Web of Realms: A Multiversal Journey

A soft hand suddenly rested on his shoulder.

The warmth from the hand seeped through the thin, close-fitting suit and onto his skin.

At the same time, Gwen-Spider's voice sounded by his ear:

"Don't worry, just do your best."

"Got it!" Peter nodded firmly.

He took a deep breath and, without hesitation, leaped from the tall building.

As he neared the ground, he extended his right hand and pressed the trigger of the web-shooter. A strand of web shot out from the device, solidifying quickly.

Releasing the trigger, he grasped the web with a quick motion.

In that moment, he and the web became part of a pendulum. His arm, like the web, formed a temporary segment of the pendulum's arc.

Thanks to the principles of pendulum motion, the force exerted on the web was not as great as it might seem. Similarly, his arm bore much less strain than expected.

This was something he'd learned over the past two days from training with Shadow-Spider and Spider-Ham, combined with his own practice.

From a purely visual standpoint, his movements were already indistinguishable from the other Spider-Men.

His actions quickly attracted the attention of some passersby.

During the time Peter and Gwen-Spider spent traveling on the subway, the streets had filled with people.

New York City, being one of the world's top financial hubs, was bustling with people heading to work, school, or opening their shops.

"Hey, look! Is that Spider-Man?"

"No way... but it really looks like Spider-Man!"

"The suit's a bit different. Could this be a new Spider-Man? Parker's successor?"

"Hey! New Spider-Man, what's your name?"

Voices from below called out to him, greeting him enthusiastically.

Unfortunately, our rookie Peter had no time to acknowledge them.

He was busy calculating his landing point and realized it was slightly off from his initial estimate.

Really, just slightly.

Thud!

A loud crash.

Peter landed directly on the door of a police car, causing it to slide sideways slightly from the impact.

"Uh..."

A police officer, who had noticed Peter's arrival thanks to the shouts from the crowd, froze mid-wave. His expression also seemed to lock in place.

"Hiss!" Peter shook his head and lightly pushed against the police car in front of him to stand up.

"I feel like I just grew a horn on my head. Does this count as 'showing promise'? A great start... just kidding—it hurts like hell!"

The officer, who had been trying to mentally prepare himself to greet the new Spider-Man, found his words stuck in his throat once again.

This new Spider-Man... doesn't seem all that bright, does he?

"Uh, officer, need some help from your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man?" Peter asked while rubbing his head.

"I was actually going to ask if you're okay," the officer replied seriously, staring at Peter.

Peter: (o(╯□╰)o)

"Well, uh, not gonna lie, if I told you that was just a joke, would you believe me?" Peter said, lowering his hand and putting on a serious expression.

"What do you think?"

"Ahem, I think you'd appreciate this kind of humor," Peter decided it was best not to dwell on his embarrassing moment and quickly changed the subject.

"Officer, how should I address you?"

"My last name is Orlando. And yours, Spider-Boy?" Officer Orlando asked.

"Uh, you can call me Spider-Man or Spider-hero, but please don't call me Spider-Boy—it sounds too childish," Peter replied.

Officer Orlando shook his head. "That's not gonna work. In my mind, Spider-Man is Mr. Parker. So, if we're going to work together, I'd prefer if you chose a different name."

Peter immediately understood. It was clear that Officer Orlando was a huge fan of the original Spider-Man and held him in high regard.

Given that, Peter figured he should distinguish himself a little.

What should he call himself?

Spider-Genie?

Peter involuntarily imagined a scene of a spider-spitting bellybutton.

No, no, that won't do.

His mind quickly spun through countless ideas, but finally, he said, "In that case, call me... Spider-Spacetime."

"Spacetime" didn't mean Peter had control over time or space.

It was because he came from a unique timeline, one unlike any known Spider-Man in the Marvel Universe—a "real" world.

He still didn't quite understand why he was here.

In fact, he had a vague sense that even if he went through the particle collider with Shadow-Spider and the others, triggered the overload key, it might be impossible for him to return to his own world!

Perhaps this was also the reason he didn't experience rejection like Shadow-Spider and the others.

If that were the case, he was a wanderer from an alternate timeline in the Marvel universe.

So, the word "spacetime" not only reflected his unique origins but also expressed his nostalgia for his world.

"Spider-Spacetime?" Officer Orlando repeated, seeming a little surprised by Peter's chosen name, but he quickly relaxed. After all, Spider-Man himself was a very strange superhero. "Well then, how about we just call you Mr. ST-Spider? How does that sound?"

"Mr. ST-Spider? Sounds like Special Treatment, doesn't it?" Peter knew it was the abbreviation for Spacetime, and while he felt a little exasperated, he didn't mind. "Alright, I am here to handle special cases, so ST it is. Now, Officer Orlando, could you tell me what's going on inside? It seems like the atmosphere is a little... off."

From what he could tell, there had been a shootout, and people had been injured, so it should be quite tense.

But from how casually Orlando was still talking to him, it didn't seem as serious as he expected. This left Peter a little confused, and he couldn't make sense of the situation.

Or was it that these people were just used to things like this because... well, they were used to it?

When it came to the task at hand, Officer Orlando didn't seem interested in chatting further with Peter.

He straightened his expression and said, "The situation inside is... a bit complicated."

"Hmm," Peter responded seriously, not finding it troublesome at all. He had already mentally prepared himself; no matter what, the goal was to find a way to resolve the issue.

Officer Orlando continued, "There are three robbers inside, each with a handgun. They've taken a hostage, Ms. Kerr Creavy, the owner of this jewelry store."

Peter glanced around, puzzled. "I noticed there was a gunfight earlier? It seems like there were casualties?"

Officer Orlando's face flushed slightly with embarrassment, as if he had trouble explaining. "Well, that wasn't really a gunfight. When we tried to force our way in, the bullets we fired hit the bulletproof glass. Some of the ricocheted bullets accidentally injured one of our officers."

Peter: (???)

(End of Chapter)

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