At this moment, Bruce had exhausted every method at his disposal to determine whether those people were still watching him.
He had even repeatedly checked and continuously activated many of those methods, ensuring that he would be alerted the very moment he was targeted again.
Bruce continued circling through the airspace, trying to confirm whether they were simply trying to lull him into a false sense of security so they could catch him off guard.
All to seize the moment he let his guard down—and strike.
Only when Bruce was certain they were no longer watching him did he choose to return to the Batcave. Yet, even on the way back, he never deactivated his stealth mode.
When the Batwing returned to the Batcave, a white figure had already quietly landed beside Jessica.
Bruce noticed the white figure the moment he stepped out of the Batwing, which caught him by surprise.
"Gwen?"
Gwen smiled as she looked at the man who had just returned.
"Hi!" Gwen waved excitedly at Bruce, clearly delighted.
"See? I told you—she crossed mountains and rivers to get here," Jessica said proudly, seated on her yoga ball as she calmly observed the scene unfold.
"How did you get here?"
Even though Bruce himself had been researching devices that could traverse the multiverse, he didn't believe Gwen would be able to come to this world so easily.
Back then, the reason those Spider-People could travel across the multiverse was largely due to the Web-Weaver's network nodes playing a critical role.
But there had been no word from the Web-Weaver lately.
"I'm one of the Web-Weaver's guardians now," Gwen said with a smile.
Bruce stared carefully at the girl in front of him, but suddenly, Gwen stepped away from him.
She walked over to the Bat-Suit and pointed at a sleek-looking aircraft, speaking to Bruce.
"I never imagined I'd be this close to something that only exists in comic books."
Looking at the slightly worn Batwing in front of her, Gwen's voice was filled entirely with curiosity and wonder.
Bruce walked over to her and grabbed her wrist.
The sudden move caught Gwen off guard. When she turned around, she was met with Bruce's intense gaze—but quickly averted her eyes.
"Why won't you look me in the eye?"
That question seemed to rattle Gwen a bit. Bruce could feel her wrist trembling slightly.
"Not many people can hold your gaze," Gwen muttered.
Jessica, hearing that, was just about to nod in agreement when she noticed Bruce had shifted his gaze toward her. She immediately shrank back and quietly sat on her yoga ball again.
All she could do was silently apologize to Gwen and hope the poor girl could withstand Bruce's intimidating stare.
Bruce looked away from Jessica and focused once more on Gwen, who had lowered her head. He tugged on her wrist and began walking toward another part of the cave.
Gwen didn't resist. She followed behind Bruce like a gentle little lamb.
Watching this, Jessica tried her best to keep a straight face, doing everything she could not to let a smile slip from the corners of her mouth.
It wasn't until Bruce and Gwen disappeared from her sight that a small smile finally tugged at her lips.
Bruce led Gwen deeper into the Batcave—toward the area he used for working out.
Jessica occasionally came here too, but given her natural abilities that kept her in perfect shape, she only visited every now and then.
Once the door was closed, the space fell into absolute silence, ensuring privacy for their conversation.
Of course, Bruce being Bruce, had installed miniature surveillance and listening devices—even here.
Gwen curiously examined the gym, occasionally sneaking glances at Bruce, who hadn't yet fully taken off his Bat-Suit.
It was as if she were wondering whether he really built that muscular body right here.
Bruce didn't react to her gaze.
To be honest, after all the things the bats in his head had shown him—and the many stories they told—he had grown used to those kinds of looks.
In Gotham, it wasn't rare for people to stare at him like that.
Bruce walked right up to Gwen and stared intently at her.
Once again, Gwen looked away, her gaze drifting elsewhere. But she still said, "You don't have to be so…"
Before she could finish, Bruce cut her off.
"You were never afraid to look me in the eye before."
Bruce remembered clearly—this girl used to look him straight in the eyes every time they met.
"You even dared to throw a punch at me."
At that, Gwen couldn't help but blush a little. She had indeed been impulsive back then—mainly because she had feared Bruce would die right in front of her.
She didn't want to lose another friend like that.
This time, Gwen didn't say anything. She just stood there quietly.
So quiet, she didn't seem like a Spider-Woman at all.
"The Web-Weaver sent you here," Bruce said.
But that didn't surprise Gwen. Bruce had also participated in that battle and had a decent relationship with the Web-Weaver. Naturally, he would understand the Web-Weaver's ability to send Spider-People across universes.
Bruce didn't say anything more. He simply pulled Gwen into a hug.
He had a bold thought—one he didn't think he should voice out loud.
Gwen was caught off guard by the sudden embrace, but soon after, she returned the hug.
Neither of them said a word. They simply held each other in silence.
But soon, a quiet sob broke out in the small gym.
Gwen was crying.
She cried in Bruce's arms.
Bruce just stood there silently, letting her release her emotions.
He was like a statue—completely still.
His only role was to provide Gwen a place where she could let it all out.
"It's all gone—my father, my home, my school… everyone I knew is gone."
Gwen sobbed as she explained what had happened to her.
Hearing her words, Bruce understood what this was about—just like when the British Spider-Man's universe had vanished.
That had been his suspicion all along.
Even the Web-Weaver couldn't figure out why the British Spider-Man's universe had disappeared.
