Had there ever been incidents in the Ultimate Universe where Spider-Men from other universes suddenly appeared?
Peter B. glanced at the Shadow Spider-Man standing beside him, lost in thought, feeling somewhat puzzled.
Still, he quickly gathered his wits and shared all the information he knew with the Shadow Spider-Man.
At a moment concerning life and death, sharing information was absolutely crucial.
Besides, he trusted that Spider-Man wouldn't collapse over something like this—after all, Marvel itself had established the concept of parallel universes.
It was just that in this case, the term "parallel universe" felt a bit… special.
As expected, the Shadow Spider-Man was shocked."You mean… in your universe, there are films and games about Spider-Men from this world and other worlds?"
Peter B. nodded.
"That's unbelievable… then, what about me?" Shadow Spider-Man asked eagerly.
"Uh…" Peter B. tried to recall, then shook his head."In our world, there are tons of Spider-Man works. I haven't even seen them all, so…"
"Alright," Shadow Spider-Man shrugged, looking a bit disappointed."Seems like I'm not that well-known."
"Hey, buddy, don't say that. Let's focus on the problem at hand first, okay?" Peter B. patted the Shadow Spider-Man on the shoulder, offering comfort.
He didn't want their rare hope of returning home to fade away.
Also, for some reason, being around this Shadow Spider-Man felt… familiar, as if they were always meant to be together.
"Yeah, you're right," Shadow Spider-Man nodded."That said, according to you, maybe we should try finding that kid named Miles?"
Peter B. shook his head."Miles would be hard to find—his name's too common. I was thinking… maybe we should find Aunt May instead?"
"Aunt May?"
"Yeah. Even though these are two different worlds, you're also Peter. You should know where Aunt May lives, right?" Peter B. suggested.
Shadow Spider-Man considered for a moment, then nodded."Fair enough… though my era and this one are quite different."
"We've only got this lead, haven't we?" Peter B. shrugged.
"Alright, makes sense," Shadow Spider-Man agreed.
So the two of them stopped lingering and walked along the street toward their destination.
On a nearby screen, news about Peter Parker's death as Spider-Man still played.
"My husband, Peter Parker.""He used to be an ordinary man.""He always said anyone could be the one behind the mask.""He just happened to be bitten by a spider."
Both Peter B. and Shadow Spider-Man felt a heaviness in their hearts.
Soon, they arrived at a detached house with a yard in Queens—the truth was evident: no matter the universe, Peter Parker was Peter Parker, always with some unchanging qualities.
"If nothing else, this should be it," Shadow Spider-Man said.
Peter B. scanned the area and nodded in confirmation."Yes, this is the place. Look—someone even left memorial gifts over there."
At the yard's fence, people had left presents or placed flowers, accompanied by notes reading things like "To our beloved Spider-Man," "Our forever friendly neighborhood Spider-Man," and "Dear Spider-Man Peter."
"Yep, this is it," Shadow Spider-Man shrugged.
Their mood sank again.
"You go press the doorbell."
"You go, you're Peter."
"No, you're Peter, go ahead."
"But I'm Peter B."
"Peter B., Peter—what's the difference?"
"According to Longxia, my surname is B., yours is Parker."
"Dude, based on your level of nonsense, we're definitely kindred spirits…!"
"I…!"
The two of them were bickering about who should press the doorbell when suddenly, both felt a violent twisting sensation in their bodies.
Peter B. fell to the ground involuntarily, intense pain making him feel like his insides were separating from his body.
It was as if a giant hammer smashed not onto a rock but straight into his… sensitive area.
The sensation was intense but brief.
A few seconds later, both exhaled and stood back up.
"What just happened?" Shadow Spider-Man asked, still shaken.
Peter B. thought for a moment:"We know we came from our respective worlds into this parallel universe for some reason. Essentially, we underwent a passive quantum collapse. The quantum particles we carry from our own worlds are clearly incompatible with the quantum state of this world."
"Stop!" Shadow Spider-Man held up a hand to halt Peter B.'s scientific rambling."Just tell me what happens!"
"We'll die!" Peter B. stated firmly."If we don't return to our own timelines within a certain period, our foreign quantum particles will be crushed by this world's particles, collapsing completely and vanishing forever!"
Shadow Spider-Man shivered.
He teleported instantly to the doorbell and pressed it repeatedly."Aunt May! Aunt May—"
"It's too late at night for visitors! No fans allowed!" A slightly aged voice called from inside as the lights turned on.
The door opened, revealing a woman holding a baseball bat, her face worn with grief—understandably so, having lost her beloved nephew as if a parent had buried a child.
"Uh…" Peter B. looked at Aunt May, then at Shadow Spider-Man, and decisively removed his mask.
"What are you doing?" Shadow Spider-Man asked, puzzled.
"Can you really stand by and watch her suffer? Besides, we can't enter without showing our faces, can we?" Peter B. explained.
"I get it," Shadow Spider-Man instantly understood and removed his own mask.
Beneath it was a chiseled, hardened middle-aged face, weathered from life. Compared to the Peter Parker from the street-screen reports, he looked more worn—but anyone not blind could see the strong resemblance.
Aunt May was clearly not blind.
Clang!
The baseball bat fell to the ground and rolled down the steps—but nobody noticed.
Aunt May trembled with emotion:"Pe-Peter!"
Shadow Spider-Man, unaccustomed to smiling, managed a weak smile:"Hi, Aunt May. I'm Peter… but not the Peter of this world."
She stepped forward, examining him carefully:"I know. You're Peter from another timeline."
"Eh?" "Eh?"
(End of Chapter 3)