Escaping alive?

"Is... is anyone else not evacuated yet?"

Peter Parker's voice trembled, each word forced out as if from his very lungs. An unimaginable weight pressed down on his arms and back – an entire section of an overpass, four to five hundred tons, crushing him. Even though not all the support pillars had collapsed, he felt as though the entire world was trying to grind him into dust.

Peter had never tested his limits before, but now, he felt he was at his absolute maximum. At this moment, even a single pigeon landing on the bridge deck could cause him to collapse under the strain. Blood roared in his veins, his eardrums felt like they were about to burst. His vision blurred into a haze, alternating between blinding spots of light and darkness. He couldn't even hear his own heartbeat, only a deathly hum echoing within his skull.

He wasn't sure if everyone had evacuated safely because he could no longer feel anything. He could only resort to his last means of warning.

"Is! Anyone! Else! Not! Evacuated!"

It sounded like someone answered him, but he heard nothing. The metallic taste of rust in his throat was the only thing he could feel. No, there was something else; his arms and back registered a violent, rapid vibration. Even without sight or hearing, Peter could sense something –

The subway was arriving at the station.

A deafening roar seemed to erupt beside his ears. Spider-Man held on, looking as if he could topple at any moment. The crowd gathered outside the overpass watched the struggling Spider-Man, then seemed to notice something else and turned their heads.

Suddenly, Peter Parker's vision was replaced by a wash of crimson, and the weight on his hands and back vanished. The sudden lightness caused him to lose consciousness, and he fell into the red haze.

It wasn't blood. It was a giant, red hand.

"I've got the kid. Tony, I need your MK38 over here."

The giant Ant-Man, looking like he'd stepped off an Ultraman set, cradled the unconscious Spider-Man in one hand while holding up the broken section of the overpass with the other. The subway train roared past, completely unharmed. The surrounding crowd erupted in thunderous cheers, celebrating the Avengers' latest rescue of the city.

Immediately after, a streak of blue light cut through the dust. A heavy, steel battle suit landed with a crash. The MK38, codenamed "Igor," took Spider-Man's place on the fractured edge of the support pillar. The hydraulic jacks in its spine extended with a clang. As Ant-Man slowly lowered his hand, the MK38 steadily held the bridge.

Ant-Man then shrunk down, taking the unconscious Spider-Man with him, and flew away on a giant ant. Finally, he had the time for further communication.

"I'm taking the kid back to Avengers Tower. Where's Herman? Tony?"

"Uh, Cap and Wasp are pursuing him. I'm on aerial watch."

Dehydrated, high fever, cooling system failure – Scarecrow's condition was dire. He slid through the air erratically, not even noticing how a shield, defying all laws of physics, ricocheted at an impossible angle and slammed into his back, sending him plummeting from the sky to the ground, sparks flying as he skidded.

"It's over, Herman Schultz."

Captain America rode his motorcycle to a stop in front of Herman. "You don't understand how dangerous your actions and your weapons are. Now, disarm immediately!"

"Yeah, just surrender to the Avengers," Wasp suddenly appeared, her bio-electric sting aimed at the back of his neck – but it didn't even spark.

"I don't know...?"

Herman, who had only intended to escape, was so angered he laughed, his voice raspy like sandpaper. He didn't even stand up, just clenched his fist, and powerful shockwaves began to spread outwards in waves. The ground beneath him started to crumble, and the air distorted visually due to density changes. Traffic lights, utility poles, and fire hydrants began to deform severely, and both Captain America and Wasp started to sway.

Scarecrow continued to release shockwaves as he stood up, finally letting out a roar.

"I know how powerful my invention is!" Herman roared, rising to his feet. "So powerful it requires the Avengers to mobilize!"

As Captain America seized the moment to lunge, the ground collapsed again. Captain America leaped, embedding his shield into the concrete road to prevent himself from falling, while Scarecrow used his vibration waves to leap away once more.

"Where do you think you're going, Herman? You have nowhere to run!"

Wasp, who looked utterly unremarkable, somehow caught up to Scarecrow. She flew not far behind him, continuously firing her stingers. The damage was minimal, but Herman couldn't escape with a tail. So, after another leap, he turned and aimed at the Wasp, who was difficult to focus on.

