Having witnessed Otto Octavius's "infinite cloning" before, Peter had absolutely no intention of wasting words with this group. Furthermore, it was glaringly obvious that as clones, the enemies across from them would likely spawn endlessly. Eliminating them here was utterly pointless; the only way to end this was to destroy the teleportation device.
"How has another Spider-Man turned up?!"
The Green Goblin's voice boomed with a mixture of fury and excitement. "No matter! Even if another seven or eight Spider-Men show up, I'll still..."
Before he could even finish his sentence, he noticed a faint pattern of blue particles manifesting across the newcomer's suit. Before anyone could react, the new Spider-Man utilized supersonic speed to scoop up the other Spider-Man and bolted.
Carrying the individual who was highly likely to be a clone, Peter ran all the way back to the vicinity of the out-of-shape Peter's attic before finally setting him down. Gwen was already inside waiting for them. The moment his feet touched the ground, this local Spider-Man stared at Peter in sheer disbelief. "Wait, another Spider-Man? Who are you guys? Some kind of clone of mine?"
"I'm afraid not. In fact, the technology of my world is vastly more advanced than what you have here."
Peter had the nanobots retract his mask. Seeing this, the Spider-Man in the classic suit nodded with certainty; he was convinced that even Osborn Corp didn't possess such nanotechnology in this world.
In a universe devoid of any superheroes other than Spider-Man, Osborn Corp undoubtedly represented the absolute pinnacle of technology.
"Then you guys..."
"We come from alternative parallel universes. You should have already realized it by now—I am Peter Parker, provided that you are Peter Parker as well."
As Peter spoke, he utilized his multiversal watch to scan the Spider-Man before him, arriving at a rather grim conclusion: this Spider-Man truly originated from this specific universe, rather than being an accidental wanderer from another reality.
In other words, the Peter Parker of this universe hadn't experienced a multiversal spider-verse storyline, but was instead about to usher in a clone saga narrative. Whether that was a blessing or a curse remained to be seen.
However, the local Spider-Man clearly wasn't dwelling on that. From the perspective of his own memories, he was the one and only Spider-Man, and he immediately began processing the situation with his signature superhero mindset. "Damn it! The Green Goblin and the others will definitely keep destroying the city to force me out to fight them!"
"Actually, I have a feeling they won't. I just engaged them in a supersonic state, so they're basically sitting ducks right now, completely oblivious to what just happened. Look, the sandstorm has stopped."
Gazing at the dissipating sandstorm in the distance, the local Spider-Man nodded, then turned back to Peter. "So... what's your plan? Don't tell me this little shack behind you houses some kind of secret weapon?"
"In a manner of speaking, yes."
As Peter spoke, he pushed open the attic door, leading the local Spider-Man into the room. Once they were all inside, Peter was surprised to find the out-of-shape Peter sipping a cola while chatting and laughing casually with Gwen.
Stepping into the room, the local Spider-Man spotted Gwen, and his entire body froze rigidly in place.
"You never bothered to mention that the girl you brought along was actually Gwen Stacy."
The out-of-shape Peter looked toward Peter with a faint smile. "It's been... what, fifteen or sixteen years since we last saw each other? I've lost track. Oh, and which Spider-Man is this one?"
"This is the Spider-Man of your own universe."
Peter's statement caused both Spider-Men to snap their heads toward him. For a moment, the out-of-shape Peter was at a loss for words, while the local Spider-Man removed his mask, revealing a face identical to the out-of-shape Peter's, albeit looking significantly sharper and more spirited.
Yet, their initial reaction was perfectly identical.
"What did you say?"
"The vibrational frequencies of your universes are identical. Not just the two of you, but those enemies out there are exactly the same; they all belong to your universe."
Peter laid out the hard facts before turning his gaze to the out-of-shape Peter. "Miles Warren—have you ever heard that name before?"
The clone Spider-Man fell into utter bewilderment, while the out-of-shape Peter seemed to recall something, pulling out his phone to perform a quick search. "Aha, a doctor of bio-genetics who once tried to recruit me as an assistant. I interned for him for a few months but stopped going because I was constantly late. I recall his field of research being... cloning?"
The out-of-shape Peter put the pieces together instantly, and the clone Spider-Man caught on as well. "Wait, you're saying I'm a clone? That's impossible! My memories are perfectly intact!"
"Mary Jane divorced you, did you know that?"
Peter's singular question caught the clone Spider-Man completely off guard. He plunged into an immediate state of psychological confusion, muttering to himself that it was impossible before roaring in disbelief, "How could we possibly be divorced! We would never..."
"She wanted a child. I got scared, so I hung up on her."
The out-of-shape Peter recounted the incident once more. Surprisingly, the clone Spider-Man seemed to realize something. His entire body coiled to bolt out the door, but after taking a mere two steps, his pace faltered, and he walked back with a slumped posture.
"...I wanted to ask Mary Jane if this was true, but then I realized something. Given the same question, our answers would be identical."
The clone let out a self-deprecating laugh. "So... cloning. How utterly ridiculous. Everything about me is a lie, non-existent. What even am I?"
"Brilliant. We started with just one guy having an existential crisis, and now you've managed to cook up two of them."
Gwen couldn't help but lean in close to Peter to whisper her criticism, prompting a helpless expression from Peter. "If my guess is correct, this situation is exactly like the incident with Otto—the number of clones could be infinite. Furthermore, to avoid triggering a Web of Destiny event, we can't call upon the Spider-Society for too much assistance. We have to rely on them to sort this out."
"Breaking news! The Daily Bugle is currently under attack!"
The sudden chaos broadcasting from the Daily Bugle's live studio drew everyone's attention to the television. On screen, the Green Goblin and Doctor Octopus stood at the absolute forefront, while a massive lineup of villains defeated by this universe's Spider-Man loomed behind them.
Or rather, their clones and substitutes.
Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, Venom, Shocker, Mysterio, Rhino, Lizard, Scorpion, Vulture, Electro, Sandman, Hydro-Man, Mister Negative, Chameleon, Kraven, and Tombstone.
"Spider-Man can no longer protect you! Whatever you intend to do is utterly futile! We are the Sinister Sixteen, and we shall rule over all of New York!"
"The grand design of the Sinister Sixteen is merely to rule over New York? Well, that's a massive relief."
Peter let out a helpless sigh. "I just hope there isn't a Sinister Sixty waiting in the wings. That would be genuinely terrifying."
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