At the side, Kingpin chuckled. "Hard to understand, isn't it? Even I find the Hardy family's traditions utterly bizarre."
Charlie sighed, "That poor guy must have gone mad from frustration—so close, yet so far. But I can't blame him—his girlfriend is incredible."
"Interested? I can give her to you," Kingpin said with a sly smile.
Upon hearing this, Ryan immediately turned around.
"Boss, no! You promised me!"
Kingpin's grin widened. "But deals can always be canceled."
"What?" Ryan froze in shock.
"Impossible! Everyone says Kingpin always keeps his word!" he stammered, trying to convince himself.
Kingpin's eyes glinted with mockery. "Is it possible that everyone who doubted my integrity is dead?"
"What—?"
Bang!
A bullet pierced Ryan's forehead. He collapsed to the ground, his face frozen in disbelief.
Kalyn tucked the pistol back into her jacket, smiling.
"Another person who doubted the boss's credibility gone."
Charlie frowned. Is this how you maintain your reputation?
Kalyn's communicator buzzed again.
"Boss, S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives have arrived," she reported.
A cruel grin spread across Kingpin's face.
"Good. The name Kingpin has been dormant for too long. Too many have forgotten us. It's time the world remembers the name Kingpin once again."
"Kill them all!"
"Yes, sir!"
Hundreds of suited men quickly disappeared into the surrounding tunnels, while the mountain's summit erupted with a deafening blast.
Boom!
In an instant, debris rained down from above. As the pyramid came under attack, nearby devices unleashed crimson laser beams that formed an energy shield, enveloping the structure in a glowing, interwoven grid.
Zzzzt!
Boom!
The moment the energy shield activated, the falling rocks shattered into fragments upon impact. Not a single stone made it past the protective barrier to damage the pyramid.
Seeing this, Charlie couldn't help but think:
With tech like this, why bother with the criminal underworld?
Still, compared to the Kingpin who built a multiversal travel device in another universe, this one seemed downright conservative.
Boom!
Suddenly, Kingpin's massive fist smashed through a large boulder that was about to crush Charlie.
As the dust settled, Kingpin raised his head to glare at the ceiling.
Through the freshly blasted hole, fully armed S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives were descending into the cavern on ropes.
Clearly, the force deployed by S.H.I.E.L.D. this time was far from ordinary.
Kingpin remained calm. He gestured toward Kalyn. "Kalyn, protect the boy. Take him somewhere safe."
"Yes, boss."
Before Charlie could react, the stunning and voluptuous Kalyn slung him over her shoulder and dashed toward the pyramid.
It was evident that Kalyn possessed superhuman strength.
"Hey, kid, impressed by how strong I am?" Kalyn teased, imagining the look of astonishment on Charlie's face.
But Charlie, with a twitching eye, muttered, "You're crushing me."
"Oh, sorry."
Kalyn quickly adjusted to a princess-carry position, all while dodging falling debris with swift and precise movements.
Meanwhile, Charlie felt his face repeatedly bumping into something.
Thud, thud, thud~
"Could you slow down? I'm feeling a bit dizzy," he groaned.
"Hang in there for a little longer," Kalyn replied.
Moments later, they reached the perimeter of the pyramid.
Buzz~
Sensing Kalyn's presence, the energy shield opened a small gap, allowing them to enter.
"Alright, you're safe now."
Kalyn set Charlie down and was about to tease him further when two red-and-blue figures swung down from above. In an instant, a webbed net ensnared Kalyn.
"Got her!"
"Yes!"
The two figures landed with an enthusiastic high-five.
Kalyn frowned at the two impostor Spider-Men standing before her.
"When did you get in here?" she asked.
Ben Parker smirked. "We've been here for a while. We were planning to wait until you let your guard down, but since you brought the hostage over, it saved us the trouble."
Nearby, Aunt May, clad in her own Spider-Suit, approached Charlie.
"Are you alright, sweetie? Did they hurt you?" she asked with concern.
Hearing her familiar voice, Charlie felt like the sky was falling.
