After a while, Shiller ushered out all the excited scientists. He waved at Gwen Spider-Man and said, "If Mr. Riley is Spider-Man as well, then presumably he's not the hidden agitator stirring up conflict. I'll have an agent unlock the cage later, but you must ensure he doesn't react too drastically."
Gwen Spider-Man dismissed it with a wave, saying,"Don't worry."
Then she turned to Riley and asked, "You wouldn't make trouble in S.H.I.E.L.D., would you? This organization is responsible for keeping the human race safe. Attacking agents and law enforcement officials is not a good practice."
"I just want to understand the current situation." Riley pursed his lips, showing an obstinacy different from Peter Parker.
"Since you brought him here, Miss Gwen, it's your job to explain the situation to him. I'll arrange a comfortable meeting room and prepare some hot coffee for you.There, you can talk things through."
After saying that, Shiller left the interrogation room. After a while, an agent with a magic wand came in and opened the cage for Riley. Gwen Spider-Man stood beside Riley and said, "You seem to be an extraordinary Spider-Man…"
"I'm not Spider-Man at all."
"Quit the nonsense, kid." Gwen Spider, despite sounding young, always seemed to have a kind of mature elder sister vibe. She shook her head and said, "I found you using the Spider-sense. How could you not be a Spider-Man? My Spider-sense never fails me."
Riley had a distressed look on his face, he murmured, "I am just an imitation, a clone without autonomy, memory, or a past."
"Cut the crap." Gwen Spider-Man opened the door to the next room and led Riley inside. She pointed to the sofa across the room and directed, "Sit down. I will explain to you the basics of this universe. So, you won't have the time to overthink about your past and memory."
Riley hesitated, but eventually sat on the sofa. Gwen poured him a cup of hot coffee. Holding the warm cup in his hand, Riley felt slightly more secure. He hesitated before asking, "I'm a bit confused... what's happening with this universe? What were those things flying in the sky?"
"And I heard the Spider-Man of this universe is dead. So, who are you? Also, why are you a woman? Isn't Spider-Man supposed to be a man?"
"Listen here, Clone Spider-Man, let me clarify, don't try to use common sense to understand this universe. To answer your questions, indeed, the Spider-Man of this universe is a male, and I'm not the Spider-Man of this universe."
Riley gasped, staring wide-eyed at Gwen Spider-Man. To his surprise, Gwen Spider-Man reached up and pulled off her hood, followed by removing her mask, revealing a slightly childish face with pale skin and long curly hair, almost like a doll.
In reality, Gwen Spider-Man was younger than Gwen, Peter Parker's girlfriend from this universe, so she appeared a bit immature. But just like all Spider-Men, Gwen Spider-Man had also had her share of tragic experiences. Her boyfriend, Peter Parker, had transformed into the Lizard and eventually died in her arms.
Gwen threw her mask aside and sat down across from Riley, saying, "To explain this, we need to start with the concept of the Multiverse."
Then, Gwen explained the general idea of both the Spider Legion and the Multiverse. The main topic was how they came together due to the hunting of the Morlon Family. Then Gwen continued:
"The threat from the Morlon family has now essentially been eliminated, but the Spider Legion has not disbanded. The primary reason is this universe. It is particularly unique for the Spider-Men."
Riley digested what Gwen Spider-Man had said. Since he also was Peter Parker, he was highly intelligent. He quickly understood Gwen's words and looked into her eyes, saying, "What's so special about this universe? Isn't it just a bit more technologically advanced?"
"A bit advanced??" Gwen repeated Riley's words in astonishment, then shook her head vigorously saying, "It's more than just a bit!"
"Maybe you've noticed, this universe has all sorts of weird technologies, but that's not actually the point. The main point is that this universe is an unprecedented, united human race amongst all universes in the Multiverse."
"That implies that beyond high-tech, there is a stable scientific research environment and a thriving path forward for humanity. That's the most important part."
Gwen gestured with her hand and said, "In the Multiverse, there is no shortage of technologically advanced universes. Spider-Man 2099's universe is an example, he... Oh right, I didn't tell you his story, did I? ... Anyway, there's also a universe where Super Iron Man lives."
Gwen Spider-Man started to talk about other universes' stories sporadically. Then she concluded, "While those universes are technologically advanced, their situations aren't stable. Either they are crowned by a scientific tyrant, or they have entered the post-science era, where human beings are cramped due to excessive technological development; thus, they have lost their spaces to live."
