Chapter 108: Spider-Man
By: Yue Shang Xintou
Above the hospital.
Accompanied by sharp, maniacal laughter, the Green Goblin appeared there on his glider.
Alongside him were the members of the Thunderbolts.
Seeing their target appear, Crossbones didn't hesitate. He drew his pistol, aimed it at Spider-Man, and pulled the trigger. Simultaneously, his entire body shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow, closing the distance to Spider-Man in a few strides.
He swung his fist, aiming for Spider-Man's head.
Bang bang!
Facing Crossbones' fierce assault, Spider-Man displayed incredible agility.
Twisting his body with a flexibility that defied imagination, he dodged the bullets. His nimble movements gave the illusion of an acrobatic performance.
Just as Spider-Man demonstrated his masterful technique and countered Crossbones' attack.
Suddenly, a flickering, ethereal figure materialized on the battlefield. It phased through Crossbones' body, striking at Spider-Man with a punch as if it were a phantom.
"Hm? Such a familiar ability."
From a distance, Colin witnessed the phantom's appearance and felt an inexplicable sense of déjà vu.
Faced with the sudden attack, Spider-Man, unable to dodge, instinctively raised his arm and caught the incoming fist.
However, the next second.
As the phantom flickered, its swinging fist once again phased through Spider-Man's body as if it were an illusion.
"Wh-..."
Against the phantom's seemingly real yet unreal attack, Spider-Man, who had remained silent beneath his mask, couldn't help but reveal a hint of astonishment.
Bang!
However, before Spider-Man could react.
Seizing the opportunity, Crossbones raised his gun-wielding arm without hesitation and pulled the trigger.
In the nick of time, Spider-Man twisted his body, dodging the bullet with a maneuver that seemed to fold him in on himself. At the same time, he leaped forward, spraying webbing from his wrist towards Crossbones. Faced with the incessant barrage of webbing, Crossbones, despite his efforts to dodge, was clearly outmatched by Spider-Man's rapid web-slinging. In an instant, a large amount of webbing tightly encased him, forming a massive cocoon.
"Damn it!"
The webbing fired by Spider-Man was exceptionally strong. Even with all his might, Crossbones couldn't break free.
Having dealt with a troublesome opponent, Spider-Man let out a small sigh of relief.
"Ah!"
Suddenly, a piercing scream echoed from the sky.
"So noisy!"
From afar, Colin frowned at the sudden shriek.
Under the effect of his "Super Hearing," he could hear it more clearly than anyone else present.
Fortunately, his "Super Intellect" provided protection, and despite the piercing nature of the scream, it had no other adverse effects.
He rubbed his slightly aching ears. Under his gaze, Songbird descended, flapping her wings.
"Brock, you look like a giant caterpillar."
Landing on the rooftop, Songbird's gaze fell upon Crossbones, who was bound by the webbing, and she let out a mocking laugh.
"Especially when you wriggle like that..."
"Now is not the time for jokes, Melissa," Crossbones said, frowning from within the webbing. He glanced at Spider-Man, who was clutching his ears in discomfort due to Songbird's sonic attack, and then added, "Capture Spider-Man."
"Leave it to me."
Heeding Crossbones' reminder, Songbird immediately dropped the smile from her face.
She turned to face Spider-Man, who was covering his ears and looking pained, and a dangerous smile curved her lips. "Don't resist, darling. It'll be over soon."
With Songbird's gentle tone, she opened her mouth, and a piercing scream transformed into strange sonic waves that enveloped Spider-Man.
Facing the continuous sonic assault, Spider-Man struggled to rise. However, under the influence of Songbird's sonic attacks, his struggles grew weaker.
Watching Spider-Man lying still on the ground.
The Green Goblin played with a Pumpkin Bomb in his hand, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.
"Don't... don't act... rashly..."
However, just as he was about to give in to his inner voice and throw the Pumpkin Bomb, the ethereal figure reappeared beside him, issuing a warning in fragmented words.
Facing the phantom's warning, the Green Goblin's expression twisted beneath his hideous mask. He turned to look at the phantom figure that had once again vanished into thin air behind him, then pouted and, with obvious reluctance, put away the Pumpkin Bomb in his hand.
"You're lucky this time, Spider-Man, hahahaha..."
...
"It's time!"
Taking off his glasses and putting them away, Colin thought to himself as he watched the battle in the distance.
He hadn't come here just to stand by and watch. Both Spider-Man and the members of the Thunderbolts were targets for acquiring "Time Shards."
As the thought flashed through his mind, he controlled his body and flew towards the hospital.
"That's right, just like that. Don't resist..."
Songbird's scream had more than just a disorienting effect.
In fact, the screams she emitted could cause various effects, such as confusion, hallucinations, and unconsciousness.
Currently, through her screams, she was eroding Spider-Man's consciousness, making him abandon his resistance.
This was a request from Kingpin. A living Spider-Man was more useful than a dead one. The former could better help the citizens of New York believe the truth of everything.
"Ben... Ben..."
Lying on the hospital roof, Spider-Man painfully endured the relentless sonic stimulation from Songbird. With the impact of the sound waves, Spider-Man's consciousness began to blur, and a familiar face surfaced in his mind.
"I... I'm sorry... Ben..."
Just as Spider-Man was about to lose his ability to resist, succumbing to Songbird's sonic control.
"This ends here."
Suddenly, from the sky.
With a calm voice, Colin's figure descended, stopping everything.
To be honest, he had always uttered this line, as spoken by *Superman* in the comics, but saying it in the real world felt like a strange sense of classic recreation.
Shaking his head, he cleared the thought from his mind.
Colin looked at the Green Goblin and the members of the Thunderbolts on the rooftop and continued, "I won't allow you to take Spider-Man away."
"You are? Collin Roper!"
Upon seeing Collin Roper appear before them, Songbird's expression shifted from confusion to quick recognition. She identified Collin Roper.
Hearing Songbird's exclamation, Crossbones, who had climbed out of the webbing while clutching a dagger, couldn't help but frown.
"A member of that Dark Avengers?"
He held a dagger in one hand and scanned his surroundings with a wary gaze.
(end of chapter)