[Sacrifice Successful!]
[Congratulations to the Host for obtaining 3,000 Points!]
The cold notification sounded, and on the virtual panel on Peter's retina, his point balance instantly jumped from 0 to 3,000.
Seeing the cold relic transform into warm Sacrifice Points, Peter's mood couldn't help but brighten considerably.
He didn't immediately rush into a shopping spree.
The items in the System Shop only refreshed once a month—they weren't going anywhere.
He could totally wait until after he tried getting his hands on the Lizard Serum, then create a more rational purchasing plan based on how things turned out.
These 3,000 Sacrifice Points were both his savings and his confidence—his trump card when facing the unknown.
With that thought, Peter looked at the transcribed algorithm manuscript in his hand and dove into a new round of knowledge-binging with satisfaction...
Early morning, two days later.
Peter stood before the mirror, examining his reflection.
Despite having spent a full day and two nights without sleep conquering the Decay Rate Algorithm, he was still full of energy, his spirit scarily high.
His eyes were clear without a single bloodshot vein, and his skin condition was even better than before he'd pulled the all-nighter.
Don't ask!
If you ask, it's the noble Horse healing all fatigue.
The Horse Talisman's power was like a top-tier body maintenance system, silently repairing the wear and tear caused by his intense mental labor, keeping him in peak condition at all times.
"Seriously a good treasure."
Peter smiled with satisfaction, then grabbed his backpack and strode out of the house.
He boarded the school bus, and the cabin was as noisy as ever.
His gaze swept across the bus and quickly found Gwen's location.
Gwen was currently curled up alone in a corner by the window, her head down, looking completely withdrawn, like she had a "do not approach" sign hanging over her.
Under her beautiful eyes hung a pair of massive dark circles—clearly, she hadn't rested well all weekend.
Peter could guess without even trying that Gwen must've been busy attempting to familiarize herself with her newly acquired and hard-to-control Spider-Man abilities.
Judging by her current dejected appearance, the results were clearly not great.
At this thought, Peter didn't hesitate and sat down right next to Gwen.
In the memories of his predecessor, although he and Gwen were childhood friends, they'd always deliberately avoided each other at school.
When taking the school bus, he would never take the initiative to sit next to Gwen.
The seat next to Gwen was usually reserved for Gwen's best friend, Betty Brant.
But the Peter of now had long since been replaced by a soul from another world.
He didn't have that weird, inexplicable awkwardness typical of teenage boys.
"Morning, Gwen."
Peter looked at Gwen beside him, his voice carrying a hint of subtle, knowing teasing.
"You look like... you didn't get much sleep."
The sudden voice and the seat sinking beside her made Gwen's body stiffen involuntarily.
She jerked her head up and saw Peter's face right next to hers. Instinctively, like a startled rabbit, she desperately tried to shrink toward the window.
She was terrified!
She was afraid that if she didn't control herself well, the countless tiny barbs on her body would stick firmly to Peter!
If she actually got stuck to Peter... the teasing from their classmates around them and the knowing look from her best friend Betty would definitely make her die of embarrassment on the spot!
If she got nervous then and her strength went haywire, directly ripping Peter's clothes... the situation would be even worse!
However, the countless layers of worry and panic in Gwen's heart appeared as a completely different scene to Peter.
This guy acted like he could read her mind—not only did he not distance himself from her, he intentionally leaned a few inches closer.
He lowered his voice and asked in a slightly wounded and hurt tone:
"Do you not like me? Should I leave then?"
"I—I don't!"
Hearing this, Gwen panicked instantly and blurted out without thinking:
"How could I possibly not like you!"
She was so anxious her cheeks flushed red, and she didn't know what to do with herself. She wanted to reach out and grab Peter to prove she didn't dislike him, but her hand froze in mid-air, not daring to move further.
This extreme internal conflict almost drove her crazy, making her look incredibly pitiful.
However, that adorable appearance, in the eyes of the somewhat mischievous Peter, was... pretty damn cute~
So instead of backing away, he leaned even closer.
Their faces were almost touching.
"Really don't dislike me?"
His voice was very low, and the warm breath from his mouth as he spoke tickled Gwen's ear like a feather, causing her smooth earlobe to flush with a faint pink.
"Then why're you hiding so far away? There's almost enough room for another person between us."
Feeling Peter so close, Gwen felt her mind go completely blank, her heart beating so fast it seemed like it'd jump out of her throat.
What was wrong with Peter today?!
Why had he suddenly become so... so different!
"I... I just..."
Gwen stammered for ages but simply couldn't say the truth.
She couldn't exactly say she'd suddenly gained spider superpowers!
Something that absurd—Peter definitely wouldn't believe it!
He might even think she was messing with him!
Seeing Gwen struggling to come up with an excuse, to the point of almost being driven to tears by her own cuteness, Peter finally found his conscience and decided to ease up.
If he teased her any more, this future Spider-Gwen might actually have a meltdown on the spot.
He gave a light chuckle and suddenly sat up straight, returning to a normal social distance, and started talking about actual business:
"Alright, I'll stop messing with you."
His tone suddenly became very serious, as if that mischievous jerk from a moment ago wasn't him at all.
"I remember you're an intern assistant at Oscorp, right? Working on the Cross-Species Genetics Project. The head of that project is... Cur..."
He deliberately pretended he couldn't recall the name.
"Curt Connors."
Gwen blurted it out, finishing his sentence.
At the same time, her eyes brightened a bit—Peter had reminded her!
Dr. Connors was an expert in genetics—maybe he could give her some advice to help her quickly master this newly acquired power.
But... why would Peter suddenly bring this up?
"Oh right, that's the name."
Peter snapped his fingers, looking totally matter-of-fact.
"The tour the other day suddenly gave me a huge interest in biology.
I thought about it and felt like this field seems really promising, so... could you take me to meet Dr. Connors?"
He made up a reasonably plausible excuse.
"Biology?"
Gwen's expression was a bit odd.
"Didn't you used to prefer physics? You even said physics is the ultimate romance of the universe."
"But both my parents were biological researchers."
Peter gave a little shrug, and then his face overflowed with an almost arrogant confidence:
"Besides, I feel like with my intelligence, with just a slight effort, I should be able to get dual PhDs in both biology and physics at the same time."
These words were spoken with extreme swagger, yet they carried a persuasiveness that made it impossible to argue.
Gwen could clearly feel that Peter really had changed.
He was no longer that slightly introverted, somewhat nerdy science guy—he'd become confident, cheerful, and even a bit... charismatic.
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