Chapter 684: Spider-Man in the Rainy Night

Aunt May was gravely injured. At first, she could still stand, but she quickly stopped breathing. In her final moments, she could see that Peter had been shaken by Green Goblin's cruel, soul-piercing words.

She repeated herself over and over, trying to reassure him:

"You did the right thing, Peter. What you did was right... With great power comes great responsibility."

And with those final words, she passed.

Watching the Spider-Man sobbing helplessly on the screen, the two Peters outside the light screen fell into silence. They were reminded of their own futures—With great power comes great responsibility—perhaps this truly was the unchanging fate of every Spider-Man.

But for the rest of the viewers, hearing this line for the first time from someone other than Uncle Ben was deeply moving. Just like when MJ died in the Amazing Spider-Man timeline, they could genuinely feel the pain in Spider-Man's heart, and mourned his love that could never be.

This time, however, most of the audience remained calm. Some even coldly remarked, "Didn't she bring this on herself?"

People caught up in their own feelings often try to force others to feel the same—but that rarely works.

It's like a guy who bends over backwards for the girl he likes, doing everything he can, even if it means giving up everything. He thinks he's sacrificing himself for a noble, pure love—but few will actually agree with him. To others, it just comes off as pathetic.

Inside the Eternal Space, Peter stood frozen as if struck by lightning, his face blank, filled with anguish.

"Oh god… oh god… I got Aunt May killed. I'm going to get her killed!"

"Hey, kid, calm down, alright? This isn't your fault!" Stephen let out a sigh.

"You and Aunt May are both good people—just a little naïve when it came to handling things. The villain is Green Goblin. He's the one who took advantage of your kindness. This isn't on you."

Pietro chimed in to comfort him as well:

"The future hasn't happened yet, Peter. What you need to do now is study hard when you go back. That's how you prevent tragedy. Look at me—I've seen my own death already, and so has Tony Stark. But we're both still alive and well. Tragedies can be changed!"

Young Peter's face was already streaked with tears as he choked out,

"I want to go home. I want to hug Aunt May. She really needs me right now!"

But the truth was—he was the one who needed her. He needed her warmth and her care.

Stephen and Pietro exchanged a glance and chose not to say anything more. He was still just a kid. They could only hope he'd grow up quickly.

On screen, Peter clung to Aunt May's lifeless body, tears pouring down as he apologized over and over. Outside, more and more police were arriving. Happy also returned at that moment. He'd had a rough night too—gone for a while and came back to find his home destroyed. The moment he got out of the car, several black muzzles were pointed straight at his head.

Still, Happy shouted toward the building, calling to Peter to run.

After the Mysterio incident, Peter was already marked by the authorities and entangled in legal troubles. With another major incident on his hands, if he got caught now, things would get really bad.

Maybe Happy was also afraid that Peter, in his current unstable state, might lash out and make things worse.

Peter didn't hear Happy's voice—he was drowning in guilt and sorrow. But the sound of bullets snapping through the air jolted him awake.

A classic Marvel move—when it comes to fighting villains, the authorities are useless, but they're always quick to come down hard on superheroes and vigilantes.

Forced by the police, Peter limped away in agony, unable to even stay and collect Aunt May's body.

Outside, rain poured down in sheets. Homeless and broken, Spider-Man stood in front of a massive GG screen, just staring blankly.

On the screen, J. Jonah Jameson was broadcasting the news. He'd been on the scene too and captured firsthand footage:

"This is a tragedy. What more can I say? What else is there to say? You saw it with your own eyes.

When people finally wake up, they'll realize—wherever Spider-Man goes, disaster follows. Everything he touches turns to ash. And the rest of us innocent people? We're the ones left to clean up the mess..."

Soaked by the rain, Peter stared unblinking at the giant screen, his eyes filled with pain, guilt, and confusion.

After such a devastating loss, he began to question himself: 'Maybe I really am just a walking disaster… I brought all of this pain. I got Aunt May killed.'

Even the viewers who had previously been disappointed in this version of Spider-Man couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy.

Someone sighed and said,

"No matter what, he's still just a sixteen or seventeen-year-old kid—carrying a burden most adults couldn't even fathom. The world's been really unfair to him."

"Yeah. He made mistakes—he was naive and idealistic. So was Aunt May. And in the end, they paid the price. But that doesn't mean we should blame their kindness."

"Hopefully, after this blow, he can mature—like the other two Spider-Men before him. Honestly, I used to envy superheroes, wanted to be like them—glowing under the spotlight, receiving praise and admiration.

But now I realize I could never handle the responsibility that comes with it. These people… they're incredible."

Off-screen, Tony Stark stood with his arms crossed, brows furrowed, and muttered,

"With me and Steve around, this world should've been fine. We never should've let a kid like him suffer like this."

Pepper put a gentle arm around his shoulders and said softly,

"Yeah… He's just a kid who wanted a normal life. We shouldn't force him to be a hero."

Tony nodded, resolving that once Peter returned, he'd take him and Aunt May somewhere safer—somewhere away from all this chaos and danger.

He was about to speak when Pepper added,

"But Tony, we should also respect his choices, alright? Don't make that decision for him."

Tony opened his mouth, then closed it again. In the end, he could only let out a deep sigh.

Ever since the quiz game revealed the lives of these different Spider-Men, it felt like this was their inevitable fate—to lose someone important, to endure unimaginable pain, and to be forged into true heroes through suffering.

If given the choice, maybe Peter would rather be just a normal person.

But ever since that spider bite, ever since he gained those powers, with great power comes great responsibility became the chain around his neck. There was only one path left for him—to become Spider-Man.

_____

Translator Note:

Dear readers, your translator has just discovered a shocking truth — Power Stones are actually translator fuel! Without them, I wither away like a side character in Chapter 3. So if you enjoy the chapter and want to keep your translator alive (and caffeinated), throw some Power Stones my way! Think of it as feeding a very hardworking literary gremlin. Thank you!