Chapter 694: U: The Infinite Event (10)

"Say that clearly!" Peter grabbed Zhang Zui's arm and shouted at him: "What do you mean 'certain death'? How can you curse a good doctor?"

"I'm merely stating a fact." Zhang Zui's tone was flat, devoid of any emotion, as if describing something unrelated to himself: "Before you learn this lesson, you will never understand how much you will pay for it."

"No… Doctor Shiler can't… how could he…" Peter stepped back two paces and shook his head in denial. Zhang Zui, meanwhile, sat at the table tinkering with mechanical parts and said: "Yes, before Gwen and Ben Parker died, you thought the same thing."

"What are you even talking about?" Peter said in disbelief. "You really should see a doctor. How could Gwen and Uncle Ben possibly die? They're just ordinary people."

"Precisely because they're ordinary people, they die—and they die because of your foolish actions." Zhang Zui's hands paused for a moment, but he still didn't turn to look at Peter; he continued speaking to himself: "You're incredibly strong—no criminal can hurt you—but ordinary people…"

"I… I'll protect them." Peter stood firm and said seriously, waving his arm: "You must have developed a mental illness from too much stress. You should see a psychiatrist, not spout nonsense here!"

"Whether I'm making it up or not, ask the other Spider-Men—you'll find out."

"I'm going to ask them right now. Don't think you can fool me!" Peter slammed the door and stormed out.

But when he reached the lobby, he realized the other Spider-Men were all busy with their own tasks, and most of them wore four words on their faces: "Keep Out."

Peter tried to speak to them, but they ignored him. With no other option, he returned to Zhang Zui's room and said: "Take me to Amazing Spider-Man. I believe he won't be as insane as you."

Peter thought Zhang Zui was completely making it up. How could he possibly put Gwen and Uncle Ben in danger? And Shiler—how could Shiler die? It was the most absurd theory he'd ever heard.

Zhang Zui said nothing. He simply picked up a transporter from the table and tossed it backward. Peter caught it, fiddled with it briefly, and quickly mastered its use.

He walked out with the transporter, turning back to warn Zhang Zui: "When I have proof, I'll come back and beat you up!"

He stepped out the door, activated the transporter, and arrived back in the previous lobby. Most of the Spider-Men here were now repairing the damage from earlier battles. The first to notice Peter's return was Spider-Gwen.

She walked up to him, puzzled, and asked: "Why are you back? Did you argue with Ultimate Spider-Man?"

"He spouted a bunch of crazy nonsense. I came to ask Amazing Spider-Man what's really going on." Peter growled. "He cursed my teacher, my uncle, and my girlfriend—I can't stand him anymore!"

"How did he curse them?" Spider-Gwen asked curiously.

As Peter walked forward, he complained to her: "He said something insane—that anyone who says 'With great power comes great responsibility' will die. Isn't that ridiculous? How could someone die just because of a phrase?"

"And he said Uncle Ben and Gwen will die—but they're perfectly fine! I'll protect them."

As they walked, Peter noticed Spider-Gwen had stopped. He turned back, confused, and said: "By the way, I haven't asked your name yet—that's rather rude. Are you the female version of Peter Parker? Or someone else?"

"I'm…" As if reluctant to say the name, Spider-Gwen said: "... ust call me Spider-Woman."

"Spider-Woman? That's cool! If I were a girl, I might've liked that alias too." Peter's mood lifted slightly. He followed Spider-Woman forward, saying: "Aunt May always wanted a daughter. She once said how nice it would be if I were a girl. Looks like in your universe, she got her wish. That's great."

Peter swung his arms, gazing at the ceiling: "Infinite universes, infinite possibilities. Maybe somewhere, in some universe, everyone's regrets are fulfilled, and they live happily together…"

"... aybe." Spider-Woman said only that, then walked away. Peter entered Amazing Spider-Man's room alone. The man looked up, surprised to see him.

Before he could speak, Peter poured out his grievances about Zhang Zui like beans spilling from a sack, his tone thick with resentment.

"... told you he was lying, right?" Peter finally said. Then he noticed the room was unnaturally quiet. Amazing Spider-Man stood motionless, staring at him. Peter asked: "Why aren't you saying anything?"

Amazing Spider-Man shook his head. "Nothing. If working with him is unpleasant, come back here. My team will always welcome you."

"No. I'm going back to beat him up—make him stop talking nonsense!"

Peter turned and stormed toward the door. Amazing Spider-Man blocked him. "We face a great enemy now—we can't turn on each other. Rest here for now. If you're still furious, I'll speak to him."

Peter reluctantly agreed. Then he looked at the busy Spider-Men in the lobby and said: "I'll help too. After all, I broke plenty of things myself."

He joined the group, helping them move debris. Amazing Spider-Man stood still, watching his back.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps behind him. He turned—Spider-Woman stood there.

"Aren't you going to tell him?" Spider-Woman asked.

"Don't you think it's too cruel for him?" Amazing Spider-Man sighed, sitting beside a broken pillar. Spider-Woman sat beside him. He spoke: "When I first started college, if someone told me I'd lose my uncle and my future girlfriend, I'd have thought they were insane."

