Marvel: The Amazing Spider-Man in the Multiverse

The roar of helicopter rotors echoed in his ears. Nick Fury, his single eye slightly narrowed, gazed through the bulletproof window at the Avengers Tower, shrinking into the distance.

He didn't believe in the totem legends of Madame Web, but he clearly knew the origin of the spider that bit Peter and Cindy—it was a product of the "Savage Force" super-soldier program, aiming to create a new generation of super-soldiers using animal genes. The earliest director was the British Professor Nathaniel Essex, but he handed the project over to two of his students, Richard Parker and Herbert Edgar Wyndham, when he shifted to research on mutant genes.

The latter had been missing for years, while Richard chose spiders as his research subject. He and his wife, Mary Parker, conducted the research together, withdrawing from the project a few years ago, passing it on to Richard's student, Jonathan Drew.

The reason for their withdrawal was the discovery that the US military was sharing relevant data with another secret organization. This was also why Nick Fury recruited them, ultimately leading to their deaths at the hands of the Winter Soldier.

The deaths of Richard and Mary Parker were a significant mistake for SHIELD, but their sacrifice was not without value—it tore open Hydra's carefully woven disguise. This terrorist organization, supposedly eradicated in World War II, was not only alive but had extended its tendrils into the very bone marrow of the post-war order.

A.I.M., Roxxon, the Hand... these Hydra factions surfacing were merely the tip of the iceberg. And "Savage Force"—known internally to Hydra as "Project Two"—was just the beginning. Fury's temple throbbed. If the overt Savage Force project could birth three superpowered individuals, how many monsters had Project Two, secretly orchestrated by Hydra, brought forth?

More critically, Hydra certainly had moles within SHIELD, but the exact number of these moles and whether they could all be caught in one sweep were unknowns to Nick Fury at this moment.

"He knows these things."

Fury frowned, watching Avengers Tower disappear from view, recalling Peter Parker's earlier remarks.

Did Richard leave him something?

Wilson, cigar clamped between his teeth, walked into the basement of Fisk Tower. Aaron Davis followed silently like a shadow, smoke swirling under the incandescent lights. Something new was being built here—a high-spec, concealed laboratory.

"It's a pleasure to meet you here, Doctor Otto Octavius."

Facing the outstretched mechanical arm, Kingpin didn't refuse to shake it, then released it: "I believe you understand my request. Spider-Man has severely disrupted New York's underground trade. I need weapons capable of dealing with him."

"The honor is mine, Mr. Fisk," Otto said, adjusting his glasses with a mechanical arm. "But first, I must gather enough data. I've observed some of Spider-Man's battles, recording his fights with Shocker and the spider swarm. Even so, I believe this is still not the limit of his abilities. If you intend to defeat Spider-Man, you must first force him to reveal his limits."

"As the old saying goes, keep your friends close, but your enemies closer."

Kingpin frowned at these words. Testing Spider-Man's limits? He knew that with the current personnel under New York's gangs, even with various firearms, they couldn't possibly be a match for Spider-Man. These superpowered individuals had changed the rules of the game; numbers and firepower were no longer an absolute advantage.

To fight Spider-Man, he would have to create more individuals similar to Shocker or the spider swarm.

"Build me a suit of armor. I'll deal with Spider-Man."

Aaron Davis spoke. Kingpin turned to his confidant, whose gaze was firm: "Leave it to me, King. I can handle it."

"Listen, Aaron, my friend." Kingpin put an arm around Aaron's shoulder, applying just the right amount of pressure: "I will get you a suit of equipment, but not to fight Spider-Man, understand? We don't need to do it ourselves."

He turned to Octavius: "I will hire a group of international mercenaries to test your new equipment, Doctor Otto. Before that, you focus on developing weapons to deal with Spider-Man. I hope to see results soon."

Watching Kingpin leave the lab, Otto supported his body with his mechanical arms and opened his computer. In truth, besides the weapons he was developing, there were other paths to choose from, such as stealing the research results of America's super-soldier program.

From what Otto knew before leaving OsCorp, the military had discovered a meteorite in the Arizona desert. It carried a symbiote that could merge with Earth organisms and significantly enhance human physical capabilities.

If he could get his hands on this thing and control it, defeating Spider-Man would be no problem.

Otto thought this while checking Kingpin's current inventory of Chitauri parts on his computer, adjusting his glasses. He began to conceive of some equipment to handle Kingpin.

As for what he truly intended to do, it had always been clear—Spider-Man was not his enemy, never was. Norman Osborn, who had caused him so much suffering, was Otto's true enemy.

"Light particle imaging device? Given to Quentin Beck... Kingpin actually found someone who understands this stuff."

In fact, Quentin didn't just understand it; he had been continuously improving the device. At this moment, looking at the fishbowl-like object in his hand, he couldn't help but hold his breath.

"I finished it? I finished it. Did I really do it?"

In his self-muttering, Quentin couldn't help but rub his temples. Electrodes connected to a projector were attached to both sides of his temples, and the imaging in the room constantly shifted.

Quentin heard footsteps. Kingpin's thugs, who always bullied him, were coming again. He looked around, then at the light particle imaging device in his hand.

He put the device on his head.

"Beck? Where did that kid go?"

The two gang members who entered found no one in the room and, puzzled, prepared to leave. They walked towards the door but bumped into something. They quickly understood what was happening.

"That damned kid is playing tricks on us again! Quick, find the door and get out!"

Fumbling, they found the door and exited the room. According to past experience, once they left, they could avoid being tricked by Quentin and then teach that bastard a good lesson later.

But this time, something seemed different...

They walked out of the room, but found that nothing had changed. They re-entered Quentin's workshop, and then they were heavily struck. Something slammed hard into them, knocking them to the ground.

Amidst a cloud of smoke, a man wearing a glass helmet and a green suit appeared before them. A gang member threw a punch, but hit nothing.

"Tell Kingpin—I'll handle Spider-Man."