Chapter 703: A Grand Incident (Part 19) (Patreon)

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"Doctor Octopus? Who's that?" Peter asked, swinging alongside Amazing Spider-Man.

"You don't know? He's a member of the Sinister Six!" Amazing Spider-Man swiftly shot out a web, darting between New York's skyscrapers and quickly reaching the rooftop of the building where Doctor Octopus was.

"The Sinister Six?" Peter was puzzled. "Who are they? Why don't I recognize them?"

"How long have you been Spider-Man?" Amazing Spider-Man asked, taken aback.

"Almost two years now. Why?"

"Haven't you encountered villains like Sandman, Electro, or Doctor Octopus? Who have you been up against since your debut? Green Goblin? Maybe Lizard Man?"

Peter paused to reflect on his nearly two-year superhero career and realized he hadn't independently faced many foes. He had dealt with Lizard Man alongside Stark. Although he had independently captured Bullseye, King Pin's minion, he had often relied on guidance from others. In fact, he hadn't tackled a villain entirely on his own from discovery to capture.

After explaining his experience, Amazing Spider-Man's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "What have you been doing for the past two years?"

Peter recalled his activities. His mind flooded with experimental data. Initially, he joined a cryogenics research team, working on projects like developing cryogenic weapons, civilian applications, and cost-cutting measures. He later participated in Dr. Connors' research on lizard serum, mainly focusing on regenerating limbs. Afterward, he shifted to a materials team to develop a new substance called Molten Steel. By the time the Solar System project was gaining traction, he transitioned to astronomical observation tasks. Peter had immersed himself in multiple fields - cryogenics, biology, physics, chemistry, materials science, and astronomy, excelling in each one.

His daily routine consisted of school, the laboratory, and home. The only deviations were his occasional patrols where he would stop minor robberies. He had never dedicated significant time to battling a particular nemesis.

"The Sinister Six consists of Doctor Octopus, Vulture, Electro, Sandman, Mysterio, and Kraven the Hunter. They're my primary adversaries. I battle these wicked criminals daily. Remember, if you encounter them, do everything in your power to capture them. They pose a grave threat to New York," Amazing Spider-Man warned.

Peter nodded, albeit not entirely grasping the gravity of the situation. Amazing Spider-Man shook his head in disbelief and swung away, shouting, "Hey, Doctor Octopus! Look over here! Spider-Man's coming for you!"

As Amazing Spider-Man swooped down, he weaved through a massive tentacle of Doctor Octopus, delivering a kick to another.

Suddenly, a figure clad in an iron combat suit soared beneath the tentacle. Stark yelled, "Peter! What's the matter? Your tactics are rusty!"

"Hey, Mr. Stark, I'm over here!" Peter, having just arrived, shouted in slight annoyance.

Iron Man swiftly maneuvered past the tentacle and fired a shot. Although the tentacle dodged, it was met by a flying kick from Peter. Iron Man executed a stunning aerial maneuver, followed by a forceful elbow strike on the tentacle.

"Nice move!" Peter cheered.

"Wait! There's been a misunderstanding!" Another Spider-Man swung in from the horizon.

However, before he could explain, he had to dodge an oncoming tentacle. As he did, he yelled, "Stop fighting! Dr. Otto, I shouldn't have taken an early leave..."

"Doctor Octopus, your reign of terror ends now!" Amazing Spider-Man exclaimed, punching the base of one tentacle. Sparks flew, and the tentacle thrashed wildly.

"Mr. Stark! Aim for the base of his tentacles!" Peter instructed.

Upon receiving a direct hit to his tentacle, Doctor Octopus, in agony, went berserk. Iron Man prepared to ascend for a better vantage point when Amazing Spider-Man, seizing the opportunity, attached a web to the tentacle nearest to Iron Man.

As the tentacle was yanked towards him, Peter, intending to follow Amazing Spider-Man's lead, swung in the same direction. At that moment, the last Spider-Man on the scene, seemingly trying to mediate, also moved towards the fray.

Stark wanted to retreat, but his path was blocked by the two incoming Spider-Men. Doctor Octopus struggled against Amazing Spider-Man's webbing, exerting force in the opposite direction. As he broke free, his tentacle whipped back, sending Iron Man crashing into a building.

With a loud crash, Iron Man embedded into the wall. All three Spider-Men rushed towards the building, sticking to the wall like spiders, making their way to Iron Man.

