Chapter 694: U: Infinite Event (10)

"You need to make yourself clear!" Peter grabbed the arm of Otto Octavius and asked him loudly, "What do you mean by 'certain death'? How can you curse a good doctor?"

"I am merely stating a fact." Otto Octavius's tone was steady, without a single ripple, as if he were speaking of something unrelated to himself. He said, "Until you learn this lesson, you will never understand how much of a price you will pay for it."

"No... Dr. Schiller couldn't possibly... How could he..." Peter stepped back twice, shaking his head in denial. Otto Octavius, while sitting at the table fiddling with mechanical parts, said, "Yes, before Gwen and Ben Parker died, you thought the same thing."

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

"Precisely because they are ordinary people, they will die, and they will die because of your foolish actions." Otto Octavius's hands paused for a moment, but he still did not turn back to look at Peter, instead speaking to himself, "You have infinite strength; no thug or criminal can hurt you, but ordinary people..."

"I... I will protect them." Peter stood where he was and said very seriously. He waved his arm and said, "You must have developed a mental illness due to too much psychological pressure. You should go see a psychiatrist instead of making things up here!"

"Whether I am making things up or not, go ask the other Spider-Men, and you will know."

"I'll go ask right now. Don't think you can fool me!" Peter slammed the door and left in anger.

But upon arriving in the main hall, he discovered that the other Spider-Men were busy with their own work, and furthermore, the vast majority of the Spider-Men here had four words written on their faces: "Keep your distance."

Peter wanted to strike up a conversation with them, but they ignored him. With no other choice, Peter had to return to Otto Octavius's room and said, "Send me to the Amazing Spider-Man. I believe he won't be as crazy as you."

Peter felt that Otto Octavius was completely spouting nonsense. How could he possibly let Uncle Ben and Gwen fall into danger? And then there was Schiller—how could Schiller possibly die? This was simply the most absurd theory he had ever heard.

Otto Octavius said nothing, merely picking up a teleporter from the table and tossing it backward. After Peter Parker caught it and fiddled with it, he quickly mastered how to use it.

He walked out holding the teleporter, turning back to warn Otto Octavius, "Once I have proof, I'll come back and beat you up!"

Saying this, he walked out the door, activated the teleporter, and arrived at the hall from before. At this moment, most of the Spider-Men here were repairing the damage caused by the previous battle. The first to notice Peter's return was Spider-Gwen.

She walked up, looked at Peter, and asked with some confusion, "Why are you back? Did you have an argument with that Superior Spider-Man?"

"He said a bunch of crazy things. I'm here to ask the Amazing Spider-Man what on earth is going on." Peter said indignantly, "He actually cursed my teacher, my uncle, and my girlfriend. I really can't stand him!"

"How did he curse them?" Spider-Gwen asked with some curiosity.

Peter complained to her while walking forward, "It was just some crazy talk, saying that anyone who says the phrase 'With great power comes great responsibility' is bound to die. Isn't that absurd? How could anyone die because of a sentence?"

"And he actually said Uncle Ben and Gwen would both die, but they are clearly living perfectly well. I will protect them."

As they walked, Peter noticed Spider-Gwen had stopped. He turned back to look at her with some confusion and said, "By the way, I haven't asked your name yet. That's really a bit rude. Are you a girl version of Peter Parker? Or someone else entirely?"

"I am..." Seeming not to want to say that name, Spider-Gwen said, "... You can just call me Spider-Woman."

"Spider-Woman? That's cool! If I were a girl, I might like that codename too." Peter's mood improved slightly. He followed Spider-Gwen as they continued walking, saying, "Aunt May has always wanted a daughter. She once said how nice it would be if I were a girl. It seems that in your universe, she got her wish. That's great."

Peter swung his arms and looked at the ceiling, saying, "Endless universes, infinite possibilities. Perhaps there is always one universe where everyone has fulfilled their regrets and is living happily together..."

"... Perhaps there is." Spider-Gwen only said that one sentence, then left. Peter entered the Amazing Spider-Man's room alone. The Amazing Spider-Man was also somewhat surprised to see him come.

Before he could ask, Peter spilled the beans, complaining to him about Otto Octavius's actions, his tone filled with dissatisfaction toward Otto Octavius.

"... I told you he was spouting nonsense, right?" Finally, Peter said. At this moment, he noticed the atmosphere in the room was too quiet. The Amazing Spider-Man in front of him stood silently in place, looking at him. Peter asked, "Why aren't you saying anything?"

The Amazing Spider-Man shook his head and said, "It's nothing. If you feel unhappy working with him, then come back here. My team always welcomes you."

"No, I'm going back to beat him up for talking nonsense!"

Saying this, Peter walked out angrily. The Amazing Spider-Man stopped him and said, "The enemy is at the gates now; we cannot have infighting. You should rest here for a while. If you are really angry, I will go talk to him."

Peter agreed somewhat reluctantly. Then, he saw the Spider-Men busy in the hall and spoke up, "I'll help out too. After all, I broke quite a few things earlier."

Saying this, he walked into the group of Spider-Men and began helping them move things. The Amazing Spider-Man stood where he was, watching his back.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps coming from behind. He turned his head, and Spider-Gwen was standing behind him.

"You aren't planning to tell him?" Spider-Gwen asked.

"Don't you think this is a bit too cruel for him?" The Amazing Spider-Man sighed and sat down next to a broken pillar. Spider-Gwen sat beside him. The Amazing Spider-Man began to speak, "When I had just started college, if someone had told me I would lose my uncle and my future girlfriend, I definitely would have thought they were a lunatic."

