Ch.19 But Not Bully Maguire

The moment Charlie saw him, he let out a slow breath.

The fear that often loomed over him as Spider-Man settled once again.

Anyone who had been friends with Spider-Man knew that when he was infected by Venom, he became absurdly powerful.

"Hey, do you like buying discounted suits?" Charlie tried, cautiously.

Venom Parker grinned wickedly, clearly ready to strike. "I prefer breaking bones."

Charlie forced a strained smile. "Alright, well, do you want a promotion and a raise?" He was still trying.

"Enough talk. I'm hungry."

Boom!!

Suddenly, Venom Parker's suit writhed and transformed into a mass of black liquid, bursting outward into a gigantic black web that enveloped Charlie.

Thwip, thwip, thwip~~

Charlie swept his shield, tearing a hole through the black webbing. He leaped out of the trap, but just as he escaped, Venom Parker's arm morphed into a massive, ten-meter blade and sliced through the air.

Boom!!

The impact was deafening, and debris flew everywhere. The enormous blade, backed by terrifying strength, cleaved through a massive boulder, splitting it in half. The sheer range of the attack left Charlie with nowhere to run.

All he could do was raise the shield in front of him, but the unstoppable force slammed him into the rubble.

Buried in the wreckage, Charlie felt his bones creaking under the immense pressure, the pain overwhelming. Even his shield had been blasted away by the force.

Neither the shield nor his nanotech suit could withstand the monstrous strength of Venom Parker.

As the terrifying shadow loomed over him, Charlie, still pinned under the debris, managed a strained grin.

"Parker, how about we go fight Thanos instead?"

"I'm going to eat you!!"

"Wait, no way—you're serious?!"

——

[You have been eliminated, unable to gain a resurrection slot. Strength +0.2 tons awarded.]

[11 restart chances remaining. Restart? Yes/No]

Back on the cosmic web, Charlie quickly got up, rubbing his head.

"This guy definitely isn't Bully Maguire; he's really passionate about eating."

Recalling his last moments, Charlie couldn't help but gulp nervously.

By rough estimation, Venom Parker's strength was at least a hundred tons, and that was without him fully exerting himself.

Charlie didn't stand a chance.

Forget going up against him alone—even if all the contestants in this resurrection game teamed up, they'd still lose.

Definitely dangerous!

Feeling the pressure, Charlie pondered his next steps and tapped the button to restart.

[You are re-entering the resurrection game.]

In the scorching desert, Charlie found himself once again listening to Steve and Natasha's familiar conversation.

"Natasha."

"Steve."

As the mission started, Charlie threw them to safety to avoid the explosion, following the familiar sequence of events.

"Go to the bunker."

Vroom~

The jeep sped off, with Lizard Parker and Norman arriving shortly after, only to begin fighting each other again.

Seeing this, Charlie slipped away in the opposite direction from Steve.

The valley was a large circle, so heading in the opposite direction would still allow him to meet up with Steve and Natasha later.

He needed to confirm whether Venom Spider had targeted him from the start.

As he moved swiftly, relying on speed over caution, Charlie kept a watchful eye for any trouble.

Soon enough, he spotted the jeep in the distance.

It seemed Venom Spider wasn't tracking him.

He approached the jeep quickly, spotting the abandoned bunker entrance hidden in the rock. The narrow entrance could be easily concealed with some effort.

But inside the jeep, Steve and Natasha appeared to be tangled together, doing... something?

Charlie: "????"

No way, really? Even here?

Captain's old now—don't overdo it!

But as Charlie got closer, he realized something was wrong.

Where were their heads?

With a sinking feeling, Charlie sighed, raising his hands in resignation.

"Alright, I guess it's my turn."

The next second, black liquid slithered into view, forming a monstrous face behind Charlie, slowly swallowing him whole.

——

[You have been eliminated, unable to gain a resurrection slot. Strength +0.2 tons awarded.]

[10 restart chances remaining. Restart? Yes/No]

Entering his fourth resurrection, Charlie went through the motions of the previous sequences.

Venom Spider had targeted Steve and Natasha first, so one of them would have to be sacrificed.

At the jeep, Charlie wasted no time.

He quickly sketched a map of the valley's perimeter. "You two go in different directions. The bunker should be somewhere around here."

"How do you know where the bunker is?" Old Steve asked, surprised.

"Don't ask. Just call it superpowers."

Charlie grabbed two barrels of gasoline from the jeep. "Take these with you. They'll come in handy once you're inside the bunker."

With the bunker's location confirmed, Charlie didn't let them drive this time.

After setting everything up quickly, he grabbed the shield and lured Lizard Parker away.

"Hey, Mr. Lizard, come chase this crispy little bug!"

"I'm going to tear you apart!"

The plan went smoothly. With Norman joining in, Lizard Parker and Norman started fighting each other, allowing Charlie to slip away toward Steve's direction.

If he were Venom Spider, the choice between a beautiful woman and an old man was easy. Anyone could guess who he'd go after.

Sure enough, Charlie soon caught up with old Steve.

"Huff, puff~"

"You're already here? Ah, to be young again," Steve gasped, bracing himself on his legs.

Charlie took the gasoline barrel from Steve's hands. "Old soldier, how about a game of bumper cars?"

"What?"

With a bemused expression, old Steve watched as Charlie flipped the shield upside down on the ground and gestured for him to sit on it.

Seeing this, Steve quickly understood.

"Childish as it is, I'm in."

Without hesitation, old Steve sat on the shield as Charlie fired his webs, attaching them to the shield.

Swish, swish~~

The sand shifted as Charlie dragged the shield across the dunes, pulling Steve along at high speed.

The wind and sand quickly erased their tracks, and Steve's excitement grew.

"Faster! Charge!"

"Shut up, you idiot."

"How can you insult an old man like that?"

After ten minutes, Charlie reached the entrance to the bunker.

"This is it."

"Natasha's not here yet."

"She probably won't make it."

"What do you mean?"

"I'll explain inside."

With Charlie urging him on, old Steve reluctantly crawled into the bunker entrance.

Charlie followed close behind, using rocks to seal off the entrance behind them.

As the wind howled, the signs of their passage quickly disappeared.

Inside, the air grew still, the sounds of the wind and sand fading into the background. The faint smell of decay filled the air.

Charlie tapped his wrist, activating his suit's built-in light, the spider emblem glowing brightly.

Under the light, they saw broken wooden beams and webs strewn everywhere. Piles of sand reached up to their knees, and some areas had partially collapsed, but there was enough space for them to move through.

"Now will you tell me why we didn't wait for Natasha?" Steve asked, his expression serious.

Charlie dusted off the sand from his suit, speaking casually. "She's already been marked."

"So you sent her off to die on purpose?" Old Steve clenched his fists, fury in his eyes.

"Don't look at me like that."

Unfazed by Steve's anger, Charlie calmly replied, "She's already dead. If we win the resurrection game, she'll get a resurrection slot and return to your world. Do you really think that's cruel?"

Steve quickly calmed down after hearing this.

"You're right. So, when do I die?"

"Uh... you'll get your chance, just be patient."

"No problem."