He'd just completed the fifth spider totem, and now Aunt May and Uncle Ben were rushing headlong into danger.
This operation was doomed.
"I'm fine. Thank you... Spider-Man," Charlie said, deciding to drop the matter.
He threw up his hands in resignation. "Really, I'm okay."
Aunt May nodded, then turned to Kalyn.
"How do we disable these strange devices?" she asked, pointing at the laser equipment nearby.
Kalyn sneered. "You think I'd tell you?"
"Then let's show you what we can do!" Ben Parker said, raising a fist threateningly.
Kalyn scoffed. "Just hearing your voices, I can tell what you are—two old fossils. Today, you're—"
Before she could finish, Ben and Aunt May suddenly grabbed Charlie and swung away toward the pyramid.
Kalyn: "..."
What just happened?
"That woman looks tough," Aunt May noted.
"She's definitely superpowered. No normal person could run that fast while carrying Charlie," Ben agreed.
"I don't think we can beat her."
"If it feels like we can't win, then we definitely can't."
"Exactly."
"Hey, Spider-People, can you stop tossing me around?" Charlie grumbled mid-swing.
Thwip~
Ben caught Charlie mid-swing, landing at the pyramid's entrance.
"Sorry, but if we didn't toss you, we couldn't reload our web-shooters."
"Fair enough."
Charlie glanced back at Kalyn, who was tearing through the webbing and charging toward them. Without hesitation, he entered the pyramid.
"Where are you going?" Aunt May asked.
"Where are you taking me?" Charlie stopped briefly.
Aunt May surveyed the area. "We could try leading her in circles. If we go inside, we might get trapped."
"Don't worry—the real Spider-Man is already here."
With that, Charlie strode deeper into the pyramid.
Behind him, Aunt May and Ben exchanged a look.
"How does he know Spider-Man will come?"
"Don't you remember? Spider-Man is his friend."
"Oh, right. I forgot."
"Hurry up! That scary woman is catching up."
They rushed inside, only to lose sight of Charlie in the narrow corridors.
"Oh no, Charlie's gone!" Aunt May exclaimed.
"Don't worry. I've relocated him somewhere safe," came a voice from above.
Suspended upside-down from the ceiling in his metallic nanotech suit, Charlie had switched into his Spider-Man persona.
Ben gasped. "Metal Spider-Suit—it's Spider-Man!"
"Yes, I'm your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. Care to help me save the world?" Charlie extended the invitation.
"Of course! It's an honor," Aunt May said, her excitement palpable.
She seemed to have reverted to her youthful, passionate self.
"You can't escape!"
Kalyn's cold voice echoed from behind.
But as she emerged, a red-and-blue blur darted past her.
"No—!"
Crash!
It was like being hit by a truck. Kalyn was sent flying and smashed into the ground. Pain shot through her body as she realized her bones were dislocated. She screamed in agony.
"How... how could it be... Spider-Man!" Kalyn looked up at the metallic figure near the pyramid, her face filled with disbelief.
"You can still talk?" Charlie looked at her in surprise, then at his own fist.
What on Earth had absorbed the brunt of his punch?
Whatever it was, it must have been incredibly durable.
Ignoring the incapacitated Kalyn, Charlie waved for Ben and Aunt May to follow him.
"Spider-Man's amazing! One punch, and that woman's down!"
"No wonder Charlie idolizes him."
"Do you think we could become just like him?"
Charlie didn't bother addressing their whispers.
Given what he'd seen, Uncle Ben and Aunt May's physical capabilities had been significantly enhanced—more so than the other spider mutants.
The Parker family—what else could you expect?
The trio soon emerged into a larger chamber, about 200 square meters in size.
Golden light radiated from the ceiling, resembling a small sun illuminating the space. Weathered walls reflected faint golden glimmers.
At the center stood a statue of an Egyptian pharaoh, bowing reverently toward the sun. Beneath it rested the Time Stone, still and silent.
"Who's there?"
"It's Spider-Man—three of them!"
