The air seemed to freeze, as if everything had shifted into slow motion, ten times slower.
In the nick of time, Peter moved.
He took a step and, leaping like a diver, rushed toward Mary Jane, pulling her into his arms.
Then, he shot out a web to grab the bridge, using inertia and centrifugal force to swing his body through the bridge arch, executing a difficult 360-degree loop.
In a flash, he appeared on the side of the cable car.
Peter and Mary Jane were rising, while the cable car was descending. They crossed paths, their faces illuminated by the light from the cable car windows, narrowly missing the Grim Reaper.
Peter shot another web to grab the bridge with his left hand, and with his right hand, he grabbed the cable car's rope.
Peter had done it—he saved Mary Jane and the cable car, or at least temporarily alleviated the crisis. The cable car was still stuck, unable to move.
The tugging from both sides stretched Peter to his limit. The weight of the cable car and gravity continued to pull him downward—
Snap. Snap, snap.
The webbing was loosening.
Although a garbage barge was approaching the Hudson River below, trying to help, the Green Goblin, like a golden flying thief, hovered in the air. His sinister laughter echoed, and a ticking time bomb seemed to dangle overhead, testing their nerves.
"Listen, I need you to climb down," Peter said. It was the only way.
Mary Jane didn't even dare to look down. "I can't do it."
"Yes, you can." As soon as Peter finished speaking, the webbing loosened further. They fell like they were bungee jumping but then braked abruptly in mid-air, their hearts racing dangerously.
"Mary Jane."
Peter's voice carried a note of determination and strength.
"You can do it."
"You have to!"
Mary Jane looked at the face hidden behind the mask, and that determined voice continued, "Trust me."
Mary Jane, without realizing it, slightly nodded.
Then, she slid down Peter's body and arms to the cable rope.
The Green Goblin's mischievous streak flared up.
He dove down, slamming into Peter. The cable car spun rapidly, causing Mary Jane to sway dangerously.
With a sudden stop, the Green Goblin landed a punch square on Peter's jaw. Peter spun 360 degrees in the air, and his right hand let go.
The cable car began to plummet.
Time seemed to freeze at that moment.
Gloria's heart soared with Peter, tumbling and briefly experiencing weightlessness. Instinctively, she grabbed the armrest, her body tense, eyes fixed on Peter as he completed his spin and the cable car continued to fall. Her fingers quickly swept the cable rope, regaining a grip.
In the theater, gasps of shock, relief, and fear collided in a chaotic mix. Every audience member was pinned to their seats by the vertiginous terror.
Mary Jane was thrown out.
By a stroke of luck, she hung outside the cable car, holding onto the bar on top with one hand.
The Green Goblin reappeared, "Time to die!"
He sprinted at full speed, diving low.
As the Green Goblin seemed about to pierce Spider-Man's chest, Gloria even closed her eyes in fear, not daring to look directly, but unwilling to miss the movie. She peered through a small opening and saw objects "raining" from the sky—
Stuffed dolls. Clothes. Baseball bats.
Various items rained down, hitting the Green Goblin and disrupting his flight path, allowing Peter to escape.
"Get away!"
"Don't mess with Spider-Man! You're dealing with someone saving children!"
"If you mess with Spider-Man, you're messing with all of New York!"
On the bridge, people who had just evacuated because of the explosion witnessed everything and, putting their fear aside, stepped up to help.
In that brief moment, Peter slowly released his grip, lowering the cable rope, allowing the cable car to land safely on the garbage barge.
Mary Jane and the children were saved.
However, the enraged Green Goblin seized the opportunity, throwing a rope to bind Peter's waist, and then flew away.
Peter was violently thrown into a derelict building—
Gloomy. Horrifying. Like a bat cave.
Robert in the theater smirked, no longer surprised by the terrifying elements Sam had inserted. Yet the smile remained at the edge of his lips.
Peter managed to avoid a series of dangers and land in the wreckage. The Green Goblin then threw a bomb, which exploded right in front of Peter's blue eyes.
Boom, boom, boom.
The mask. Blood. All were thrown, destroyed, and blasted away in the explosion's fire.
Everything quieted down, a shiver ran from Peter's feet to his scalp, uncontrollably trembling. From momentary relief to the impact of despair, it dawned on him that his palms were already soaked with cold sweat, without warning, his palms felt chillingly itchy, uncontrollably shaking.
The Green Goblin reappeared.
Blow after blow, the Green Goblin pummeled the severely injured Peter as if he were a punching bag. Peter, battered and retreating, had no means of defense.
This was a one-sided crushing. Despite Peter's attempts to resist from the cracks, the Green Goblin's storm of attacks continued to pummel him into the ground.
Finally, the Green Goblin stomped on Peter's wrist and choked his neck, rendering him unable to shoot webs.
"You're finished. Spider-Man."
"If you hadn't been so selfish, I'd have given your little girlfriend a quick death, but now that you've angered me, I'm going to slowly torture her to death."
Bloodied and battered, Peter reignited his energy amidst pain and weakness. His eyes, hidden beneath burns, looked up at the Green Goblin with stubborn defiance.
No snarl, no distortion, but those deep blue eyes grew darker, calm yet turbulent, clearly revealing a trace of murderous intent.
The Green Goblin noticed. He wasn't afraid; rather, he enjoyed this moment, "Mary Jane and I will have a great time."
The Green Goblin raised his trident-like weapon to stab Peter.
Weak Peter grabbed the blade, not only holding on but also unleashing incredible strength to counterattack. He overwhelmed the Green Goblin with a furious assault, pounding his face until the Green Goblin begged for mercy.
The Green Goblin revealed his identity—Norman, Harry's father.
Peter was stunned, unable to believe his eyes, completely caught off guard.
Norman, sweating and crying, begged for mercy, saying that the Green Goblin was trying to control him, that he needed Peter's help, and that he was trying to stop the Green Goblin but was failing.
"I will never hurt you."
Norman's sweet talk distracted Peter, temporarily convincing him, but secretly, Norman prepared his flying device to ambush Peter from behind.
"...Be like my son," Norman opened his arms to Peter.
Gloria bit her lower lip, shaking her head: Don't be fooled, Peter, don't!
No one in the theater was unaffected; even the experienced Robert felt a pang of anxiety, fully immersed in the movie.
Peter wasn't deceived. He shook his head, creating distance, "I only have one father, and his name is Ben Parker."
This statement further enraged Norman, who showed a cruel smile. "Farewell, Spider-Man."
Norman activated his flying device.
Peter, alerted in time, executed a backflip in mid-air, narrowly avoiding the flying device.
As a result, the flying device impaled Norman, blood gushing from his mouth.
Norman looked up at Peter, pain etched on his face, "Peter... don't tell Harry."