"The biggest difference is that other technologically advanced universes have forged a fixed path rather than remaining in the exploratory phase. If you were to learn or conduct research in such a universe, you would have to adhere to their path, and the knowledge you gain might not be applicable in your own universe. They might not even allow you to do so."
"But this universe is different. The path humans are taking here is bursting with diversity. Besides technology, there is also magic, and even combinations of technology and magic, new biology, new material science, enchantments, alchemy, teleportation technology and so on. Anything you can think of, it can be researched here and nobody will obstruct you."
"So far, over 2000 research groups established on Earth cover nearly 9000 projects in both the science and magic sides. These include all known technological fields developed by humans so far, as well as emerging fields developed for magic and cosmic sorcerer energy."
"If you have talent, whether it's in maths, physics or chemistry, or even magic, alchemy--or interdisciplinary fields--you can find your place in these laboratories. In fact, we are currently in need of personnel."
"This is why the project leaders rushed here as soon as they heard there was a new Spider-Man. Even though more than 200 Spider-Men from various multiverses have come to learn and research here, we still need more people."
"Under the leadership of this universe's Peter Parker, the Spider Legion has even established a specialized headhunting organization to locate Spider-Men from various multiverses who are interested in learning and participating in the construction."
"I understand this part," Riley nodded and queried, "Then why do you want to work here?"
"You might think that we are drawn by the ease here, or inspired by the dream of humans reaching the stars, but in fact, we are doing this for our hometown."
"That's right, the technological level of my universe is probably similar to yours, but the situation is even worse. Villains like the Spider Silk and Jackals have formed technology companies, and I'm just a street hero, a powerless high school student. Nobody listens to me," Gwen reminisced.
"Every day I stayed there, I faced immense pressure. But I know that's my home. I will return one day to handle all the trouble and create a better future."
With a flicker of wateriness in her eyes, Gwen blinked gently. Her eyelashes dabbed a tear drop as she continued, "Meeting with this world was a romantic encounter. Please forgive me for using such sentimental words to describe it, but it is indeed the case for most Spider-Men."
"The situation in almost every universe with a Spider-Man is not good, whether it's the never-ending struggle between heroes and villains, the devastation of a great war that almost destroyed New York, or the departure of friends and family. Every Spider-Man carries the tragedy of their entire universe."
"But in this wonderful universe, things develop towards ideals and everyone has taken the path of idealism."
"This means that this universe is like an ivory tower in the multiverse where we can learn and conduct scientific research without worries or troubles. This is almost every Spider-Man's dream."
"You might say that Spider-Men can conduct research in their own universe, but a harsh reality is that the unstable situation, backward technology and the somewhat tight living conditions of most Spider-Men mean that we have nowhere to find such well-equipped laboratories and no money to buy those experimental materials."
"To conduct scientific research in our former universes, we would have to spend a lot of time covering the costs of research, either by selling invention patents or starting our own company. But these are unnecessary costs."
"Moreover, we are ubiquitous to laboratories being attacked, dangerous materials being stolen, and labs being invaded by villains three days a week. It's impossible for us to study peacefully in such conditions."
"But it is different here," Gwen's tone of speech rose slightly, revealing immense hope and enthusiasm. The optimistic and slightly childish Miss Gwen said, "This is a very safe universe where almost everyone is united, including Miles Warren whom you met the other day."
"In this universe, he's not a jackal and hasn't carried out any clone research. Or rather, he was caught by Nick Fury and dragged into his laboratory before he could start. Genetics is a very important discipline that concerns the direction of human evolution."
"His subject has received considerable attention and topics are flowing to him like water. Up until now, his Laboratory No.19 has more than 60 researchers, yet there is still a severe shortage."
"Most evil scientists haven't had the chance to demonstrate their strengths in the crime world as they were obscurely dragged into the development plan of the solar system by Nick Fury. They filled their mental void with endless hours of scientific research."
"The mental health evaluation work led by Dr. Shiller showed that the mental and psychological conditions of most scientists with mental defects and antisocial personality disorder improved greatly during their scientific research. This is also considered as part of their treatment."
"In this universe, Peter Parker, the Spider-Man, invites members of the Spider Legion here. They generously allow every Spider-Man to enter core projects, learn advanced technologies, and even take their research results back to their own world to improve the dire situation there."