The suited guards near the Time Stone raised their weapons and opened fire.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Bullets whizzed through the air as Charlie stepped in front of Ben and Aunt May, deflecting the shots with his nanotech suit.
Clink! Clink! Clink!
Sparks flew from the armor as Charlie fired webs, disarming the guards and stringing them up from the ceiling.
Before Ben and Aunt May could process what had happened, the fight was over.
"What just happened?"
"I think Spider-Man just caught bullets with his bare hands."
"We're Spider-Men too. Maybe we could try it sometime—"
"No trying!" Charlie snapped, frowning. "That's a quick way to get killed."
His nanotech communicator beeped.
"Where are you? Kingpin is tough—I need backup!" Carter's voice was urgent.
"What?" Charlie frowned. Even with her current strength, Carter couldn't handle Kingpin?
"I'll be there soon. Hold on."
He hung up, reassured by the room's sole exit.
"Stay here and guard the stone. I'll be back soon."
With that, Charlie dashed out of the pyramid.
Left behind, Ben and Aunt May idly wandered around the pharaoh statue.
"So this is the stone Spider-Man wanted us to protect?" Aunt May asked, running her fingers over the Time Stone.
Ben nodded. "It must be. This thing's definitely important."
"What about this statue?" Aunt May pointed to the pharaoh.
Ben studied it. "I think it's one of ancient Egypt's pharaohs. They worshipped the sun god. Looks like he's performing some kind of prayer."
"Is the sun god here?" Aunt May looked around.
Ben gestured toward the glowing ceiling. "That's probably the sun god. Unlike other mythologies, Egypt's sun god wasn't humanoid."
Aunt May gazed up at the light, deep in thought.
"Let's pray to the sun god to help Charlie find a girlfriend!" she suggested.
Ben: "..."
"The sun god isn't Cupid."
"Well, a god's a god. Shouldn't make much difference."
"But—"
"Get on with it."
"Fine!"
Reluctantly, Ben knelt beside Aunt May and clasped his hands in prayer.
"Great Sun God, please grant our Charlie a kind, beautiful girlfriend. Bonus points if she's rich..."
Buzz!
Suddenly, the light from the ceiling intensified, as if the deity had responded.
"Look, it's working!" Aunt May exclaimed.
The bright light beamed onto the pharaoh statue, then refracted across the walls before converging on the Time Stone. Finally, it engulfed the pair.
"Oh no—our bodies—!"
Meanwhile, outside the pyramid.
Crash! Crash!
Explosions echoed as rubble scattered from every mountain entrance. Amid the chaos, silver Rhino Mechs burst forth, charging into battle.
"Hahaha, kill them all!"
"Let's show them our power!"
The hulking machines, piloted by Kingpin's men, ignored the hail of bullets and rampaged through the battlefield, destroying everything in their path.
A massive mech lunged toward Carter, who raised her shield to block its iron fist.
Boom!
The force knocked the Rhino Mech back, but before Carter could counterattack, another section of the mountain crumbled. Emerging from the debris was a giant mechanical spider, barreling through soldiers and crushing everything in its way.
High above, Harry Osborn dropped pumpkin bombs, their fiery explosions lighting up the battlefield. Yet, the thick armor of the Rhino Mechs rendered the attacks ineffective.
"Damn it, what now?" Harry muttered as the mechanical spider locked onto him, firing grappling cables.
"Spider-Slayers," Kingpin announced from the battlefield. His voice was calm but filled with malice.
Designed specifically to kill Spider-Man, the Spider-Slayers wreaked havoc, with Kingpin casually strolling through the carnage, dispatching soldiers with a single punch each.
Watching from S.H.I.E.L.D.'s command center, Nick Fury clenched his fists.
"I underestimated him. Initiate Plan B."
"Yes, sir," Coulson replied, rushing to carry out orders.
Back at the pyramid, the ground rumbled as the floor cracked like a spider's web. The vibrations fried nearby laser equipment, disabling the protective shield.
In the dust-filled chamber, a figure stood tall.
Kingpin narrowed his eyes.
For the first time in a long while, he felt a sense of danger—a worthy opponent.