"Back then, as long as I went home, there would be hot meals waiting for me. Aunt May would greet me warmly, and then I could hear Uncle Ben complaining that the electricity bill had gone up again..."

"My only worries were those unfriendly classmates in high school. What made me even happier was that college life was about to begin. I would definitely meet more good friends there..."

"Per... haps I wouldn't have believed it either." Spider-Gwen shook her head and said, "Just like the first time I came here, the first time I saw you..."

Through their Spider-Man masks, neither could see the other's expression, but they both knew that if they took off their masks, the familiar faces behind them would cause their sanity to collapse in an instant.

Peter and Gwen, in these two universes, had both died in each other's arms. And when they met in the multiverse, the identities of Spider-Man and Spider-Woman allowed them to retain a final shred of dignity.

"I think you should tell him." Spider-Gwen spoke again. The Amazing Spider-Man sat there without moving. He asked, "... You still hold out hope for this, don't you?"

"You think that as long as I tell him in advance, and he follows Uncle Ben around every step of the way, he can avoid all of this..." Even through the mask, Spider-Gwen could see the Amazing Spider-Man's sorrowful expression.

"We've been here for so many days. We've talked to every Spider-Man. We know everyone's story. In these stories, has anyone been able to avoid all of this?... It's not Uncle Ben, not Aunt May, not Gwen—eventually, there will be others. This is the curse of Spider-Man."

"I didn't expect you to be so pessimistic too. I remember you encouraged me before." Spider-Gwen sat there, wrapping her arms around her knees, and said, "I have never held much hope for future life, but whenever I think of the past, I have a hallucination..."

"If I hadn't left Peter that day, would he not have injected that serum? If I had cared about him a little more, would he not have felt sadness and despair due to school bullying?"

"Even, if I hadn't chosen to use violent means to stop him at the time, perhaps the serum wouldn't have had such a great effect, and he wouldn't have died..."

"Every Spider-Man here has thought this way." The Amazing Spider-Man said, "Including me. I have also thought, if I had stopped the criminal earlier that day, Uncle Ben wouldn't have been killed by him. If I could have seen through those people's conspiracies earlier, Gwen wouldn't have died. But, there are no 'ifs' in everything."

"The only thing that is certain is that if we don't learn that lesson, only more similar tragedies will occur."

Spider-Gwen sighed and said, "Perhaps you are right. Telling him the truth would only add to his troubles. It's better to let him enjoy these last beautiful moments in peace."

On the other side, while Peter was working, he started chatting with other Spider-Men. When he mentioned the actions of the Superior Spider-Man, everyone's expressions became somewhat strange.

Peter looked at Spider-Girl's hesitant appearance and asked, "What on earth is wrong with you all? Why are you all acting so weird?"

"No, I... it's nothing." Spider-Girl looked away, but Peter keenly caught a trace of a sorrowful expression on her face.

Spider-Girl was even younger than Peter; she couldn't control her emotions well. And Peter, having studied under Schiller, had picked up some techniques for reading expressions through osmosis. He discovered that everyone here seemed to be hiding something from him.

This made Peter feel very bad, as if he were a clown being fooled. He felt a fire burning in his heart, but he had no way to vent it. He tossed a rock onto the ground in a sullen mood, then walked to the side, squatted down, and began to sulk.

Seeing him like this, Silk walked up and said, "Don't be angry. I know you might feel we are hiding things from you, but we have our reasons for doing so. We won't hurt you."

"I think this place is really strange." Peter said sadly, "You are just as strange as that Superior Spider-Man, as if I am the only odd one out. What exactly is different about us?"

"We are no different. It's just that you are a bit luckier than us."

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

"Then what about those powerful forces you possess? Who gave them to you?"

"My friends, teachers, and elders. What about it?"

Silk smiled, but it looked somewhat forced. She said, "Perhaps this is exactly what makes you special. Haven't you noticed? Among all the Spider-Men here, only you possess these powerful forces."

Hearing this, Peter froze for a moment and said, "Indeed... but why?"

Peter thought hard for a moment, then asked, "When you went out, did no one pull you over for repeated physical exams and then give you a bunch of equipment and energy?"

Silk shook her head. Peter asked, "No? Why is that?"

"Yeah, why is that?" After leaving behind a faint sigh, Silk walked away.

But Peter fell into deep thought.

At first, he just hadn't reacted, thinking the Superior Spider-Man was lying to him. After all, Otto Octavius had directly launched a sneak attack earlier, leaving a very bad impression on Peter, so he naturally thought of Otto Octavius in the worst light.

However, these Spider-Men who had always been friendly to him had the same attitude. There must be something he didn't know about.

Discovering that the Spider-Men here refused to answer, Peter returned to Otto Octavius's territory. In the crowd, Peter spotted the pitch-black figure and followed him all the way, asking incessantly. Noir Spider-Man was annoyed by his questioning and said:

"My uncle? He died. He was assassinated."

Spider-Man froze in place. He stepped back twice, seemingly unwilling to accept this fact. Then, like a madman, he ran in front of another Spider-Man, stopped him, and asked, "Ben Parker... in your universe, is Ben Parker still alive?"

"Uncle Ben? He died."

"He died. He was killed by a criminal."

"Uncle Ben didn't die, but Aunt May died..."

"Gwen? She died."

"He died..."

"Died..." ===== CHAPTER 695 =====