On the streets of New York, Spider-Man and his crew, who have just returned to Earth from the Battleworld, are fighting against a horde of rampaging zombies.
brush!
The zombie's putrid claws tore through the air, heading straight for Peter's nape.
Without turning his head, he smashed the opponent's limbs with his backhand and followed up with a punch, sending him flying. Dark green blood splattered on his black and white battle suit.
The black Venom Suit writhed, easily swallowing up the filth.
" Spider-Man, don't get tangled up with them!" Jessica kicked a zombie that tried to pounce on her, crashing into half of an abandoned bus stop. "We need to find somewhere to stay!"
Doctor Octopus's mechanical arm pierced the chests of three zombies simultaneously, flinging them into the rubble of buildings on the side of the street with a dull thud.
The Classic Loki leaned leisurely against a broken lamppost, holding his thermos in his hand. His staff, " Heart of Lies," rested beside him, the white crystal at its tip emitting a soft glow. Any zombie that came within three meters of him would be twisted into a ball by an invisible force.
Beside him, a woman Lena was using a fire axe she had found to hack at a fallen zombie, her movements mechanical and numb.
"Enough." Classic Loki took a sip of hot tea, his gaze sweeping over the dilapidated New York cityscape. "On this planet, there's only one place that's still relatively clean."
Before he could finish speaking, and before anyone could react, he lightly tapped his staff on the ground.
A golden circular magic circle unfolded out of thin air beneath everyone's feet, its edges bursting with dazzling sparks.
The surrounding scenery instantly distorted and folded, shutting out the roars of the zombies.
The next second, the blinding light faded, and everyone found themselves in a spacious yet strange hall.
A large hole had been torn in the ceiling in the center of the hall, and cold air was pouring in through it. The floor was a mess, littered with shards of glass and wood chips.
A bald man wearing a yellow monk's robe was sweeping up the debris on the ground with some difficulty.
This man was none other than the Master Wong, who remained to guard the Sanctum Sanctorum.
Hearing the noise, he looked up and saw the crowd that had appeared out of nowhere. He was taken aback at first, but then, after recognizing who they were, a look of understanding appeared on his face.
"It seems you've returned as well." The king's tone carried a hint of weariness.
Peter looked at his fist, which was stained with bits of flesh, shook it, and whispered to Doctor Octopus, "Doctor... maybe we shouldn't have hit them so hard..."
"Strictly speaking, they're not even human anymore." Doctor Octopus interrupted him rudely, his metal arm retracting behind him with a cold, grinding sound.
"Remember, Spider-Man, any mercy could kill us all. They're just monsters driven by hunger."
Peter Parker fell silent.
He wanted to argue, to say that they had once been heroes, neighbors, and living, breathing human beings.
But what appeared before his eyes was the image of his uncle and aunt being eaten by zombies.
That helplessness and pain, like a dull knife, repeatedly cut into his heart.
He clenched his fist so tightly that his nails almost dug into his palm.
After a long pause, he managed to squeeze out a few words through gritted teeth. "Okay... next time, I won't hold back."
Where is this?
Jessica Jones cautiously surveyed her surroundings. She could sense a strange energy permeating the air, which slightly eased her tense nerves, but her long-standing vigilance remained undiminished.
" The Sanctum Sanctorum," the king replied, straightening up as he swept the last shards of glass into the dustpan. "The last line of defense for Earth's magical world, built specifically to stop the invasion of those extradimensional demons."
Doctor Octopus was clearly not interested in magic. He took out a small device made up of various parts from his toolbox and quickly began to adjust it.
"We must hurry." His voice was urgent and clear.
"Those zombies with superpowers won't give us much of a chance to breathe. We must find a way to deal with all of this before they return from the Battleworld."
Spider-Man, clad in a black Venom Suit, looked at him. The massive white eye sockets on the suit's mask turned to the doctor. "Alright, Doctor, what's your plan?"
"Perhaps I can develop a cure for the zombie virus." Without turning his head, Doctor Octopus's fingers flew across the device.
