"First, though, we need to figure out why we ended up here," Bide said, picking up a sandwich and spreading some jam on it.
He had studied abroad in this world before, so he was already used to this kind of dinner.
"Mm~ Aunt May, your hot dogs are so good—" Spider-Hog shoved a hot dog about as big as his head into his mouth, making everyone wonder if his head would explode.
But soon, they realized their worry was probably unnecessary.
Being mutated after being bitten by a pig, Spider-Hog had not only spider-like traits but also pig-like traits—namely, an insatiable appetite.
"Slow down, there's plenty more!" Aunt May said kindly, offering him a glass of milk.
Meanwhile, Peni pulled a candy from her pocket and popped it into her mouth while Shadow Spider-Man wasn't looking. Hearing Bide's questions, she patted her robot companion charging behind her.
"Show them what we found," she said.
The Spider robot SP//dr displayed a pair of camera lenses on its head screen, projecting a virtual display into the air before them.
Everyone looked at the screen.
It showed several news reports and some information apparently "obtained" from special sources.
[Recent] Two mysterious earthquakes occurred in Brooklyn in a very short period. The exact causes are under investigation, but experts speculate that the epicenters are deep beneath Brooklyn. Daily life is largely unaffected; no need to panic.
[Multiple sources] Another mysterious incident occurred last night. Spider-Man is investigating this event.
[Video from Spider-Man] Jinbing is experimenting with something called a "particle collider." If he activates it, it could cause catastrophic disasters in Brooklyn and potentially all of New York. I must stop him.
If the first two were speculation, the final one—a video from Spider-Man himself—made everything clear.
Jinbing!
This guy was a supervillain in the Marvel Universe!
He built a massive criminal empire spanning the globe; in the U.S., nearly 40% of criminal activity was said to trace back to him.
Not only that, his own abilities were extraordinary.
Incredible intelligence and strategic thinking.
Over 90% of his body was muscle, capable of punching through walls.
A world-class fighter, one of the most formidable human combatants.
Even top heroes—Daredevil, Punisher, Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, and X-Men—had faced him. Surviving all of them unscathed showed just how dangerous he was.
However, not every Spider-Man's universe had encountered Jinbing. Some simply hadn't met him yet.
Shadow Spider-Man, Spider-Hog, and Peni didn't realize the danger Jinbing posed, nor did they grasp the severity of the situation.
So Bide repeated everything he knew to them.
"Wow! That guy's terrifying! Hope he doesn't like eating pork!" Spider-Hog exclaimed.
Peni pouted, thinking, "So that's directly connected, huh?"
Shadow Spider-Man remained silent for a moment, then said,"If nothing unexpected happens, he's the one we're going after. And the key to returning home is probably connected to him! I'm guessing… that thing."
"The particle collider!" they all said in unison.
Clearly, despite being from different timelines, worlds, and ages, these Spider-People were all highly intelligent. From just this small set of information, they pinpointed the problem.
"Wait, what is a particle collider?" Spider-Hog asked, licking the sauce off his fingers.
Shadow Spider-Man shook his head: "Not sure. In my world, it's the Great Depression era, around 1933. No one even conceived of particle colliders then."
He wasn't a scientist either—just a private detective.
Peni was equally clueless, looking to her robot, which responded with a helpless expression. SP//dr was a combat robot, not a research tool.
"I might not know exactly, but I can try hacking into Jinbing's system. Since it's his equipment, we should find information," Peni said.
Shadow Spider-Man nodded: "Then this task is yours."
"What about me? What do I do?" Spider-Hog asked eagerly.
"You," Shadow Spider-Man said, glancing at him and hesitating, "might as well train Bide with me."
Bide hadn't expected Shadow Spider-Man to remember this, and he felt a bit touched.
"Actually, we could try figuring out how to get home first—"
Shadow Spider-Man stopped him: "You're part of this team. Eventually, you'll need to contribute, so training you strengthens our overall power."
"All right," Bide agreed, a little disappointed he wasn't doing more, but more excited to develop his own abilities.
Even though all Spider-People had spider powers, their abilities varied slightly:
Peni's spider powers linked to her mech.
Spider-Hog's powers stemmed from his pig-spider mutation.
Shadow Spider-Man's powers came from the Spider God.
The upcoming "main character" of this universe, the second Spider-Man—Miles Morales—specializes in stealth and paralysis abilities.
Bide was eager to see how his own powers would manifest.
At the moment, all he could sense was the occasional spider-sense when around other Spider-People. According to Shadow Spider-Man, powers typically appear within a day to a week after being bitten.
As night fell, Aunt May arranged sleeping spots for everyone.
Peni, being a little girl, got special treatment and slept in Peter Parker's small room with her Spider-Mech.
Bide, Shadow Spider-Man, and Spider-Hog each took a blanket on the living room sofa.
(Chapter complete)