[Listening to Harry's desperate shout, Max let out a furious roar. His entire body crackled with electricity before disappearing in an instant. A nearby security guard struck Harry with the butt of his gun, sending him sprawling to the ground.]
[In the very next second, a flash of lightning streaked across the room. In an instant, the guards and Dr. Kafka collapsed, convulsing from the shock. Harry pushed himself up, looking toward the air above.]
[Max's form gradually coalesced, his body pulsing with a blue-white glow, while streaks of red lightning flickered within him. For the first time, he had fully transformed into living electricity.]
[He descended onto the floor in front of Harry, staring at his own glowing hands in awe. Harry, still catching his breath, looked at Max and smiled.]
[Dr. Kafka, seeing that Max had been freed from his restraints, immediately turned to flee. But Max hadn't forgotten the torture he had endured.]
[With an outstretched hand, Max unleashed a powerful electric current. The surge of energy wrapped around Kafka, lifting him into the air as his agonized screams echoed throughout the facility.]
[Slowly, Max carried Kafka over to the same containment device where he himself had once been imprisoned. Without hesitation, he locked Kafka inside.]
[The machine began its descent, submerging Kafka in water—just as he had done to Max before. Kafka struggled in vain as the high-voltage current surged through him. His last words were a tortured scream: "No!!!"]
[Max ignored him and turned back to Harry.]
["You want to be friends with me?"]
["I think we already are," Harry replied with a smirk. He stepped forward, intending to pat Max's shoulder—only to jerk his hand back instantly as a jolt of electricity shocked him.]
["I had a friend once," Max muttered darkly. "But it didn't last long."]
[He was talking about Spider-Man. Once, he had admired him—idolized him. But in the end, jealousy consumed him. Spider-Man had remained the center of attention, while he had become a monster.]
["Yeah… me too," Harry admitted, bitterness in his voice. His resentment toward Spider-Man burned deep. He hated him for refusing to give up his blood, for letting him suffer when he could have saved him.]
["Let's go catch that little spider!" Max declared eagerly. He didn't want to waste another moment. The sooner he killed Spider-Man, the sooner the world would recognize him. He would no longer be invisible—he would be feared.]
—
Tony Stark let out a frustrated groan, rubbing his temples. "This is exactly what I was afraid of!"
He had always feared that Max could convert entirely into electricity. If that were the case, how could they even contain him?
If Tony ever faced Electro while wearing the Iron Man armor, it would be game over. Max could simply enter the suit as pure electricity, absorb its energy, and fry him from the inside.
Bruce Banner folded his arms, frowning. "I'm not as worried as you are. The Hulk isn't exactly weak to electricity. But… I still wouldn't be able to hit him if he's pure energy."
Tony sighed. "There's gotta be a way to deal with him. Maybe if we lure him somewhere with no electricity?"
Of course, there was another, more extreme option—overload him with energy until he burst. Tony refused to believe that Max could absorb an infinite amount of power. If they forced too much energy into him all at once, with no way for him to discharge it, they might be able to neutralize him.
But how much power would that take? Would the large reactor at Stark Industries be enough?
Nick Fury narrowed his eyes, thinking. "I wonder… if Thor used Mjolnir on him, would she kill him… or just charge him up even more?"
—
Max, watching himself on The Screen, felt a deep sense of shame.
In reality, he wasn't a superpowered monster. He wasn't arrogant, nor did he want to kill Spider-Man. He still admired him. Peter Parker had even agreed to attend his birthday party.
But now, in The Screen's version of events, he wanted to kill Peter. He was blinded by jealousy and rage. Seeing himself like this made him feel sick.
Public reaction was swift and brutal.
People online tore into him, calling him ungrateful and delusional. Spider-Man had tried to help him, yet he had turned on him, all because Spider-Man was more popular.
Worse, real-life consequences followed. He was doxxed, harassed, and bombarded with hate messages. Some even stood outside the Aus Industries building, chanting insults and threats.
But Max said nothing. He endured it.
When Peter finally heard about it from Harry, it had already been going on for an entire day. At the time, Peter had been working with Gwen and the police to transport Richard Parker's research from the underground lab.
Hearing about the abuse Max was facing, Peter sighed. He was frustrated but not angry.
The very next day, in front of a crowd of onlookers and cameras, Peter did something that shocked everyone.
He approached Max, wrapped his arms around him, and gave him a hug.
Then, he turned to the crowd and declared, "Max is my friend. And he always will be."
He urged his fans to stop the harassment, calling for understanding instead of hate.
Max, overwhelmed, burst into tears.
For the first time, he realized the kind of person Peter Parker truly was. Even after seeing a version of Max try to kill him, he still came to his defense.
—
[Peter stepped out of the dark tunnel, finally emerging from underground. The moment he got outside, his phone reconnected to the network and immediately began buzzing with notifications.]
[A voice message played:]
["Hey, Peter! It's me! I got accepted into Oxford University! Wow, I'm so excited! I stopped by your house a few days ago, but you weren't home!"]
["I'm on my way to the airport now."]
["There are some summer courses I can take, and I think this will make my transition easier! I think it's time to let go…"]
[Peter stopped in his tracks, his grip tightening on his phone. Deep down, a part of him didn't want to hear this. But Gwen's voice continued.]
[Stuck in traffic beneath the bridge, Gwen sat in the back of a taxi, staring at the cityscape she had grown up with. She knew she wouldn't see these buildings again for a long time.]
["But this doesn't mean I don't love you anymore."]
["On the contrary… I love you, Peter. That's why…"]
["Okay. Goodbye."]
—
At that moment, Peter, who had just finished defending Max, arrived at Gwen's house. He wasn't prepared for what he saw on The Screen.
His eyes widened. "Gwen… you're going to England?"
Beside him, Howard Stacy, Gwen's younger brother, looked up at her curiously. "Sis, are you really leaving?"
Gwen hesitated, then smiled. "No."
She had already made her decision.
A few days later, university acceptance letters flooded in. Nearly every prestigious university in the world wanted her—offering full scholarships, free tuition, and more.
But after much thought, Gwen had made her choice.
She was staying in New York.
Columbia University wasn't just an Ivy League school—it had an exceptional academic reputation, and more importantly, it was home.
She didn't want to leave her family. And she knew that if she left, Peter would follow her. He had told her time and time again.
So she made her choice.
She chose to stay.
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