"But obviously, they won't give me that time. I need samples, a large number of samples at different stages of mutation, and an absolutely safe laboratory."
Just then, a rough and unfamiliar male voice rang out in the hall, carrying an undeniable authority.
"Perhaps we can offer assistance."
Everyone turned their heads at once and saw four people walking out of the inner hall of the Sanctum.
The leader was a woman wearing a green V-neck bodysuit with a high slit, her fists wreathed in pale golden flames, and her eyes were sharp.
Beside her stood a composed Black man dressed in black armor, his eyes calm yet exuding a kingly aura.
T'Challa, the Black Panther.
Following behind them were a Russia girl wielding a giant sword with a somewhat arrogant look in her eyes, and another man with a full beard, clearly dressed as a tough guy.
" Illyana?" Jessica's tense face showed a clear change of expression for the first time when she saw the Russia girl.
" Jessica?" The girl Illyana Iriana, the Magik, also saw her, her face lighting up with surprise. She rushed over, "Thank goodness, you're still alive!"
Two women struggling to survive in the apocalypse embraced tightly. No words were needed; they both understood the Hell the other had endured.
Peter looked at the newcomers; his Spider-Sense didn't sound an alarm beneath the black masks, which relieved him slightly.
"Okay," he began, his voice slightly distorted through the mask, "Who are you all? Are you also surviving superheroes?"
Next is a brief self-introduction.
Female Iron Fist, the successor to Danny Rand.
Black Panther T'Challa, King of Wakanda.
Magik Illyana Rasputin, the Queen of Limbo.
Wolverine Logan is Mutants with a superhuman healing factor.
Doctor Octopus, Ultron, and Jessica then announced their names in turn.
Even the usually taciturn Classic Loki pointed to himself and the numb woman beside him, and simply said, "I am Loki, and her name is Lena."
After the introductions, everyone's eyes fell on the man who was covered from head to toe in a black battle suit.
"Your turn." Black Panther T'Challa, looked at him, his voice steady and powerful. "At this point, is there still any need to hide your identity? Or do you not trust us?"
Peter fell silent.
believe?
In a world where even former comrades-in-arms can turn into monsters that devour their prey, the word "belief" itself is a luxury.
But looking at the survivors before him, at the weary, wary, or determined glint in their eyes, he suddenly realized that T'Challa was right.
What's the point of hiding his identity? Who is he protecting? His family... is gone.
His inaction and hesitation allowed him to watch helplessly as they died before his eyes.
This secret, now, only brings with it a heavy burden of guilt.
Who am I? I'm just Peter Parker.
Peter Parker, the one who messed everything up.
He slowly reached out and grasped the bottom edge of the black mask.
The Venom Suit emitted a slight hissing sound, and the mask part receded upwards like liquid, revealing a young, handsome face, but one filled with fatigue and sorrow.
"No, you're right." His voice was no longer distorted, but slightly hoarse.
"In this world, hiding one's identity is meaningless... My inaction led to the deaths of my loved ones before my eyes."
He took a deep breath and met everyone's gaze.
"I am Peter Parker. Ever since an accident when I was fifteen, I have become... Spider-Man."
The hall was quiet.
The new heroes looked at this young face with complicated expressions.
They never imagined that Spider-Man, who had been soaring over New York for so many years and was known for his optimism and wit, would be a young man who looked to be no more than twenty years old under his mask.
The pain etched on his face far exceeded his years.
The initial distrust between the two groups seemed to have melted away somewhat at this moment.
At least he showed his sincerity.
However, in the midst of this heavy silence, an uncontrollable scream suddenly exploded, tearing through the air.
" Peter?!"
Everyone turned to look at the sound, and saw Jessica Jones staring wide-eyed at the all-too-familiar face, her expression one of utter disbelief.
She stretched out her slightly trembling hand, pointed at him, and her voice changed.
"It's you? Peter? You're Spider-Man?! I should have known!"