"Back then, every time I came home, there was hot food waiting. Aunt May would greet me warmly, and Uncle Ben would complain about the rising electricity bill…"

"My only worry was the unfriendly classmates in high school. What made me happiest was that college was about to begin—I'd make so many new friends there…"

"I probably wouldn't have believed it either," Spider-Woman said, shaking her head. "Just like when I first came here, when I first saw you…"

Behind their masks, neither could see the other's expression. But they both knew—if they removed their masks, the familiar faces beneath would shatter their sanity in an instant.

Peter and Gwen had each died in the other's arms, across these two universes. And when they met across the multiverse, their identities as Spider-Man and Spider-Woman preserved their last shred of dignity.

"I think you should tell him," Spider-Woman said again. Amazing Spider-Man remained seated. He asked: "... ou still hold out hope, don't you?"

"You think if I warn him now, and he never leaves Uncle Ben's side, he can prevent all this…" Even through the mask, Spider-Woman could see the sorrow on Amazing Spider-Man's face.

"We've been here for days. We've spoken to every Spider-Man. We've heard every story. Has anyone among them avoided this fate? Not Uncle Ben. Not Aunt May. Not Gwen. Someone else always dies. This is the Spider-Man's curse."

"I didn't expect you to be this pessimistic. I remember you used to encourage me." Spider-Woman sat hugging her knees. "I never had hope for the future. But whenever I think of the past, I have this illusion…"

"If I hadn't left Peter that day, would he have never injected that serum? If I'd paid him more attention, would he have felt less lonely and hopeless from bullying?"

"Even—if I hadn't used violence to stop him, maybe the serum wouldn't have had such a strong effect… and he wouldn't have died…"

"Every Spider-Man here has thought this," Amazing Spider-Man said. "Including me. I thought—if I'd stopped that criminal sooner, Uncle Ben wouldn't have been killed. If I'd seen those people's plot earlier, Gwen wouldn't have died. But there are no 'ifs.'"

"The only certainty is: if we don't learn this lesson, more tragedies like these will keep happening."

Spider-Woman sighed. "Perhaps you're right. Telling him the truth would only add pain. Better let him enjoy these final moments of peace."

Meanwhile, as Peter worked, he chatted with other Spider-Men. When he mentioned Ultimate Spider-Man's actions, everyone's expressions turned strange.

Peter noticed the Spider-Girl's hesitant expression. He asked: "What's wrong with you all? Why does everyone look so odd?"

"No, I… nothing." She turned her head away, but Peter caught a flicker of sorrow on her face.

The Spider-Girl was even younger than Peter. She couldn't control her emotions well. Having studied under Shiler, Peter had picked up some skill in reading expressions. He realized—everyone here was hiding something from him.

It made Peter feel terrible—as if he were the fool being tricked. A fire smoldered inside him, but he couldn't vent it. He angrily threw a stone onto the ground, then crouched aside, sulking.

Seeing this, Silk walked over. "Don't be upset. I know you think we're hiding something from you—but we have our reasons. We won't hurt you."

"This place feels wrong," Peter said sadly. "You're just as strange as Ultimate Spider-Man. It's like I'm the odd one out. What's different about us?"

"We're not different. You're just luckier than us."

"Lucky? How am I lucky? I'm just an ordinary college student."

"Then where did your incredible powers come from?"

"From my friends, teachers, elders. What's the point?"

Silk smiled, but it was forced. "Perhaps that's your uniqueness. Haven't you noticed? Among all the Spider-Men here, only you have these powers."

Peter froze. "That's true… but why?"

Peter thought hard, then asked: "When you came here, didn't anyone drag you in for endless medical exams and hand you gear and energy?"

Silk shook her head.

"That's right, why though?" After leaving a faint, almost imperceptible sigh, Spiderweb departed.

"Why indeed?" Silk left behind a faint sigh, then walked away.

At first, he simply hadn't processed it, thinking Ultimate Spider-Man was lying to him; after all, earlier, Zhang Parker had launched a direct surprise attack, leaving Peter with a very bad impression, so naturally he assumed the worst of Zhang Parker.

At first, he hadn't realized—he'd assumed Ultimate Spider-Man was lying. After all, Zhang Zui had attacked him outright, leaving a terrible impression. Naturally, Peter had assumed the worst.

But these Spider-Men—who had always been kind to him—were acting the same way. Something was being hidden from him.

Finding the other Spider-Men unwilling to answer, Peter returned to Zhang Zui's territory. In the crowd, he spotted the figure clad entirely in black and followed him, pressing questions. Annoyed, the Shadow Spider-Man finally said:

Spider-Man froze in place, stepped back two paces, as if unwilling to accept this truth, then raced like a madman to another Spider-Man, blocking his path and asking: "Ben Parker... in your universe, is Ben Parker still alive?"

Peter stood frozen. He stepped back two paces, refusing to accept it. Then, like a madman, he ran to another Spider-Man and blocked his path: "Ben Parker—does he still live in your universe?"

"Uncle Ben? He's dead."

"He died. Killed by a criminal."

"Uncle Ben didn't die—but Aunt May did…"

"Gwen? She's dead."

"He's dead…"

【77】 "Dead…"