Chapter 8: Wonders of the Spider Cave
The "little spies" left by Kingpin seemed to serve only for surveillance and not for full-blown monitoring.
Since none of the experienced Spider-People sensed anything unusual, Bide, being the newbie, kept quiet as well.
Soon, they passed through the small yard and arrived in front of a shed that appeared to be used for storage.
"Could the Spider-Man of this world have hidden his suit in a place like this?" Bide speculated.
At that moment, Aunt May took out a key and inserted it into the lock, which seemed like a standard one.
Buzz.
A soft hum sounded, and a series of intricate codes flickered across the lock, accompanied by a faint red glow.
To the astonishment of Bide and the others, the seemingly ordinary wooden door transformed in an instant into a high-tech metal door.
The metal panels slid apart, revealing an elevator behind them.
Aunt May stepped in first and beckoned, "Come in, kids."
The group quickly followed her.
Once inside, the elevator began its rapid descent.
Bide curiously examined his surroundings.
Thump, thump, thump.
He tapped the elevator walls lightly and discovered they were made of some kind of hardened alloy.
"This is Peter's underground lair and safe house," Aunt May explained with a hint of pride. "The small house above can withstand missile strikes. The underground section extends 100 meters below ground, and you'd be safe here even from a nuclear blast."
Her tone carried evident admiration for this world's Spider-Man.
"He's so lucky," Shadow Spider muttered under his breath.
In his world, Aunt May regarded Spider-Man as a masked lunatic lurking in the shadows. She kept a respectful distance from him, which was why Shadow Spider had never dared to reveal even the slightest hint of his true identity to her.
This seemed to be a common struggle among many Spider-People.
To become a hero often meant enduring hardships that ordinary people couldn't imagine.
Though Bide hadn't experienced this firsthand, he'd seen enough Spider-Man stories to sense what Shadow Spider was feeling.
He reached out, throwing an arm around Shadow Spider's shoulders. "Hey, don't worry. You've got us now, your awesome teammates!"
Shadow Spider smiled faintly and returned the gesture, wrapping an arm around Bide's shoulders.
The two suddenly standing shoulder to shoulder left Peni, Spider-Ham, and the SP//dr mech staring in bewilderment.
SP//dr's screen even displayed a cute little question mark.
"Whoa, you guys, look at this!" Peni exclaimed suddenly.
The group turned their attention to their surroundings.
As the elevator descended further, lights began to illuminate one by one, revealing a massive underground space bathed in bright light.
It was astonishingly vast!
Platforms, seemingly suspended by a special type of webbing, were arranged in a stunning, layered fashion.
Each platform held various items—small ones like computers and televisions, and larger ones like miniature planes, cars, and motorcycles. Everything was there!
Bide even noticed several advanced-looking machines whose purpose he couldn't figure out, spread across multiple platforms.
The sight reminded him of Batman's Batcave from the DC Universe.
Would this be called the Spider Cave? Or perhaps the Silk Lair?
Too bad there weren't any swimsuit-clad girls bathing here.
Bide glanced at Spider-Ham and couldn't help but think mischievously, At least we've got someone who fits the pig trope perfectly.
Fortunately, Spider-Ham, like Shadow Spider and the others, was engrossed in observing the Spider Cave, marveling in awe.
Clearly, none of them had anticipated such a hidden marvel beneath the surface.
Before long, the elevator reached the bottom.
At Aunt May's gesture, everyone stepped out.
Whoosh!
The lights around them instantly turned on, illuminating the space.
A massive, sprawling hall appeared before Bide and the group.
The first thing that caught their eyes was a row of display cases housing various Spider-Man suits in different styles.
A quick count revealed an impressive total of twelve suits!
Upon closer inspection, Bide was astonished to find that he recognized all of them!
The Negative Zone Stealth Suit
The Insulated Suit
The Advanced Suit
The Iron Spider Suit
The Secret War Suit
The Scarlet Spider Suit
The Anti-Ock Suit
The Stealth Suit
The Spider Armor Mk I
The Spider Armor Mk II
The Classic Red-and-Blue Suit
The Cape Suit
Each suit had its own unique story.
For instance, the Insulated Suit was developed by Spider-Man specifically to combat Electro, earning it the nickname "Anti-Electro Suit." In the movies, the Holland Spider-Man wore a similar outfit against Electro, though its origin was slightly altered.
The Advanced Suit was one of the most popular in the Marvel's Spider-Man video game. Its sleek, form-fitting design showcased Spider-Man's physique, instantly transforming him from a lean youth into a muscular powerhouse—a favorite among fans.
And then there was the Iron Spider Suit, a high-tech marvel created by Iron Man himself in the films, more of a father figure and mentor to Holland's Spider-Man. It was packed with cutting-edge technology, a true gift from a "dad" to his "favorite son."
Not only was memory nano-metal selected as the primary material, but the suit also came equipped with an advanced AI assistant and various superior web-shooting configurations, significantly enhancing Spider-Man's combat capabilities.
Bide looked around, feeling like he was about to start drooling.
At the same time, a question arose in his mind: Who exactly was this world's Spider-Man?
Why did his Spider Cave contain such an extensive collection of Spider suits?
And that cape-draped suit over there—could the cape possibly belong to Doctor Strange?
Bide felt a surge of curiosity about this world's Spider-Man, who had mysteriously passed away. This must have been an incredibly powerful Spider-Man.
Yet alongside the curiosity, an inexplicable sense of unease crept into his heart.
Although he didn't believe in things like fate or conspiracy theories, his experience with Marvel movies told him one thing: the gathering of superheroes often heralded the arrival of a major villainous threat.
Right now, including him as a novice, there were already three Spider-People gathered here.
And considering this world's original Spider-Man, who had died under mysterious circumstances...
It was almost certain—99%, in fact—that something big was about to happen!
If even such a powerful veteran Spider-Man couldn't survive in this world, could someone like him, with his limited abilities, truly make it through safely?
"Hey, buddy, what are you thinking about?" Shadow Spider suddenly patted him on the shoulder.
Bide turned to look.
Shadow Spider pointed to the other side. "Aunt May is calling you over."
Bide quickly glanced over.
Sure enough, Aunt May was waving to him from not far away.
"Come over here, Bide from the East!"
Confused but obedient, Bide walked over.
He found Aunt May standing next to a high-tech machine, smiling warmly at him.
"You're here, child. This is a 'Sewing Machine' that Peter left behind—though it's really just a 3D printer. You can use the screen over there to design your own suit. Once you confirm the design, the 'Sewing Machine' will take care of making it for you!"
(End of Chapter)
Want to read the chapters in Advance? Join my Patreon
https://patreon.com/Glimmer09