Even though Peter's tone was far from polite, the "Friendly Neighborhood" temperament was practically genetic. Neither Neighbor #2 nor Neighbor #3 felt the urge to get angry or snap over Peter's blatant display of possession.
Neighbor #2 took a deep breath, forcing down the tidal wave of emotions in his chest, and spoke in a raspy voice. "I'm sorry... I was just... too emotional."
He gave a wry smile that looked more painful than a sob. "In my world, my Gwen... she's already..." He couldn't finish, breaking into tears.
Gwen and Felicia understood instantly. In that Peter's universe, Gwen Stacy was dead.
Beside him, Neighbor #3 seemed touched by the shared grief. "My Felicia... she died in an explosion trying to protect me."
Hearing their stories, the two best friends—whose relationship had been on the verge of fracturing due to Felicia's sudden "intervention"—exchanged a look. They could read the same unutterable shock in each other's eyes.
In other universes, the endings for them and "Peter Parker" were horrific. One died in her lover's arms due to a rescue error; the other sacrificed herself, leaving nothing but ashes behind.
These revelations made them realize two things.
First: they were apparently Peter's predestined soulmates. It seemed that in every universe, Peter was fated to love one of them. It just so happened that in this universe, a slight anomaly had occurred, leading to both of them being alive and both being irresistibly drawn to him.
Second: they realized just how incredibly lucky they were.
Listening to the Neighbors describe how they lost their loved ones, Gwen and Felicia couldn't help but think back to their own past brushes with death.
If it wasn't for Peter's strength, his constant protection, and his obsessive efforts to help them grow more powerful...
Perhaps they, too, would have already perished at the hands of some powerful supervillain, just like their multiversal counterparts.
Just as Peter had calculated: Happiness is relative.
Suddenly, compared to the tragic fate of these two broken Peters, the "triangular relationship" that had been causing Gwen so much agony didn't seem... quite so intolerable.
Before meeting these Neighbors, Gwen might have harbored thoughts of "I should leave for a while to figure out if I can handle this." But now, those thoughts were decisively smothered.
It wasn't that she was afraid to die or couldn't handle danger on her own; it was that she never wanted to see her Peter wear the heartbreaking expression of the two men in front of her.
The Gwen of other worlds had become a permanent scar on Peter's heart. She, having finally found a chance for a happy ending with him, couldn't bring herself to push away this hard-won gift of fate.
Peter watched the shifting emotions on Gwen's face. Noticing her resolve wavering toward acceptance, he knew his goal was mostly achieved. Perhaps only one final push was needed for everything to move in the direction he desired.
"I'm sorry to hear that," Peter said, putting on a face of sincere regret to comfort the two Neighbors. Then, his tone shifted.
"But I must interrupt... as the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. in this world, I have to understand your purpose for being here and assess any risks you might pose to our universe."
The Neighbors snapped back to reality. After a quick look at each other, they decided to reveal everything.
"We're here to stop this universe from collapsing!" Neighbor #1 declared with the classic "Chuunibyou" energy of an interdimensional hero.
Compared to the impulsive #1, Neighbors #2 and #3 were more organized. They began to explain the concept of "Canon Events" (The Web Events):
"Simply put, every Spider-Man's universe shares certain nodes—experiences that are highly similar.
Once a Spider-Man becomes Spider-Man, they must encounter an accident that causes them to lose a loved one, forcing them to realize that 'with great power comes great responsibility.'"
"Uh..." Felicia interrupted. "Like how you two experienced the deaths of me and Gwen in your worlds?"
"But if that's the case," she continued, "what about the... little guy? He doesn't look old enough to be dating yet."
Neighbor #2 and #3 shared a bitter look. "Actually... your deaths are events that happen later. There isn't just one Canon Event! In countless universes, every Spider-Man faces multiple.
For instance, the first major node is the death of Uncle Ben. Countless Peters are forced to keep losing things as they grow. It's a law of the universe."
"If a node is broken, it's like a train jumping its tracks. The universe veers into an unknown branch and begins to collapse!"
Gwen and Felicia swallowed hard. Gwen looked at her hands—was she really that important? If her life didn't follow the "script," the whole universe would fall apart?
Realization hit Gwen like a physical blow. She was smart. She quickly identified the problem.
A Spider-Man must lose a loved one. But she had been a Spider-hero for months now. Her father, her grandmother, and Peter... they were all perfectly fine!
Didn't that mean the Canon Event had already been broken? That their universe was already collapsing?
And these three were here to "stop" the collapse...
What was the method? Was it to force the broken Canon Event to happen? Were they here to kill the people she loved?!
Gwen felt her blood run cold. She tried to tell herself things couldn't be that bad. But just then, the Spider-communicators on the wrists of the three Neighbors beeped sharply...
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