When Peter once again opened his eyes, he realized that this time it really was a wall. The impact had been powerful enough to leave the outline of his body embedded in it like something from a cartoon.
Remembering that, Peter quickly looked down at his hands again and realized they had returned to normal.
He let out a relieved sigh.
Before he could move, a sheet of paper suddenly appeared in front of him. Peter caught it and began reading.
According to the message, he was temporarily hidden from technological surveillance and mystical detection. The Web could not properly distinguish him either because, as a spider-totem, it mistook him for the Peter Parker native to this reality. As a result, he could move around largely unnoticed.
However, the message also warned him to leave the area quickly because dimensional energy could still be tracked.
Thanks, One Above All, Peter thought sarcastically.
"Okay. We need to move. I do not want my plans falling apart when I have barely started."
Activating his invisibility, Peter escaped the area by jumping from building to building. He wanted to swing, but doing so would attract unnecessary attention, especially since he was currently wearing only the upper portion of the suit without a mask.
"Cortana, give me the date and time of this place. No need for a location. We are obviously in New York. Also, find the most recent major event involving this world's Spider-Man."
Peter continued moving.
"And do not broadly gather information from this place. It is contaminated with lies and bad deeds. Concentrate only on finding what I specifically ask you to find. I do not want you becoming obsessed with everything available here. We will have plenty of opportunities to make more trips and gather information later."
"Understood. It is 8:36 PM on September 16th, and the most recent major event was something called the Goblin War, which occurred approximately two and a half months ago."
Cortana paused briefly.
"Apparently, this Peter does not share your methods. However, he changed them for approximately one year and nine months before returning to his previous habit of not killing after the war.
During that period, he exchanged his red-and-blue suit for a red-and-black one. After several additional changes, he eventually adopted the suit you are currently wearing as his primary one."
Well, I know there is a time difference between my Multiverse and this one. I have to finish everything quickly. I only have twenty-four hours, or until I give the signal to escape.
Peter continued jumping across the rooftops.
I have already lost track of how much time has passed in my Multiverse. I wish I could stay here longer and gather information. This place is a gold mine for me, but time is not on my side. I will have to hurry and return another time when things are calmer.
As Peter moved farther away from his arrival point, he listened to Cortana explain what had been happening in this universe and compared the information with what he remembered from the comics.
Once he was far enough away, Peter deactivated his invisibility and looked around.
He immediately noticed countless things that did not exist in his universe: certain restaurants, unfamiliar buildings, the enormous tower marked with a giant A, and, on a massive screen, a man with a Hitler-style mustache loudly ranting over an image of Spider-Man.
"Wait a minute."
Peter stopped and stared at the screen.
He immediately recognized Spider-Man's most infamous media enemy.
"Jonah Hitler Jameson. A man who somehow finds a way to make my life difficult across the entire vast Multiverse."
"Pff."
Cortana tried and failed to suppress her laughter.
"Dear. Find me a place where substances that cannot be legally obtained are being sold."
"Wait. Let me connect to the local network. It might take a...no, wait. I can connect through another network. The suit AI's connection is still active."
There was a brief pause.
"Parker Industries appears to host the primary server. This Peter is just as wealthy as you. He even built his own rather impressive company."
Another pause followed.
"Hmm. I found three illegal drug operations approximately three blocks to your left."
"Find Jameson's apartment."
A few moments later, Cortana responded.
"He lives alone. He divorced a few weeks ago. Apparently, his wife could no longer tolerate his constant yelling and obsession with Spider-Man, which eventually led her to divorce him and obtain a restraining order because she believed he had become unstable."
Cortana paused.
"And... Peter, I think you are going to like this."
"And what would that be?"
"Jameson has several skeletons in his closet. There have been multiple complaints involving abuse of power in the workplace. Several former employees have accused him of unfair pay and, on some occasions, failing to provide proper severance."
Her tone became more serious.
"He is also connected indirectly to a suicide case. According to the available records, an individual took their own life after a relative died in the hospital because they could not afford the necessary treatment. The financial crisis was allegedly connected to inadequate wages provided under Jameson's management."
Peter's expression hardened slightly.
"All of this is currently being suppressed because Jameson has certain connections who are holding the information for possible future blackmail," Cortana finished.
"Well, it seems this Jameson is far more rotten than ours and its counterparts, and that benefits us considerably. Download everything connected to Jameson, verify the videos and documents, and confirm that these locations have not changed in this universe."
"On the move."
"Okay. Once we finish this, we will be dealing with one major nuisance."
Peter checked the location.
"He does not live far away. That makes things considerably easier."
Peter quickly reached the location of one of the drug operations. Dropping from above, he struck the ground and released a burst of bioelectricity, sending the discharge through the surrounding area and overwhelming the men before they could properly react.
Several collapsed unconscious.
A few did not survive the overload.
Peter did not dwell on it.
He fractured specific parts of the unconscious dealers' bodies to prevent them from immediately pursuing him once they woke, gathered the drugs into one of the bags already present, and left the area without attracting unnecessary attention.
Jumping between buildings, Peter made his way toward Jameson's apartment and entered through the easiest available access point.
Once inside, he identified several optimal hiding places for the merchandise. The entire process took approximately twenty minutes.
When everything was ready, Peter secured the apartment and left without much concern. The building only had cameras outside and on the lower floors, with no meaningful surveillance covering the upper residential levels.
"Schedule the video to upload after Jameson gets off work. Release everything in intervals to make the situation more believable."
Peter's expression became serious.
"I want this man off television before the Chinese New Year."
"Understood."