Chapter 701: U: The Infinite Event (Seventeen)

Meanwhile, in Nal's battlefield, the situation shifted again—everyone present realized that unless they dealt with Nal first, none of them would survive.

Originally, with roughly equal strength, everyone had been fighting in chaotic free-for-all, but once a being far stronger than all others appeared, they would inevitably be targeted and overwhelmed collectively; now, Solus, Frigga, Magneto, and every Spider-Man had turned their focus to Nal, who had just broken free.

Only a tiny black dot remained motionless at the center of the battlefield, utterly unmoved by Nal's rampant power, standing still as he gazed at the endless flames of the star.

Amazing Spider-Man swiftly ascended, dodging Solus's ambush, and in his peripheral vision, he caught sight of the brilliant star—and then saw Peter, frozen in place.

They had all witnessed the battle between Shearer and Nal, but when Shearer plunged into the star's fiery sea, Solus's attack had pinned the Spider-Men down, preventing them from aiding Shearer or Peter.

As expected, tragedy struck again—right before the eyes of every Spider-Man.

At this moment, the Spider-Men were in terrible shape; their battle with Solus had cost them many lives, and most of those still standing were wounded, compounded by the irreversible tragedy they had just witnessed, which triggered painful memories—nearly all of them were mentally shaken.

Watching an energy beam—easily avoidable—strike a distracted Spider-Man, Amazing Spider-Man sighed and said: "We'll have to retreat for now. Fortunately, Solus is already fighting that mysterious god—he'll be severely weakened. We can catch up and eliminate him later. For now, let's return and regroup."

"You're planning to run?" Zhang Pak said coldly. Two of his four tentacles were severed, gushing blood from a deep gash; a wound on his shoulder ran deep to the bone—he was worse injured than Amazing Spider-Man.

"This is a tactical withdrawal. More sacrifices don't guarantee greater victory. I thought you understood that." Amazing Spider-Man was about to say more, but seeing Zhang Pak's wounds, he turned his head away.

He addressed the other Spider-Men: "We're in poor condition. We're retreating to base for repairs. Our fight with the Heir Family won't be settled in a day or two. Prepare for teleportation."

As he spoke, he stepped away from the Spider-Men's group. Spider-Gwen called out: "Where are you going?"

"We can't leave that kid alone. He's been severely traumatized—I need to comfort him. Go ahead. I'll bring him back soon."

After speaking, Amazing Spider-Man flew toward Peter. At the same time, Zhang Pak did not join the teleportation group—he flew in the same direction as Amazing Spider-Man.

Amazing Spider-Man turned to him and said: "Why are you here? I didn't know you knew how to comfort anyone."

"I'm just afraid you'll die alongside that idiot. Our morale is already shattered—if we lose more, no one will want to fight anymore."

Zhang Pak snorted, flying faster than Amazing Spider-Man. When he reached Peter's side, Peter seemed to be murmuring something.

Zhang Pak called his name, but Peter gave no response. After Amazing Spider-Man arrived, Zhang Pak said: "You were right—he's been overwhelmed. He's probably lost his mind."

Amazing Spider-Man ignored him, flying to Peter's side and placing a hand on his shoulder: "I know you're heartbroken, but we're facing a dire enemy here, and this place is dangerous. You need to come back with us—"

Peter showed no reaction at all, repeating the same phrase over and over. Amazing Spider-Man and Zhang Pak exchanged a glance, moved closer—but heard nothing.

Only when they drew even nearer did they discern from Peter's lip movements what he was muttering:

"The secret of magic is that thoughts become reality…"

Instantly, Peter's body erupted in brilliant magical light, forming a massive vortex that swallowed all three Spider-Men and vanished from the center of the battlefield.

When Amazing Spider-Man regained consciousness, he found himself in a familiar room. He frowned, sat up, rubbed his neck, and squinted around.

The small room was dominated by a single bed covered in striped sheets, taking up nearly half the space; a desk was piled with messy books. Most striking was the game console beside it, its controller's cord tangled into a knot—no one could reasonably doubt it was hopelessly knotted.

Amazing Spider-Man suddenly remembered something. He rushed to the desk, cleared away the clutter, and saw a photo frame near the window: Peter Parker, Ben Parker, and May smiling brightly together.

