“You guys are too slow!”
“Damn it! Kaelyn is mine!”
“Move it!!”
In the abandoned factory, a swarm of mutants shot out webs, swinging wildly between the low buildings. Amid the chaos, some fell to the ground due to poor technique.
The location was chosen specifically so that mistakes during web-swinging wouldn’t be fatal.
“Burr, Fao, and Sadie—you guys hit the ground. You’re out!” Freckles, who was doubling as the referee, shouted.
“Oh no! My Kaelyn!!”
“Just the thought of her being taken by another man… it hurts. It hurts so much…”
The cries of the eliminated mutants faded as Xia Luo maintained his steady position among the top three. Behind him, a bright orange figure, with his butt sticking out, swung with unexpected skill. His web-swinging technique was impressive, though it lacked any grace.
Xia Luo raised an eyebrow. “Is that you, Ned?”
“Are you… the Spider-Man from last night?” Ned was surprised, but he didn’t stop swinging.
“I’m going to pass you!”
“I doubt that.”
Xia Luo smirked. Mid-air, he tugged sharply on his web, transforming into a blur as he skimmed past a rooftop water tank, smoothly dodging all obstacles, and surged ahead to take the lead.
“Damn it! He’s getting faster again!”
Many mutants noticed that something was off about Xia Luo’s technique.
But Xia Luo merely called back to them, “You’re all overshooting the corners! Unless you fix that, you won’t be able to keep up with me.”
With that, he swung into the amusement park at nearly the perfect angle, leaving the others far behind.
“Oh no, he made it!”
“Race for second place, go!!”
“Wait, someone’s passing us!”
“It’s a girl!”
“Two girls with great bodies, actually.”
“Oh, Kaelyn’s so lucky…”
“My Kaelyn!!” Ned fell to his knees, sobbing as he lost his chance at the top three.
As the chorus of disappointed cries echoed, the rest of the competitors reached the carousel one after another. Before Freckles could announce the winners, the area was suddenly flooded with blinding light from spotlights above.
“Is there someone else here in the amusement park?”
“No way, is this part of the surprise?”
The crowd looked around with eager anticipation, but Xia Luo sensed something was wrong. He quickly retreated, pulling Gwen and Mary Jane to a secluded corner.
“What’s going on?” Mary Jane asked, confused.
Xia Luo gestured for silence. “We need to get out of here. Something’s off.”
As soon as he spoke, bursts of muzzle flash erupted from the darkness beyond the lights.
Ratatat!
Gunfire filled the air, screams and cries of pain mingling with the sight of blood spraying onto the ground. Those mutants who couldn’t dodge in time fell, writhing in agony.
“Ah! My leg!!”
“Run!!”
“Help…”
“Oh no! My butt!”
Ned clutched his bleeding rear, hopping around in pain, unable to swing.
Then, the gunfire abruptly ceased.
Dozens of men in suits, wielding firearms, emerged from the darkness, quickly subduing the injured mutants. It was clear—they weren’t here to kill.
From the crowd, the sultry figure of Kaelyn emerged, her presence leaving everyone in stunned disbelief.
“Kaelyn!”
“What’s going on?”
“Kaelyn, what the hell is this?” Freckles asked, his face pale with fear.
Kaelyn looked down at the bedraggled mutants with disdain in her eyes. She didn’t bother to answer, instead letting out a mocking laugh.
“Hah! What a bunch of losers. Spider-Men who can’t even dodge bullets—I’m so disappointed.”
“What do you want?” Ned, weak from blood loss, managed to ask.
“You gathered us all here just to kill us, didn’t you?”
“You’re a monster!”
The injured mutants hurled accusations, but Kaelyn had no interest in their complaints. With a slight motion of her fingers, the men in suits immediately moved in, tossing the fallen mutants into a waiting truck.
“Looks like some of them got away,” one of the suited men said, bowing slightly.
“Got away?” Kaelyn lit a cigarette, exhaling slowly.
“They won’t get far.”
In the woods outside the amusement park, three figures dashed through the trees.
“They’re from the Empire—they were lying in wait at the park,” Gwen said, catching her breath on a tree branch, her face pale beneath her mask.
Xia Luo frowned. “What’s the Empire?”
“The Empire is the most feared underground organization in New York. Its leader is Kingpin—a ruthless crime lord with blood on his hands,” Gwen explained.
Her father, George Stacy, often dealt with Kingpin’s men, and through him, Gwen learned about the underworld’s king.
Hearing this, Mary Jane’s eyes widened. “Why would they target us? And what about Kaelyn? She set up this whole thing—is she working for Kingpin?”
“Probably,” Gwen said with a sigh. “We’ll have to be more careful now. They could come for us at any time.”
Xia Luo pondered, it made sense for Hydra to target the mutants, but why would Kingpin be involved?
Crack, crack!
Just then, a rustling sound came from the woods ahead. Trees toppled as a massive black shape crashed through the undergrowth toward them.
“Found you!!”
Boom!
With a roar of laughter, a giant figure bulldozed through the forest, causing Gwen and Mary Jane to barely swing away in time to avoid being crushed.
“Who is that?”
“He’s huge!”
“It’s the Rhino.”
“No… it’s a mech!”
Xia Luo’s eyes locked onto the hulking figure. The metallic glint in the darkness and the grotesque horn protruding from the mech’s head confirmed it.
A new villain had arrived.
Rhino.
Thud, thud, thud!
The ground trembled as mechanical joints creaked. A nearly ten-foot-tall black Rhino mech crushed the fallen trees underfoot. Its oppressive bulk made Gwen and Mary Jane feel like the air was being squeezed from their lungs.
“You’re not like those other weaklings. Tonight might actually be interesting,” a voice cackled from inside the mech.
Gwen’s heart pounded in her chest. “We need to split up,” she whispered.
Mary Jane’s legs were like jelly. “I-I think my legs are numb,” she stuttered, on the verge of tears.
Hearing this, Xia Luo clapped his hands with a grin. “Perfect! Since your legs are numb, he’ll have to catch you first.”
Mary Jane: “???”
“You jerk!”
By the time she turned around, Xia Luo had already vanished into the forest.
Gwen: “…”
The man in the Rhino suit seemed just as confused.
“He… ran away?”
“Fine, then I’ll just have to catch the two of you,” Rhino said, smashing his metal fists together. Sparks flew as the enormous black beast charged forward.
“Hahaha! Poor Spider-Men, you’re doomed!”
The maniacal laughter grew louder as a fist the size of a boulder hurtled toward Gwen. Frozen in fear, she realized she was completely outmatched.
It was too late to react.
“Get out of the way!!” Mary Jane screamed.
She instinctively shut her eyes, unable to witness the impending violence.
BOOM!
The ground shook as leaves flew, whipped up by the force of the impact.
Whoosh!
Leaves brushed against her face, and her red hair fluttered in the breeze. But the crushing blow she expected never came.
Mary Jane slowly opened one eye. The scene before her banished all her fears, replacing them with unrestrained joy.
“Spider-Man!”
“Spider-Man!”
“Spider-Man!”
Instantly, three voices cried out in unison.
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