Chapter 874: Brilliant Stars (Sixteen)

"Listen, Spider-Man, don't answer—it's me, Natasha. Just listen. I'm in an abandoned warehouse and temporarily immobilized; their firepower is too heavy, and splitting up didn't work..."

"No, don't come for me. My healing may not match Captain America's, but it's far better than a normal human's. Go find Coulson—he has a top-secret file listing Hydra agents embedded in S. . . . . . Head to the Avengers' base; you can track his signal. Go now, get the list..."

Spider-Man hung up and immediately swung away. When he reached the Avengers' base, he found Matt already waiting. He hurried over and asked: "Did you also get Natasha's distress signal?"

"No, Hill contacted me through the Avengers' internal network. She's being hunted—apparently she has a list of KGB operatives embedded in S. . . . . . Nick Fury is dead. They've lost their protection, and everyone's looting now."

Spider-Man slammed his fist on the table and gritted his teeth: "These damn spies... Forget it. I'll track their signal. Alert the other Avengers—help them however you can. Make sure the list stays safe..."

At that moment, vampire hunter Eric walked in and said: "Bad news. Count Dracula has arrived in New York. I don't know his purpose, but he's likely planning revenge while S. . . . . . is leaderless."

Matt frowned: "But I heard Dracula avoids conflict. He didn't show up when the bats invaded New York. Why is he suddenly seeking revenge now?"

"Vampires are all insane, don't you know? Besides, the Immortality Factor drug industry has been running for years—nearly every vampire in New York State has been wiped out. It's natural for Dracula to return and check. After all, he's still a vampire."

"When it rains, it pours." Matt stood and walked to the screen to explain tactics: "Eric, handle the vampire situation—you've dealt with them longer. Spider-Man, assist Coulson. Myself and Elektra will rendezvous with Hill. Next, the operation plan: since the pursuers are agents, we should..."

After Matt finished explaining the tactics, the three departed. Spider-Man followed the signal to Coulson's location. Five or six hundred meters away, he saw Coulson cornered, holding only a pistol.

Spider-Man sprinted toward the target at top speed, but beyond distance, he had to drop down to reach Coulson—and in those two brief seconds, a bullet struck Coulson in the back.

Watching the spraying blood, Spider-Man's rage peaked. He dropped straight down, ignoring the pain of impact, and kicked the shooter clean off his feet.

He quickly took down the remaining agents, then rushed to Coulson's side. Coulson clutched a briefcase, groaning in pain.

Seeing Spider-Man, Coulson struggled to lift his arm and offered the briefcase. Spider-Man didn't take it. Instead, he knelt and began bandaging Coulson. The bullet had pierced his lung—he was convulsing.

After basic treatment, Spider-Man took the case and called an ambulance. Watching Coulson, nearly unconscious as they loaded him onto the stretcher, he felt a terrible premonition.

Outside the emergency room, Doctor Strange, dressed in surgical scrubs, rushed in. Spider-Man waited anxiously outside. After a while, Natasha arrived, her arm bandaged but clearly not seriously injured. Spider-Man turned to her: "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I was just the decoy. Normal agents can't hurt me. I got hurt on purpose—jumped from the fourth floor to draw them after me."

"What exactly happened?" Spider-Man's voice carried suppressed fury. "How could they..."

"How couldn't they? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity." Natasha sat on a chair beside the ER. "Nick Fury, the legendary agent, wasn't just a name. Do you think S. . . . . . operated smoothly all these years because of luck?"

"Do you think an organization known to every nation and faction, so mysterious and above them all, wouldn't be watched? Do you think they wouldn't send elite agents to infiltrate it?"

"Especially after S. . . . . . began publicly revealing its solar system development plans, stepping into the spotlight—Nick Fury's name echoed across Earth."

"Countless hands reached for it, but Nick's defenses were impregnable. For years, they never gained an inch from him. Now that he's dead, the carnival begins."

"Every piece of intelligence they never seized, every secret they now crave—all within reach. Even sacrificing a few deeply hidden moles is a net gain."

"Hill and I paid for this. The people we trusted turned out to be long-buried moles. Once the infiltrators from every faction went mad, they caught us completely off guard."

