As night fell completely over New York, countless lights illuminated the city, transforming it into a warm, golden sea of stars.
The evening breeze, carrying the unique heat of the city, wafted through the gaps between the high-rise buildings, caressing three red and blue figures darting through the air. The three spiders swung side by side across the sky, the soft sound of their Silk cutting through the air hidden in the hustle and bustle of the city traffic.
With Little Peter wrist, Peter's smart screen on his wrist refreshed the monitoring data synchronized with JARVIS in real time, overlaid with the spacetime sensing of the magic compass, accurately locking onto the target's location.
"Latest location confirmed, there's a signal hovering ahead."
He pointed to the faint red dot moving slowly on the screen, his tone certain, "The energy fluctuations are stable, showing no aggressive tendencies. However, judging from the thermal imaging, the target is carrying some kind of mechanical equipment, with a wingspan structure."
"An unfamiliar signal." Tobey's Peter frowned slightly. "Who is this?"
"Have no idea."
The three of them, in perfect unison, soared into the sky with the night wind. The higher they went, the stronger the wind became, and the entire bustling cityscape of New York was left beneath their feet, quiet and vast.
Adrian Toomes hovered silently high in the sky, aimless and directionless, simply circling and drifting aimlessly. He looked down at the completely unfamiliar city skyline, his eyes filled with confusion and unease.
A faint whooshing sound came from behind, and three figures rapidly approached. He instantly became alert, his mechanical wings flapped violently, and he turned his body around, his sharp wing blades aimed at the approaching figures, his posture fierce and vigilant.
But when he saw the three identical figures in red and blue battle suits, he was completely stunned.
Three Spider-Man?
"Don't be nervous, we mean no harm."
Little Peter raised his hand first to signal, and the three of them simultaneously slowed down, coming to a steady stop on the rooftop dozens of meters away, deliberately maintaining a safe distance. "We're not here to fight, much less to capture you."
The Vulture didn't lower its wing blades, its gaze sweeping back and forth between the three young faces, its voice hoarse from the wind at high altitude. "Who are you? Where is this place?"
"We are Spider-Man," Little Peter said calmly. "This is New York, but not the New York you know. You've been swept into a time warp; this is another universe."
The Vulture's finger paused for a moment on the wing control device. He had been thinking he was dreaming, or dead, or thrown into a hallucination by some supernatural force. He suddenly realized he might not be able to go back.
The silence lasted for several seconds.
"Adrian Toomes." He finally spoke, his voice low and hoarse, as if confirming that he could still speak, "My name is Adrian Toomes. Have you... heard of this name?"
The three Spider-Man exchanged glances and shook their heads.
"No," Little Peter answered honestly, "Your name and your file are not in our database."
The Vulture paused for a moment, then chuckled softly, a hint of self-mockery in its voice. "Fine. In my original world, too many people knew me, and none of them were good things."
He retracted his wing blades, hovering in mid-air. His gaze swept over the unfamiliar city lights below, and the wariness in his voice faded considerably, leaving only weariness. "You say this is another universe. Then... can I still go back?"
"Can."
Little Peter gave an unwavering reply, his tone frank and sincere, each word clear and distinct. "As long as you cooperate with us and don't harm anyone, we can guarantee your safe return to your original world."
"Once we find everyone, we will send you back to your original universe one by one. You can go back to your family, return to your original life, and everything will be back to normal."
The Vulture stared at him for a long time.
Why should we trust you?
"You don't have to believe me, but you have no other choice. Come with us; at least there's a way home."
The Vulture slowly released its grip on the wing control device.
He was well aware of his situation. Resistance was pointless, and fighting would only jeopardize any chance of returning home. The three kids might not be telling the whole truth, but they had at least given him a choice he couldn't refuse.
"I'll cooperate."
The Vulture slowly retracted its wing blades, its voice husky with a hint of relief, "But remember this! If you lie to me, I'll make you pay."
"I won't lie to you," said Little Peter.
Tobey's Peter stepped forward and added sincerely, "We won't restrict your basic freedoms."
Garfield's Peter spoke last, his tone calm and resolute. "Trust us, we'll keep our promises."
The Vulture didn't land immediately. It hovered high in the air for a few seconds, looking down at New York below. Thousands of lights stretched across the night, cars flowed like rivers, and voices rang out like waves.
Looking down from here, this place... isn't much different from my world.
No one responded.
Three red and blue figures hovered silently beside him, the noise gradually filling the silence. After a few seconds, the Vulture slowly flew to the three of them.
Let's go.
The three, along with the Vulture, disappeared into the night. The three red and blue figures and the black mechanical wing flew together towards the SSC headquarters.