Three chapters today, plus an extra chapter to make up for the 4000 words I missed yesterday and as compensation.
There's just too much to do; I have dozens of chapters in my drafts folder but I haven't even thought about revising and uploading them.
The book is completely dead; we don't even know how it died, and there's no way to save it.
Additionally, to differentiate them, they are referred to as Little Peter, Tobey's version, and Garfield's version.
I'm too lazy to check the map, there shouldn't be any sandstorms near New York... let's just assume there are.
The holographic projection in the SSC underground laboratory flickered continuously. On the three-dimensional map of New York City, several red dots were scattered, representing the real-time location of each alternate villain.
The signals filtered by the magic compass clearly distinguished between strong and weak signals.
Little Peter tapped the screen with his fingertip, locking onto the desolate area, and turned to look at his two companions standing side by side.
"The compass indicates that the target in the western suburbs shows no aggressive tendencies, and its energy fluctuations are extremely stable. It should be the only opponent we can currently eliminate without fighting."
Tobey's Peter nodded slightly, with a familiar heaviness in his expression.
Having experienced the Sandman incident firsthand, he understood the villain's true nature better than anyone. "It should be Sandman, Flint Marko. He was never purely evil; he was just a desperate father."
"He became like this because of an accident, and everything he does is for his seriously ill daughter. He's not a bad person at heart; it's just that fate played a cruel joke on him, and he had no choice in his fate."
Little Peter put away the holographic map, walked to the storage area, and picked up a special biological stabilizer that Tony had previously led the development of. The transparent medicine flowed quietly in the test tube, emitting a faint blue glow.
" Tony developed a repair serum a long time ago that was adapted to humans with particle mutations. It was originally intended to deal with unknown superpower mutations. I've reviewed the data, and it can completely neutralize the out-of-control molecular structure in Sandman's body, stabilizing his body which is on the verge of collapse."
After quickly organizing their equipment, carrying repair potions and medical data, the three changed into their battle suits and walked out of the underground laboratory side by side. Three figures in red and blue burst out of the SSC building one after another, using the skyscrapers as cover, and sped across the New York skyline, heading towards the western suburbs.
Far from the hustle and bustle of the city, the western suburbs are filled with yellow sand, and the fierce winds whip up fine sand and gravel that ravage the wilderness. There is no human habitation here, no buildings, no people, making it an excellent place for solitude, and a place that the Sandman have deliberately chosen to live in.
He instinctively distanced himself from the crowd, fearing that his out-of-control power might harm innocent ordinary people again.
In the middle of the Gobi Desert, a figure, half human and half sand, stood silently.
Flint Marco's body was unstable; the yellow sand around him constantly collapsed and reformed, sometimes coalescing into a human shape, and sometimes turning into a sky full of quicksand that drifted away with the wind.
Having crossed into an unfamiliar time and space, and found myself in a world I knew nothing about, I was filled with confusion and exhaustion, with no desire to fight whatsoever, only endless powerlessness.
He tried to control this out-of-control power, tried to find his way back, but the unfamiliar laws of space and time and the completely unknown world rendered all his struggles futile. The only thing that sustained him was his daughter, who was far away in the original universe and bedridden.
A soft whistling sound of Silk cutting through the air rang out, and three figures landed steadily on the sand not far away. Their movements were light and graceful, without the slightest hostility. They even deliberately slowed their pace, as if afraid of disturbing the tired man in front of them.
Sandman instantly became alert, the quicksand around him suddenly churning, and he instinctively assumed a defensive stance. The scattered sand grains quickly coalesced, his arms transforming into hard sandstone, and his taut body poised to strike. But he did not attack first; he merely stared warily at the three identical Spider-Man before him, filled with astonishment and confusion.
Three Spider-Man? Everything shattered his understanding.
"Don't be nervous, we're not here to fight."
Tobey Peter spoke first; he was the only one of the three who had actually fought the Sandman and truly understood his predicament, " Flint Marko, we know who you are, and we know everything that has happened to you."
The Sandman's tense body relaxed slightly, his vigilance undiminished. His hoarse voice, rough with the wind and sand, asked, "What do you want? To subdue me? To imprison me? Or do you intend to wipe me out completely?"
"None of those."
Little Peter stepped forward, raised the pale blue potion in his hand, and openly displayed it before the Sandman. "We know your body has been constantly disintegrating, your particle structure is extremely unstable, and you could dissipate completely at any moment. This potion can stabilize your body and repair your damaged molecular structure."
The Sandman's pupils contracted slightly, and the floating sand grains froze for a moment, clearly in disbelief.
Throughout his life, everyone feared his power and loathed his mutations; no one ever thought of curing him.
Garfield Peter followed closely behind and said softly, " Tobey has already told us that everything you did—breaking the law, struggling, running away—was all for your daughter, Emily."
The name struck Flint like a thunderbolt, hitting him hard in the heart.
The taut sandstone arm instantly relaxed, the swirling yellow sand around him slowly settling to the ground, leaving only utter shock and emotion. "You... know Emily?"
"We know she is seriously ill, we know you are desperately trying to earn money for her treatment, we know you accidentally stumbled into the experimental field and were transformed into Sandman, and we know you never wanted to hurt anyone."
Tobey Peter said slowly, "You're just a father who wants to save his daughter, nothing more."
In just a few words, the Sandman's defenses were completely shattered.
The yellow sand slowly settled, and Flint's body completely solidified into human form. He let down his guard, revealing only exhaustion and a weathered look on his face.
"You... can you cure her?" His voice trembled, filled with an almost desperate plea, the only reason he was keeping living.
"Able."
