Chapter 163
"Why did you snatch them all?" Spider Noir looked at Mark, dumbfounded, questioning.
Mark chuckled, "Couldn't help it. After all, I am the avenger against evil, the number one crime-fighter."
Spider Noir reluctantly put away his revolver that he had taken out, "Fine, fine. You've said it all anyway. Where to next?"
Mark glanced at the bodies of Kingpin and his companions lying beside the car, closed his eyes, carefully sensing the fluctuations in the timeline. "Since waiting won't do, let's go back to my base."
"Yeah, but I need to inform MJ and Aunt May first," Spider Noir said.
Mark gestured understandingly; he had seen this before in the Spider Punisher's world, indicating experience.
---
The farewell didn't last long.
Spider Noir just made up an excuse, saying he had taken a case — his main profession now being a detective, needing to go out of town for a while. This successfully deceived Aunt May and MJ.
Shortly after, the two appeared in Mark's world.
As soon as they arrived, they saw three figures engaged in a fierce battle.
It was the Circus Spider, the Spider Punisher, and Spider Girl–Mayday.
More precisely, it was the Circus Spider and the Spider Punisher battling each other.
The Circus Spider hadn't utilized the cosmic power permissions Mark had granted him, relying solely on his own strength in the fight.
Meanwhile, the Spider Punisher had previously undergone genetic modification surgery by Mark, transforming his genes into the "Golden Spider Gene," enhancing his strength.
Due to the slight differences between the two spiders, the Spider Punisher gained more strength than the Circus Spider, making him much more formidable.
After all, the one that bit the spider punisher was a battle spider among spiders — the Black Widow!
As for Mayday, when the Spider Punisher underwent the genetic surgery Mark performed and set off for the Spider Noir's world, she was still with her mother and brother, seemingly not recovered, so Mark hadn't performed any genetic surgery on her.
Therefore, her basic combat power was the weakest.
From the current sparring battle, it was basically the Circus Spider and Mayday teaming up against the Spider Punisher, with the Circus Spider taking the lead while Mayday could only engage in harassment actions.
Relying on the significantly enhanced basic strength and rich combat experience gained from years of fighting villains, the Spider Punisher, in a two-against-one situation, still appeared to handle it effortlessly.
Mark and Spider Noir's arrival temporarily put an end to this scrimmage.
The three of them landed one after another in front of Mark and Spider Noir.
"Boss, you brought back another good partner!" This was the Circus Spider's voice.
"Yeah, this one looks pretty reliable," the Spider Punisher's voice said. It seemed he wasn't very satisfied with the Circus Spider and Mayday's feeble display.
"Hello, thank you for saving my mom, my brother, and me. I want to do something too!" Spider Girl looked at Mark with determined eyes; it seemed she had regained her fighting spirit.
Mark introduced them to each other.
The Spider Punisher walked up to Spider Noir, "Looks like I've found a comrade in arms."
Spider Noir smiled and patted his shoulder in return.
Everything was said without words.
They both have an unwavering commitment to eradicating evil, which differs somewhat from the ideologies upheld by Spider-Gwen, the Circus Spider, and most other Spider-Men.
Spider-Punisher had an awkward time sparring with the Circus Spider previously due to their conflicting ideologies.
As per his routine, Mark once again arranged genetic enhancement surgeries for Spider Noir and Mayday, bolstering their strengths. Additionally, Mark saw a minor uptick in his own abilities.
This discovery could be considered a somewhat significant "Bug" Mark found. His genetic enhancement surgeries not only eradicate hidden genetic flaws but also significantly bolster the individual's capabilities.
For instance, it's generally believed that among numerous Marvel heroes, Spider-Man's physical abilities fall just below those of the standard Hulk but surpass most surface-level heroes. However, Mark's surgeries can elevate him beyond the most average Hulk's level.
The extent of enhancement depends on various factors such as the strength of the spider that bit the respective Spider-Man, the Spider-Man's combat will, mentality, and so on.
However, the direct consequence is that any Spider-Man who undergoes these enhancements can immediately possess the pinnacle of surface-level baseline strength. Super villains previously unbeatable can now be taken down directly. Situations that previously relied on luck or tactics can now be confronted head-on with sheer power.
Without a doubt, the destinies of these altered Spider-Men have been completely transformed from this moment onward! This fact can be observed in every Spider-Man who has undergone the genetic enhancement surgery, all seen in Mark's presence!