This was Peter Parker's room—before he moved out, while still in school. His entire childhood had been spent here.

Those days felt distant now from Amazing Spider-Man's current life. He had graduated years ago, worked at a research institute in New York, and lived in an apartment nearby. This small room had long since become part of his past.

Then he heard a sound behind him. He turned—and saw Zhang Pak.

"How are you here?!" Amazing Spider-Man exclaimed. "How did you get into my house?"

Zhang Pak coughed twice, clutching his chest as he rose from the floor. His wounds made him gasp. Seeing this, Amazing Spider-Man stepped forward, helped him up, and leaned him against the wall.

At that moment, another voice came from behind them: "What's going on?... Hmm, was it just a dream? What a nightmare…"

Peter sat up on his bed, shook his head dazedly, and leaned back against the headboard, propping himself up with his hands. Then he turned—and saw Amazing Spider-Man and Zhang Pak beside him.

Peter froze. His eyes widened, then his face crumpled. "No! How are you here?! Wasn't that just a dream?!"

Amazing Spider-Man stood, walked to Peter's bedside, and said: "A dream? You mean what happened in the universe? I'm sorry, but it wasn't—"

"Idiot, are you trying to fool yourself? Pretend your teacher's death was just a dream? Let me tell you—it wasn't. You did something, brought us here. Get us back fast. Solus is still waiting."

"I…" Peter started to protest, then smelled heavy blood. His restored sense of smell was hypersensitive. He turned to Zhang Pak—his right flank and abdomen were drenched in blood; his black-and-red suit had turned entirely deep crimson.

"Oh my god, what happened to you?! How bad is this?! Wait—I've got bandages…" Peter scrambled off the bed, rushed to the closet, yanked open the door, and began rummaging.

Amazing Spider-Man stood beside Zhang Pak, pressing on his wound. He murmured: "Even if he's an idiot, he's a kind-hearted one, isn't he?"

Zhang Pak snorted, saying nothing.

But then Peter let out a startled cry: "What? I clearly hid the medical kit under the closet! Why isn't it here? I just put it back yesterday…"

Peter stood up, searched the room—but found nothing. Then he noticed the calendar on the wall. The date made him feel utterly alien.

Peter remembered—he had checked the calendar before entering the multiverse. It was early October. Now the calendar showed December. Had he been gone over two months?

He thought it couldn't have been that long. Then Amazing Spider-Man stepped forward: "Did you find the medical kit? If not, we need another plan—he's barely holding on."

Amazing Spider-Man turned to Zhang Pak, who lifted the lower half of his mask to ease his breathing. From his exposed chin, his face was pale, lips bloodless.

Leading the frontal assault, Cosmic Captain Spider-Man had drained his energy rapidly. The last remnants sustained him only in the vacuum of space—no defense left. He'd been struck by debris from a planet shattered by Solus—deep wound, massive blood loss.

Amazing Spider-Man took a shirt from Peter's closet, wrapped it around Zhang Pak's wound to stem the bleeding—but it wouldn't last long.

Seeing this, Peter walked to the door, opened it slightly, peeked out, then waved them over: "Quick, let's go now. Uncle Ben and Aunt May probably haven't woken up."

Amazing Spider-Man helped Zhang Pak outside. Peter led the way. The three exited Peter Parker's house, opened the garage—and found no car.

"Damn it! Uncle Ben must've parked at his company!" Peter stomped his foot. "Call an ambulance! Or we won't make it!"

"But we don't belong to this universe. How do we handle our identities?" Amazing Spider-Man asked.

Peter hesitated, then patted his pockets. He remembered carrying his phone—but after searching, realized it was lost in the earlier battle. Suddenly, he remembered something, raised a hand, and said: "This hand is a distress signal. Yes, that's right…"

He closed his eyes, focused hard—and a faint glow bloomed from his palm.

Meanwhile, in Stark Tower's lab, Stark saw the alarm light flash. Without hesitation, he grabbed the magical energy core, inserted it into the reactor, instantly ascended beyond the cosmos—and found nothing.

"Where's Peter?" Iron God Stark muttered. "He sent a distress signal. Where is he?"

"Where did this signal come from?... Let me check the timeline. How is he on a future timeline?!"

The instant Peter pressed the distress signal, Stark's voice echoed in his ear: "Peter, how did you time-travel?!!"