Chapter 2: Shadow Spider-Man
Afterward, to celebrate, I decided to visit a nearby night market to grab something to eat. On the way, I spotted a round stone carving that looked like it had spiderwebs etched into it.
With empty hands, I reached out to pick it up.
Suddenly, a spider crawled out from beneath the stone and bit me!
After that, I stumbled home in a daze, burning with fever for an entire day before finally waking up in the evening.
When I woke up, I realized there was no way I could meet my update schedule, so I decided to give up completely—take a break, call in sick, and just relax. Heh, heh.
Ahem. Later, I ordered some barbecue delivery, and as I was eating and watching a movie... somehow, I got transported here.
These days, crossing into another world seems ridiculously casual!
Peter quickly reviewed everything that had happened in his mind and cursed silently.
As a struggling writer, if he had dared to write such a sloppy transmigration scenario, wouldn't readers roast him alive?
"Hey, buddy?" Someone waved a hand in front of Peter's face.
Peter snapped out of his thoughts. "Sorry, I was thinking about something. Hi, I'm Peter. How should I address you?"
Peter decided to figure out the situation first. Regardless of whether it was the spider bite that caused this transmigration, it was now an undeniable fact that he was in another world.
Accepting the present and planning for the future was the best course of action.
The man replied, "Nice to meet you, Peter. Funny coincidence—I'm Peter too, Peter Benjamin Parker. Are you this world's Spider-Man?"
(Peter here pronounced his name as "Peter" in English as well.)
Peter immediately understood—it really was Peter Parker.
Spider-Man!
But what did he just say?
"I'm not. Wait, are you saying you aren't either?" Peter asked, stunned.
Peter Parker shook his head, raised both hands to show his outfit, and shrugged. "In my world, it's still 1939. But this world… it looks like it's at least 2039."
Peter looked more closely at the man's clothes. It was actually a pilot's uniform, like the kind he had seen in old World War I movies. The chest area seemed to be reinforced with Kevlar fibers, the same material used in most bulletproof vests.
But shockingly, he also had two pistol holsters strapped to his waist!
A Spider-Man who uses pistols as weapons?
Peter was taken aback.
Though he considered himself a Spider-Man fan, his main favorites were the cinematic versions: Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man, Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man, and Tom Holland's Spider-Man. He'd also watched the 1994 animated series as a kid, along with the short-lived Spectacular Spider-Man.
Oh, right—he'd also played Marvel's Spider-Man and Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales on the console.
However, whether it was in the movies or the games, there had been no sign of this particular Spider-Man.
Still, this suit looked somewhat familiar.
Peter studied it carefully, and a thought crystallized in his mind.
Wait!
Wasn't this in Marvel's Spider-Man? Except it didn't have the cape.
If he remembered correctly, it was unlocked after completing the side mission Something Old, Something New. Its ability was that even if enemies spotted you, they wouldn't call for backup while you wore it.
In certain situations, that suit came in handy.
Its name, if I remember correctly, is the Black Suit or Shadow Suit.
It's said that every suit in that game has its origins—some from Spider-Men of parallel universes, while others are tied to specific events involving Spider-Man.
So, could this person in front of me actually be the original owner of the Shadow Suit—the Shadow Spider-Man?
Peter hadn't even realized how astonishing his memory was at the moment!
Normally, who would remember how a specific suit from a game was unlocked or which event it was tied to?
Only two types of people could manage this level of recall:
Those obsessively replaying the game for a platinum trophy or to satisfy a completionist urge.
Content creators who record detailed gameplay videos.
But Peter was neither.
So...
"Are you Shadow Spider-Man?" Peter blurted out as he looked at the figure in front of him.
"Shadow Spider-Man?" The other tilted his head. "Wow, that's a great name. I like it! From now on, just call me Shadow Spider-Man!"
"That's... a bit too casual," Peter muttered, but deep down, he felt a sense of relief.
Even though he had inexplicably been transported into the Marvel Universe, at least he'd encountered Spider-Man. Better yet, it seemed like he might even be one of Spider-Man's kind.
Could it be that I'm also a Spider-Man?
Peter raised his hand, inspecting his palm and especially his fingertips closely.
He remembered that in Tobey Maguire's version of Spider-Man, his fingertips had tiny retractable barbs.
Maybe I have them too?
But no matter how long he stared, he couldn't figure it out.
Shadow Spider-Man leaned in curiously. "What are you doing?"
Without looking up, Peter replied, "If I have Spider-Man's abilities, wouldn't I have barbs on my fingers or something?"
"Barbs? Why would you have barbs?" Shadow Spider-Man asked, puzzled.
"Because one version of Spider-Man does," Peter said, lowering his hand. He figured he wasn't the type to grow finger barbs.
Of course, there was also the possibility that he didn't have any Spider-Man abilities at all and everything so far had just been an illusion.
Shadow Spider-Man seemed surprised. "You know other Spider-Men? Are they from this world? What's his name? Can you take me to meet him?"
Peter shook his head. "Probably not from this world."
"What do you mean, 'probably'?" Shadow Spider-Man pressed.
"Well, I'm not sure which world this is either," Peter said, spreading his hands before bending down to pick up a half-torn newspaper from the ground. He pointed at it and explained, "Here's what I do know: this world has Wilson Fisk. From what I recall, he's a major villain—the Kingpin of New York's underworld."
"Oh, I know him! Most people call him Kingpin," Shadow Spider-Man said, taking the newspaper and skimming it. As he read, he added, "Looks like no matter which world he's in, Kingpin is always insufferable—a hypocrite masquerading as a philanthropist!"
Peter couldn't agree more.
In the movies, Kingpin hadn't gotten much screen time. His only notable appearance seemed to be a brief cameo at the end of The Amazing Spider-Man 2, where he showed up in prison to recruit the Green Goblin.
But he had never been a major presence.
However, in the Spider-Man cartoons Peter had watched as a kid, Kingpin had a significant role.
Nearly every major villain had some connection to him.
Even the multiverse-destroying Spider-Man killer once collaborated with him briefly.
At that thought, a new idea suddenly popped into Peter's mind.
He looked at Shadow Spider-Man and asked, "Do you think our sudden appearance in this world might have something to do with Kingpin?"
(End of Chapter)
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