[Hello everyone, this is your favorite Venom of 616, and I'm here to explain what happened.]
A figure was descending from the sky above Manhattan. If you looked closely, it was a person wearing a red and black web-patterned Spider-Suit.
[It's probably due to the Web of Destiny being a jerk, or possibly the Lizard's bad breath, but Peter's ability to travel has become unstable. He can now tear open doors to the Multiverse, and after making a jump, he seems to have suffered some severe side effects. He's currently passed out.]
Below was the neon-lit Times Square, with all sorts of signs: Tony Stark Weapons Company, the TV show 'Fantastic Four Hits the Airwaves,' and various other things completely different from Universe-616.
Venom took control of Peter's body, swung away on a web-line, and landed nearby. He took a deep breath, then exhaled all the Lizard serum in a mist form, ensuring it was sufficiently diluted before finding a place to escape.
Venom finally had a chance to check the news. It was the familiar J. Jonah Jameson, reporting on... Spider-Woman?
"Spider-Woman is a despicable criminal, and there's no doubt she's responsible for the death of innocent high school student Peter Parker!"
A large headline displayed a police warrant and a blurry photo: WANTED: SPIDER-WOMAN!
[Okay, looks like we can't go to the Parker home. This universe also seems to lack the Avengers, so we'll have to find somewhere else to crash.]
"Alright everyone, let's go over it again."
Wearing a black and white hooded Spider-Suit, its pattern inspired by a ballet dancer's leotard, Gwen Stacy of Earth-65 swung through the streets of Manhattan—evading the pursuit of the NYPD. Countless police cars chased her trail.
"I was bitten by a radioactive spider, and for the next nine months, I was the only Spider-Woman—in this world that has no superheroes."
"You know the rest. I joined the band MJ started. She gave the band a stupid name: The Mary Janes. Seriously stupid."
"I didn't know what to do with my powers. Everyone else was using powers for bad, to make money... Oh, I saved my dad from a gunman, but I didn't save my best friend."
She landed on the roof of an apartment building, rubbed her hood, and muttered, "God, why am I introducing myself? Who's listening to this stuff..."
Her phone rang. Gwen took it out and saw it was her father, Captain Stacy.
"Dad?"
"Gwen, I still... I still want to talk to you about the band. Maybe you shouldn't be so obsessed with the band, Gwen," Captain Stacy's voice came through the phone. "You, you should focus on your studies and think about your future."
"I know the death of Peter hit you hard. It hit all of us hard, but you can't keep wallowing in it, okay? Numbing yourself with rock music..."
Gwen listened silently to her father's nagging, finally just saying, "I know," before hanging up. She sighed helplessly, looking at the number on her phone that could never be dialed again.
"You have no idea, Dad..."
Her best friend, Peter Parker, died by her hands.
The introverted boy had wanted to be special like her. He injected himself with a Lizard serum, turning into the monster known as the Lizard. He crashed the school graduation dance, intending to take revenge on the school bullies. Gwen stopped him.
Gwen didn't know it was him.
Severely wounded, Peter Parker finally reverted to human form, lying in her arms and telling her:
"I just wanted to be special like you."
Gwen, lost in her sorrow, suddenly had her Spider-Sense ring out. She looked up, unsure what triggered it, and then saw a figure falling from the sky.
"Impossible..."
Absolutely impossible.
What she saw falling was... The Lizard!
Surprised and astonished, despite the impossibility, Gwen quickly rushed toward it. She swung on a web-line in the direction of the Lizard's descent, but the Lizard crashed directly into the Hudson River and disappeared without a trace.
Was that the Lizard? Why was he falling from the sky? Could it have been...
Gwen agonized and searched for a long time, ultimately finding nothing. She finally chose a secluded spot to remove her suit, put on her headphones, and listen to music on the way home.
On the street, people were shouting about chasing a thief, but Gwen ignored it and walked past.
She wasn't a crime-fighter. Superheroes barely existed in this world. The former superhero Wasp had retired to become a supermodel. That was this world: no one thought being a hero was a good thing.
"Latest news: the tech crime syndicate 'Web' has invaded Stark Industries' warehouse, stealing a large quantity of technological weaponry..."
Terrorists invading an arms giant—and that giant was not only a playboy but also had an entire private army called the "War Machine." He didn't need anyone's help.
I should just go home.
It was only the afternoon, and her dad shouldn't be home yet, but Gwen saw the light on in her house. Had her minimal response been so dismissive that her dad took time off to have a serious talk with her?
What could they even talk about?
Gwen reluctantly took out her key, opened the door, sighed, and said with her head down:
"I'm home."
Her father didn't reply.
Realizing something was strange, Gwen looked up and saw an unexpected person sitting at the dining table. It was a young girl about her age, dressed in a long dress and trench coat, with beautiful blue eyes, smooth blonde hair, and...
Wasn't that just a long-haired version of Gwen Stacy?!
What was this? Had someone discovered her identity and created a clone, or was it some kind of terrifying shapeshifting monster?
The long-haired version of herself seemed equally surprised. After a moment of hesitation, she waved at Gwen.
"Hey, hi, I'm Gwen Stacy... what kind of ridiculous line is that? Wait, I'm Gwen Stacy from Earth-616."
"Have you seen Peter Parker? I mean, a live Peter Parker?"
Gwen's mind short-circuited for a while before she finally managed to blurt out a stunned, "Huh?"
-----------------------------------------------
I handpick only the finest and most captivating novels for you. Don't forget to check out my other novels!
p@treon HongMengZi