Which meant that the same fate could befall other Spider-People's universes.
And the Web-Weaver had no way of identifying the cause of the destruction.
It was this uncertainty that had prompted Bruce, upon returning, to begin working on the traversal wristband.
Bruce planned to use the Speed Force embedded in the wristband—originally from the Flash—to begin traveling across the multiverse, in hopes of identifying a pattern or discovering the cause behind the destruction of these universes.
However, the plan has not yet been put into action, and now Gwen has already delivered what could be considered very bad news to Bruce.
Because if that's the case, what they are currently experiencing might not be just the destruction of a few universes caused by a few individuals.
What the Master Weaver can perceive is likely limited to matters related to the Spiders. Only if those matters involve triggers for universal destruction can he roughly speculate on the reasons behind a universe's collapse.
But he doesn't know for sure—meaning that the destruction of the universe may have nothing to do with Spider-Man, or even Earth for that matter.
So perhaps the induced destruction of universes by others is exactly what Bruce needs to investigate.
But right now—
The destruction of universes appears to be completely random.
The sound of sobbing gradually faded, and before they knew it, Gwen had fallen asleep in Bruce's arms.
Lifting the girl who had been through so much, Bruce carried her out.
After placing Gwen gently on the bed, Bruce was just about to stand up when Gwen grabbed his hand.
The immense strength belonging to a Spider pulled Bruce off balance for a moment, but he quickly regained his footing.
Jessica appeared out of nowhere, watching the scene before her with a smile on her face as she looked at the two of them.
"Looks like you've got a lot of energy, huh?"
Jessica gave Bruce a once-over in a teasing manner, as if realizing for the first time that her boss actually had such stamina.
Bruce didn't say a word—he just stared at her.
That made Jessica a bit uncomfortable. She shrugged, admitting with a gesture that she had said the wrong thing, miming sewing her lips shut.
She also clasped her hands together in front of Bruce, silently offering an apology.
Of course, Jessica knew she was just joking. She walked over to stand beside Bruce and looked at Gwen, who was now deeply asleep. She had no idea what this child had been through.
"What happened?"
"She had a fight at home, ran away through the Master Weaver, and ended up here," Bruce didn't tell Jessica the full story.
There was no point telling her everything. It would only add unnecessary anxiety to Jessica's mind.
Upon hearing Bruce's explanation, Jessica could only look at the sleeping Gwen and shake her head.
She had never experienced a real family. The only thing that gave her any sense of family was this Batcave and Aunt May.
She longed deeply for a family, but she wouldn't comment on Gwen's argument with hers. Every family is different, and what they go through isn't something outsiders can understand.
Perhaps letting this child stay here quietly was the best choice.
Jessica patted Bruce lightly on the shoulder to avoid waking Gwen.
"I'm going to find Aunt May. Want me to bring you something to eat?"
"Anything's fine—just not red date bread," Bruce replied without looking at Jessica, his eyes still fixed on the sleeping Gwen.
"Take the back route," Bruce reminded Jessica again, asking her to avoid the front exit because he suspected those who had been watching him would still be monitoring his movements.
Even if they couldn't find the Batcave's location, Bruce believed it was better to be cautious.
Jessica didn't respond. She simply nodded and left.
Back on the bed, Gwen frowned in her sleep. She seemed to be witnessing something terrifying.
Her grip on Bruce's hand tightened slightly.
But Bruce didn't react. He simply stroked her brow gently, helping her relax her tense expression.
"I'm right here."
Perhaps Gwen heard his voice. The furrow that refused to ease no matter how gently he soothed it finally relaxed, and her breathing became calm and steady once again.
Meanwhile, Jessica had just entered New York City, completely unaware that her every move was already being watched.
"Spider-Woman located."
"Report immediately."
"Should we initiate the satellite strike plan?"
"Are you stupid? That's something the boss wants intact!"
Inside a small room, various voices rang out. Jessica's appearance had stirred everyone into action.
Soon, a man arrived. He stared at Jessica on one surveillance monitor, and at Spider-Man on another.
"Contact Ford," the man ordered his subordinate. "Tell him the miracle and the Tony Stark situation are postponed. The Batman attack is also postponed. I want all his forces focused on capturing those two Spiders."
"Yes, sir!"
Of course, the subordinate followed orders without question and immediately began contacting Ford.
"Sir, Ford has agreed."
Hearing the reply, the man nodded. He knew full well that although Ford had agreed, he would not be happy about it.
Even if Ford was dissatisfied with the command, he should understand that without the man's support, he wouldn't even have this team.
Nor would he ever achieve his ultimate goal.
The man took a few steps forward, staring intently at the two samples he had long desired.
The glow from the monitors lit up his face.
That face was hidden beneath a silver-white mask.
Only a pair of ambitious eyes could be seen—eyes filled with desire for Jessica and Miles.
"You will be the sword I use to bring down America."
Meanwhile, on the other side, Ford had just issued orders to his superpowered squad—although only two of them were needed.
To deal with two Spiders, there was no need to deploy the entire team.
Of course, Ford also saw this mission as the perfect stage for his squad's grand entrance.
"Go, my warriors."
(End of Chapter)
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