Chapter 58

Andrew Spider's pupils contracted.

He dashed out of the window and arrived at the railing of the fire escape platform, witnessing a shocking scene.

A figure descended from the sky, and while in midair, a strand of web shot from his hand. The web immediately halted the descending motion of the figure, and it swung forward, emulating the classic image that Andrew Spider often used in his own actions.

How could Andrew Spider not be astonished by this iconic scene?

It was the very posture he used!

"Who is he?" Andrew Spider grew even more perplexed.

At this moment, Gwen Stacy followed Andrew Spider out of the window.

However, her movements were slower, and by the time she emerged from the window, Mark's figure was nowhere in sight.

"Peter?"

Andrew Spider turned his head and gently patted her hand, "Gwen, I have to follow and see."

"Be safe."

"Don't worry, I'll be fine!" With that, Andrew Spider swiftly donned the suit he had just taken off, then leapt down and swung toward the direction Mark had disappeared.

—-—

On a tall building.

Mark sat casually on top of a tower, awaiting Andrew Spider's arrival.

This round of traveling had once again made him realize something.

His ability to travel wasn't precise enough to pinpoint a specific point in time—at least not yet.

When he searched for variables in parallel universes based on known movie plot points, he could only find universes that contained those variables. For instance, to search for Andrew Spider's universe, he had to input variables like "Peter Parker with the appearance of Andrew" and "Peter Parker with Gwen Stacy as his girlfriend," "Peter Parker creates the algorithm of decay rates left behind by his father, resulting in the creation of the Lizard." and so on.

Then, he could retrieve parallel universes using the spatial energy within him, find the one that fit these conditions, and convert himself into that universe's quantum state to enter it.

However, while he could find parallel universes that met these criteria, he couldn't precisely anchor himself to a specific point on the timeline of that universe, to time travel at his whim.

For example, this time, he wanted to attempt traveling to the period when Andrew Spider became Spider-Man.

Firstly, he could witness Andrew Spider's birth—the moment he was bitten by the spider.

Secondly, he could help rescue his uncle.

Though it was said that his uncle is an important part of a Spider-Men's character development. But if he could save him, why not?

There were many ways for Spider-Man to become Spider-Man; he didn't necessarily have to "sacrifice Uncle Ben."

Among so many parallel universes, perhaps there was one where Uncle Ben survived. If there was a chance in the future, he definitely wanted to take a look.

However, imagination was wonderful, but reality was cruel.

When Mark crossed over this time, following the Spider Sense guidance, he found Andrew Spider in an intimate moment with Gwen Stacy.

The scar across his chest was still there.

Mark remembered this scene.

It indicated that Uncle Ben had long passed away, and even the Lizard had appeared.

The ship had sailed, and Mark had no choice but to reluctantly accept this fact.

*Smack!*

A figure descended from the sky and landed on a rooftop not far from Mark.

"Who are you? Can you tell me now?" Andrew Spider asked loudly.

Mark stood up, shrugged his shoulders, and said, "Haven't you been following me all this way? Can't you figure out who I am?"

Andrew Spider looked puzzled and uncertain, "Are you... Are you also Spider-Man? Are there many Spider-Men in this world?"

He thought about the origin of his own abilities.

In Osborn Industries' laboratory, there were indeed hundreds of spiders present, all of which were used as test subjects for inter-species gene transfer technology research.

One of those spiders had bitten him.

Thinking this through, he wondered if he was not the only one who gained abilities from being bitten by a spider. After imagining all sorts of possibilities, Andrew Spider found himself torn between amazement and joy.

Having someone like him, of course, brought joy.

But not being unique carried a faint sense of loss.

"How long have you been Spider-Man?" Mark didn't answer his question directly but instead turned the question back on him.

Andrew Spider, who saw Mark as his "senior" Spider-Man, honestly replied, "It's been a little over a week, I guess."

"For about the same duration as me," Mark whispered to himself.

He had become Spider-Man for only around twenty days. If you excluded the time he spent resting in the main world, it was quite similar to Andrew Spider's timeline.

However, there was a significant gap in their combat capabilities.

Their different growth experiences played a significant role in this.

While Mark had only been Spider-Man for a short time, he had been fighting characters like Kingpin and Female Docs Ock, who could even be considered stage bosses or even main bosses in the game. He had also undergone joint training with Spider-Man Noir, Spider-Ham, Spider-Gwen, and Middle-Aged Peter Spider-Man.

Especially Spider-Man Noir, who had imparted a lot of knowledge to him.

On the other hand, Andrew Spider wasn't as fortunate.

After becoming Spider-Man, he immediately used his abilities to search for the murderer of his uncle, without much experience in combat against powerful individual foes.

Otherwise, someone as insignificant as the Lizard wouldn't have been so difficult to defeat.

"Ah, what?" Andrew Spider asked.

"Never mind," Mark shook his head, "It seems you're still a growing newbie. Do you need me to give you some guidance?"

In truth, Mark wasn't particularly interested in this world. His main purpose in coming here was to save Gwen Stacy and make up for Andrew Spider's lifelong regret.

That could also be considered one of his own regrets.

Of course, he didn't have any particular feelings for this Gwen Stacy.

He wasn't the type to snatch love away from others.

"Guidance from you? Can you really?" Andrew Spider was pleasantly surprised.

The battle against Lizard tonight had made him acutely aware of his own combat deficiencies.

"Of course, I can," Mark smiled and jumped down from the water tower, standing in front of Andrew Spider.

"Right here?"

"Do you have a better place in mind?"

As he spoke, Mark employed the move "Unexpected Strike" and swiftly swept Andrew Spider off his feet, sending him crashing to the ground.

It was a trick he learned from Spider-Man Noir.

Spider-Man Noir seemed to enjoy using this move as a greeting, as a reminder for others to always be vigilant.

After all, in his era, assassinations were common occurrences.

Both Mark and Miles had been on the receiving end of it.

However, Andrew Spider was a bit different from the two of them.

While he might be a newbie, he did have some experience in independent combat.

Faced with Mark's surprise attack, he leaped into the air.

But at that moment, Mark pushed off the ground with his hands and shot up into the air, delivering a kick to Andrew Spider's midsection while he was suspended without any support.

Andrew Spider was sent flying.

But that wasn't the end of it.

While in midair, Mark shot out a strand of web that attached to Andrew Spider's suit, pulling him back towards himself.

Andrew Spider struggled to respond, but he couldn't avoid a thorough beating.

°°°

A/N: *Spoiler* Next chapter will be the prelude to the battle in the school.

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