The moment the communicator rang, Gwen's heart instantly leapt into her throat.
The three Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man instinctively answered the call.
The next second, a cold, utterly emotionless male voice emanated from the small communicator, echoing in the howling night wind:
"The three of you, 'Lyra' has determined the node for the next Web Event in this Universe."
"Web Event countdown: 48 hours."
"The identity of the individual related to the Web Event is: Police Chief."
The voice paused, as if giving them time to digest the information, then continued in a tone that was almost an order:
"To ensure this Universe doesn't immediately collapse due to two consecutive Web Event failures,
you must, within two days, complete the 'correction' of the target from the last Web Event, and ensure this Web Event proceeds smoothly."
With that, the communication cut off.
Leaving only the three Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man staring wide-eyed at each other.
As interns who had just joined the Spider Alliance, wasn't their mission a bit too difficult?
Also, when you, the boss, give orders, couldn't you at least ask about our situation first?
Now the target is already known by this World's Spider-Man! How are we supposed to act on this!
At the same time the three Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man were internally screaming in frustration,
Gwen's heart was also churning with a storm of shock and fear from the few cold words spoken by the mysterious man on the communicator.
In that instant, Gwen felt the World spinning.
Police Chief!
Wasn't the current Police Chief of New York her father, George Stacy?! (George is currently both Police Chief and Deputy Mayor)
In other words, Dad would meet with an accident in three days!
And what's worse... that's not all!
That icy voice also mentioned correcting the "target from the last disrupted event"?
So, besides Dad, another one of her relatives was the "escaped fish" that needed to be corrected!
Therefore... she was destined to lose two close relatives in a row within three days?!
At this thought, an indescribable chill and despair, like a piercing cold wave, instantly invaded every part of Gwen's body.
Why?!
How could this be?!
She had finally, with great difficulty, convinced herself to try and accept Felicia's presence.
Finally, she had resolved to build a future with Peter and Felicia, one that might be absurd but perhaps happy.
Now, fate had slapped her hard across the face again!
She must lose two relatives, or the entire Universe would pay the price for her willfulness!
The classic trolley problem only required choosing between saving one person or a whole group.
But she... didn't even have the right to choose!
She could only watch helplessly as her relatives died!
Because even if she willfully chose to disrupt the Web Event, the Universe would collapse.
They would still die then!
The moment she realized this, Gwen fell completely into confusion.
She didn't know what to do, nor how she should react to this cruel fate.
Just as she was utterly lost about what to choose, a warm and powerful embrace enveloped her tightly.
"Relax, Gwen. I'm here."
Familiar words sounded in her ear, "No matter what difficulties we face, I'll face them with you."
These words, under normal circumstances, would have instantly calmed Gwen.
But now, she only clutched Peter's clothes more helplessly, her voice thick with a nasal tone and tears:
"Peter... I... what should I do now?"
"Calm down."
Peter gently patted Gwen's back and uttered words of incredible arrogance with a casual tone:
"Who controls the chaos in this Universe? Only I decide!"
He looked down at the tearful Gwen in his arms, a confident, almost arrogant curve forming at the corner of his mouth.
"Don't forget, I used my power to break it the first time. Naturally... I can break it a second time! A third time, and countless times after that!"
Break it the first time?
Peter's words, loaded with implications, made Gwen and the three Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man freeze momentarily.
That's right... Dad is the target of this Web Event.
And Grandma Pauline has been peacefully enjoying her retirement at home, never encountering any accidents in the past few months.
Instead, it was Peter... Gwen's mind instantly flashed back to the double-green incident that happened at Midtown High School months ago.
Green Goblin and Lizardman teaming up to kidnap Peter.
If Peter back then wasn't "The Punisher," but just an ordinary person!
She would have had absolutely no way to protect Peter from those two!
The moment she realized this, Gwen first felt a sudden clarity, but then couldn't help but frown:
"But they said the Universe would collapse..."
Before she could finish, Peter interrupted with absolute certainty:
"Just because they say something, it must be true?"
"The Universe collapses instantly if two Web Events are disrupted? Where's the proof? Even if such a thing could happen, it's impossible for the entire Universe to be completely shattered in the blink of an eye!"
"There must be a process, right? Guess if I can restore it during that process?"
As soon as his words fell, Felicia's voice also sounded:
"Peter is right! As long as he's here, as long as we of the Eye of Twilight unite, I don't believe there's anything we can't handle!"
Hearing Peter and Felicia's confident tones, Gwen's eyes unconsciously grew brighter.
Yes, so many past crises had been safely resolved thanks to Peter stepping in.
This time, they could definitely turn misfortune into fortune too!
Just as Gwen was gradually regaining her confidence and courage, the three Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man across from them fully demonstrated what it meant to be utterly bewildered.
After hearing Peter and the others' conversation, they were immediately dumbfounded.
They looked at each other, their expressions more bewildered than if they'd seen a ghost.
Seriously, dude!
How can you be the escaped fish from a Web Event!
If you're the escaped fish, then we, who are responsible for correcting Web Events, would have to... I kill myself?!
What kind of nonsense is this!
At this thought, the three couldn't help but exchange glances, clearly silently discussing whether to act on this absurd mission.
Just as they were hesitating because of this, Peter's cold voice came through:
"You don't need to struggle with it."
Hearing this, the three instinctively looked up, very curious to hear what a version of themselves who wasn't Spider-Man could possibly say.
But the next second, what they heard was:
"Because you're simply no match for me. Even if the three of you teamed up, or even if you called the entire Spider Alliance, you still couldn't kill me!"
The moment Peter's words fell, the expressions of the three Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man couldn't help but turn extremely strange.
Old Self, you seem a bit too arrogant!