Ben sat in front of a messy desk.
On the open physics textbook lay a brightly colored spider, obviously highly venomous.
However, it was already dead, its stiff spider legs curled up like a closed flower.
"The mutated spider that bit Spider-Man."
A few days ago, Ben obtained it from Osborn.
Fifteen years ago, Ben transmigrated to this World, becoming a part of the Parker family—Bant Parker.
At the same time, he was also the famous Spider-Man, Peter Parker's cousin. However, he was not Uncle Ben and Mei's son, but their adopted child.
When he was ten, Ben unexpectedly obtained the Omnitrix during a spring outing, which was commonly known as the "Omnitrix" device.
The original Omnitrix could connect to the genetic code river of the artificial organic Planet Plymouth, transforming into over a million different alien intelligent species. In this way, it allowed the user to break through the barriers between races.
Azmuth invented it, hoping that in this way, the Omnitrix would become a Noah's Ark capable of saving endangered species in the Universe.
Unfortunately, for some unknown reason, Ben's Omnitrix seemed to have disconnected from Plymouth, and its internal system remained blank, unable to do anything.
If this were just an ordinary World, it would be fine, but this happened to be one of the countless Universes in Marvel.
Now, Tony Stark had officially revealed his identity to the World, and the era of superheroes had begun.
Ben wasn't very interested in becoming a superhero, but living in the dangerous New York City, he naturally needed some self-preservation ability. So, he set his sights on the mutated spider.
He didn't intend to steal his cousin Peter's Spider-Man identity and superpowers; he just hoped that after biting Peter, the spider could also bite him, allowing him to gain power.
However, that thing died immediately after biting Peter, as if its mission in life was to pass on Spider-Man's abilities to Peter Parker.
"Perhaps this is the power of the Spider Totem, unshakeable like a web of fate."
Ben thought.
Unfortunately, he neither had the special genes compatible with this mutated spider nor was he chosen by the Spider Totem.
Even the Omnitrix seemed to have no reaction because the spider was not an intelligent creature. He also tried to use Peter's hair to activate the Omnitrix, but it didn't work either.
The Omnitrix would not extract genes from non-intelligent creatures, nor could it allow the user to transform into the appearance of the same race.
Ben helplessly picked up one of its legs, holding the ferocious little thing up to his eyes.
"It seems I can only take a desperate gamble."
That's right, he now had a crazy idea—to eat the corpse of this mutated spider!
This was a dangerous decision!
He remembered a Spider-Man comic where someone ate a spider's corpse and ended up becoming a monster that was just a skin, with nothing but spiders inside!
But he had no choice.
"If I were just an ordinary citizen living in New York City, perhaps I wouldn't take the risk, but I happen to be Spider-Man's cousin." Looking at the dead spider's corpse, Ben sighed helplessly.
As everyone knows, Spider-Man always has enemies.
Choosing to be Spider-Man means destined to lose constantly; his close ones always come to a bad end, just like Uncle Ben and Gwen.
Ben didn't want to be the one "lost," and he certainly couldn't stand by and watch Uncle Ben fall into danger—now, Peter had already gained spider abilities, and the node of his destiny to become Spider-Man was already imminent!
Ben needed power to stop all of this from happening!
Of course, he wasn't deliberately seeking death, knowing he would become a monster yet insisting on going his own way.
"The Omnitrix has the function of repairing genes, and the protection for the holder should be written into the program. In this way, it should be possible to forcibly activate it."
Bant in the animation used the Omnitrix to cure Earthlings whose genes were contaminated and assimilated by half-beast insects, and also solved the genetic defects of Evolved Humans throughout the Universe.
If the plan went smoothly, he would not turn into a spider monster.
Ben looked down at the Omnitrix on his wrist, deciding to take a chance.
He took a deep breath, then closed his eyes and stuffed the mutated spider's corpse into his mouth!
The sharp, curled eight legs pricked every corner of Ben's mouth like hedgehog quills. It seemed to come alive again, crawling around in his mouth, cutting open his oral cavity, trying to escape from his mouth.
"Ugh—"
Ben quickly covered his mouth to prevent himself from spitting it out due to nausea.
Then, Ben bit into it—he could feel the spider's corpse bursting with juice in his mouth, and a bitter taste immediately spread throughout his taste buds.
"Disgusting…"
Ben almost suffocated, not only because of the nausea and bitterness, but more importantly, the mutated spider was poisonous. His tongue was being corroded by the liquid, and the pain almost made him want to spit everything out.
But that would make all his efforts futile.
He not only didn't spit, but gritted his teeth and swallowed it whole.
It was like drinking a large cup of scalding molten iron mixed with spiky sea urchin shells; the spider's body wriggled in his esophagus—
Then came intense pain!
"Ah!"
Ben suddenly curled up, clutching his stomach and twitching.
The Omnitrix was unresponsive, but the mutation had begun!
His internal organs felt as if they were being cut open by spider spears, as if countless spiders were crowding in his small stomach, tearing at Ben's flesh and blood with saw-like mandibles!
This pain was simply unbearable, like someone trying to tear off a hangnail from their finger, but instead bloody tearing off an entire piece of skin!
Now, the pain spread throughout his entire body!
"Thump!"
He and the chair fell to the ground together, the loud noise startling Mei, who was washing dishes downstairs.
"They're invading my brain!"
Ben bit his teeth tightly. His head was splitting, as if hundreds of spiders were crammed into his brain, countless arthropods crawling darkly in his small and fragile brain, yet he was powerless, only able to painfully grab his hair and smash his head heavily against the ground.
He painstakingly opened a slit in his eyes, and through the gap, he could see that both of his eyes were bloodshot, the blood vessels in his eyeballs like dense spider webs!
Ben looked desperately at the Omnitrix on his wrist; at this moment, it still showed no reaction.
He had lost the gamble.
He felt his senses sharpen, his vision become clearer, and even his field of vision widened—this was natural, because he now had countless spider-like eyes!
"Creak—"
The old stairs outside the door made a sound of movement.
Ben tensed up.
"Knock knock knock—"
The door was knocked.
"Bant, are you alright?" Aunt Mei's worried voice came from outside the door.
Ben's body trembled uncontrollably, the corners of his mouth tore, and his teeth began to protrude outwards, turning into terrifying fangs!
That poor wretch in the comic who became a monster, literally ate his mother's internal organs, leaving only his skin… Now, his bloodthirsty desire was raging!
He wanted to eat, he wanted to feed!
Beneath his skin, thousands of mouths waited for him to fill them!
"Run, Mei…"
Ben wanted to warn Aunt Mei to run, but when he opened his mouth, he found his voice was evil and hoarse, clearly already that of a monster. But before he could feel sad about it, four slender spider spears pushed through his eyeballs and emerged from his eyelids!
"What did you say?" Aunt Mei asked worriedly, "Your voice sounds like you have a cold."
Ben could no longer answer. He tightly gripped his arms, desperately suppressing the bloody urge.
How could he hurt Aunt Mei?
The six blood-red eyes tearing through his skin glanced at the tightly closed window—he knew he couldn't stay here any longer, he had to leave!
But he had barely taken half a step before he painfully collapsed to the ground.
Aunt Mei heard a muffled thud from inside the room and immediately tensed up, exclaiming, "Bant, are you alright?"
She grabbed the doorknob.
Ben heard a "creak," and then the door opened, a bright light shining in—
"No!"
His heart roared in despair—but at that very instant, the Omnitrix on his wrist also flashed!
[Detecting gene contamination of the holder, Omnitrix forced activation.]