The next day.
Charlie returned to Black Street.
The mutant cells in Uncle Ben and Aunt May remained a potential hazard, so he needed to handle it himself.
"Hey, Charlie, you're back."
Next door, Mary Jane noticed Charlie's return while she was weeding the garden.
Charlie waved in greeting. "Hey, Mary Jane, it's rare to see you working."
Mary Jane put down the shovel, wiping the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand.
"I heard you joined Dr. Otto's project. Congratulations." She walked up to Charlie, forcing a smile.
She had heard from Gwen that Dr. Otto was one of the world's top scientists, and there was a good chance he'd win the Nobel Prize this year.
Charlie was invited by Dr. Otto to join his lab, not as an assistant for menial tasks, but to officially participate in the great artificial sun experiment—one of the world's most significant projects.
He was destined to become a famous scientist in the future.
Meanwhile, she was just an ordinary girl. Although young, pretty, attractive, good at cooking, and gentle in personality, her bad family situation and lack of standout talents made her feel inferior.
Compared to Charlie, who was about to become a top scientist, her so-called advantages seemed meaningless.
She knew very well that the gap between them was growing larger.
Seeing Mary Jane unusually quiet, Charlie found it difficult to understand a woman's thoughts.
"You heard it from Gwen, didn't you?"
He smiled and said, "I refused the offer. If I actually took part in Dr. Otto's project, I would definitely lose my hair in the next few years."
"What?"
Mary Jane was taken aback. Although secretly happy, she still felt a bit regretful.
"This is such a great opportunity. I think you should really consider it," she said, worried Charlie might regret it in the future.
Charlie shook his head. "No need to think about it. I've told you before—do what you're capable of. I can't help Dr. Otto complete his experiment, so I didn't accept his offer."
Hearing this, Mary Jane lowered her head.
"Do you really think you're not capable?"
"Of course. I know myself well."
"Good, that makes me feel better."
Mary Jane cheered, "Yay! Great, you really are just like me—a dummy." She smiled brightly.
Charlie: "..."
"Crazy. I'm done talking to you. I'm going home to eat. Want to join?"
"Sure, but I need to go change first."
"Troublesome."
Charlie watched Mary Jane bouncing away, shaking his head.
"Hopeless."
Mary Jane's family situation was pretty bad; when they were kids, she often came over for meals.
Growing up influenced by Charlie, her values were much more normal compared to the Mary Jane in the movies—at least she didn't hang out in bars or associate with delinquents.
That was something Charlie was relieved about.
However, what troubled him was that ever since she briefly became "Spider-Woman," she had started letting loose a bit.
Did the mutant cells unlock her true nature? Hmm, could be.
Anyone who has been Spider-Man knows that putting on the suit and hiding your identity gives you the freedom to do whatever you want.
Creak
At that moment, Aunt May opened the door upon hearing some noise.
Seeing it was Charlie, she immediately beamed and came over, ruffling his hair playfully.
"Oh, my dear Charlie, you finally came home. Come in, I'll make your favorite... Wait, what was your favorite again?" Aunt May seemed to forget.
Charlie: "..."
Does love fade away, and so does family affection?
Well, maybe it's just old age.
"I love beef," Charlie replied.
Aunt May suddenly remembered, "Oh, right, right. I remember now. I'll make it for you right away—there's some left in the fridge."
She pulled Charlie into the house and headed straight for the kitchen.
"No need. I've got a cook," Charlie said, holding Aunt May back. "Tonight, Mary Jane's cooking."
"Did she agree?"
"No."
"You naughty boy. Fine, we can see if her cooking has improved."
Aunt May then turned back to glare at Ben Parker, who was sitting on the couch.
"You old man, aren't you going to get the wine you've hidden?"
Ben reluctantly put down his newspaper. "Kids shouldn't be drinking."
"They're not kids anymore."
"Oh, you're right. I almost forgot."
Ben stood up and went to the cabinet to get the wine, while Aunt May dragged Charlie to the couch.
"Oh, poor Charlie, you've lost weight."
"Not really, just been busy lately."
Charlie replied, trying to find an opportunity to release the small spider.
