Chapter 695: U: The Infinite Event (XI)

A terrible vortex surrounded Peter, the voices of the Spider-Men echoing in his ears: Uncle Ben died, Gwen died, Aunt May died, and many other names he knew kept swirling around him.

His beloved family members had long become cold tombstones in one after another alien universe, forever separated from the Spider-Man of that world; and when Peter asked about how they died, he always received only one reply: "With great power comes great responsibility."

Peter finally understood why Ultimate Spider-Man had told him this was a curse—everyone in every universe who had ever said those words to a Spider-Man was dead, not a single one had survived.

Peter stood frozen, dizzy and disoriented; he was utterly lost, unable to comprehend why this was happening—could such a curse truly exist? Did everyone who spoke those words die? It was absurd.

Peter didn't know if he was refusing the answer because he couldn't find a reason, or if he was inwardly terrified of it—but the truth lay before him: perhaps Ultimate Spider-Man was right—he was the most unusual of all Spider-Men.

After questioning every Spider-Man, he discovered that in the vast majority of universes, it was Ben Parker, his own uncle, who had taught Spider-Man the lesson: "With great power comes great responsibility."

Some universes had others say it, but none of them had survived—only Peter, whose words came from Shiler Rodriguez, a psychologist he knew, who was still very much alive.

Peter returned to Zhang Pak's room; Zhang Pak sat in his chair as before, not turning around, yet asked as if he had foreseen it: "Have you gotten the answer you wanted?"

Peter remained silent; Zhang Pak continued: "It seems you got your answer—but not the one you wanted."

"Why?" Peter lowered his head, his voice growing hoarse: "... hy is this happening?"

"I told you—it's a curse. No one can change it."

Zhang Pak sat in his chair, speaking in a cold tone: "Peter Parker, that's why I hate you."

"You turn a blind eye to most of the suffering in this world. You've gained immense power and the wisdom to match it, yet you insist on being a naive kid."

"Fighting crime? Yes, you do—but with the most foolish methods possible. With your power and intelligence, is it hard to monitor this city? Is it hard to kill those criminals outright?"

"I… I can't kill…" Peter said in a dry voice.

"Can't kill—or won't kill? You think not killing makes you good, but that's just hypocrisy." Zhang Pak stood up, stepped before the Spider-Man, and said: "Don't blame those you've lost—this is all your own doing."

Peter stood there like a stone statue, the chilling storm of this dark multiverse pounding against him without pause.

He had set out on this journey across the stars with excitement, but only now did he realize: seeing another self, seeing many selves, he hadn't just found someone who truly understood him—he'd inherited their heavy, tragic stories.

Suddenly, Peter's fingertips twitched; like a statue suddenly revived, he began trembling and said: "No—Doctor Shiler hasn't… he's still alive!"

"Yes—but that's because you're only just starting college. One day, the same tragedy will happen to him too."

After speaking, Zhang Pak left the room. Peter trembled violently, gasping for breath, shaking his head: "No, impossible—wrong—I'm only just in college, which means there's still time to change it…"

"That's right—the time isn't yet late. I can stop this…" Peter's voice trembled; then he began spinning in place, sprinted out the door, and grabbed Zhang Pak, who had just walked away.

He said: "Take me back—I have to warn Doctor Shiler. I can still stop it!"

"Why don't you understand? This isn't something you can prevent just because you know it's coming," Zhang Pak said coldly—but when he turned and saw Peter's trembling body, he added: "My transporter can't lock onto your original universe. To return, you must find Silk."

Peter seized the transporter and raced to the base of Amazing Spider-Man, crashing through the lobby without caring about the chaos he left behind.

He searched the crowd for Silk's figure, spotted her beside a pillar, and sprinted over: "Silk, take me back to my universe—I can still stop this!"

Silk turned and saw Peter's shaking arms; she instantly understood what had happened, placed a hand on his shoulder, and said: "Calm down—now isn't the right time to go back…"

"But I have to go back!" Peter's voice neared collapse; the thought of tragedy striking near him made him lose all reason.

He knew Doctor Shiler was strong, knew he wasn't ordinary—but what if?

Peter didn't know if he could prevent the tragedy—but he knew he had to warn Doctor Shiler.

So he found Amazing Spider-Man again; unable to refuse, Amazing Spider-Man and Spider-Gwen told Silk: "Just send him back for now. We haven't found the enemy's trail yet—it won't hurt to let him go."

Silk nodded, preparing to send Peter back—when a flash of light appeared in the center of the lobby; Zhang Pak arrived with the other Spider-Men.

He walked up to Amazing Spider-Man and said: "We've detected the inheritor family member's aura—he just unleashed power, leaving a clear trail. The real war is about to begin."

