I Became Spider-Man's Cousin in Anime Crossover

Chapter 494 [3 Chapters Combined] A Small Regret is Still a Regret, But the Dream Must Be Fulfilled

The ultimate universe, Osborn Industrial Top Lab.

Inside the bio-isolation chamber, the Green Goblin lay quietly, most of its mutated features having faded—its skin had slowly changed from dark green to an unhealthy pale. As its claws fell off, its thick, menacing fingers were also slowly returning to normal.

Riley stood in front of the isolation pod, wearing a scientist's white coat and holding an empty syringe.

"That's about it. I've given him a little healing magic. Just wait a little longer, and 'Norman Osborn' should wake up."

The ultimate Spider-Man crouches on the lab table, pulling his mask up halfway while happily munching on a bag of potato chips he bought from a vending machine.

Upon hearing Riley's words, he quickly stuffed all the potato chips into his mouth, his cheeks bulging like a little hamster with a stash of food. After chewing and swallowing rapidly, he pulled down his mask again to conceal his true face, then jumped to the front of the bio-isolation chamber, curiously observing the Green Goblin's changes through the hatch.

"Two hours and twenty minutes, it seems you were being modest with your earlier claim of three hours... But are you sure he won't punch me as soon as he wakes up?"

"No." Riley didn't turn around, scribbling in his notebook, recording the valuable data collected during the antidote's effect. "When he wakes up, he'll just be an ordinary person, no match for you. Not to mention, this antidote will leave him weak for at least two weeks."

"That's good." Ultimate Spider-Man nodded in satisfaction, then began to mutter a complaint, "It's not that I'm afraid of him, but if he wakes up and starts beating me up, I'll definitely feel awkward... If I fight back, it'll seem like I'm not magnanimous enough, and I might hurt him. If I don't fight back, it'll seem like I'm easy to bully. This is perfect, he can't move, and it saves me trouble."

Riley raised an eyebrow and said in a serious tone, "I'm being sarcastic."

"You talk too much, just like my brother."

"So you're the older brother, and I'm the younger brother." Ultimate Spider-Man, hands on his hips, looked utterly self-righteous and retorted with a grin, "So when you and 'Peter Parker' are put together, the balance is just right—perfect partners, don't you think?"

"Haha, I really can't refute that."

Riley smiled and shook his head, continuing to stare at Norman Osborn inside the isolation pod.

The data from various monitoring devices are steadily returning to normal values—the heart rate has dropped from 180 to 78 during the variability period, the blood pressure is stabilizing, and the brain waves are no longer disordered.

He waited a while longer, then turned and walked to the other side of the lab bench. Pretending to crouch down and reach for something, he pulled a metal box from the system's storage space.

Ultimate Spider-Man noticed his movements, looked around curiously, and subconsciously asked a question.

"What is that?"

"This is for you. As a 'guest' who visited my universe, the time I helped you capture the Green Goblin was just a thank you gift. This is what truly deserves to be called a 'meeting gift'."

Riley opened the box, revealing its contents.

It was a jetpack with a unique design, entirely silver and black, exuding a futuristic sci-fi style.

Made in District 13, its advantages are that it is sturdy and durable enough, and its performance is absolutely excellent and reliable.

Just as Riley had predicted, the Ultimate Spider-Man, who had previously acted nonchalantly, like a saint with no particular obsessions, suddenly widened his eyes and stared intently at the jetpack in front of him! His jaw even gaped open as if dislocated, causing the mask that concealed his true face to be quickly soaked with water!

"A...jetpack? For me? Really?!"

"Of course, this is a product from District 13 in my universe. It's purely electric, clean and pollution-free, and extremely quiet. It can reach a top speed of 400 kilometers per hour and can operate for six hours in that state. In addition, it's equipped with an automatic balancing system and an emergency parachute, and besides conventional charging methods, it also has a built-in solar charging function."

Riley, like a top salesman, explained the jetpack to Ultimate Spider-Man without trying to keep him in suspense. He simply pushed the box towards Ultimate Spider-Man, indicating that he could come up now and open this surprise gift himself.

Then, with a hint of amusement in his tone, he jokingly said in a serious tone.

"I know you've always wanted a jetpack, but Nick Fury was afraid you'd get into trouble with it, so he always just made empty promises and never gave it to you... But it's different now, it's right in front of you, a real jetpack. Of course, if you don't like it, I..."

"I love it! Of course I love it! Who said I don't—!"

Before Riley could finish speaking, the Ultimate Spider-Man, fearing Riley would retract his jetpack, abandoned the unconscious Norman and rushed to the box. Like seeing his beloved girl, he clung to the box tightly, his eyes sparkling!

