Gwen: Oh My God, Is This That Amazing?

Carrying Gwen to her doorstep was, for Peter, nothing short of an extreme weighted cross-country march.

Though the Horse Talisman could eliminate physical pain, it did not directly increase his stamina, nor could it banish normal physiological needs like exhaustion, hunger, or thirst.

Therefore, despite the protection of the Horse Talisman, Peter had still been worked to the bone over this mere few hundred meters of road.

Ding-dong—

Finally, Peter freed up a hand and laboriously pressed the doorbell of the Stacy residence.

Before long, the door was opened, and a white-haired old woman appeared behind it.

It was none other than Gwen's grandmother, Pauline Stacy.

Gwen's mother had passed away early in life, and she had been raised since childhood by her father and grandmother.

When Grandma Pauline saw the unconscious granddaughter on Peter's back, her expression changed instantly.

"Oh, my goodness! What's wrong with Gwen?!"

Her voice was filled with panic, and she flurried about, trying to check on her granddaughter's condition.

"Grandma Pauline, please don't panic."

Peter panted heavily, explaining with difficulty, "Gwen is just... too tired, and fell asleep on the bus ride back."

"Too tired?"

Old Pauline looked at Peter suspiciously and couldn't help reaching out to touch Gwen's forehead.

The temperature upon contact was normal, her breathing steady and long, and there was even a trace of peaceful sleepiness upon her fair, pretty face.

After confirming that her granddaughter had no abnormalities, Pauline let out a long sigh of relief, and her tense nerves relaxed as well.

But following right behind it was a thick sense of oddness and inquiry.

As her grandmother, didn't she know what kind of constitution her own granddaughter possessed?

As the daughter of the New York City police chief, her son had taken Gwen through physical training since she was little to ensure she wouldn't be bullied when she grew up.

Even if Gwen's physical fitness couldn't compare to a competitive athlete's, she was still a star athlete at school, with energy as vibrant as a little rabbit's. How could she possibly be exhausted to the point of fainting just from a field trip?

Besides...

Old Pauline's gaze swept back and forth between Peter and Gwen, her look growing increasingly subtle.

Her granddaughter's posture leaning against Peter's back was intimate and natural, and this kid Peter... though he was exhausted like a dog, his gaze was quite tender.

As her thoughts raced, a bold notion surfaced in her heart.

Could her own granddaughter be using the tactic of feigning sleep to reel in this blockhead Peter?

Thinking of this, the corners of Old Pauline's mouth curled uncontrollably into a smile.

She truly was my granddaughter!

While helping Peter carry Gwen into her bedroom and settling her onto the soft, large bed, she sized Peter up from top to bottom with the look of someone "evaluating a grandson-in-law."

"Good boy, you really had a hard time."

"Would you like to stay for a cup of hot cocoa? I'm baking an apple pie, and it'll be done soon."

Facing the old lady's overly enthusiastic invitation, Peter was somewhat at a loss.

"No thanks, Grandma Pauline. I... I'd better head back first; I shouldn't disturb you and Gwen."

His mind right now was entirely occupied with how to improve his weakling physique, and he truly had no mood to enjoy afternoon tea.

"Is that so..." A trace of just-right regret appeared on the old lady's face. "Alright then, be careful on the way."

Seeing Peter off to the doorway and gazing at his heavy-footed back, the doting smile on the old lady's face simply could not be suppressed.

Although Peter's family background was a bit poor and his build a bit frail, he made up for it with a clever brain, a kind and gentle personality, and a strong sense of justice.

In the future, he might just test into a good university and enter a large company to defy the heavens and change his fate.

For her granddaughter to date Peter was quite reassuring, after all—far better than those unknown, disreputable bad boys!

Pondering her granddaughter's lifelong happiness in her mind, the old lady turned back around with trembling steps and returned to Gwen's bedroom.

Looking at the granddaughter sleeping sweetly on the bed, she tentatively called out twice in a soft voice:

"Gwen?"

"Sweetie, stop pretending; Peter has already left."

However, the girl on the bed still showed no reaction, maintaining even breathing and a sweet sleeping expression.

This time, it was the old lady's turn to be stunned.

She actually fell asleep?

She smiled bitterly and shook her head, having no choice but to resignedly tuck the quilt corners in for her granddaughter.

What kind of nonsense was this?

She had merely gone on a tour of the Osborn Group, and yet she could actually get tired out to this degree?

Gwen felt as though she had dreamed a very, very long dream.

In the dream, she felt as if she were immersed in a warm spring, countless tiny bubbles wrapping around her body while every single cell cheered and leaped with joy.

Peter's figure flickered in and out in the dream, his voice gentle and firm, effortlessly smoothing away all the restlessness and anxiety deep within her heart.

"Gwen, don't be afraid."

"I've got everything covered."

That feeling was so peaceful and so sweet that it made her drunk with intoxication, unwilling to wake up.

"Gwen! It's time for dinner!"

Not until her father's familiar shout echoed from outside the door did Gwen, like a startled cat, reluctantly open her sleepy eyes.

The streetlights outside the window were shining brightly, and looking at the wall clock, it was already seven o'clock in the evening!

She had actually slept through the entire afternoon?

Gwen rubbed her eyes, instinctively wanting to sit up.

The moment she made a move, however, she immediately discovered something was wrong.

The blanket... had sealed her inside!

This wasn't a joke about lingering in bed.

The thin quilt on her body seemed as if it had been glued to her with 502 super glue, sticking tightly against her arms and torso!

"Mhm?"

Gwen let out a puzzled nasal sound and instinctively exerted force, attempting to kick off the blanket covering her.

Rip!

Boom!

A crisp sound of fabric tearing echoed together with the groan of the wooden bed bearing more than it could endure.

That soft, comfortable cotton quilt was as fragile as a thin sheet of paper beneath her feet, directly being torn apart into a huge opening and exposing the fluttering cotton stuffing inside.

Even more preposterous was that the sturdy wooden bedposts beneath her unexpectedly snapped with a loud crash due to her struggle!

Gwen, who had finally regained her freedom, was utterly dumbfounded.

Th... what was going on here?

She was badly startled by this situation, and her body instinctively shrank backward.

Yet this slight movement caused her to spring up instantly like a coil, launching her entire body straight up onto the ceiling!

"Ah!"

Gwen let out a short, startled cry, but the piercing pain of crashing into the ceiling that she had anticipated never arrived.

Instead, it was replaced by an extremely bizarre sensation of weightlessness and stickiness.

She instinctively opened her eyes, and immediately her eyes widened in fright at her own reflection in the full-length mirror.

She... was actually clinging firmly to the ceiling of her bedroom like a gecko in a bizarre all-fours posture!

"Thump, thump, thump!"

"Gwen? Are you alright? What was with that huge commotion?"

Her father George's concerned voice came from outside the door, accompanied by knocks.

"N... nothing, Dad! I'm fine!"

Gwen was so startled she gave a start, hastily opening her mouth to respond, her voice somewhat warped from tension.

"I just... had a nightmare and accidentally fell out of bed!"

While flurriedly dealing with her father outside the door, she desperately tried to recall everything that had happened before she passed out.

Osborn Tower... dazzling high-tech exhibits... and... that colorful little spider that had bitten her!

An absurd thought flashed across her mind like lightning.

Could it be...

I've gained the abilities of a spider?!