Without the slightest hesitation, Little Peter nodded emphatically. "I have a world-class medical system behind me, possessing the most advanced critical care technology and targeted drugs. As long as you are willing to cooperate with us, first stabilize your own strength, and then describe her condition in detail, we are confident that we can cure Emily."
"At the same time, once we find everyone who came to this universe by accident, we will stabilize the spacetime channel and safely send you back to your original universe, so you can return to your daughter's side."
There were no threats, no deals, no coercion. Only pure goodwill and redemption.
The Sandman stared blankly at the three people in front of him, his taut nerves snapping completely.
"I... I'll cooperate."
Flint nodded emphatically, his voice trembling with barely suppressed emotion. "I promise, I won't cause any trouble, I won't hurt anyone. I'll do anything you ask, as long as my daughter is healed and I can go home."
The three Spider-Man exchanged glances. Not all villains need to be fought. Compared to force, the redemption of the human heart is the most complete victory.
Little Peter chuckled and handed over the medicine, "Don't worry, we mean what we say. Let's stabilize your condition first, and then we'll take it one step at a time."
Meanwhile, at the top-floor office of SSC headquarters.
Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows is a panoramic view of the bustling city of New York. Inside, the lighting is soft, and Tony Stark leans back lazily in his leather office chair, twirling a pen between his fingers. On the holographic screen in front of him, recent public opinion reports and disaster recovery data for New York are scrolling.
Natasha sat on the sofa, flipping through the latest agent filing documents; the atmosphere at the base remained as calm and peaceful as ever.
The silence inside was broken when a tall, slender figure pushed open the door and entered.
With her hands in her trench coat pockets, Lynn walked slowly to the center of the office with a composed and unhurried gait.
Tony stopped twirling his pen, looked up at him, and teased, raising an eyebrow. "Oh, the busy man has finally shown up? The New York turmoil has just subsided, where have you been hiding off to slack off again? I thought you were planning to completely wash your hands of the job and dump all the mess on us."
Natasha chuckled softly upon hearing this, closed the file in her hand, and looked up at Lynn with a questioning gaze. She had already noticed Lynn's unusual behavior before he left, but she hadn't asked him anything.
Lynn didn't pick up on the joke. She walked straight to the floor-to-ceiling window, looked down at the orderly city streets, and calmly cut to the chase. "A new problem has arisen, and it's a huge problem spanning the universe."
One sentence instantly destroyed the relaxed atmosphere in the office.
Tony's smile vanished instantly. He sat up slightly, his eyes turning serious. "The multiverse? Did I hear that right? When did this happen?"
Lynn turned around and gave a brief overview of what had happened at the Sanctum Sanctorum.
From Peter's unresolved inner conflict and his proactive seeking of Strange's help, to the distorted spellcasting anchor and subconscious obsessions altering the foundations of magic, to the tearing of the spacetime barrier and the arrival of multiple villains from different universes, and finally to the two Spider-Man from parallel universes being drawn into this universe.
The office fell completely silent.
After listening, Tony remained silent for a long time, his fingertips lightly tapping the table, his eyes filled with helplessness and complexity.
He didn't blame Peter for his recklessness; on the contrary, he felt particularly sorry for the boy.
Having experienced cruel betrayal, eager to grow up, eager to shed naivety, eager to stand on one's own, this original intention is pure and precious, but the price is too heavy.
"This child... he's never a cause for peace of mind."
Tony sighed softly, his tone devoid of blame, filled only with indulgence and worry, "Wanting to become stronger, wanting to stop being a burden to others, you've ended up causing even bigger trouble."
Natasha frowned slightly. "So, there are currently multiple dangerous individuals in New York, including two Spider-Man from different universes? And the spacetime rift is still expanding?"
"That's right."
Lynn nodded in confirmation, " Green Goblin, Electro, Venom, Doctor Octopus, Lizard, Vulture, Sandman, and so on. Only two or three of them are controllable; the rest are all in a critical phase and could trigger a large-scale disaster at any moment."
"I have made it clear that Peter and Strange caused this whole mess, and they need to take responsibility for the consequences and clean up the mess themselves."
Tony instantly understood Lynn's intention.
Lynn never coldly refused; he always deliberately let go. He consistently gave others the opportunity to grow, allowing them to become truly capable individuals.
"I understand."
Lynn raised an eyebrow slightly, then turned his head, his gaze falling on JARVIS, who had been standing in the corner, and said calmly, " JARVIS."
"I'm here, Mr. Lynn."
Lynn watched the city monitoring data constantly changing on the screen. "Activate highest-level monitoring. Add all three Spider-Man and Strange to the monitoring list."
"Continuous tracking throughout the entire process, recording energy fluctuations, movement coordinates, and behavioral patterns in real time. In the event of any potentially out-of-control incident, a top-priority alert will be immediately sent to me and Tony."
"Received. Highest level monitoring privileges activated. Monitoring initiated. Anomaly alert mechanism in place. All target signals locked. Real-time data continuously updated."
Lynn's goal was clear.
He gave Peter ample room to grow, without interfering or meddling.
Let the two of them clean up the mess themselves.
But he will never allow the situation to spiral out of control, nor will he let the Earth or the entire universe pay the price for this accident.
Tony looked at the screen full of monitoring data, breathed a slight sigh of relief, and smiled, "I knew you wouldn't really give up completely. Even if you say you don't care, you still have your bottom line."
Lynn glanced back calmly, "Growth comes at a price, but the price cannot be destruction."
Natasha stood up and walked to the French windows, gazing at the clear sky in the distance, and said softly, "With three Spider-Man fighting side by side, the situation is far better than expected. Perhaps this accident isn't just a disaster."
Lynn replied, "The days ahead won't be peaceful in New York. Let's just wait and see."