Amazing Spider-Man glanced at Zhang Pak, then at Peter; he had no choice but to prioritize the coming war—after all, previous battles with the inheritor family member had proven they were no ordinary foes; without full vigilance, they risked total annihilation.

Peter opened his mouth to speak—but Zhang Pak scoffed: "Oh, I forgot—there's a kid who wants to go home. Why don't you send him back first?"

Amazing Spider-Man hesitated, then said to Peter: "Peter, I know you're desperate—but the war is about to start. We need your strength."

"If the inheritor family isn't destroyed, Spider-Men will never know peace. Your power is immense—you'll be our best weapon against Solus…"

Peter stood dazed, silent for a long while; Venom inside him showed no concern for Shiler, so Peter simply said: "Let's go."

Amazing Spider-Man said nothing, patted Peter's shoulder, and said: "Don't worry, Spider-Man—you've got us."

Once all Spider-Men were ready, Silk prepared to teleport them—but teleporting so many at once was impossible, so they split into two teams: one led by Amazing Spider-Man, the other by Zhang Pak; Peter joined Zhang Pak's team.

Venom, who inherited tactical strategy, could clearly see his fighting style suited this team better—and Ultimate Spider-Man's team would be the main assault force in the coming battle.

His judgment proved accurate: Amazing Spider-Man led the reconnaissance unit, teleporting ahead first; Silk then transmitted their location to Ultimate Spider-Man, and Zhang Pak used the transporter to send all other Spider-Men at once.

Zhang Pak's team arrived on a small moon near a gas giant. Since not all Spider-Men could survive in space, Zhang Pak's first act upon landing was to set up a temporary camp.

The camp was quickly erected; Amazing Spider-Man's team returned, each member glowing with energy, fine threads of power connecting to a Spider-Man in blue uniform.

"This is Captain Universe Spider-Man. He was delayed, but Silk already contacted him," Amazing Spider-Man introduced him. "His power aids us in space combat—but he can't link with more than twenty or so Spider-Men. That's his limit."

"The enemy ahead may be powerful. Only the most combat-experienced Spider-Men will join the frontline assault. Volunteers step forward—if there are too many, we'll select the strongest…"

No sooner had Amazing Spider-Man finished than dozens of Spider-Men surged forward—far exceeding twenty. Amazing Spider-Man and Zhang Pak began selecting the combat team.

Peter was naturally included—his strength had been proven. After roughly half an hour of selection, the final twenty-five combatants were chosen.

Amazing Spider-Man, Ultimate Spider-Man, Captain Universe, Spider-Gwen—all were selected; Silk was not, because her support role was more vital.

"According to my senses, the inheritor family's aura lies within this universe. I'll teleport you there. Once we reach the battlefield's edge, we'll assign our battle roles," Captain Universe Spider-Man said.

No one objected. Captain Universe's body ignited with pinpoint lights—and in an instant, all Spider-Men vanished.

They reappeared floating beside a planet—and before them stretched a battlefield beyond their wildest imagination.

At the center, Solus—their most familiar foe—had become a colossal shadow, far larger than the nearby star; beside him stood a monstrous creature, equally massive, covered in spikes, roaring at him.

Near the star, magical radiance rippled as a female figure descended; not far away, a tiny black dot was surrounded by a magnetic storm powerful enough to devour the planet.

Amazing Spider-Man swallowed hard: "Is this really a war we can join? It looks… too much…"

Already, the battle had begun; energy storms swept across the cosmos. Captain Universe shouted: "Get out of the way!"

"We should strike Solus now!" Spider-Gwen yelled as she dodged: "The others are attacking him—this is our chance! A gift from fate!"

Zhang Pak said nothing, using Captain Universe's energy to fly straight toward Solus.

Seeing this, the other Spider-Men knew they couldn't flee; the Spider-Man squad quickly neared the battlefield—but there was little ground to land on. Most unprotected planets had been shattered; the star itself seemed near death.

Captain Universe's energy must be preserved for the main assault; if all Spider-Men floated uselessly in space, they'd waste his power. They decided to fly toward the nearest planet for footing.

The only planet present looked rough and cratered—but the Spider-Men had no other choice.

They flew toward it—but as they neared the surface, they saw it wasn't rock: it was composed of countless strange, living slimes.

Venom's voice echoed inside Peter: "This isn't Klinta? Why are you here—near my home???"

Amazing Spider-Man also noticed the bizarre sight; as he turned to flee, countless symbiotes surged forward, dragging every Spider-Man into the planet's interior.

Deep within Klinta's core, beyond a cage of layered symbiotes, a portal opened—and Shiler stepped out, saying:

"Ash Fog, wake up. You're home."