Natasha turned her head aside, her hair shielding her face. Spider-Man couldn't read her expression—he thought the battle-hardened Black Widow wouldn't be moved by grief. But then, the ER light suddenly went out.

Doctor Strange stepped out. He touched his wrist, stood at the door, and looked at Spider-Man: "Phil Coulson has been called by the Lord."

Spider-Man stared, disbelieving: "What did you say?!"

"Wait—if surgery failed... you still have magic, don't you?"

"I offered to use the Time Stone. He refused." Strange glanced at the briefcase beside Spider-Man. "He said he wasn't a good agent—but at least he was human."

Spider-Man's chest heaved. Even through his mask, his grief was palpable—but he didn't dwell long. Suddenly, a thunderous crash came from outside. All three turned toward the window.

Spider-Man dashed forward first. He saw a massive red monster standing on New York's skyline.

"What is that? Why does it look like the Hulk? No—it's red..."

Natasha joined him, squinting: "Look there—that camouflaged vehicle. Military, probably. They must've run another experiment and created a giant monster..."

Spider-Man had already leapt out the window: "I have to stop him. I can't let him go wild in New York City."

Meanwhile, near the red giant's location, Dr. Dora watched the window. She studied it carefully, then stepped back two paces and turned to her terrified researchers: "Quick! Evacuate everyone! Especially mutants—he's coming for mutants..."

"Rola, Andy, and Pruitt—get them out! This thing was made by the military to hunt mutants!" Dr. Dora said as she retreated.

CRASH—the floor-to-ceiling window shattered. A chunk of concrete flew in. Everyone screamed and fled. Dr. Dora quickened her pace: "Don't take the elevator—use the stairs. He won't collapse the building right away..."

"By the way—where are the interns? Why aren't they out yet?" Another colleague shouted: "Before I left, Andy was teaching three interns how to use the equipment. They're probably still in the lab..."

"No time! Go—you all leave. I'll get them!"

Dr. Dora sprinted in another direction and reached the lab door. She swiped her employee badge.

As she rushed in, Andy was still explaining. Seeing Dr. Dora's panicked entrance, she looked confused: "What's wrong, Dr. Dora? What's happened?"

"Go! Take the interns and go! The military created a red monster—it's targeting mutants..."

Andy's face twisted with panic. Her ears showed scales, and her fingers bore webbed tissue—but otherwise, she looked human.

Gwen, standing among the interns, spoke up immediately: "How could they do this?!"

"They created a monster just to kill mutants? Are they insane?!"

"Go now, girls. They've always been insane. Follow me—we take this route. Don't let him see you!"

In the hallway, Dr. Dora glanced out the window—the monster was nearing. She ignored Andy's tears, dragged her forcibly into the underground shelter.

Inside the shelter, she turned to everyone: "Stay here. I'm going back up to make sure everyone's accounted for..."

Gwen stood: "I'm coming with you, Dr. Dora."

Dr. Dora said nothing. Gwen followed her upstairs. But then she saw another figure streak across the skyline—Spider-Man, unmistakable.

Gwen took a deep breath, steadying her racing heart, and followed Dr. Dora down the corridor. Then the building shuddered. Gwen looked out the window: "The building's waist structure is damaged—we have to move fast..."

The two paused, preparing to descend another staircase—when another green monster appeared.

The red and green monsters collided. Instantly, the ground shook violently.

Gwen gripped the doorframe. Dr. Dora fell. Gwen rushed to help her—just as the building collapsed.

A moment of weightlessness made Gwen instinctively cling to the doorframe. Debris rained past their heads—then a red-and-blue figure swung toward them.

At the last instant, Spider-Man caught Gwen around the waist and swung away. She turned and screamed: "Dr. Dora!"

No!

Spider-Man dropped Gwen and swung back. As the building sheared cleanly in half, he was too late to grab Dr. Dora's whole body—so he shot a webline, wrapping it around her waist.

But then, in the midst of the monsters' battle, flying debris—like blades, like a sniper's bullet—pierced straight through Dr. Dora's chest.

As the webline retracted, blood burst into the air, soaking Spider-Man's suit, blinding his vision in crimson.