After Peter finished speaking, the three Neighbors fell into a brief, heavy silence.
A long time passed before Neighbor #1 spoke up, his tone carrying a hint of hesitation and testing: "Um... I feel like what he said... kind of makes sense?"
At those words, Neighbor #3's eyes nearly bulged out of his head. He pointed at #1, shouting in pure bewilderment: "Are you serious?!"
"This is about the entire universe! Billions of lives! And you think he makes sense?!" #3 instinctively looked toward #2, hoping to find an ally.
But Neighbor #2 uncomfortably shifted his gaze away. "Actually... I'm planning to stay, too."
His eyes drifted, landing almost unconsciously on Gwen.
While he didn't entirely subscribe to Peter's extreme view of "if my family dies, the universe isn't worth keeping," he had already felt the soul-crushing weight of losing a loved one.
Deep down, he truly didn't want Peter or Gwen to repeat his tragedy.
To him, having one version of himself out there in the multiverse who was actually happy was better than every Peter living in eternal agony.
Seeing this, Neighbor #3's expression turned ugly, almost twisted. He felt betrayed. He looked from #1 to #2, his voice dropping to a low growl: "Do you even know what you're doing?!"
"You're going to just stand by and watch this universe be destroyed?!"
Facing #3's interrogation, #1 and #2 remained silent.
"Damn it! I've really had enough!"
Perhaps because he was older, or perhaps because his spirit had been ground down by repeated loss, Neighbor #3 had long since abandoned the "naive" idea that man could conquer fate
In his worldview, certain things were predestined and had to be endured. They were the chosen "bearers" of this burden.
With great power comes great responsibility.
"Suit yourselves!" #3 shouted angrily. "I'm not part of this!"
He slammed his hand down on the device on his wrist.
Vroom!
The air warped as a spatial portal spiraled open. #3 didn't hesitate, stepping into the vortex. But just as half his body was submerged in the energy, he stopped. He didn't look back, merely speaking with chilling detachment:
"I won't tell Miguel about your decision. But in exchange, you will all pay the price for your own stupidity!"
With that, he stepped through, and the portal collapsed into nothingness. In the quiet night wind, #1 and #2 stood looking at each other awkwardly.
They glanced at Peter, wanting to advise him not to take #3's words to heart, but they were intimidated by Peter's sheer power and unpredictable personality.
They were actually misunderstanding Peter. He wasn't angry or disappointed by #3's departure. He simply watched the spot where the portal had vanished, the corner of his mouth curling into a playful, thoughtful arc.
Then, he turned to #1 and #2.
"I'm glad you chose to stay. Since you're willing to help, as far as I'm concerned, you're friends."
The moment the words left his lips, Peter walked over to them, his hands glowing with a pure white light. The healing power of the Horse Talisman surged.
The bruises and internal injuries they had sustained from Peter's "violent hospitality" vanished in the blink of an eye.
"WTF!" Both Neighbors swore simultaneously. They checked their bodies in disbelief, looking like they'd seen a ghost. "What kind of power is that? How do you even have that?"
Peter didn't feel like being a mystery man. He gave them the same "Dragonmancer" explanation he'd given Gwen.
According to his knowledge of the "movies," the Spider-Society could enter other universes at will. Peter was quite envious of that ability and had every intention of bringing the entire Society under his wing.
To take over such an organization, he needed trustworthy subordinates on the inside. In his eyes, #1 and #2 were excellent candidates.
"Bro, aren't you going to try to figure out exactly how the Canon Event happens?"
After taking the two parallel versions of himself on a tour of Parker Technologies, the two Neighbors couldn't help but start strategizing for him.
In their mind, if you wanted to stop an event, you at least needed to know the details—the killer, the time, the location, the method...
Peter just shrugged, his expression incredibly relaxed.
"Why make it so complicated?" He picked up an apple from a nearby desk and took a loud crunching bite, speaking through a mouthful of fruit. "If George is destined to have an 'accident' in two days, I'll just stay glued to his side the entire time. Simple."
"As for what kind of opponent I'll face..." Peter paused, a flash of absolute confidence in his eyes. "Does it even matter? No matter who shows up, they won't be my match."
#1 and #2 looked at each other, feeling as if a thousand questions were screaming in their heads. Old Me, you are seriously arrogant!
However, remembering how easily they had been crushed earlier, neither of them dared to argue. This Peter definitely had the capital to be arrogant.
After settling his two alternate selves, Peter didn't stay idle. First, he followed through on his original plan and injected George and Pauline with the Lizard Serum, giving them enough strength to protect themselves.
Then, he devoted his full energy to working with Dr. Connors on the "Black Cat Serum" he had promised Felicia.
With the experience of the perfect Lizard Serum and the 100% genetic stability provided by the Omnitrix's data, the development went off without a single hitch.
After two days of intense work, the first "Perfect Black Cat Serum" was born.
Felicia had been waiting for this moment. As Peter pressed the needle into her arm, the serum—shimmering with a silver-gray luster—entered her system.
The transformation began almost immediately. With the assistance of the Horse Talisman, the evolution process was swift and painless.
Perhaps the genetic compatibility was exceptionally high, or perhaps there was some "Black Cat Totem" looking out for her
. Whatever the reason, once the evolution was complete, Felicia became a perfect shifter, just like Dr. Connors.
She looked exactly the same in her normal state, but with a single thought...
Pop!
Furry cat ears and a sleek tail sprouted, along with sharp claws and soft, padded paws.
"Wow..." Felicia looked at her new form, her eyes sparkling with delight.
Seeing this, Peter couldn't help but step forward and rub her ears. "Well? Do you like it?"
Felicia laughed and pounced into Peter's arms, her long tail gently brushing against his arm. "This feeling... It's amazing, meow~!"
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