The news on the television was reporting last night's incident at the stage.
"Mr. J. Jonah Jameson, you were present at the scene. Is what people are saying really true?" the host asked.
Jonah looked furious, rubbing his small mustache.
"I can confirm—Spider-Man is nothing but a devil! His actions were despicable! He stole my..."
"What?"
"He stole what little respect I had for him."
"Respect? Did you ever have any?"
"Of course not."
The host was clearly used to Jonah's nonsense.
He continued, "But according to official information, Spider-Man was trying to prevent a second mutation of the cells."
Jonah snorted. "That's just an excuse. The hateful Spider-Man is selfish. He's already got tons of haters. Everyone knows how terrible he is."
"Alright, moving on to our next topic—let's talk about Spider-Man's new web..."
Suddenly, the screen went black—Aunt May had turned off the TV.
"That Jonah guy doesn't seem like a good person. I don't believe a word he says."
"Me neither," Ben said, bringing the wine over. "But it's pretty clear Spider-Man wants to eliminate the mutated cells in us. It won't be long before he comes to us."
Aunt May nodded, sighing. "Yeah, I haven't had enough fun yet!"
With that, she shot a web, pulling an apple from the table into her hand.
"Charlie, have an apple." Aunt May smiled.
Charlie's eyelid twitched. "Uh, alright, sure."
He took the apple, and Aunt May frowned.
"Charlie, aren't you curious why we have superpowers?"
Charlie shrugged. "It's not really news anymore."
"Because you installed cameras in the house," Ben added.
Aunt May slapped her forehead. "Oh right, I forgot again. I knew about that."
"Hahaha, since you know, you should come with us obediently!"
Suddenly, a group of men in suits barged in, the leader pointing a gun at the three of them.
"Charlie Parker, your friend hasn't found what the boss wants. The boss is tired of waiting, so we have to personally invite you."
"Who are you?" Ben Parker stepped in front of Aunt May, looking scared, though his right hand behind his back was ready for action.
Seeing this, Charlie subtly pushed Ben's hand down and then stepped forward.
"I'll go with you."
"Very good, then I will be civil and not harm your family."
The leader shook his gun, and the men quickly pulled a black hood over Charlie's head, escorting him to the black SUV parked outside.
Throughout this, Ben and Aunt May hugged each other, hands covering each other's mouths, eyes wide with fear.
The leader looked puzzled.
"Have you two experienced something like this before?" he asked.
The couple shook their heads.
The man frowned. "But the way you're reacting, you seem experienced."
"If we make a sound, you'll shoot us. That's how it goes in movies." Ben said this before Aunt May manually covered his mouth again.
The man blinked, then grinned. "Good. If everyone I dealt with was like you two, my job would be so much easier."
With that, he led his men away.
Watching the black SUV leave, Ben finally exhaled.
"They're gone."
Aunt May nodded. "Charlie got himself into trouble."
The next second, the couple exchanged a smile.
"Interested in being a real Spider-Man for once?"
"Of course. Let me get my suit."
"Haha, get ready to receive Charlie's admiration!"
"Yes, Charlie will be proud of us."
...
Meanwhile, inside the SUV.
"Guys, can I get a new hood? This one smells terrible," Charlie complained.
The leader coldly replied, "No new hood."
"Then take this one off."
"Do you think that's possible?"
"Of course it is. Your boss must've told you to treat me well."
"How did you know that?"
"Classic line. Kingpin's no exception."
"The treatment he meant isn't what you're thinking."
"Buddy, trying to guess what Kingpin thinks is dangerous. He definitely didn't say to treat Spider-Man's friends roughly. Kingpin and Spider-Man may not end up as enemies. You'd best be polite to me—unless you're Kingpin's favorite, in which case he might not mind handing you over to Spider-Man..."
"Fine, I agree. Now, shut up."
The man finally relented.
The moment the hood was removed, Charlie saw Mary Jane sitting next to him, bound and gagged.
She looked at him in terror, her eyes widening. She was equally stunned—this guy was a friend of Spider-Man?
He'd never said anything about that.
