Morlun family.
Multiverse.
Hunting.
These three words together were quite shocking.
Russell hadn't expected Spider-Man's powers to originate from anything other than magic—turns out, he was more like prey!
It was hard to imagine what kind of existence the Morlun family truly was.
All the Marvel knowledge he had came from short videos and popular science posts he'd watched before his transmigration. It was limited, to say the least.
Still, Russell wasn't too panicked.
He was currently trapped in the Void, and overthinking things wouldn't help.
Sooner or later, the day would come.
With the Plunder System, time was power.
Thinking of this, Russell sneered.
Who would be the hunter and who would be the prey? That remained to be seen.
But the warning made him consider another issue:
The Sacred Timeline and the Multiverse… something didn't quite add up.
Right now, Loki hadn't yet ascended to the end of time, and the Sacred Timeline hadn't been liberated.
So how was the Morlun family hunting Spider-Men across the multiverse?
Also, in his memory, the 616 Universe in Marvel comics and the 616 Universe in the movies were obviously different.
The biggest difference?
Mutants.
The comics had them.
The movies didn't—at least, not yet.
And if the TVA truly pruned every time branch at its origin, then Sylvie—the female Loki—should have been cut at birth, not in childhood.
Same with the other Loki variants.
Russell thought it through and came to one possibility:
Some variants weren't time branches, but characters from different timelines that had already been woven into the TVA's system.
But even that didn't explain how the multiverse created after the liberation of the Sacred Timeline differed so much from the comic version.
There had to be more to it.
Maybe the Marvel Universe itself had been absorbed into the Disneyverse, becoming even more complicated.
"Forget it. No point overthinking."
Russell sighed.
He hadn't even reached Level: Godfather yet. Thinking too far ahead was meaningless.
Getting stronger was the only path forward. The rest would follow.
BOOM!
Suddenly, a flash of purple lightning lit up the distant sky!
Russell took one look and didn't hesitate—he turned and ran.
A massive creature loomed in the distance!
It might've been the thunder from the explosion or a wave of magic energy—but whatever it was, the Time Beast had appeared!
Thankfully, it didn't feed on the dead.
Russell didn't need to worry about his supplies being eaten and sprinted along the riverbank.
Spider-Man's speed + the Venom Symbiote + Super Soldier Serum + Extremis
He was practically a blur, moving like a high-speed vehicle and completely ignoring terrain.
Thanks to the Heart of the Furnace, his stamina was excellent!
After running a long distance, Russell finally spotted a broken-down shack in the woods. He didn't hesitate—he ran in.
Both Loki and Deadpool 3 confirmed: if you hid within the boundaries of dead objects, Alioth wouldn't detect you.
Bang!
Door opened.
Door shut.
Dash into the room.
Slide under the bed.
All in one smooth motion!
Lying flat. Quiet.
Tap tap tap!
Bang!
Door opened.
Door slammed shut.
Run into the room.
Dive under the bed.
All in one go!
...Except this time, something felt soft.
"Who!?"
A young woman's eyes snapped open. Blades shot out from her hands!
But before she could turn, she was tightly locked in an armhold!
A warm breath brushed against her ear.
"Lady, do you want to attract Alioth?"
The girl immediately froze—still as a statue. Even her breathing became shallow.
Daylight hours were dangerous. She had night vision, so she usually scavenged at night.
She hadn't expected to encounter a Time Beast, much less someone else hiding under the same bed.
Russell hadn't expected to bump into anyone either.
From the voice, she seemed like a teenage girl—about sixteen years old.
She was young, yes, but her body was… well-developed.
His arms tightened around her instinctively. He could definitely feel it.
Sensing the girl had stopped struggling, Russell finally let out a slow breath.
Alioth was terrifying.
Loki and Sylvie only controlled it in the show thanks to a script. In reality, those two would've been wiped out instantly.
If this girl had screamed or done anything stupid, Russell might've had to kill her and use the portal to escape.
But that was risky. He only had one fixed teleportation coordinate: the Black Market.
And that might still be within Alioth's hunting range.
Not to mention he had no idea what danger might lie beyond the portal.
That's why he chose to run rather than teleport.
Time passed.
Russell started to feel uncomfortable.
The girl had fallen in backward, so she didn't see him at first.
But now, she was pressed up against him, tightly locked in his embrace.
Zero-distance contact. Warmth. Scent. And his arm was touching... well, somewhere it probably shouldn't have.
Laura felt it too. She fidgeted.
"You're poking me," she whispered, voice barely audible.
"And let go of your hand. I won't attack you, I promise."
Russell didn't believe her.
The moment she'd seen him, she'd gone on the offensive.
Who was to say she wouldn't try again after Alioth left?
As for that other issue…
Sometimes, the body acted before the mind had a say.
"Just endure it. Now's not the time to be squeamish," Russell whispered back.
Laura didn't reply. Her cheeks flushed red.
She was sixteen. Not a naive fairytale heroine—she knew what was going on.
But she was still young.
She'd been thrown into the Void three years ago. She had no experience with any of this.
Now, overwhelmed and unsure, she could only let things happen.
More time passed.
Laura finally whispered again:
"It's… kinda hot~"
Russell was burning up too—more uncomfortable than ever.
He thought for a moment, then asked, "How long does it usually take for Alioth to leave?"
Laura's face turned even redder at his breath near her ear, but she still answered softly:
"Usually two to four hours… devours everything alive in the area. Even at night."
Russell let out a bitter laugh.
Looked like he'd have to suffer a little longer.
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