Parallel World Spider-Man

"What the... are you human or ghost?!" Bi De's eyes were as wide as saucers.

His shock wasn't just because of the strange and almost inhuman way the person before him had appeared—it was also because of how they looked!

The figure had now stepped fully into the light streaming from the streetlamp.

And he was black and white.

No, to be precise—he was black, white, and gray!

The man was clad in a gray trench coat, underneath which was a sleek, jet-black bodysuit. Perched on his head was a wide-brimmed hat, and beneath its shadowed brim were a pair of aviator goggles—old-fashioned ones, no less.

Everything about him seemed completely out of place in this world.

"Hey? Buddy, your art style seems... a little different from mine, huh?" The man tilted his head in mock surprise.

Bi De was too baffled to retort. "Shouldn't I be the one saying that?"

"Hmm~ Your lines are so soft. You don't look like a fighter at all. More like... a scholar, maybe?" The man scrutinized Bi De as he spoke, as though appraising a curious specimen.

"Well, you're not wrong. I am just a helpless scholar," Bi De admitted with a wry smile. "But you still haven't answered my question! Who are you? What do you mean by calling us 'the same'? And do you know why I'm here?" Bi De bombarded him with questions.

The man waved a hand dismissively. "Alright, alright. I believe you now—you're one of us. You talk just as much as I do."

Bi De: …

The man straightened up and extended a hand. "Nice to meet you. The name's Peter Parker. Most folks call me Shadow Spider-Man."

Bi De: !!!

"Spider-Man?! You're Spider-Man!?" Bi De's eyes nearly popped out of his head.

He couldn't bring himself to believe it.

But then his mind began replaying everything Shadow Spider-Man had done since appearing.

Hanging upside-down from a roof with no visible support.

Jumping down from over ten meters high without gliders or wires, landing completely unscathed.

Granted, his art style was a little... eccentric.

"Yeah, and aren't you one too?" Shadow Spider-Man asked, arms spread in mock confusion.

"Me? Of course not! I'm just a regular guy!" Bi De protested. He wouldn't mind being Spider-Man, but it wasn't like he'd been mutated or anything. Well... wait. He had been bitten by a spider.

As the thought crossed his mind, Bi De instinctively lifted his left hand, which was still wrapped in white gauze from the spider bite.

"That couldn't be it, right? Tons of people get bitten by spiders. If spider bites made Spider-Men, then wouldn't ant bites make us Ant-Men or something?" Bi De muttered internally. Despite himself, he couldn't resist the urge to peel off the gauze.

Shadow Spider-Man crossed his arms and leaned back, clearly amused. He seemed content to watch Bi De's "performance."

As the gauze came off, Bi De froze.

The bite wound that had been swollen and painful just yesterday was now completely healed—smooth as glass.

Not just healed. It was as if there had never been a wound there at all.

"You just got bitten, didn't you?" Shadow Spider-Man broke the silence.

Spider-Men were notoriously sharp, and Shadow Spider-Man, being a mature and resourceful hero who fought against corporate monopolies, was no exception. He had pieced together the situation with ease.

Bi De nodded hesitantly. "Okay... I'm starting to believe you now."

Shadow Spider-Man grinned and slung an arm over Bi De's shoulder with casual familiarity, as if seeing his younger self in him. "Alright. I've been through what you're going through. Don't worry, you'll adapt soon enough. But first... how about we grab a drink?"

"Sure," Bi De agreed. Given his disoriented state and unfamiliar surroundings, a drink sounded like just the thing to calm his nerves.

The two of them walked out of the alley, shoulders touching in camaraderie.

But they soon came to an abrupt stop.

In front of them, a massive screen flickered to life, displaying a shocking image.

It showed a Spider-Man clad in a blue-and-white suit.

"That's... Spider-Man Peter Parker!" Bi De exclaimed, staring at the screen in disbelief. He knew this wasn't some promotional movie trailer. He'd watched all the Spider-Man films, and this scene wasn't in any of them.

His photographic memory made him absolutely certain.

The screen's broadcast continued:

"This just in—tragic breaking news."

"A heavy loss has struck us today. Our hero Spider-Man is gone. His death is linked to a mysterious earthquake that shook Brooklyn earlier today."

"Confirmed reports identify Peter Parker, a 26-year-old graduate student and part-time photographer, as the man behind the Spider-Man mask for over a decade."

As the announcement played, the screen displayed pictures of Spider-Man and Peter Parker.

"There's a Spider-Man in this world too... but he's dead?" Both Bi De and Shadow Spider-Man stared dumbly at the screen.

Then it clicked for Bi De. He had a good idea which world this was.

Though he hadn't finished watching all the Spider-Man animated series, he'd seen all the movie adaptations.

And beyond that, he'd recently bought a PS5 and played the game Spider-Man: Miles Morales, the spin-off sequel to the 2018 Marvel's Spider-Man.

The protagonist, Miles Morales, was a biracial teenager of African and Latino descent who became the second Spider-Man in Marvel's Ultimate Universe.

Miles gained his powers after being bitten by a genetically engineered spider created by Norman Osborn in an attempt to replicate Spider-Man's abilities.

Unlike other Spider-Men, Miles possessed bio-electricity and invisibility. In the game, these powers allowed him to assassinate enemies stealthily or shatter armor with a burst of energy.

Of course, in the game's storyline, the original Spider-Man hadn't died—he was off fighting Mysterio in Europe with his girlfriend.

But after completing the game and earning the platinum trophy, Bi De had done some extra research into Miles' backstory.

There, he learned about Peter Parker's death in the Ultimate Universe:

After Norman Osborn's Green Goblin identity was exposed and Osborn Industries collapsed, a thief broke into the lab two months before Peter's death. Unbeknownst to him, a spider escaped into his bag.

Miles Morales, a Brooklyn teenager, visited his criminal uncle (the Prowler) against his parents' wishes. While at his uncle's house, Miles was bitten by the escaped spider.

At first, Miles reacted negatively to his powers, determined to remain an ordinary kid.

But everything changed when Spider-Man died. Arriving too late to help, Miles blamed himself for Peter's death. Inspired by Peter's motto, "With great power comes great responsibility," Miles vowed to carry on his legacy as the new Spider-Man.

Through quick mental comparisons, Bi De reached his conclusion:

"This must be the Ultimate Universe—Earth-1610!"