This method is also a rapid way for Mark to "level up" and reinforce his own abilities!
His baseline strength is achieved by altering the predetermined destinies of different Spider-Men.
The more residents he has on the web of destiny, the more potent his enhancements become!
Previously, there were only nine residents on his web of destiny: Spider-Gwen, three Andrews, two Toby's, the Spider-Tom, the Ultimate Spider, and the Miles.
Each of these nine had put in tremendous effort to appear on the web of destiny.
But now, thanks to genetic enhancement surgeries, he has added five more residents to his web of destiny in a short period: 1994 Spider, Circus Spider, Spider-Punisher, Spider Girl, and Spider Noir.
This has led to a near fifty percent increase in his baseline strength in such a short time!
The efficiency of this method is undeniably high.
Now, even if he encounters Daemos again, he's confident enough to confront him directly!
"Alright, continue your training. I've granted each of you access to the powers of the universe. If any Inheritors dare to enter this world, annihilate them!" Mark addressed the group.
"Yes, boss!"
"Justice will prevail, evil will perish!"
"I'll take them down!"
"What immense power. If that jerk dares to come, I'll avenge my father!"
The four clenched their fists, making assurances to Mark.
Mark smiled contentedly.
Next, as per his knowledge of the original storyline, he planned to continue pursuing Karn, trying to locate him as much as possible and then draw him into his own camp!
...
Another world.
Once a serene New York City, now lay in ruins.
Everywhere one looked, there were broken walls and debris.
Boom!
A massive fireball plummeted from the sky, hurtling towards the ground.
"Monster, meet your end!" As the gigantic fireball soared, the person releasing the attack became apparent—a flame-engulfed figure, the Human Torch from the Fantastic Four.
Wait, in this world, it should be the Fantastic Five.
Because the Human Torch and Spider-Man were of similar age and lived in close proximity, they became friends.
At the Human Torch's invitation, this world's Spider-Man joined the Fantastic Four team, thus becoming the "Fantastic Five," gaining considerable popularity.
They had faced many dangers together, but none compared to what they encountered this time.
Among the ruins below, the Thing from the Fantastic Five, Ben Grimm, had been shattered into pieces. Mister Fantastic, Reed Richards, had his neck and body elongated grotesquely. The Invisible Woman, Susan Storm, had her eyes wide open, with two large holes in her abdomen.
The once mighty Fantastic Five now had only the Human Torch desperately fighting in mid-air and another Spider-Man being choked by someone.
Faced with the full force attack from the Human Torch, the man choking Spider-Man remained unperturbed.
Swinging the dual-pronged weapon in his right hand, he unleashed an invisible forceful gust that shattered the massive fireball in mid-air.
And he faced Spider-Man with both eyes, his mouth agape.
"Ah—" a faint, wretched cry burst from Spider-Man's mouth, a surge of life energy streaming into the man's body.
Subsequently, Spider-Man's struggling body completely slumped downward.
"No, Peter!" The Human Torch roared hoarsely, having lost his sister, brother-in-law, and close friend Ben, now losing the last brother, Peter Parker, who was as dear as family.
An endless despair enveloped the Human Torch.
He recklessly threw himself down.
What awaited him was a spear thrown casually by the man.
The man simultaneously dealt with the Human Torch with his spear while, with indifference in his eyes, gently laid Spider-Man's body on the ground.
"Your journey, everything you've carried, ends here. My pain, however, continues," he said before disappearing from this world.
Behind him lay the lifeless body of the Human Torch, fallen from the sky.
Only debris strewn across the ground and flames still burning in various places silently narrated all that had just occurred here.
Whoosh!
A figure materialized at this location.
His psychic power swept the surroundings in an instant.
Seeing the bodies of the Fantastic Five, Mark sighed.
"Once again, I'm too late."
He hadn't received the signal from the Spider-Man of this world before his demise, so he had to search for the world where "one of the Fantastic Five is Spider-Man."
It took some time to locate this place.
Unexpectedly, upon arrival, he found them already deceased.
"Sigh—" Mark waved his hand, gathered all five bodies together, and departed from this world.
Just as he was about to pursue the next "Spider-Man joining the X-Men" world, he suddenly received a distress signal!
A new distress call!
Which world's Spider-Man could it be?
Mark paused, hesitated briefly, then decisively turned towards the direction the signal originated from.
Rescuing the Spider-Man currently in danger appeared more crucial than blindly chasing after Karn!
°°°
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