The heartwarming image of a family reunion filled with tears and long embraces that the Red Guardian had envisioned didn't exactly manifest.
Natasha shifted her body away with a look of clear distaste as he approached.
Yelena was even more direct, planting a sharp elbow right into the Red Guardian's solar plexus:
"Fake. You're nothing but a total fraud! Don't think for a second I've forgotten who was responsible for dragging us back to this miserable country in the first place!"
Only the Red Guardian's "wife," Melina Vostokoff, offered him a subtle wink. The silent message was clear: the irresponsible father still has a lot of work to do.
With Natasha's personal affairs settled, Peter finally welcomed a long-overdue period of tranquility.
For the following week, he spent almost all of his time immersed in the logistics of the Parker Foundation. Because he served as the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. and his future father-in-law was poised to become the next Mayor of New York, the foundation's establishment encountered zero bureaucratic friction.
Despite being a brand-new entity, the foundation's coffers were overflowing, thanks to massive, generous donations from Parker Tech, Oscorp, and Stark Industries.
Ben and May finally had a platform where they could channel their desire to help others. The two were so dedicated that they practically wanted to live at the foundation 24 hours a day.
Despite the heavy workload, they didn't look tired; instead, they appeared rejuvenated, as if they had shed ten years off their age.
As for Peter, once the foundation was running smoothly, he made a long-awaited return to campus.
Indeed, he, Gwen, Felicia, and Harry had all been officially admitted to Empire State University. The quartet, along with Harry's girlfriend, was nearly inseparable, attending lectures and enjoying the vibrant atmosphere of college life.
Sif and Daisy hadn't forgotten Peter either. They frequently messaged him to share updates on their lives—one constantly grumbling about the excessive red tape on Earth, and the other sharing her grueling training progress.
Daisy was already a top-tier standout in the agent training camp and would soon be ready to lead missions on her own. Peter planned to hand over the Terrigen Crystals to her when that time came.
On a side note, Yelena occasionally sent Peter strange photos, always captioned with: "I'm way better looking than my sister." Peter never replied, choosing instead to screenshot the messages and send them to Natasha, watching from the sidelines as the two sisters bickered whenever they were together.
The peaceful days blurred past, and soon another half-month had vanished.
One day after class, Peter was preparing to invite Gwen and Felicia to a movie—secretly hoping to find an opportunity to test if a "triangle" truly possessed structural stability.
However, right as they were leaving, the multi-functional watches on both his and Gwen's wrists began to vibrate violently.
The two exchanged a sharp look and immediately retreated to a secluded area to activate the devices. Felicia watched them go with a sigh of resignation... such was the life of a Black Cat who wasn't part of the "Spider-Family."
The moment the connection was established, a virtual projection flickered to life. Spider-Punk's distinct, edgy face appeared before them, his expression more somber than they had ever seen.
"Boss, we have a problem."
"Superior Spider-Man's research hit a breakthrough recently, allowing us to pinpoint the coordinates of those hunters with much higher precision."
"Yesterday, we conducted an exploratory jump, and... we actually ran into one."
Gwen and Peter looked at each other, curiosity and tension reflected in their eyes: "What's the situation?"
"It's far worse than we imagined," Spider-Punk said, his voice carrying a faint, unmistakable tremor. "The thing killed a Spider-Man right in front of us."
"That monster... he can actually drain the life force and power directly from a Spider. When we first saw him, he was covered in wounds, but after he finished consuming that Spider-Man, every single one of his injuries healed instantly!"
"Furthermore, his raw power is staggering. He was alone, but we were completely outmatched. His strength is terrifying, his speed is ridiculous, and worst of all..."
Spider-Punk paused, his expression turning grim. "Our Spider-Sense is completely useless against him!"
Gwen's face paled. As Ghost-Spider, she understood exactly what the loss of Spider-Sense meant.
Without that precognitive edge, a Spider's physical attributes weren't significantly higher than villains like the Lizard. It was that supernatural intuition that allowed them to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
In the heavy silence, Peter finally spoke: "What's the status of the team? Any casualties?"
"Three Spiders are clinging to life by a thread. If Superior hadn't opened the portal in time, they wouldn't have made it back. Now, the equipment has detected another hunter appearing in the universe designated as Earth-1261. We... we need your strength."
Peter's brow twitched, a long-suppressed spark of excitement flickering in his eyes. To be honest, after so much domestic peace, his hands were starting to itch for a real fight.
He glanced at Gwen. She gave him a sweet, knowing smile and casually tossed her movie tickets into a nearby bin. "A fight sounds a lot more interesting than a movie."
Peter gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before turning back to the projected Spider-Punk, who looked slightly awkward at the sudden display of affection. "Send me the coordinates."
Amidst flashes of light and shifting dimensions, Peter and Gwen arrived at the Spider-Society headquarters.
Peter immediately utilized the Horse Talisman to heal the three near-death Spiders before quickly assembling a specialized strike team. For this mission, he only intended to bring four others: Gwen, Superior Spider-Man, Spider-Punk, and a "Friendly Neighborhood" Peter.
"Let's move."
At Peter's command, the portal hummed to life, and the five of them stepped through the threshold into an unknown universe.
Earth-1261.
This was a world defined by a gritty, cyberpunk aesthetic.
On the neon-drenched streets of this New York, a man standing over seven and a half feet tall—built like a massive grizzly bear but dressed in ornate, classical aristocratic finery—held a Cyber-Spider-Man by the throat with a single hand.
Spider-Man was heavily augmented; half of his body was mechanical. Currently, his cybernetic limbs had been torn into a pile of scrap metal, and exposed wires hissed with erratic sparks.
What little remained of his organic body was a bloody, mangled mess. He gasped for air, attempting one final, futile struggle, but his resistance was laughable to the giant.
Just as the aristocratic brute opened his maw, revealing rows of predatory teeth aimed at the Spider's jugular, he froze.
A spatial portal was slowly spiraling open directly in front of him.
The giant stared at the five newcomers. His gaze skipped over the costumed heroes and locked onto Peter, who was dressed in ordinary civilian clothes. In that instant, a terrifying, predatory light erupted within his crimson eyes!
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