Having finished discussing those matters, Peter went on to inquire about Cindy's illness. "You said the cause of Cindy's illness is unusual, and I understand now that it's actually a form of feedback from the Web of Destiny. But what did you mean by saying the illness is nothing major?"
"In reality, it's just a common cold and fever. Your black friend certainly won't hesitate to prescribe her some anti-inflammatory drugs and antibiotics, and she will get through it very soon... unless similar situations continue to pop up across the entire multiverse. If that happens, she might not get better."
Julia wasn't certain either whether this large-scale event currently manifesting in the multiverse was merely temporary or ongoing. If it proved continuous and persistent, then it would truly be a multiverse-level crisis for the Spider-Totems, one that Peter would need to handle immediately.
"In other words, Cindy isn't in any grave danger. That sets my mind at ease."
The two had practically covered everything. Finally, right as he was about to leave, Peter curiously questioned Madame Web. "Come to think of it, why is it that every time you appear, you act just like an NPC? You pop up out of nowhere simply to issue a quest, and then you vanish into thin air."
Julia was left rather exasperated by Peter's remarks. "I only come here when absolutely necessary, Spider-Man. I have my own life to live normally. Besides, that mysterious friend of yours has probably investigated my background inside out by now."
Following that, Julia picked up her bag and departed. Peter sat in his seat, contemplating for a moment. Just as he was about to settle the bill, he spotted a certain one-eyed director walking out of the restroom. The man sat directly across from Peter, holding a Rubik's Cube in his hand.
"Wait a minute, I'm getting a massive sense of déjà vu here... Why are you walking out of the restroom again?"
Fury looked like he wanted to speak but hesitated. He then shook his head, pointing at Julia Carpenter, who had left not long ago outside. "Are you familiar with that woman's background?"
"I only know she possesses precognitive abilities and knows a great deal of things. Furthermore, she is also a Spider-powered individual, and she happens to be blind. Considering the precedents of Daredevil and Gorgon, I have a feeling she can hear what we're saying right now."
In an instant, Fury's expression shifted. He then shook his head, pulled out his phone to jot down Peter's words, and continued, "Her name is Julia Carpenter. As you might already know, she is an employee at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, responsible for cultural relic appraisal."
"Wait... An employee at the Metropolitan Museum? A blind person? Appraising cultural relics?"
Peter was genuinely startled by this piece of information. Fury offered no explanation, leaving Peter to connect the dots himself. "Our investigation shows absolutely nothing abnormal about her. If she hadn't met with you a few times, we would be completely oblivious to her unique nature. All in all... this person is highly enigmatic."
"Yeah, highly enigmatic. Every time she speaks, she's more of a riddler than you and Strange combined. Aside from calling her enigmatic, I don't know how else to describe it."
Fury fell silent again, then shook his head once more. "What I mean is... forget it, what did she say to you?"
"She suggested that I look for a type of Spider power that doesn't rely on genetic mutation or magic, in order to deal with any... well, unforeseen circumstances that might arise."
Fury's expression turned somewhat peculiar, but he didn't press further. Instead, he shifted the direction of the conversation, asking, "So, Agent Silk isn't actually facing any major issues?"
"Indeed, nothing major... provided that nothing goes wrong in the other universes. She just needs to rest for a few days to recover."
Hearing this, Fury shook his head. Matters concerning other universes weren't things he could resolve or handle anyway; it was better to mind his own business. Consequently, the topic veered back to Peter. "So, how have you been lately, Spider-Man? Any new updates?"
"Speaking of which, I was just about to tell you. Regarding the acquisition of what Julia Carpenter called 'another power,' I actually have an idea. Do you know Iron Fist? Daniel Rand?"
Fury nodded. Although Iron Fist's strength occupied an awkward position—resembling a top-tier powerhouse when dealing with street-level thugs, yet appearing far too weak in major cosmic events—he was still a superhero after all. Moreover, Rand Pharmaceuticals was a medical device company with a fairly substantial scope of business, so S.H.I.E.L.D. naturally kept an eye on it.
"The power of the Iron Fist stems from the power of immortality, and this immortal power is acquired by cultivating a miraculous energy known as Qi, obtained after a series of trials. Perhaps I can cultivate a Spider-like Qi, and that would solve the problem."
Upon hearing this, Fury grasped the gist of Peter's meaning. He merely nodded slightly, then expressed his own confusion. "I pretty much understand, but this... Qi, why does it sound like some sort of Eastern martial arts?"
"Because it is a form of Eastern martial arts."
Nick uttered an "ah," and then seemed to realize something. "You don't want to go—no, that's not it. It's a bit of a hassle, right? And I bet it has nothing to do with passport issues."
Peter nodded. On one hand, he didn't know what the situation with the so-called Seven Capital Cities of Heaven was like in this world; he would probably need to ask Iron Fist about that. On the other hand, based on what Peter knew, mastering martial arts generally took a very long time, which was precisely why he was hesitating.
If it consumed too much time and made it impossible to balance his duties as Spider-Man, would it still be worth pursuing the power of immortality?
"Go ask Iron Fist first. If it's confirmed that you need to travel to the East, I can get in touch with the Dynasty. That might be of some help."
Fury didn't think too deeply about it, so he moved on to chat about other matters with Peter. "Come to think of it, have you gone to check on your base lately?"
It took Peter a good moment to realize that Fury was referring to the new Spider-Base rebuilt on the ruins of the Hydra base by the Hudson River. He shook his head. "Unless Dr. Jonathan or Dr. Connors has some experiments that need to be conducted, I rarely go there. Why do you ask?"
"It's nothing. It's just that last night, one of our agents watched someone play Grand Theft Auto V on the computer over there for the entire night."
A row of black lines virtually appeared on Peter's forehead. He had assumed Harry was playing the game at his own house. He never expected it to be on the supercomputer at the Spider-Base. Fury merely smiled and added, "Alright, go get some proper rest, Spider-Man. I believe in you, you can do it."
"Uh, thanks, though I haven't quite figured out what you mean by 'you can do it'... Oh, you mean acquiring the power of immortality, right? I'll go give it a shot."
Once Fury had also departed, Peter discovered that Fury had already settled the bill. He pulled out his dimensional watch, dispatched a message to the Spider-Society first, and then exited the café.