Peter and Cindy did not linger long at Avengers Tower. After hearing that the Avengers would soon be returning, the two decided to leave as quickly as possible. Once he had finished testing the new Web Shooter, Spider-Man began his afternoon patrol with his new equipment.
"It's always inconvenient borrowing the Avengers' equipment," Peter said, standing on the edge of a Manhattan skyscraper and looking down at the brand-new Web Shooter on his wrist. "It'd be best if I had my own lab... and it would have to be high-end."
It was hard to go from luxury back to simplicity. Peter smiled self-mockingly. This Web Shooter was far lighter and more compact than the old version, no bigger than a watch and fitted snugly against the inside of his wrist, its surface gleaming with a cold metallic sheen. Beyond standard webbing, it came equipped with three specialized web modes: electric, high-strength, and elastic. Combined with his new Spider-Man suit, it marked his first full upgrade since becoming Spider-Man.
Manhattan was unusually quiet today—no robberies, no explosions, not even much petty theft. Of course, there was no sign of Mysterio either, but that only left Peter even more on edge.
Mysterio was already operating in the shadows. He had helped Chameleon imitate Peter's fighting style and create illusions of Spider-Man in battle. Peter was certain that this enemy, so skilled at manipulating sight, would become his greatest threat going forward. And since thermal imaging was essentially the detection of infrared light, Mysterio had most likely made targeted improvements in that area to avoid exposing himself. He might even have mastered more advanced illusion techniques already.
"Hope for the best, prepare for the worst. I need to assume Mysterio is at full strength—not just capable of visual interference, but perhaps able to