Chapter 4: Breaking the Chain of Fate
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The night air was cold as I perched on the rooftop, watching the streets below.
This was it.
The chain of events had been disrupted, but the mission wasn't over.
Stopping the wrestling event hadn't been enough.
Dennis Carradine—the man who was supposed to kill Uncle Ben—was still out there.
And my instincts were screaming that he wouldn't go quietly.
The city below buzzed with life, but all I could hear was the ticking clock inside my head.
[Mission Countdown: 1 Day, 1 Hour, 29 Minutes]
Less than twenty-five hours left.
The system had warned me about unpredictable consequences, but I hadn't expected things to shift so fast. Carradine wasn't heading for the wrestling manager anymore.
No.
He had found a new target.
And judging by the desperation on his face when I finally spotted him near an uptown pawn shop, I knew exactly what was about to happen.
He wasn't giving up.
He was doubling down.
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Carradine lurked near the back entrance of the pawn shop, glancing around nervously before slipping into the alley. His hand twitched toward his jacket, where I could see the outline of a handgun.
I followed from above, sticking to the rooftops, my heart pounding in my chest.
This was it—the pivotal moment.
If I let him walk away now, he'd find another victim. Maybe it wouldn't be Uncle Ben this time.
Maybe it'd be someone else.
I couldn't afford to hesitate.
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I leapt across the rooftops, my organic webbing launching me through the air with practiced ease. It still amazed me how natural it felt now—like I was born for this.
In a way… I guess I was.
I landed silently on the rooftop above the pawn shop, peering down through the grimy skylight just in time to see Carradine forcing the door open with a crowbar.
He slipped inside, gun drawn, barking threats at the terrified shop owner.
My Spider-Sense flared instantly—a hot buzz at the base of my skull.
Danger was here.
I clenched my fists, feeling the web glands beneath my wrists tingle with anticipation.
I could end this right here.
No more chain reactions.
No more deaths.
---
Before I moved, the system pulsed softly in my mind, bringing up a glowing message.
[Optional Mission Update]
Target Located: Dennis Carradine
Objective: Prevent fatal incident involving Uncle Ben.
Note: Target's actions may escalate due to prior timeline changes.
I grimaced.
So even the system was warning me that Carradine might act unpredictably now.
The timeline was slipping further from the original script.
But I didn't care.
I was done playing by fate's rules.
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I took a deep breath, then smashed through the skylight.
Glass shattered around me as I dropped into the shop, landing in a crouch between Carradine and the shop owner.
Carradine's eyes went wide, panic flashing across his face as he raised his gun toward me.
"Wha—?!"
I didn't wait.
Thwip!
A strand of webbing shot from my wrist, latching onto his gun and yanking it from his hands before he could even pull the trigger.
"Not tonight," I muttered, my voice low and cold.
Carradine stumbled back, reaching for a knife at his belt—but I was already moving.
I closed the distance in a heartbeat, my enhanced reflexes kicking in as I grabbed his wrist mid-swing and twisted hard.
He screamed as the knife clattered to the floor.
"You think you can just take what you want?" I growled, tightening my grip.
He struggled, wild-eyed and terrified. "L-Let me go, man! I ain't done nothin'!"
"Nothing? You were about to kill a man for a few dollars," I snapped, slamming him against the wall.
The shop owner cowered behind the counter, watching with wide eyes as I pinned Carradine in place.
My Spider-Sense kept buzzing, warning me of something else nearby—but I ignored it for now.
This was the moment.
The moment I'd been waiting for.
---
The system's voice echoed in my head again.
[Optional Mission Critical Point Reached.]
Choice Available:
1. Spare Dennis Carradine — Turn him over to authorities.
Reward: +1 Trait Token.
Consequence: Timeline stabilized. Unpredictable long-term effects.
2. Eliminate Dennis Carradine — Remove threat permanently.
Reward: +2 Trait Tokens (Hidden Reward Unlocked).
Consequence: Severe Timeline Divergence. Unknown repercussions.
My breath caught.
Two choices.
Two completely different paths.
If I spared him, I'd stabilize the timeline—at least for now.
But if I killed him… the system offered a hidden reward. Two Trait Tokens. But also massive, unknown consequences.
The temptation burned at the back of my mind.
Two Trait Tokens.
Enough to copy powers from two people.
In a world like this, where Superman and Wonder Woman existed, that kind of boost was no joke.
But… could I really cross that line?
I stared at Carradine as he whimpered, pinned against the wall.
He was a scumbag. A murderer in the making.
But was I ready to become his executioner?
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My grip tightened.
"P-Please…" he stammered, eyes wide with fear. "I— I didn't mean— I just needed the cash…"
"Everyone has an excuse," I muttered.
And God help me, I meant it.
Part of me wanted to finish it here and now. To end the threat before it grew.
But another part… the part of me that still remembered Uncle Ben's voice during breakfast this morning… kept whispering.
"With great power…"
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I closed my eyes, drawing in a deep breath.
I wasn't ready to cross that line.
Not yet.
I released Carradine, letting him slump to the floor before webbing him up tightly from neck to toe.
He squirmed, cursing and crying as I hauled him upright.
"Consider yourself lucky," I said coldly.
Then I turned to the shop owner.
"Call the cops. Tell them you've got a gift-wrapped criminal."
The man nodded frantically, grabbing his phone with shaking hands.
I dragged Carradine to the front of the store, tying him to the lamppost outside with thick, sticky strands of webbing for good measure.
By the time I was done, sirens were already wailing in the distance.
I vanished into the shadows before they arrived.
---
As I swung away, the system's message appeared once more.
[Mission Complete: Uncle Ben's Death Prevented.]
Reward Granted: +1 Trait Token.
Timeline Status: Stabilized (For Now).
[Warning: Fate resists change. Future anomalies likely.]
I felt a weight lift from my chest.
I did it.
I changed fate.
Uncle Ben would live.
But even as I celebrated the small victory, I couldn't ignore the system's last line.
Fate wouldn't let me get away with this forever.
Something else was coming.
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I landed on a quiet rooftop near my neighborhood, the city lights stretching endlessly around me.
The weight of it all finally hit me.
I had won.
But the game had only just begun.
I clenched my fists, watching the last threads of the system's message fade into the night sky.
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[To Be Continued]
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