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At breakfast, Aunt May stood at the dining table, looking at her nephew with concern.
"Peter, are you sure you don't want to eat something? You could at least try the beef patties I just made for breakfast."
Peter, now known as Antonia Aguilar, was packing his schoolbag, responding to Aunt May without looking up.
"I already ate, Aunt May."
"When?"
"While we were upstairs, I had some cheese bread."
Peter raised his head with a faint smile and reassured Aunt May.
By now, Uncle Ben had already left for work, leaving just the two of them in the living room.
Aunt May seemed like she wanted to say more, but Peter picked up his schoolbag.
"I'm heading to school, Aunt May."
Without waiting for a response, Peter slung the schoolbag over his shoulder and walked out the door.
"Alright, be careful, and remember to call me if anything happens," Aunt May advised, noticing her nephew's off mood but deciding not to press the issue.
After saying goodbye, Peter walked down the road in a gloomy state of mind.
Last night, he had tested his body every way he could.
The conclusion was undeniable: the alien larvae were still inside him. No matter how absurd the situation seemed, he had to face the reality that it was only a matter of time before the alien organism fully took hold and emerged.
Once implanted, the abnormal embryo would develop, creating cancer-like structures that would connect it closely with the host. Removing it surgically would only result in the host's death.
No surgery, not even in the 22nd century, could remove it accurately. And there certainly wasn't any technology in the present day that could handle such a feat.
But wait—this is the world of American comics, where magic and extraordinary powers exist. Maybe, in this version of New York, Tony Stark could help.
Peter quickly shook his head.
Right now, Tony Stark wasn't yet Iron Man. He was just a playboy with an aversion to dogs. Why would he bother helping?
Looking up into the bright sunlight, Peter squinted.
The only feasible plan was to follow the course of history and become Spider-Man. Only then could his mutated body fight the alien embryo inside him, stopping its growth.
Additionally, Spider-Man's powerful healing ability could ensure that even if the embryo did emerge, Peter wouldn't bleed to death.
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He had to buy time—to become Spider-Man before the embryo fully developed.
Peter recalled the information he had seen at Weyland Corporation.
In "The First Alien Incident," the victim, Kane, died 4 to 5 hours after the facehugger latched on to him and the embryo burst from his chest during dinner.
In the "Second Alien Incident," Sergeant Apone found a dying female host who had been carrying the embryo for over 17 days.
This suggested that the host's health and nutritional intake significantly affected how long the embryo took to fully develop.
The more the host ate, the faster the embryo would grow.
That's why Peter didn't eat breakfast. He intended to slow down the embryo's development, even if it meant suffering from hunger. That discomfort was trivial compared to the stakes.
"Become Spider-Man."
Whispering to himself, Peter raised his gaze to the skyline of New York City, where steel buildings surrounded him and the rising sun bathed the city.
Midtown High School.
Following his memory, Peter entered the school building and headed to his classroom. Even though he faced the constant threat of death, he remained composed.
If he couldn't change the situation, he would accept the bleakness of life, as he always had.
"Hey! Catch it, Peter!"
A voice suddenly called out from behind him in the corridor, accompanied by the sound of something flying through the air.
Peter turned just in time to see a football flying toward his face. To him, the football morphed into a nightmarish facehugger, rushing toward him with a terrifying screech.
"Bang!"
The next moment, Peter caught the football with one hand, its impact echoing through the hallway.
He slowly lowered the ball, revealing an indifferent expression as he locked eyes with the person who brought back such bad memories. It was Josh Robber, a tall member of the football team and one of Peter's persistent tormentors.
Josh's jaw dropped in disbelief.
Since when had this nerd become so agile?
"Nice catch, Peter. Now toss it back, and let's see if you've got the makings of a quarterback."
Josh, convinced that Peter's catch had been a fluke, motioned for him to throw the ball back. This time, he intended to smack Peter right in the face and break those annoying glasses of his.
"You want it? Come get it yourself."
Peter motioned for him to retrieve the ball.
Josh hesitated before walking over and reaching for the football.
Peter smoothly transferred the ball to his other hand.
"How is it that you're built like a bear but move like a sloth?"
Peter's sneer cut deep, and Josh's temper flared instantly. Ready to charge at Peter and knock him over, Josh braced himself for impact.
But the next second, Peter grabbed Josh by the throat.
The pain from being choked came swiftly, and then Josh felt himself being thrown through the air.
"Bang!"
Josh groaned as his back slammed against the lockers. The pain in his spine was intense as he slumped to the floor.
Physical pain aside, Josh was even more shocked by the fact that the scrawny kid he always bullied had suddenly become so powerful.
The loud crash attracted a crowd in the hallway.
"Oh my God, what happened?"
"Look! It's Josh!"
"And Peter Parker! He just knocked Josh down! Am I seeing this right?"
As Peter walked past, indifferent to their shocked reactions, Josh cowered in fear.
What just happened?
Peter, too, was filled with disbelief.
Although he had mastered countless combat techniques in the "Alien" world, this current, weak body hadn't undergone any mutation yet. It shouldn't have been capable of such strength.
Yet, he had just thrown Josh several meters with one hand!
What was happening?
He glanced down at his chest, his expression turning serious.
Could the alien embryo inside him be affecting his body?
From everything he knew, the alien embryo only absorbed nutrients and genes from the host. It didn't grant power. The alien took from the host, not the other way around.
But then, Peter recalled Ripley from the "Alien" series. After her death, she was cloned, and because she carried alien DNA, she had incredible strength—strong enough to tear apart an alien with her bare hands.
Was his body now absorbing some of the alien's genetic material?
As he entered the classroom, Peter thought, *It seems I'll need more sophisticated equipment to perform a thorough checkup on myself.*
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