Web of Realms: A Multiversal Journey

As Spider-Gwen was speaking, Peter suddenly gave a firm tug, pulling off the entire layer of webbing in one go.

It turned out that part of the webbing had adhered to the dried blood. Peeling it off bit by bit would have only prolonged the pain.

Peter had no choice but to take decisive action—better short-term pain than prolonged suffering.

Spider-Gwen gave him a slightly reproachful look but said nothing.

Although she had long been withdrawn and unskilled in social interactions, she wasn't naive.

On the contrary, her sharp mind quickly grasped Peter's intentions.

With the webbing completely removed, the wound underneath was fully exposed.

The first thing Peter noticed was the partially clotted blood. He retrieved a piece of sterile gauze from the medical kit, dampened it with iodine, and gently wiped away the blood.

Through the thin layer of gauze, their skin was close enough to feel each other's warmth.

As Peter's warm fingers carefully brushed over her skin, Spider-Gwen's cheeks grew increasingly flushed.

She lowered her gaze, watching the boy who was so focused on cleaning her wound. His technique was clumsy, yet he handled her arm with such care, as if afraid to cause her even the slightest discomfort.

Her heart felt as though it were submerged in a jar of honey—sweet from top to bottom, left to right.

A wave of unprecedented happiness enveloped her, making her forget the physical pain entirely.

During the process, Peter did accidentally press too hard a few times, which tugged at the wound.

But apart from her earlier reflexive cry, Spider-Gwen didn't utter another sound of pain.

This left Peter both remorseful and impressed by her resilience.

He did notice something unusual about Gwen's demeanor, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

What Peter didn't realize was that his caring actions had silently opened a door in the layers of emotional walls Gwen had built around herself.

At that moment, this door became her link to the outside world.

And standing at that threshold was Peter.

It was like the sentiment described in Yann Samuell's 2003 film Love Me If You Dare:

"Good love lets you see the whole world through someone. Bad love makes you give up the world for someone."

Right now, Spider-Gwen was certain she had found good love.

This boy had unexpectedly stepped into her life, lighting a lantern in the darkness. Then he smiled at her and said:

"I'll take you to see more of the world, more beautiful places, and make more friends!"

And suddenly, the world became bright.

Because he was the light.

After cleaning the sticky, partially clotted blood near the wound, Peter set aside the soiled gauze and took out some saline solution.

He knew iodine or alcohol could be used to disinfect the skin around a wound, but it shouldn't be poured directly onto it. This much he understood.

He'd learned it before his transmigration while watching the movie A Cool Fish. In the film, the clumsy Li Haigen disinfected his boss's injury with alcohol, nearly killing him.

At the time, Peter found it odd. He'd always heard that alcohol had disinfecting properties but had never realized how painful it could be.

Later, he looked it up and discovered that while disinfectants inhibit bacteria on the surrounding skin, saline solution is better for cleaning the wound itself.

However, he wasn't sure how irritating saline might be when applied to the wound.

Spider-Gwen had been watching him closely and immediately understood his hesitation when he paused.

"Don't worry about me. Just treat the wound quickly—we still have to help everyone at Aunt May's."

Peter nodded, his expression turning serious.

From the beginning, the earpiece had been silent, and the lack of updates from the others weighed heavily on his mind.

The combat strength on the other side wasn't weak. With the experienced middle-aged Peter Parker, the stealthy Shadow Spider, the powerful Spider-Ham, and the brilliant Penny in her Spider-Mech, there shouldn't be any issues.

After all, Kingpin was, at best, a street-level boss.

Compared to truly fearsome foes like the Mad Titan, the Goddess of Death, or Galactus, Kingpin was insignificant.

Still, Peter quickened his actions.

He placed a piece of gauze underneath Spider-Gwen's arm to prevent the saline solution from soaking into her suit.

After checking to ensure Spider-Gwen was ready, he began cleaning the wound.

As the saline touched the wound, Peter noticed her muscles involuntarily twitching.

The solution was clearly causing some discomfort.

Yet, she remained silent, not wanting to burden Peter with unnecessary guilt.

However, each subtle tremor made his heart ache.

Fortunately, while the wound looked long and deep, it wasn't as severe as it appeared. Before long, he had finished cleaning it, and fresh blood began to emerge.

This was a good sign.

The new bleeding likely flushed out any bacteria that might have settled earlier.

Peter carefully wiped away the blood, revealing the wound's true state.

On the arm of her suit was a tear about the length of a finger and 2 cm wide. Beneath it lay the jagged wound, approximately 5 mm deep.

It was hard to imagine what might have happened if the blade had struck directly instead of being deflected.

Although Peter already knew about Spider-Gwen's struggles over the years, he still found it unimaginable how brutal her circumstances must have been to shape a 17-year-old girl into someone so strong and courageous.

A typical teenager might wail over a small cut, but she endured silently, watching him tend to her wound without crying or complaining.

She bore it all quietly.

Peter couldn't help but feel a surge of compassion for her.

The crimson flesh beneath the pale skin was striking.

Thanks to her Spider physiology, some of the tissue had already begun to mend itself.

Peter leaned closer to inspect the wound and sighed in relief before looking up with a smile.

"Looks like the injury isn't as bad as I thought."

"Mm-hmm," Spider-Gwen nodded, flashing him a bright smile.

Peter retrieved a clean piece of gauze from the medical kit and placed it over the wound.

Then, he wrapped it with a bandage.

Not being skilled at tying knots—where a knot too tight might restrict blood flow, and one too loose might fail to stop the bleeding—Peter opted to secure it with a few strands of his webbing instead.

The webbing, with its breathable yet firm grid structure, seemed like the perfect solution.

"How does it feel?" Peter asked, looking at her expectantly.

Spider-Gwen's face turned as red as a sunset. Feigning casualness, she moved her arm slightly and said, "It's done really well, thank you, Peter."

Peter couldn't help but smile at her words.

"I'm glad it helps. I'll head back now. Why don't you rest here for a bit?"

(End of Chapter)

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