The next second, Ultimate Spider-Man's reaction is a perfect example of what humans would do if they could hang on the wall and spin around like a spider.

"Jetpack! Jetpack! Jetpack! Jetpack—!"

He carried the box and jumped around the lab. He leaped from the ceiling to the floor and then back up again, moving so fast that he left afterimages.

"Good heavens! You have no idea! That old fox Nick Fury! He's been dragging his feet on me for so long! Every time I tell him, 'Director, I'd like to request a jetpack,' he says, 'Next time! Next time!' Good heavens! I've lost count of how many times he's said 'Next time!'"

Riley leaned against the lab bench, watching him dart around the room like an overexcited flea, his eye patch bent into two crescent moons.

Although he wasn't "Peter Parker" from his own universe, Riley still doted on the ultimate Spider-Man in front of him, following the principle of loving the house because of the dog.

"Would you like to give it a try?"

Ultimate Spider-Man darted back in front of him, landed with the box in his arms, and his eyes gleamed.

"Can we try? Now? Here?"

"Otherwise what?" Riley shrugged. "I took it out right now so you could use it, didn't I?"

Without a word, Ultimate Spider-Man put the box on the ground, frantically unfastened the buckles, and took the silver and black jetpack out of the box.

He looked at it over and over, tracing the sign of District 13 with his fingers, muttering to himself.

"This is so cool, so cool, so cool—the material, the workmanship, the streamlined shape—bro, are you hiring in District 13 of your universe? Can I apply?"

"Pfft... Sure, but are you willing to leave your New York, and your family and friends in this universe?"

Upon hearing this, Ultimate Spider-Man froze for a moment.

He looked down at the jetpack in his hand, then looked up at the window.

From this height, you can see most of the New York skyline.

The Empire State Building in the distance, the Hudson River nearby, and the streets and alleys he traversed every day, swinging on his spiderwebs.

Although people in New York City still haven't fully accepted Spider-Man.

But, as Riley said...

Having once obtained the key to another city and been highly praised by its citizens, the ultimate Spider-Man still chose to return to New York. He is destined not to easily abandon his responsibilities and family for material gain.

What's more, during this time travel, he unexpectedly traveled to the universe of the comic book version of "Ultimate Spider-Man".

That is, the universe where Miles Morales, after Peter Parker's death, took over the mantle of "Spider-Man".

He met Aunt May from that universe and knew how heavy a psychological blow his departure would cause her.

So, after a brief silence, Ultimate Spider-Man scratched his head awkwardly and honestly admitted it.

"...You're right, I really can't bear to part with it."

But soon, he realized something and looked at Riley curiously, asking.

"But didn't you say before that you could travel freely between parallel universes? Does that mean... I can occasionally visit your place?"

"Hmm? I hadn't really thought about that, but... it should be fine, right?"

Riley recalled how the Ancient One had always turned a blind eye when Jade Black appeared in his universe. He figured that as long as these "guests" from parallel universes didn't interfere excessively with the affairs of his universe or cause any destruction, all their actions would be within permissible limits.

This prompted Riley to raise his hand and magically conjure a small ball out of thin air as he spoke.

"Here, I've cast a cross-dimensional communication spell inside. You can use this to contact me. If I have time later, I'll come pick you up to come over and play."

"Okay, it's settled then!"

Ultimate Spider-Man grinned, quickly took the small ball, and carefully put it away close to his body.

He then continued tinkering with the jetpack. With Riley's occasional reminders, he turned the jetpack over and found the switch.

The moment the button was pressed, the backpack emitted a slight buzzing sound, and the indicator light lit up with a pale blue light.

"Wow! It moved!"

Despite already wearing the much cooler Iron Spider suit custom-made for him by Tony, the Ultimate Spider-Man, who was also just a high school student, widened his eyes and let out a series of sharp screams when he saw his long-awaited jetpack actually working, instead of being just a pretty but useless decoration.

Then, the ultimate Spider-Man couldn't wait to put the backpack on his shoulders and adjust the straps.

Thanks to Riley's influence and with Osborn's assistance, District 13 made rapid progress in nanotechnology research. This resulted in the jetpack being significantly lighter than it appeared, feeling almost weightless when worn.

He took a deep breath, looked at Riley, and asked with a mixture of excitement and nervousness.

"So... I'm taking off?"

"Fly, just be careful not to hit your head."

After receiving permission, Ultimate Spider-Man bent his knees slightly and leaped into the air.

His original plan was to jump up first and then start the backpack.

But the backpack's sensor system was much more sensitive than he had imagined.

