"Hi, Liv!" Middle-Aged Peter waved, as if greeting an old friend, but his body swiftly darted to the side. The Prowler didn't speak, but his movements were just as fast, dodging the attack.
"Peter, Peter, Peter~ My darling little Peter!" Madam Octopus laughed maniacally as she squeezed through the opening. Two mechanical tentacles gripped the ceiling securely, while the other two relentlessly attacked Middle-Aged Peter and The Prowler. "And you, Aaron, why betray us? You know the Boss absolutely won't permit this!"
The Prowler dodged the tentacles repeatedly, trying to close the distance and attack Madam Octopus herself, but the tentacles defended her stubbornly, blocking him at every turn. Madam Octopus's tentacles were akin to intelligent mechanical lifeforms; regular attacks were useless against them.
"I don't want to wake up one night and suddenly be blown up or randomly teleported to another universe," The Prowler said coldly. "Heh~" Madam Octopus sneered. "I wonder, does that new little Spider-Man have something to do with you?"
The Prowler's movements faltered, and he was nearly struck by a tentacle.
Madam Octopus laughed: "I guessed correctly! That little Spider-Man is about 170 to 175 centimeters tall. I remember you have a nephew named Miles. I pulled some records from his school this afternoon; his height is 173 centimeters. Let me guess, he wouldn't happen to be your nephew, would he?"
"Damn it!" The Prowler instantly erupted in rage. Miles was his greatest weakness! And this was precisely what Madam Octopus wanted to see!
This was actually an improvised move. She knew Miles's details because after The Prowler's betrayal, Kingpin planned to make him pay by capturing his brother's family to use as leverage. That required investigating The Prowler's family details. Linking the new Spider-Man to Miles was simply a deduction based on The Prowler's immediate reaction. But the effect was devastating!
This wasn't an anime. The Prowler, entering a state of blind rage, did not experience a power-up. Instead, he began making critical tactical errors. This resulted in him getting hit by the tentacles several times. After too many hits, even his armored suit was showing strain. If Middle-Aged Peter hadn't been supporting him, The Prowler would have been defeated already.
But as if things weren't bad enough, a shadow swiftly descended from the iron framework behind them. Middle-Aged Peter glimpsed it from the corner of his eye. It was Tombstone! He instantly realized the gravity of the situation. He was stuck with a weakened teammate and surrounded by two powerful enemies. What should he do? Online help needed, immediately!
... On the other hand,
Hearing the faint but distinct sound of gunfire echoing through the tunnel, Peter (Earth-616) and the others became alert. "It's started! Let's move!" Gwen said.
"Go!" Peni, relying on her mech's thick armor, decided to lead the charge. She slammed into the debris blocking the abandoned tunnel and jumped out. Peter, Gwen, and Miles followed suit.
With the blockage gone, the sound of gunfire became deafening. Their current location was about a hundred meters from the collision site where Noir was fighting. If the collider was the central axis, Noir and his group were fighting near the upper-right corner of the collision chamber, and Peter's group had emerged near the left center. The two groups were on the same cross-section, separated by the dazzling particle streams that served as a visual barrier. According to Miles, the insertion point for The Gadget was located slightly to the upper left. Their emergence point was perfectly positioned.
"Alright, Miles, take The Gadget and find the insertion point, then use your Camouflage ability to hide there. Once we clear the area, you immediately insert The Gadget and destroy the collider!" Peter reiterated the plan.
"Understood!" Miles touched The Gadget hanging on his chest and said solemnly: "I promise I will succeed!"
"I believe in you," Peter reached out and shook his hand. "Good luck!" Gwen and Peni offered encouragement.
Miles, who had been nervous moments ago, was now surprisingly calm. He gave the three a thumbs-up, then his figure shimmered and vanished before their eyes.
Peter smiled knowingly. The crash course training he gave Miles before they left had some effect. Miles might still have zero combat skills, but at least he could now voluntarily enter and exit his camouflage state.
Peter turned his attention back to Gwen and Peni. Before he could speak, his Spider-Sense reacted automatically. The three heroes leaped sideways simultaneously.
BOOM! A loud crash. A massive figure descended from the ceiling. It was a huge, blocky, green-muscled monster, easily thirteen or fourteen meters tall, with a pair of gigantic wings—it was clearly strong and could fly! It was one of Spider-Man's classic foes. The Green Goblin!
Just a few days ago, during his fight with this universe's Spider-Man, The Green Goblin had intentionally pushed Spider-Man into the collider in an attempt to kill him. This action triggered the massive explosion that severely wounded Spider-Man, leading to his demise. The Goblin himself was almost killed in the blast. But being tough, he survived, barely clinging to life. Kingpin had since provided him with nutrients and sent him back to Oscorp. Now, only a few days later, he had returned, full of life and looking stronger and larger than before!
Peter's eyes were wide: "Holy... crap! That's The Green Goblin? I thought the Green Goblin was a guy in armor who used serum!" His impression of the villain was based on the live-action films. He never expected to face such a terrifying monster.
"Yes, he certainly looks terrifying," Peni's large bubblegum bubble popped with a pop due to her shock. Gwen immediately charged forward: "No time to hesitate, take him down!"
"Right!" Peni reacted quickly. Gwen charged left, Peni went right. Peter, seeing the two young girls rush forward, hesitated for a moment, found an anchor point above, and swung a web toward the Goblin's head.
"ROAR—" The Green Goblin here was clearly no longer human. It let out a monstrous roar, even more bestial than a typical wild animal, and charged at the three heroes. The battle between the three heroes and the single monster instantly flared up.