Peter believed one thing above all else: Technology is the most powerful force in the world.
Faced with the chance to become Spider-Man, Peter chose a different road. He decided to focus entirely on his Celestial Tech. Besides, he thought, a young man should keep his options open. Why not let Gwen Stacy become Spider-Man?
The idea of "Spider-Gwen" was very appealing to him. Thinking about her in that iconic black-and-white hooded suit made him feel a mix of excitement and curiosity.
More importantly, if Gwen had superpowers, she wouldn't be a victim anymore. Peter remembered a movie from his old world where Gwen fell to her death from a clock tower. It was a heartbreaking scene. Back then, he had wished she could protect herself. Now, he had the power to make that wish come true.
It's decided, Peter thought. Gwen, you're the one!
He even felt a bit of competitive spirit toward the owner of the building they were standing in. Sorry, Tony Stark. The Peter Parker who isn't Spider-Man is going to surpass your technology very soon. With Celestial Tech, building a suit as good as the Iron Man Mark series would be easy. He could even develop Nanotech armor or the "Bleeding Edge" suits far earlier than Tony ever did.
By the time Peter finished his thoughts, most of his classmates had already entered Stark Tower. Only he and Gwen were still standing at the back.
"Is something on your mind?" Gwen asked, her intuition as sharp as ever. "You've been acting a little strange today."
Peter shook his head, feeling much lighter now that he had made his choice. "Nothing! I'm just excited to be here. Let's go!"
Without thinking, Peter reached out and took Gwen's hand. Her hand felt as smooth and delicate as fine jade. Gwen's face turned bright red instantly. She started to pull her hand away, but then she hesitated, worried that Peter might take it the wrong way. In the end, she let him lead her through the luxurious glass doors.
The Technology Expo was massive, divided into many different sections. One of them was the Radiation Biology Zone.
Gwen had already planned to visit this area, so Peter didn't have to do anything to change their path. They followed their map and quickly found the hall. Inside, there were many displays of creatures whose genes had been changed by nuclear radiation—snakes, lizards, mosquitoes, and spiders.
Gwen's eyes were shining with wonder. "Wow, look at that!" she exclaimed.
But Peter was focused on a different goal. He searched the hall carefully until he found what he was looking for: an empty glass case with a label that read 'Radiation Spider.'
A small smile touched his lips. I found it.
"Gwen, look! The spider in that case seems to be missing!"
Gwen looked over and gasped. "Did it escape? We need to tell someone!"
As they walked toward the empty case, Peter's sharp eyes caught a movement above them. A tiny spider with a faint blue glow on its back was slowly lowering itself from the ceiling on a thin thread.
If Peter stayed where he was, the spider would land on his neck and bite him. But Peter didn't want the bite. He stepped two paces to the side.
"Gwen, stand right here," he said, pointing at the display case. "I think I see something inside. Maybe it's just hiding!"
Gwen believed him and stepped into the exact spot where Peter had been standing. "Let me see! It would be a tragedy to lose such a precious specimen."
But a second later, Gwen let out a sharp cry and grabbed the back of her neck. "Ow! That hurts!"
This little spider isn't picky about who it bites, Peter thought.
He rushed forward and used his paper map to swat the spider off Gwen's neck. He caught it in the folds of the paper and looked down. The tiny spider was now lying on its back, unmoving.
Dead? Peter felt a bit of regret. He had hoped to keep the spider alive to see if he could create more Spider-Men later.
As he was about to throw the dead spider away, a line of text appeared in his vision, pointing right at the insect:
[Name: Radiation Spider (Mutated)]
[Status: Deceased]
[Quality: Gray / Trash Item]
[Effect: Can change a living being's genes. One-time use.]
[Description: It used to be a magical creature that could create a hero. Now it is trash, but there is still a tiny chance it might be useful for something.]
"The system can even appraise items? That's useful," Peter whispered.
Since the system said it might still have some value, Peter folded the map carefully and stuffed the dead spider into his pocket. Being thrifty was a good habit, after all.
Meanwhile, Gwen was looking pale. She leaned against Peter, her breath coming in short gasps.
"Peter... I feel so dizzy," she whispered. "I want to go home."
Peter knew exactly what was happening. Her body was being rewritten by the spider's venom. The transformation would be over soon, and she would be fine.
"Don't worry, I've got you," Peter said softly. "I'll take you home right now."
Peter found their teacher and explained that Gwen was feeling sick, asking for the rest of the day off. Then, he helped her out of the building.
He made sure to take her straight to her own house. As a young man with a good heart and high morals, he would never take advantage of a girl when she was feeling weak.
I wouldn't think about anything bad for even a second, Peter told himself. Well... maybe half a second doesn't count.