The moment he leaped into the air, the thrusters ignited automatically, and a gentle yet powerful thrust propelled him straight toward the ceiling.

"Waaaaaahh ...

Ultimate Spider-Man frantically somersaulted in the air and almost crashed into the chandelier.

Fortunately, his previous experience wearing the Iron Spider suit allowed him to quickly adapt to the weightlessness of flying. Almost before his brain could react, his body, acting on instinct to avoid danger, narrowly avoided the chandelier.

Then, in the laboratory, after a series of ups and downs, it only took three seconds for Ultimate Spider-Man to visibly stabilize his body until he was suspended in mid-air, successfully mastering the new equipment!

He looked down at his dangling feet, then looked up at Riley.

"...I flew."

"right."

"I really flew."

"right."

"No spider silk needed."

"right."

Ultimate Spider-Man remained silent for a full two seconds.

Then he let out a cheer and ran wildly around the laboratory like a bird released from its cage—of course, he ran wildly at a controlled pace.

He circled the chandelier, flew close to the ceiling, and even tried to do a few aerial somersaults.

"Railley! Riley, look! I can do three flips! Three flips! That arrogant Nova can only do two and a half at most!"

Riley looked up at him, his eye patch bent.

"I saw it, that was a cool move."

"Hehe, when I get back, I'm definitely going to fly a lap in front of him! I'll show him what real air superiority is!"

"Then, filled with envy, he'll pester you to carry his backpack around."

Ultimate Spider-Man paused for a moment.

He hovered in mid-air, looking down at Riley, lost in thought.

"...That makes sense," he said. "Then I'll only show him the video, and hide the jetpack away all the time, secretly flying it myself. I'll make him envious! Hehe~"

Riley chuckled, remarking that in any universe, the childish competitive spirit of men will always remain a constant truth.

Ultimate Spider-Man flew a few more times before slowly landing in front of Riley. His landing was much lighter than usual, without making a sound.

He stood there, looking down at the ground at his feet, and remained silent for a few seconds.

"Railley".

"Um?"

"This gift... is wonderful." He looked up, his eyes obscured by the mask, but his voice lacked its previous playfulness. "Really. I don't know how to thank you."

Riley looked at him, his tone gentle.

"You're welcome. Since you're also 'Peter Parker,' then you're my brother... They say an elder brother is like a father, so it's only natural to spoil your eldest son."

"...I have reason to suspect that you are taking advantage of me."

Ultimate Spider-Man paused for a moment, then laughed.

"However, having a 'brother' like you is a win-win situation for me!"

He patted the jetpack on his back, his tone returning to its usual lightheartedness.

"Next time you have the chance to visit, I'll treat you to the most delicious sandwiches in Queens!"

"Haha, okay, I'll be waiting. You'd better be prepared for a huge financial blow..."

As the two chatted and laughed, they suddenly fell silent, looking in unison towards the direction of the biological isolation chamber.

From their perspective, the Green Goblin—or, as he should now be called Norman Osborn—who had been in a deep sleep, was slowly opening his eyes with violent tremors.

"……hiss……"

Norman subconsciously raised his hand and touched the aching back of his neck. His first feeling upon waking was one of bewilderment.

He lay in a transparent capsule, the familiar laboratory ceiling above him, the smell of disinfectant lingering in the air. But when he tried to get up, his limbs felt like lead, his eyelids like weights, and even breathing felt exhausting.

He turned his neck with difficulty, inevitably making a slight noise, which caused a red and blue figure to suddenly appear next to the cabin.

"Oh, you're awake?"

The voice was young, with a slightly smug and relaxed tone.

Norman's pupils contracted, and his body instinctively tried to clench his fists, but his limbs wouldn't obey him.

"Don't waste your energy, Norman. You can't move right now because of the side effects of the antidote; you'll be weak for two weeks."

The red-clad figure waved his hand, making a sarcastic remark without any politeness.

At this point, as his mind gradually cleared, Norman finally recognized that the person standing next to the capsule was Spider-Man, whom he had always wanted to capture and use as a test subject.

Ironically, judging from the empty syringe in the other person's hand...

In the end, it was he, the "hunter," who became the "prey's" test subject.

"Don't worry, I won't beat you up—although you've beaten me up quite a few times, and I really want to settle old scores with you. But I'm magnanimous, so I won't hold it against you."

Upon hearing this, Norman couldn't help but widen his eyes.

After the effects of the serum were removed, Norman, having regained his normal mind, also gradually came back to know the many sins he had committed in the past, and that even being shot on the spot would not have been an exaggeration.

But instead of settling a personal score, the other party went to great lengths to develop an antidote, allowing him to regain his "human" identity.

