Even though Peter's tone when he spoke was anything but polite.
But the good temper of a Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man was ancestral.
So whether it was Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man No. 2 or No. 3, neither felt angry or broken by Peter's act of asserting sovereignty.
Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man No. 2 took a deep breath, and after suppressing the turmoil in his heart, he finally spoke slowly in a raspy voice:
"I'm sorry... I was just... too emotional."
He gave a bitter smile, one that looked worse than crying.
"In my World, my Gwen... she's already..."
At this point, he couldn't help but burst into tears.
But Gwen and Felicia understood instantly.
In the Universe this Peter came from, "Gwen Stacy" was already dead.
Beside him, Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man No. 3 seemed touched by No. 2's experience and spoke up instinctively:
"My Felicia... she died in an explosion trying to protect me."
Listening to the accounts of No. 2 and No. 3, the two best friends—whose relationship had almost fractured due to Felicia's sudden inclusion—exchanged a glance, each reading an indescribable shock in the other's eyes.
In other Universes, their endings with "Peter Parker" were so tragic.
One perished in her lover's arms due to a failed rescue.
The other sacrificed herself to protect her lover, leaving no remains behind.
These accounts vaguely made them realize two things.
The first was that they both seemed to be Peter's... fated true loves?
It seemed... every Peter in every Universe would fall in love with one of them.
Except... a small situation occurred in their Universe, resulting in both of them being alive and well, and both being attracted to Peter?
The second thing was that they realized just how lucky they were.
Hearing the two Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Men describe how they lost their beloveds, Gwen and Felicia unconsciously thought of their own past experiences.
If it weren't for Peter relying on his immense power to protect them so well, saving them time and again at critical moments, and even racking his brains to help them increase their strength.
Perhaps they would have already died at the hands of some powerful supervillain, just like their counterparts in other parallel Universes?
It was just as Peter had envisioned.
Happiness needs to be found through comparison.
Suddenly, Gwen felt that compared to these two tragic Peters before her, the "love triangle" that had previously caused them such painful internal conflict seemed... not so unacceptable anymore.
Before seeing these two Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Men, Gwen might have had thoughts like "I should leave for a while and think carefully about how this relationship should proceed."
But now, after seeing these two, she decisively snuffed out that thought.
It wasn't that she was afraid of death or worried that leaving Peter would immediately lead to a danger she couldn't handle.
It was just... she never wanted to see her Peter show a heartbreaking expression like the two men in front of her for the rest of her life.
The Gwen of other Universes had become Peter's eternal regret.
And she, having finally found a chance to be with Peter, how could she push away this hard-won gift of fate?
Peter quietly observed the constantly changing expression on Gwen's face.
Noticing the wavering look on Gwen's face, Peter knew that more than half of his goal had been achieved.
Perhaps, with just one last push, things would develop in the direction he expected.
"I'm sorry to hear such news."
Thinking this, Peter first put on a regretful expression to comfort the two Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Men, but then his tone suddenly shifted:
"But I still have to interrupt you... As the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. in this World, I must understand the purpose of your sudden appearance and assess the risks you may pose to the Universe we live in."
Hearing Peter's words, the two Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Men gradually recovered from their grief.
After exchanging glances with Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man No. 1, they decided to reveal everything they knew.
"We are here to prevent this Universe from collapsing!" Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man No. 1 spoke with the unique Chuunibyou tone of an otherworldly hero.
Compared to the impulsive No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 were more organized, and they began to explain in detail to Gwen and Felicia what the "Web Event" was:
"To put it simply, certain nodes in the Universes we Spider-Men inhabit, or certain experiences in our lives, are highly similar.
That is... once Spider-Man becomes Spider-Man, he will inevitably encounter an accidental event that causes him to lose a loved one and makes him truly realize that 'with great power comes great responsibility.'"
"Uh..." Felicia couldn't help but interrupt, "For example, you experienced the deaths of me and Gwen in your respective Universes?"
"But if that's the case, what's the deal with that lit... little kid? He's not even old enough to be dating, right?"
Hearing this, Spider-Man No. 2 and No. 3 gave a bitter smile and then explained:
"Actually... your departures are things that happen later; there isn't just one Web Event!"
"In countless parallel Universes, every Spider-Man has to face multiple Web Events.
Taking us as an example, the first Web Event we faced was the death of Uncle Ben.
Countless Peter Parkers are constantly forced to lose things in the process of becoming Spider-Man; it's like an inevitable law of the Universe's development."
"Once this event is disrupted, it's equivalent to the established track being destroyed. The development of the Universe will veer onto a completely unknown branch and subsequently head toward collapse!"
Hearing the three Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Men say this, Gwen and Felicia unconsciously swallowed hard.
Gwen even looked at her hands instinctively... was she really that important?
If something unexpected happened in her life, it would cause the Universe to collapse?
The moment she realized this, Gwen first felt a sense of disbelief, but then her pretty face instantly turned pale.
Because her smart little brain had already realized the problem within this.
Spider-Man must lose a loved one after becoming Spider-Man.
But she... it had already been several months since she became Spider-Woman.
Yet whether it was her father, her Grandmother, or Peter, they were all alive and well!
Doesn't this mean... the Web Event has already been disrupted?
Their Universe is already heading toward collapse?
And these three people said "they are here to prevent the Universe from collapsing"... what is the way to prevent it?
Could it be to forcibly make the already disrupted Web Event happen again, meaning... kill the loved ones she treasures?!
The moment she realized this, Gwen felt her hands and feet go cold.
She frantically hypnotized herself in her mind, trying to tell herself that things might not be as bad as she imagined.
But just then, the Spider-Communicators on the wrists of the three Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Men rang out abruptly...