turned toward the direction of the gunshot and saw a towering man, built like a pair of doors, standing next to a limousine. The man was dressed in a white suit.

Kingpin!

The Prowler wasn't one of Kingpin's henchmen, so why had Kingpin shot him?

Peter was utterly baffled.

Over Ten Minutes Earlier

At Aunt May's doorstep,

Boom!

A slender figure descended from the sky, landing heavily on the concrete ground in front of Aunt May's house, causing cracks to radiate across the surface.

On closer inspection, the figure wasn't standing on human legs but on a pair of tentacle-like appendages, soft and flexible like an octopus's limbs.

As the tentacles slowly retracted, the figure's feet touched the ground.

It was a woman with a wild, curly hairstyle. She wore a green, high-tech, metallic protective suit. Her hair was tied back with a band for convenience, and her thin nose was adorned with goggles, obscuring her eyes.

This was Doctor Octopus.

Olivia Liv Octavius!

The Doctor Octopus of this world!

In most universes, Doctor Octopus is a man, but in this one, she is entirely female.

However, regardless of gender, Doctor Octopus is still Doctor Octopus—a mad scientist with high-tech tools and unparalleled intellect!

"Nice place. Took us long enough to find it," Olivia said, her goggled eyes scanning the interior of the house. Through the window, she spotted middle-aged Peter Parker and his group.

Her lips curled into a sinister smile, like a cat toying with mice. "Wow, so many Spider-Men. My apologies—did I interrupt something?"

The appearance of Doctor Octopus immediately put Peter and the others on high alert.

Middle-aged Peter and Miles, in particular, stiffened. They had previously encountered Olivia when they infiltrated Kingpin's company outside the city to steal data, only to be relentlessly pursued by her.

"Guys, we've got company!" Spider-Ham called out, stepping out of the kitchen with his wet hands still dripping.

His spider-sense, as sharp as ever, had alerted him to Olivia's presence even while he was in the kitchen.

"Peter, how much longer until you're here? We've got a visitor!" Spider-Noir asked.

Meanwhile, in the subway, Peter and Gwen had also gotten a sense of the situation.

But the subway was already the fastest transportation available to them at the moment. There was no other option.

Peter glanced up at the station map and calculated silently.

Just then, Gwen spoke up. "About 10 to 13 minutes left."

Peter looked at her in surprise.

She once told Peter that after her friend Peter Parker passed away, she didn't focus much on her studies and had poor grades. He initially thought she was just a bad student.

Unexpectedly, her so-called "bad student" label turned out to be an understatement.

Gwen didn't dwell on this and, with a glimmer in her eye, said, "Looks like there's a third point."

The scene shifts back to Aunt May's house.

Middle-aged Peter Parker suggested, "There's only one enemy. Why don't we just go out and—"

Before he could finish, the sound of a helicopter's rotors filled the air above them.

Immediately, his spider-sense kicked in again.

Right above Aunt May's house, a helicopter was descending steadily toward the ground.

It was clear that Doctor Octopus had jumped out of this helicopter earlier.

And she wasn't alone.

Sure enough, as the helicopter descended further, the door on one side slid open, revealing another figure.

A man in a black suit, with skin as silver-gray as steel, appeared at the opening.

His name was Lonnie Thompson Lincoln, one of the biggest crime lords in New York and one of Kingpin's most trusted subordinates.

Lonnie had been born Black but suffered from albinism since childhood, which made him a target of ridicule and bullying.

The cold and harsh environment he grew up in shaped his ruthless personality.

In school, he used his powerful physique to extort and intimidate his classmates. His behavior eventually caught the attention of a classmate, Robbie Robertson.

Robbie tried to expose him but was threatened into silence.

From there, Lonnie plunged deeper into the world of crime, eventually adopting the name Tombstone and engaging in nearly 30 years of criminal activity.

(End of Chapter)

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