This made Norman, who always believed in putting profit above all else, feel a dryness in his throat, unsure how to face the grinning Spider-Man in front of him.

"Thanks……"

Finally, as the side effects of the antidote began to appear, Norman only had time to hurriedly say thank you before his increasingly heavy eyelids gave way to a deep sleep once again.

However, before his consciousness completely faded into darkness, Norman seemed to see an expression of disbelief on Spider-Man's face.

After all, Norman Osborn apologized to Spider-Man...

Unless you see it with your own eyes, even if you told someone, probably no one would believe you...

When Norman woke up again, he had already left the laboratory and returned to his lavishly decorated bedroom.

When he instinctively looked around, he saw Harry lying on the headboard.

He seemed to have been waiting there for a long time, and was now so tired that he had fallen asleep.

Even so, Harry, fearing that Norman would disappear again, held Norman's hand tightly even while asleep, despite being reunited with his father.

This reminded Norman of how, as the Green Goblin, he constantly tormented his son, even driving him to the point where the symbiote possessed his consciousness, turning him into the supervillain "Venom."

Then consider Norman Osborn in a parallel universe, who, to protect his son, willingly injected himself with the Green Goblin serum, transforming himself into a monster...

Such a stark contrast caused Norman, who knew he owed Harry a great deal, to fall into a long silence as he silently watched his sleeping son.

But what Norman didn't know was...

Outside the bedroom window, Riley and Ultimate Spider-Man, sitting against the wall with Spider-Man's adhesive ability, were peeking out from either side, silently observing his every move.

"Are you sure... there won't be any problems if Harry stays with him directly? For example, what if the Green Goblin's personality suddenly pops up and takes Harry hostage or something...?"

A moment later, seeing that Norman was merely watching Harry silently without disturbing his sleep or doing anything to harm him, the Ultimate Spider-Man, who had been keeping his arm raised, ready to shoot webs at Norman at any moment, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Then he turned to look at Riley, hesitated for a moment, and, still feeling uneasy, cautiously asked.

Riley glanced at him, not answering the question directly, but instead making a serious joke.

"More than that, I'm curious... you've been in that position for almost seven hours now, ever since you brought Norman back. Doesn't your hand get tired?"

"It's sour," Ultimate Spider-Man honestly admitted. "But even if it's sour, I still have to carry it. That's Harry. If anything happens to him, I'm afraid I'll regret it for the rest of my life."

"You can rest assured about that. The antidote has already cleared the mutated factors from his body. And the tyrannical and cruel side he showed after turning into the Green Goblin was a product of the serum. So now, after taking the antidote, he has completely turned back into 'Norman Osborn,' that stubborn tsundere who clearly cares about his son but just refuses to admit it."

Riley said, shrugging his shoulders with his hands shrugged.

"Of course, if you're really worried, I can help you erase the memories of Green Goblin from his mind... but that way, he won't learn any lessons, and he won't change at all."

"Won't it change..." Ultimate Spider-Man muttered to himself, unable to resist glancing at Norman again. He saw Norman wanting to reach out and touch Harry's head, but then hesitated, worried about waking Harry, or perhaps, after witnessing the behavior of the parallel universe counterpart, doubting whether he was still worthy of being Harry's father, and thus hesitated to put his hand down. His tone suddenly became complicated.

"Perhaps you're right... Even if he turned into the Green Goblin because he was tricked by Doctor Octopus, he was still a complete scoundrel before. I don't want him to be quiet for a few days and then come back to cause me trouble, making Harry worry and sad."

"Therefore, we just need to maintain the status quo."

Riley looked out the window, his tone calm.

"He knows what he's done—hunting you down, hurting Harry, and making a mess of his son's life. If he had even the slightest conscience, or had ever genuinely cared about his son, he would have changed for the better. Just like now, he feels unworthy to be Harry's father, and his every move is exceptionally humble and cautious."

"...Alright, let's hope so...By the way, you're quite observant, aren't you?"

"It's just a professional habit."

"Professional habits? Didn't you tell me that you and I are both in high school and haven't graduated or started working yet?"

Upon hearing this, Ultimate Spider-Man turned to look at Riley.

"What exactly do you do? I get the feeling you're a character with a story, more than just Spider-Man?"

Riley turned to look at him, his white eyepatch curving slightly. Under the slightly curious and expectant gaze of Ultimate Spider-Man, he softly uttered two words.

"you guess."

"...Guess what? Fine, don't tell me if you don't want to."

Ultimate Spider-Man rolled his eyes—though you couldn't tell through the mask.

Anyway, I know you're a good person, that's enough.