Charlie stayed silent for a moment, then turned and asked, "Why isn't she wearing a hood?"
The leader coldly responded, "She's pretty. The hood would hide that."
Charlie: "..."
"Let her go. You only need me."
"No. Grabbing you was the boss's order. Grabbing this woman was my decision."
The leader eyed Mary Jane, admiring her as if she were an artwork.
Charlie rolled his eyes. "You sure you want to do this?"
"Of course. The boss won't care what we do after the job's done."
"It seems you didn't hear me clearly earlier—be polite to Spider-Man's friends."
"You're Spider-Man's friend. She isn't."
"She's a friend of Spider-Man's friend. A friend's friend is also a friend. Clearly, you've never had friends, or you'd understand that a friend's friend is a friend..."
"Shut up!"
The leader was growing agitated. He looked at his men.
"Release the woman."
"What?"
His men looked reluctant.
"Boss, this kid's words can't be trusted. Besides, the boss and Spider-Man..."
"Shut up!"
Bang!
The leader shot the man in the head, blood splattering across the window. Mary Jane's eyes widened in terror.
Charlie just shook his head—the idiot had already exposed Kingpin's intentions.
"Fool. That's what happens when you say the wrong thing. Let her go," the leader said grimly.
"Y-yes, sir..."
Seeing their boss lose his temper, none of the men dared protest.
The SUV stopped by the roadside, and Mary Jane was thrown out.
"Mmm...mm!"
Watching the SUV drive away, Mary Jane struggled to get up.
Those jerks—didn't even bother untying her before leaving.
Whoosh
The next moment, two red-and-blue figures landed in front of Mary Jane.
Spider-Men?
Mary Jane blinked, but soon realized.
"It's Mary Jane," Ben Parker said, ripping the tape off her mouth.
Finally able to speak, Mary Jane shouted, "Go save him! He was taken by someone—it was Kingpin!"
Aunt May helped tidy Mary Jane's disheveled hair, speaking gently. "Child, it's alright."
...
S.H.I.E.L.D.
"Captain, we got word—Charlie was taken by Kingpin, right on Black Street."
Agent Hill knocked before entering Carter's office.
Carter glanced at her calmly. "I see. Go find Nick Fury. Let him decide how to handle this."
"What?"
Agent Hill thought she had misheard. Wasn't Charlie related to Captain Carter? How could she be so calm about this? Frowning, she said, "The Commander doesn't care about Spider-Man's friends—it's unlikely he'll take an interest."
"Just go. He'll act, and I'll cooperate." Carter's expression remained indifferent.
"Alright, I understand."
Agent Hill nodded, turning to leave.
After Agent Hill left, Carter smiled slightly.
"A mystical stone that can make people young again—this time, all resources should be mobilized, right?"
She knew the agents she had been able to deploy so far weren't S.H.I.E.L.D.'s finest.
Nick Fury had just been throwing a small part of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s resources at her.
But this time, with the Time Stone involved, even if Nick knew it was her deliberately leaking the information, he would willingly take over the operation.
Carter also wanted to see what the true S.H.I.E.L.D. looked like.
With that thought, she opened the virtual computer, showing a moving red dot on the map.
This was Charlie's current location.
After a moment's thought, she made a call.
"Hello, Felicia, this is Carter. Spider-Man probably mentioned me. Plans have changed—Charlie was taken by Kingpin. You can take the Time Stone to him now. Spider-Man will be there soon."
"I understand."
On the other end, Felicia hung up.
Staring at Walter in the hospital bed, she took a deep breath.
"Father, you'll be alright."
With that, she left the underground hospital, driving to the Edison Apartments.
Thankfully, Spider-Man had told her in advance where he'd hidden the Time Stone.
Before long, she found the Time Stone in Charlie's apartment.
Yeah, hidden under the bed.
The original plan was for Spider-Man to take the Time Stone and wait for Kingpin to reach out.
But Kingpin was getting impatient.
Kidnapping Charlie was a move to threaten Spider-Man.
Plans had changed, but the impact was minimal.
Hopefully, everything goes smoothly.
Felicia prayed in her heart.