A golden-red figure streaked by at supersonic speed. Iron Man slammed into him mid-air, sending him back into the street. He then landed with a flourish and pre-activated an armor-piercing round from his arm gauntlet. "Surrender, Herman. I don't know where you got your golden titanium alloy, but I know for a fact your gear can't withstand my launch."

Hit by a barrage of attacks, Herman started to laugh.

He suddenly realized that besides killing Spider-Man, there was another way to achieve fame that suited him better – even if the Avengers came to arrest him, they would have to leave empty-handed.

He raised his hands, appearing to surrender. But as Iron Man approached, he revealed a smile.

"Goodbye, Iron Man."

The armor-piercing round fired the moment he spoke, but the floor beneath Scarecrow had already collapsed. Escaping into the sewer, Scarecrow unleashed a shockwave that collapsed over ten meters of road, burying the entire sewer system. Avoiding any pursuit, Captain America, who had rushed over on his motorcycle, could only stare at the collapsed road with Iron Man and Wasp, exchanging bewildered glances.

As for Scarecrow, he had only one place to go now.

Wearing his suit, Herman used his last bit of strength and combat momentum to reach Otto's hideout. This time, the hideout didn't require his key; the door opened in advance. Before Herman could even enter, a mechanical claw grabbed him and pulled him inside. Then, several tentacled robots slipped out, began cleaning up the traces, and closed the hideout's door.

"I saw your performance," a synthesized electronic voice echoed from the shadows. "You could have killed Spider-Man. Why did you hold back?"

Herman took off his helmet, which was practically filled with his sweat, and accepted a bottle of mineral water handed to him by a mechanical claw.

"I don't know. Maybe it's just because I've never killed anyone before. Maybe it's because I believed Spider-Man could withstand that bridge, but if I had actively killed someone... everything would be different."

Herman, leaning against the wall, spoke after a long rest. Otto remained silent for a while before turning on the hideout's lights, which had never been used before.

As soft white light illuminated the room, Herman finally saw the mysterious "Otto."

It was a middle-aged man who appeared completely immobile, paralyzed from the limbs up, encased in a bulky mechanical life support system. He seemed to have difficulty even turning his neck, with some mechanical devices piercing his throat, connecting his vocal cords to an electronic generator. He wore goggles, seemingly unable to tolerate strong light, and four flexible mechanical tentacles served as his limbs.

"A little light, perhaps this will make you more comfortable, my friend."

"I... I really didn't expect you to be like this."

Otto was unconcerned, instead turning back to a few old computers to continue his calculations. "If you have an 'old friend' like Norman Osborn, you can consider yourself lucky to end up like this."

Herman instinctively felt that Dr. Otto had many things he hadn't told him, but he didn't want to ask. After pouring the rest of the water over his head, he stated his request.

"Can you help me contact that 'big boss'? I believe he won't refuse someone who can open any lock to work for him."

Otto adjusted his glasses with a mechanical claw.

"This is what you want to do? Work for hire after becoming famous? Find yourself a good job?"

"The next step is to deal with the Avengers – Iron Man, Captain America, Ant-Man, Wasp..." Herman wisely omitted the names of Hulk and Thor. "I want to tell them that my equipment, Herman Schultz's equipment, far surpasses Tony Stark, Hank Pym, or anyone else. I am a true genius!"

Herman's core desire was fame, and great fame at that. Therefore, the Avengers were his target. To achieve this goal, he needed more money to upgrade his battle suit, especially its cooling system, to avoid a repeat of today's dehydration.

So, he needed money, a lot of money. He had no more savings, and robbing a bank would easily lead to his capture by the Avengers before his plan could be completed. Thus, Herman thought of Kingpin. Since Kingpin was willing to sponsor him in building his battle suit, surely he would be willing to let him work for him now that he had demonstrated his abilities.

Otto did not intend to refuse his new friend, Herman. He also needed someone influential enough to investigate the strength of the Avengers and other superheroes to adjust his weapon manufacturing plans, but he had another question.

"What about Spider-Man? You didn't completely defeat him, is that how it ends?"

"He'll come looking for me. And by the time I upgrade my battle suit, he won't be my opponent."