Gwen looked at Peter, her eyes reflecting an unprecedented mix of infatuation and complexity.
Perhaps this was just life!
In this World, is anything ever truly perfect?
If she only focused on the things that dissatisfied her, she would only become more and more unhappy in the future.
Conversely, if she chose to actively forget those insignificant flaws and focus more on Peter's strengths, she could become the happiest woman in the World.
The moment she realized this, Gwen's thoughts became completely clear.
Thus, while everyone else was watching Peter with immense awe, Gwen took the initiative to walk up to him.
Then, she did something "very un-Gwen-like."
She proactively embraced and passionately kissed Peter in public.
Ignoring the jeering sounds of the Little Spiders, she leaned into Peter's ear and spoke:
"Hurry up and finish things here, then let's go home early. I don't want Dad and Grandma to worry too much about us."
Although she said she didn't want Dad and Grandma to worry,
Peter understood Gwen's underlying meaning.
The matter between him and Felicia was officially a closed chapter!
From today on, a triangle truly possessed the most stable structure!
So, Peter took Gwen's hand and said:
"Then let's go and see what kind of scheme that guy is plotting!"
With that, he led Gwen straight toward the headquarters of Parker Industries.
The Fantastic Four and the remaining Avengers standing in his way unconsciously stepped aside to both sides like the parting of the Red Sea, clearing a path for him.
...
Parker Industries, Top Floor, CEO's Office.
Otto Parker, also known as the Superior Spider-Man, had been standing before the large screen like a statue for an unknown amount of time.
From Peter's appearance to Thor Odinson's descent, and then to that earth-shattering battle of gods, he had witnessed it all.
He knew Peter was strong, but... this was fucking beyond broken!
Otto Parker, or rather Otto, admitted that at this moment, he truly felt the urge to run away.
However, that thought appeared for less than 0.01 seconds before he snuffed it out.
That was absolutely the stupidest possible idea!
"While admitting there's a Peter stronger than myself is incredibly hard to accept,"
"For the crisis I'm currently facing, this is actually a good thing, isn't it?"
"It's true this guy is stronger than me right now, but in the future, as long as I survive this wave of crisis, I might not necessarily be unable to surpass him."
Otto, who had spent ninety-nine percent of his life failing, quickly finished his self-consolation.
The moment he figured it all out, the panic on his face completely faded.
He pulled out his chair, sat down firmly, and began to quietly wait for Peter's arrival.
Ding—
With the sound of the elevator reaching the top floor, Otto Parker and the Spider Army finally met across time and space.
...
The moment they met, before Peter could even speak, the Little Spiders behind him were already boiling with indignation.
A thousand words ultimately converged into one sentence:
"Beat this grandson of a turtle to death!"
How could they not be agitated!
After all, many of them had been genuinely deceived by this bastard into acting as executioners who actively destroyed the happiness of themselves in other Universes!
Facing the enraged Little Spiders, Otto Parker remained calm, as if all of this was just the buzzing of flies:
"That's enough. Can you make this group of idiots shut up?"
Otto Parker asked, looking at Peter.
The surrounding Little Spiders were so angry their noses almost twisted.
But as Peter made a downward pressing motion with his hand, the Little Spiders eventually quieted down, waiting silently for Peter, their leader, to speak.
"Fine." Peter looked at Otto Parker:
"You can begin your excuses, the... me of this Universe."
"First, I need to clarify one thing."
Otto Parker straightened his collar:
"I am not you. In essence... I am Otto Octavius."
This opening statement was completely beyond the expectations of the other Little Spiders, successfully stunning everyone in place.
"This... how is this possible!"
"But you clearly look exactly like us."
"Yeah, how could you possibly be that smelly octopus!"
Hearing the chatter of the Little Spiders, Otto Parker couldn't help but let out an arrogant snort:
"Exactly like this. Naive, stupid, soft-hearted, and lacking independent thought—this is why you fail."
"If you ask me, your situation today isn't my fault; you all brought this on yourselves, didn't you!"
After harshly mocking the Little Spiders, Otto Parker recounted the story of how he and Peter swapped bodies.
After finishing his tale, he ignored the shocked looks of the other Little Spiders and only looked at Peter, saying:
"I know what you really want to understand. Yes, the so-called Spider Alliance was indeed a test, or rather, it was one of my backup plans!"
Peter glanced at him, and after confirming with his Byakugan that this guy wasn't playing any tricks, he said:
"Tell me the details."
Seeing his calm demeanor, Otto Parker knew he had made the right bet; the other party probably wouldn't kill him or anything like that.
So, he cleared his throat and dropped another bombshell that left all the Little Spiders dumbfounded:
"There are two reasons why I chose to remotely control that idiot Miguel to establish the Spider Alliance. One is that he truly deserved to die; he almost messed up my entire plan and nearly caused me to never be able to return to this Universe. So, my retaliation against one of his variants in a parallel Universe is considered self-defense, right?
"As for the second reason..."
At this point, Otto Parker paused, a look of deep dread flashing in his eyes:
"The Spider Alliance was a test I designed, or rather a trump card for the final moment... I know you might not believe what I'm about to say, but it's the truth—"
"In this World, there exists one or perhaps a group of monsters who enjoy hunting Spider-Men!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the Little Spiders exploded on the spot:
"You're full of shit!"
"How is that possible!"
"This is nothing but alarmist talk!"
Seeing them get agitated again, Otto Parker felt something buzzing in his head.
He rubbed his throbbing temples with some irritation, and an impatient expression appeared on his face once more:
"Shut up, all of you! Those who don't believe it can get lost immediately. I never planned to count on you useless trash anyway!"
Saying this, he pointed at Peter and spoke:
"This matter is enough with just me and him. The rest of you are nothing but cannon fodder!"
"A bunch of moronic cannon fodder should have the self-awareness of being cannon fodder!"