Shaking his head, Stark inquired, "JARVIS, what's happening? Do I have a concussion? Why are there three Spider-Men?"

In his line of sight, three nearly identical Spider-Men leaned in close, their expressions filled with worry. Stark waved them off forcefully with his hand.

Controlling his combat suit, he burst out from the building's wall. He stared at the trio of Spider-Men surrounding him, asking in astonishment, "Peter, what the hell are you up to? How did you become three?"

Peter was about to reply when the last arriving Spider-Man interjected with some urgency, "Wait, I can explain. The thing is, Dr. Otto isn’t..."

Just then, Doctor Octopus's tentacle swung at them. The three Spider-Men and Iron Man scattered in different directions. One of the Spider-Men shouted continuously, "Stop! It's a misunderstanding!"

Of the remaining two Spider-Men, one was ferociously on the offensive, the other looked utterly baffled. Their nearly identical figures darted amidst the tentacles. Stark hovered in mid-air, covering his eyes and exclaimed, "Am I hallucinating from staying up too late? What is going on?"

"Sir, scans indicate that all three are Peter Parker," Jarvis responded.

"Did Peter clone himself?" Stark said with surprise. "I always told him not to mess with Connors and his weird biological techniques. Did he actually split himself into three?"

"According to the scans, these three Peter Parkers are not clones. They have slight differences," Jarvis replied.

However, Doctor Octopus wasn’t about to let Iron Man off the hook. Controlling one of his long tentacles, he whipped it at Stark again. Jarvis advised, "Scan indicates that the tentacles are neurally connected. Neutralize the main body to control the tentacles. Tactical suggestion: activate the electroshock module."

Soon, electricity coursed over Iron Man. He tucked in his arms, speeding forward with fluid maneuvers, dodging the flailing tentacles. As he accelerated, his surroundings blurred, but his target, Doctor Octopus, became clearer.

Like a missile, Stark flew towards Doctor Octopus, slowing down at the last moment, then reached out and grabbed him, electrocuting him in the process.

In an instant, the four tentacles on Doctor Octopus's back ceased working. After a series of electric sparks, they drooped lifelessly, and Doctor Octopus began to plummet.

Before he could crash, one of the Spider-Men caught him with a web and safely placed him on the nearest building rooftop.

All three Spider-Men regrouped on the rooftop. Iron Man landed, placing his hands on his hips, scanning the trio, "Now, can someone explain what's going on?"

"I am Spider-Man!" Peter stepped forward and continued, his voice softening, "They might be too..."

The Amazing Spider-Man shrugged, "Okay, I'm Spider-Man too, but not the one you know. I mean, you do know me... in my universe, but..."

"Stop! Let me explain," another Spider-Man interjected, "It’s not what you think. Dr. Otto isn’t a bad guy, it’s just that..."

At this moment, Doctor Octopus, lying on the ground, coughed and slowly sat up. The Amazing Spider-Man retreated cautiously, assuming a defensive stance.

Stark took a closer look at the tentacled man, puzzled, "Otto, as in nuclear physicist Otto Octavius?"

"Correct," one of the Spider-Men replied, helping Otto up. The Amazing Spider-Man exclaimed, "Hey! What are you doing? Why are you helping Doctor Octopus?!"

"Doctor Octopus? Who’s that? This is Dr. Otto, the head of a joint nuclear physics research group. Uh, he had a slight accident..."

Stark landed and approached Otto, sizing him up. Otto looked pale and sported huge dark circles under his eyes. Stark inquired, "What happened to you? How did you end up like this?"

Otto coughed vigorously and exclaimed, "You have the nerve to ask that, Tony Stark?!"

Stark stepped back, stunned by the bitterness in Otto's tone. What had he done to incite such resentment?

"Dr. Otto, please calm down. I understand you’ve been working hard, but..." the Spider-Man supporting him began.

"Working hard?" Dr. Otto murmured, raising his voice, "Hard? I'm almost dead from exhaustion! All you do is swing around New York instead of helping in the laboratory!"

"What's going on?" Stark asked, observing that Otto didn't seem to be intentionally causing chaos. He appeared lucid and showed no intent to wreak havoc on society. After all, his tentacles had been swinging around New York for a while, only breaking windows and not injuring anyone.

Otto sighed deeply, his voice hinting at his near-collapse from stress. He began, "It all started when someone from a so-called Solar System Development Project approached me..."

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 704: The Infinite Event (Part 20)