At that moment, after being unconscious for several days, Spider-Man suddenly woke up.
He was a little dazed as he saw two stunningly attractive women standing before him, seemingly getting along quite well.
Wait… this doesn't seem right?
Peter Parker glanced at his official girlfriend, then at his rumored girlfriend, feeling utterly flustered.
After hesitating for a long moment, he finally said, "Am I dreaming again? Can you two be a little gentler?"
Black Cat and Mary Jane exchanged glances and let out a helpless smile.
Once everything had settled, the two female thieves left the hospital room and made their way to the rooftop.
As they gazed at the setting sun in the distance—
"You know, I'm actually jealous of you… jealous that you can openly stand by his side."
"You know, I often get jealous of another girl too. Her name is Gwen Stacy—a girl Peter can never forget."
Their figures slowly leaned toward each other.
Perhaps after tonight, these two rivals in love would become important people in each other's lives.
—
Somewhere in the multiverse.
Midnight in Manhattan—bright lights, wild parties, and indulgence.
The air was thick with a dreamy haze, drawing in party-loving men and women who danced their hearts out on the stage, indulged their desires in dark corners, and swapped genetic material.
Oh—except for the unlucky guy sulking in the corner.
Tonight, masked spider-boy Peter Parker was having the worst luck ever.
He forgot his wallet when he left home and didn't have a single cent on him.
After chasing a gang of armed robbers all the way from Queens to Manhattan, he suddenly realized… he couldn't afford a subway ticket home!
Left with no choice, he decided to swing his way back.
However, as he passed a certain street, the panicked crowd made him stop mid-swing.
His gaze swept across the street—
And then he saw something bizarre.
It was a flaming, skull-adorned motorcycle!
Inside a nearby bar, the bartender stared in terror as a skeleton clad in a leather jacket walked in, dragging a long chain that clanked with every step.
With each metallic rattle, the atmosphere grew even more deathly silent.
Bartender: Please don't come any closer!
(Screaming internally but too terrified to move a muscle.)
With a face full of despair, the bartender stammered, "W-Welcome… uh… what, what can I get you?"
"Just a drink, anything's fine," Ghost Rider casually gestured toward the liquor shelf and said indifferently.
With that, he took a seat at the bar.
At that moment, catching a whiff of sulfur in the air, Spider-Man peeked through the bar's entrance.
"Whoa-ho! Leather jacket, tiny motorcycle, flaming skull—buddy, that's one hell of a look! Can I get one too?"
"Come sit, bug. Order whatever you want, it's on me," Ghost Rider said, surprisingly friendly.
"Well then, thanks for the treat," Spider-Man sat beside him. "I'll take a drink—non-alcoholic."
Ghost Rider gave him a side glance. "Are you a kid? Who comes to a bar and doesn't drink?"
"Of course not!" Spider-Man exclaimed. "But I still have to web-swing my way home later. Swinging under the influence is illegal!"
Ghost Rider: ?
Damn, you really follow the law, huh.
Then, the two started chatting—one speaking sparsely, the other speaking ten sentences for every one.
As for who was doing the talking, let's not say. Let's give a little face to a certain bug who prefers to remain anonymous.
As they talked, Spider-Man suddenly set his sights on the motorcycle parked outside.
"That motorcycle at the door is way too flashy. What brand is it?"
Ghost Rider didn't reply—he just took a sip of his drink.
Spider-Man's eyes flickered with mischief as he continued,
"I kinda want to get the same hairstyle as you, but I'm a little afraid of the heat. Doesn't it get hot for you?"
Ghost Rider still said nothing and took another sip.
Spider-Man kept going.
"Drunk driving gets you 12 points deducted, 15 days in detention, and your license revoked."
Ghost Rider remained silent—just another sip.
Spider-Man: "Relax, I'm just joking."
Of course, he knew that in Ghost Rider's state, it was impossible for him to get drunk.
Even if he drank pure alcohol straight, it would be no different from drinking water for him—or worse, the alcohol might just evaporate the moment it got near him.
So, Spider-Man finally asked,
"You can't even get drunk, so why drink so much?"
This time, Ghost Rider lifted his glass but didn't drink.
He paused, realizing Spider-Man had a point.
Then, suddenly, the flames on his head vanished. His flaming skull reverted to the human face of Johnny Blaze.
"Now, I'm gonna get wasted. I'm finally about to be free!" Ghost Rider declared and immediately downed an entire glass of liquor in big gulps.
Recently, he had met a guy named Adam, who claimed he could help him return to a normal life.
So, in truth, he had come here to think about what life would be like once he became human again.
"I have a question for you, Avenger," Ghost Rider looked at Spider-Man.
"If you had the chance to become a normal person again, would you take it?"
This time, it was Spider-Man who fell silent.
Just then, both of them instinctively looked up at the sky.
Ghost Rider shot up from his seat, flames instantly reigniting on his head.
But after a moment, he sat back down again.
"Looks like some ancestor from your family tree is calling for you, little bug."
Spider-Man: "Where are your manners?"
Unlike Ghost Rider, he wasn't so at ease.
For a brief moment, he had truly felt a presence from beyond this world watching him.
It even triggered his Spider-Sense!
But just as quickly as the feeling came, it disappeared.
It was as if whoever it was had simply taken a glance at him and then left.
"Ahhhh—!"
Outside, the Hellcycle suddenly let out a bloodcurdling scream.
At that moment, the bartender's eyes ignited with eerie flames, as though something had possessed him.
He spoke to Ghost Rider in a chilling tone,
"Your partner has aged and deteriorated. It must be repaired through the ways of Hell. It craves blood and suffering—it needs souls to fuel its flames!"
Ghost Rider and Spider-Man both downed the last of their drinks and stood up.
They knew—
Their fight had arrived!
This time, it was a team-up between Ghost Rider and Spider-Man!
—
Across countless worlds, countless stories flashed before Bide's eyes.
At the same time, an ancient presence rippled outward from the Great Web.
Bide noticed that this presence seemed to originate from a specific corner of the Web.
He withdrew his attention from the endless multiverses and focused on that corner.
There, a single, exceptionally unique thread stood out.
It radiated an aura of immeasurable age.
(End of Chapter)
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