Marvel’s Spider-Man: Across the Multiverse

When Peter began speaking seriously, the flush on Gwen Spider's face gradually faded. She nodded and said, "Miles and Mr. Parker broke into Kingpin's laboratory on the outskirts. They must have already been aware of our existence."

"Then why hasn't he come after us?" Peter asked.

Gwen Spider froze at the question.

Good point.

Why hadn't Kingpin come after them?

Logically, Kingpin and Spider-Man were mortal enemies. Furthermore, Middle-aged Peter Spider and Miles had infiltrated his lab and stolen the computer containing data on the collider.

To top it off, Gwen Spider had even beaten up Doc Ock.

With old grievances and new vendettas stacked together, the animosity between them should have reached its peak.

Additionally, Kingpin's goal in building the collider was to find his wife and son from a parallel universe.

But judging from his repeated experiments, the collider technology was clearly still imperfect.

And now, standing right here were several "successful" experimental subjects brought to this world by the particle collider.

If he could capture them, perhaps he could glean insights from them and perfect the collider, achieving his ultimate goal.

Yet Kingpin had done none of that.

Even up to this moment, there wasn't the slightest sign that he intended to come after them.

"Are you saying…" Gwen Spider's thoughts began to connect the dots as she turned back to Peter.

Peter looked at her seriously. "I wasn't entirely sure before, but after reflecting on this morning's activities, I think Kingpin has already fully mastered the collider. Perhaps today or tomorrow, he'll conduct his next experiment!"

Gwen Spider nodded. Peter's reasoning aligned with her own suspicions. "That's why he hasn't bothered with us. First, he's too preoccupied with his experiments to waste energy dealing with us. Second, now that he's capable of achieving his goal, there's no need for him to care about us anymore!"

Peter grinned. "He doesn't want to deal with us, but too bad—we're going to deal with him! After all, we've got a huge score to settle!"

"Absolutely!" Gwen Spider nodded firmly.

Meanwhile

Queens – Aunt May's House

The Spider crew was enjoying a moment of peace before the storm.

Spider Noir was lounging on the couch, fiddling with a Rubik's Cube, attempting to solve it.

The Spider Bot stood behind the couch with a cheerful "^_^" emoji displayed on its screen, watching Noir's efforts.

Spider-Ham was, as usual, eating. The foodie couldn't go a day without stuffing his face.

Middle-aged Peter Spider sipped tea slowly, his eyes fixed on the coffee table in front of him. But he wasn't thinking—his mind was completely blank.

Peni sat alone on a small sofa, rubbing her shoulders like a tiny adult.

Aunt May walked in with a tray of freshly baked cookies and approached Peni. "Little Peni, you've worked so hard. Here, have a cookie."

"Thank you, Auntie!" Peni picked up a cookie and smiled sweetly.

Aunt May returned the smile warmly, then invited the others to help themselves to the cookies.

Looking around at the room full of little Spiders, she felt her heart swell with contentment, as if their presence was healing her entire being.

Bang!

A panicked figure came sprinting down the street, dashed into Aunt May's house, and burst through the door with a loud crash.

Middle-aged Peter Spider jumped in surprise, nearly spilling the tea in his hand.

Turning toward the doorway, he saw Miles leaning against the frame, panting heavily. Peter frowned and complained, "Miles, what's with the dramatic entrance?"

The rest of the group, including Spider Noir, paused what they were doing and turned their attention to Miles.

"Uncle... Uncle!" Miles gasped for air, his face filled with urgency, but he struggled to get the words out.

"Uncle?" Middle-aged Peter Spider raised an eyebrow. "Well, I suppose I'm old enough to be your uncle. Sure, I'm not a fan of having kids, but I wouldn't mind gaining a nephew for free."

Aunt May placed her tray of cookies on the coffee table, picked up a glass of water, and approached Miles. "Calm down, Miles. Take a seat and tell us slowly."

Miles took the water from Aunt May, gulped it down, and finally caught his breath. He spoke with urgency, "My uncle... he's the Prowler!"

"Uh, didn't Peter already tell you that?" Spider Noir asked, confused.

Peter had previously shared details about Miles' alternate universe counterpart from the video game, which included this revelation.

"Ah…" Miles was momentarily speechless, realizing he had forgotten that detail.

Earlier that morning, Miles had undergone training to hone his abilities. He had made good progress, learning to stabilize his web-shooting, combine web-slinging with swift body movements, and even use his invisibility effectively.

Feeling he had achieved enough for the day, Miles decided to skip the afternoon training session.

He asked his "head coach," Middle-aged Peter Spider, for permission to take a break and visit home.

After all, he was still a kid. The thought of the impending battle made him anxious. Having witnessed the Ultimate Spider-Man's death firsthand had also left him with a psychological shadow.

Besides, Peter was the main person responsible for shutting down and destroying the collider. Training Miles was more of a precaution than a necessity.

Peter approved his leave, and Miles headed back to Brooklyn.

He first visited his home, secretly observing his mother from the shadows.

Then, he tried to stop by the police station to see his father, but he wasn't on duty.

So, he went to his Uncle Aaron Davis' house instead.

Miles and his Uncle Aaron were very close, sharing everything with each other. Of course, he hadn't told his uncle about gaining spider powers. He just wanted to talk and ease his nerves before the upcoming battle.

But at his uncle's house, Miles encountered the Prowler.

And the Prowler turned out to be his Uncle Aaron!

Panicked, Miles fled from the house.

Even though he was invisible at the time, the sound of his hurried escape tipped off the battle-hardened Prowler.

The Prowler immediately gave chase.

What ensued was an intense chase through the streets—a tense and chaotic showdown between uncle and nephew that wasn't far from "fatherly love and filial piety."

In the end, Miles barely managed to lose the Prowler and fled straight to Aunt May's house, not daring to linger outside.

After hearing Miles' account, Peter's face darkened. "And you just came straight here like that?"

Peni exclaimed, "Idiot! Did you ever think he might've let you escape so he could follow you and find us?"

Spider Noir didn't hesitate. Stuffing the Rubik's Cube into his coat, he stood up. "Peter, Gwen, where are you? We've got a situation here. Be on your guard, too."

Spider-Ham glanced at the panicked Miles and hopped off the couch, heading toward the kitchen. "I'm going to wash my hands. It's battle etiquette. After all, I'm a spider with manners."

(End of Chapter)

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