Just One Night, Nothing Will Happen, Right?

Seeing Gwen suited up and ready to leave through the window,

George's face darkened as he grumbled, "Can't you use the door?"

Gwen stuck out her tongue. "I'm used to it."

Then she leaped out the window, fired Webbing through the air, and swung off into the distance.

Suddenly, a phantom spider caught up with Gwen and blocked her path.

"It's me, Russell."

Russell's voice rang out.

"This is a Spider Mark I made. It has tracking and warning functions.

When your Spider-Sense is triggered, its warning function will activate as well.

Then I can use the tracking function to support you.

The Webbing Organization is more dangerous than Vampires. Be careful."

Gwen eyed it suspiciously. "This Spider Mark doesn't have any listening or surveillance functions, does it?"

"Does your Spider-Sense have listening or surveillance functions?"

Russell asked in return before explaining.

"I split the Spider Totem I obtained from Earth-1610 into two parts.

Most of it is in this mark. Absorbing it can increase your strength.

A small portion is with me.

The two parts can transmit Spider-Sense signals through a kind of Quantum Sense."

"Oh." Gwen nodded. "If you run into danger, will my mark react too?"

"Yes. The signals work both ways."

But I usually only take on fights I can crush. It probably won't trigger.

"All right, thank you, Russell.

I really like this gift."

"It has been confirmed that, despite rescue efforts, renowned philanthropist Mr. Wilson Grant Fisk has died of a cerebral hemorrhage. Please join us in mourning Mr. Wilson Grant Fisk!"

"Kingpin is dead?!"

Seeing the breaking news at the bottom of the television screen, George could not help crying out.

As a senior member of the NYPD, he knew all too well what kind of man Kingpin was and how much power he wielded.

New York would not be peaceful tonight, nor for a long time to come.

"Sorry, Russell. I have to head back to the station."

He had planned to watch a show with Russell and start building some father-in-law-and-son-in-law rapport.

But this was too important. He had to return to the station and take charge.

"George, go handle your work. Stay safe."

As he spoke, Russell separated a wisp of Spiritual Energy and wrapped it around George's wrist.

George's job was quite dangerous. He should put some insurance on him in case something happened.

It should be dawn in Nepal by now, right?

Taking a step forward, Russell arrived in the Ancient One's small courtyard.

Portal Spells really were convenient.

"You're here, Master Russell. Sit. Would you like some breakfast?"

The Ancient One gestured for Russell to sit.

"One serving of beef balls, one serving of steamed spare ribs, rice noodle rolls with lean pork, and a glass of milk. Thank you, Master Ancient One."

Russell sat down as he skillfully listed his order.

"Help yourself. It's a friend's restaurant."

A Portal opened, revealing a Dim Sum Restaurant on the other side.

Hmm.

After pondering for a moment, Russell used Energy Projection.

With a little care, he brought over the breakfast he wanted.

He was already seated and did not feel like getting up.

"Oh, you've learned Energy Projection too.

Practice more. Your control still isn't precise enough."

After that, the two stopped talking and lowered their heads to eat.

Although Russell had eaten dinner at George's house not long ago, his Physique had digested it all by now.

These days, his daily energy consumption mainly came from absorbing Light Energy and Thermal Energy. Eating was merely a habit.

Just like the Ancient One. Though he was clearly a Spiritual Body,

he still went to bed early, woke up early, ate meals, and drank tea every day.

"How did yesterday's practice go?"

The Ancient One slipped into his role as a teacher and checked on Russell's progress from the previous day.

"Reading the past went fine, but I ran into trouble when extrapolating the future."

Russell went over the problems he had encountered while using the Time Stone yesterday.

"There are too many branches, and it consumes too much energy."

"The energy consumption issue is almost impossible to solve."

The Ancient One first explained the energy consumption issue.

"The Infinity Stones are manifestations of the authority of the Infinite Multiverse. They can draw upon the Multiverse's energy. In terms of energy alone, we are far inferior to the Multiverse."

Then he continued,

"Though there are many branches, only critical choices affect the future."

Russell nodded. "But choosing wrong from the start can cause later extrapolations to be overwritten by reality."

The Ancient One gave Russell a surprised look. "You tried it?"

"Yeah."

"Then how do you think it should be solved?"

Rather than giving him an answer, the Ancient One first asked Russell what he intended to do.

"Use extrapolation as an aid and walk the path I want to walk."

"What if outside factors interfere? Everything in the world always affects one another," the Ancient One asked further.

Russell said nothing, merely making a fist.

Since he wanted to walk his own path, if he encountered an obstacle, he would naturally remove it.

"Mm, that's not a bad approach either."

The Ancient One nodded approvingly and did not say how to solve it.

Russell did not ask again either.

Suddenly, as if he had seen something, the Ancient One asked Russell,

"You've already interfered with the 'future'?"

"Yeah."

Russell nodded. Last night, he had dealt with Kingpin and Murdock ahead of time.

That had undoubtedly interfered with George and Gwen's future.

"Keep watching. The 'future' is not that simple."

The Ancient One warned him but did not explain.

It was better to let events teach a person than to have people teach them.

Besides, it was not a major matter.

Seeing that the Ancient One would not explain, Russell did not press further and instead brought up something else.

"Master, is there a spell that can make everyone in the world forget something?"

Though phrased as a question, Russell sounded quite certain.

In Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange had used that spell to help Little Spider resolve the crisis of his identity being exposed.

The Ancient One smiled. "What, you want to learn it? I can teach you."

Russell smiled as well.

"Master, can you cast it for me?

I still want to spend my time researching Portal Spells."

The Ancient One's expression darkened, then he asked, "You're not studying the Time Stone anymore?"

Why was this kid always so fixated on Portals?

"More or less. As long as I can use it, that's enough.

I don't care about the Passage of Time or reversing it. I only care about the events I've experienced."

Russell answered the Ancient One first, then asked curiously,

"Master, if someone alters the past,

does that create a new Parallel Universe,

or is the current universe altered as well?"

"What do you think?"

The Ancient One still asked for Russell's thoughts first.

"There is no past?"

Russell was uncertain.

"I vaguely feel that Spacetime is one whole.

There is only the present, no past or future."

The Ancient One stared at Russell in shock.

"Did you sense that, or do you merely believe it?"

The former might be materialism, or it might be wrong.

The latter was idealism and could be ignored.

"I sensed it."

The Ancient One said nothing more, seemingly digesting the news.

After a long while,

the Mirror Dimension enveloped them, then a Portal opened and took them to New York.

"Look. The future you interfered with is playing out."

More than a dozen NYPD Officers used their police cars as cover, surrounding Ghost-Spider with their guns drawn.

And George was shielding Ghost-Spider.

"The future has changed, Master."