Sometimes, things are just this absurd.
The superheroes and scientists of Earth-2149 could never develop a vaccine. Perhaps Reed Richards of Earth-2149 had the chance, but he chose to accept the infection, believing the zombie virus was a form of evolution. He then infected the Fantastic Four, Doctor Strange, Thor, and Luke Cage—beings that ordinary zombie heroes couldn't bite through. (God knows how he managed that.)
In contrast, Earth-616 Reed, given a relatively stable environment, didn't even need two hours to complete the development of an experimental vaccine, though it would most likely just serve as food for the zombies.
Honestly, at this point, both Doom and Peter could have chosen to leave. They had rescued the necessary people, and the location was extremely dangerous, clearly not a place to linger. But Doom refused. He insisted on staying in Latveria for reasons unknown, claiming he needed to save everyone here. Neither the Fantastic Four nor Peter would reject that proposal.
"I think Doom is hiding something from us," Reed said as he administered the vaccine to Susan (Sue Storm).
Susan looked at Reed with a hint of curiosity. "You know, Reed? I heard this world's Doom say that your counterpart in this world believed the zombie virus was a form of evolution and infected everyone else."
Reed gave Susan a strange look.
"Only an idiot would think that's evolution. Forget the massive decrease in physical strength. We've fought those zombies before. They are creatures completely ruled by appetite, entirely unable to fight their own desires. Theoretically, they don't need to eat, yet they are tortured by a terrible psychic compulsion. This isn't evolution. If you ask me, it's a form of... enslavement. That unknown virus is enslaving us."
Susan raised an eyebrow and remained silent. It was clear that Reed had also thoroughly researched the zombie virus; they just came to different conclusions.
"I can be responsible for destroying the portal. After all, I can leave this universe on my own, so we don't have to worry about the zombies following us." Peter was explaining the plan to the Earth-2149 Doom. After he finished, Doom nodded. Reed had already set the destination to the wasteland universe, Earth-21923, based on the vibrational frequency of the multiverse. Once everyone was transported, Peter would destroy the portal and escape on his own.
As for the Earth-616 Doom, he was simply staring at the portal's control panel, seemingly having discovered something.
T'Challa woke up in pain. The last thing he remembered was discovering Ant-Man Hank Pym had been bitten, and then Hank had attacked him.
Am I dead? Or have I been infected and turned into one of those monsters?
T'Challa struggled to sit up, finding that one of his legs and one of his arms had been replaced with prosthetics. Where his original limbs went was an obvious, grim question.
"You're safe, T'Challa, at least for a few hours."
He heard an unfamiliar voice. It was Magneto's. T'Challa propped himself up and asked, "Did you save me, Magneto?"
"...No, not me. It was heroes from another world who stumbled in here by mistake. You are in Latveria now. Doom created a portal that can cross the multiverse and plans to send everyone to a safe universe."
A safe universe...
Black Panther stared blankly at the unfamiliar room. He noticed a sob in Magneto's voice and likely understood what happened—Magneto's children were undoubtedly devoured or turned into monsters in this fight. He asked with concern, "Are you alright, Erik?"
"I... I... What have I done, my God."
"What?"
"I brought all of this, T'Challa. It was me."
As T'Challa watched in shock, Magneto told him a terrifying story: a day ago, Magneto was contacted by a mysterious individual on Asteroid X. This person claimed to have a virus that could differentiate between ordinary humans and super-powered beings for infection. After detailed communication, Magneto believed it was a bioweapon that could eliminate all ordinary humans and allow mutants to become the rulers of the world. Thus, Magneto chose to accept the deal.
The moment he pressed the button, a lightning bolt flashed across the sky, and a superhero he had never seen appeared in Manhattan. That was when everything began. The mysterious person was right: the virus could indeed differentiate between ordinary humans and superhumans, but the problem was that superhumans were infected much faster.
"...Who was that mysterious person?"
T'Challa grasped the key point and immediately counter-questioned. For a moment, Magneto forgot that detail and replied hesitantly, "I don't know. He contacted me directly, on Asteroid X."
"And where is Asteroid X now?"
"It has landed in Latveria."
Black Panther immediately got up, walking with his still-unfamiliar prosthetics, and headed toward Asteroid X. He walked past the confused eyes of a few survivors from the Brotherhood of Mutants and the X-Men, went inside, and began sifting through Asteroid X's communication logs.
If this terrifying disaster wasn't a natural selection but some kind of evil conspiracy, then perhaps the mastermind of this plot had a way to fix everything. He tried to re-establish contact with the individual but found no communication logs, causing him to angrily smash his fist onto the control panel.
"Hey, hello?"
Peter, who was looking for his father to tell him Magneto was alive, poked his head in. Black Panther sighed helplessly. "I'm sorry, Spider-Man, I, I just..."
"Who are you trying to contact?"
"The mastermind. He unleashed the zombie virus on this world. Perhaps he has a way to solve all of this."
"Maybe your method is flawed. If the zombies, who are the source of the infection, aren't from this universe, then the person you're looking for might not be in this universe either." Peter shrugged and walked to the control panel. "Fortunately, I know a lot about multiversal travel and vibrational frequencies. So we need to re-calibrate the signal source—"
The screen on Asteroid X lit up. The mastermind who unleashed the zombie virus on Earth appeared. A massive, intensely polished bald head appeared on the screen, looking at Peter, who had contacted him, in surprise.
"Spider-Man?"
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