"Listen, Peter, relax, deep breaths... yes, don't let those feelings control you. You need to calm down..."
Peter's chest was heaving violently, he was panting as if trying to suck all the air out of the surroundings.
It took a while before Shiller allowed Peter to sit back in the chair. Shiller looked into his eyes and tried to soothe him, "Don't recall that image, it was just your imagination."
"No..." Peter covered his eyes in agony, saying, "I have seen such scenes in my Spider-sense before, they all happened!"
"But at least it hasn't happened yet. What you should be thinking about now, is how to alter this situation." Shiller tapped on the table and captured Peter's attention again. He then said, "I believe you have more than once seen yourself in danger through this ability, but you've reversed the situations with your power each time. This time will be no exception."
Peter's Adam's apple bobbed, he grabbed onto this hope as if it were a life-saving straw and quickly said, "Really? Right...Indeed! I've dodged danger sensed before! It'll be the same this time!"
As he spoke, Peter got up from his chair and started pacing, saying, "It's okay, as long as I keep an eye on Mr. Stark, watch him constantly, or ensure he does not go to the top of the high-rise buildings, everything will be fine..."
Shiller reminded him, "Remember the analysis method I taught you before? You can start from the cause instead of the result. Think about what could pose such a risk to Stark?"
Peter paused for a moment, then put on a thoughtful expression, saying, "It is indeed strange, why would Mr. Stark take off his Mecha? Especially in the middle of a battle..."
Then, without waiting for Shiller to prompt him again, Peter said, "Right, I've seen it once before. Mr. Stark seems to opt for ejecting from his Mecha when faced with great danger."
"But who could pose such a threat to him?" Peter was very confused, asking, "And even if the Mecha is ejected once, wouldn't there be other Mechas to catch him? He has so many Mechas, there should always be one that could fly over to him, right?"
"Besides his own Mecha, we're also present. Why didn't we catch him?"
The more Peter thought, the more anxious he became. Suddenly, he said as if he had an epiphany: "It must be that Bat God! Yes, it has to be him, I can't think of any other reason!"
Peter spoke rapidly, saying, "Those rabid bats, though somewhat dangerous, definitely aren't enough to keep everyone on edge. If Mr. Stark truly came under threat and no one went to his aid, it means we're all tied down."
"Only that mysterious Bat God Guardian could possibly do that."
In the end, Peter ran over to the chair, grabbed his backpack and said to Shiller, "Doctor, I'm sorry, I can't continue the psychological consultation. I have to figure out a way to deal with that damn Bat God."
With that, he rushed out. Shiller watched from the second-floor window of the mansion as Peter ran out of the building and started searching for Stark in the streets.
Stark was in a pile of humanoid Mechas, doing the last round of tuning. Seeing Peter run over, Stark greeted him. He wrapped his arm around Peter's shoulder, pointed at the Mechas and said, "Look, I have modified these 15 Mechas to be adaptive. They have wings on their backs to assist their flight, preventing them from losing balance when under air attack..."
Peter anxiously said, "Mr. Stark, my Spider-sense just told me that you're going to face huge danger soon!"
Stark was taken aback for a moment, looking at Peter, he asked, "Danger? What danger could possibly threaten me? I have prepared over 100 Mechas, not just here, but all the way from the Stark Building to the Brooklyn Bridge. They can assist me at any moment no matter what the danger."
"No, that's not it!" Peter very anxiously explained to Stark the principle of his Spider-sense, emphasizing that all the scenes that had appeared before had happened. When Steve heard what Peter had to say, he walked over from the side, stepping over a sandbag on the ground.
"Falling from a high-rise building? That's strange, why would we go up to the top of a high-rise building for no reason? Even if we battled those monsters in the air, there's no need to stand on top of a building, right?"
Stark rubbed his forehead; anyone would feel pressured upon hearing news that they might die within the next few hours. Nevertheless, he stayed clear-headed and told Peter, "I agree with your thinking. If anything in the upcoming battle threatens my life, it has to be that mysterious Bat God."
"Does summoning this thing not require any rituals? Like what we saw last night, maybe we can interrupt the ritual."
Peter told the two what he heard at the Vampire Command Post earlier. Steve frowned and said, "There has to be a location for him to descend, right? We can set up an ambush beforehand."
Peter shook his head and said, "Since there's no ritual, he might be able to descend anywhere, depending on the summoner's mood."
"I don't think we should waste too much time on this, Peter, as you said, you avoided all the previous scenes in various ways. This shows that this is just a warning, not a prophecy that's bound to happen. I think, when the time comes, I'll also find a way to dodge it."
Peter was about to say something, but Stark interjected with a heavy tone, "We all know the state of the battle tonight is hardly promising as the number of crazed bats has increased manyfold. If they launch an organized attack, the entire battlefield will become intensely fierce."
"If we divert our attention to the potential visions of our deaths at this time, our ground troops will surely suffer considerable losses."
Stark looked Peter in the eye, and Peter saw a determined emotion in his gaze. Stark said, "Don't forget why we came here. If it was to avoid danger, wouldn't I have hidden in the Stark Building?"
"When you speak of possible death, you only see my potential demise. But any one of us, in this battle tonight, could perish."
"I still have numerous Mechas protecting me, and you all watching over me. But the police in the ground forces only have their own guns in their hands, a momentary lapse in attention could cost them their lives."
"If every one of them worries about whether they will die the next second and how they will die, the entire Brooklyn area would have fallen a long time ago."
Peter looked at Stark, he opened his mouth to speak but ultimately chose to remain silent.
Stark said to him, "Just as I once told you, I could very well have chosen not to put on this Iron Armor and comfortably stayed in my base."
"There's really no reason for me to have to rush into the battlefield and come to the frontline. But since I have done this, it proves that I am ready to make sacrifices, just like the ordinary people on the frontline."
Despite his casual tone, both Peter and Steve knew how much panic and pressure a precise prophecy of one's death could bring to a person.
Tapping his shield, Steve said, "I admit it now. You truly are a warrior, Iron Man."
Peter pursed his lips, looking towards the horizon as the last glimmer of twilight was swallowed by darkness. He felt as if he was back in that little cabin of Matt's, watching these good people get hurt and bleed, observing them in unbearable pain and yet being unable to help.
The bats began to flaunt their might in the creeping darkness. A surge of rage overtook Peter. The ones who should be ducking and looking around cautiously should not be these heroes. Peter had always firmly believed, good people should be rewarded.
Since that's the case, he'll make sure these creatures that ought to be lurking in the dark return to their gloomy corners.
Peter made a silent vow in his heart. Bat God, no matter where you come from, no matter if you possess divine power, I will make you pay. I will drive you back to where you came from.
Suddenly, a sharp whistle rang out. Chief George fired three shots skyward and roared into his walkie-talkie, "Everyone, get ready!!! The battle is about to begin!!!!"
Natasha squatted behind a barrier on the rooftop, peering at the situation near the bridge with her binoculars. Over the intercom, she instructed, "Clint, stay put for now, wait for my command. Your current location isn't bad. Focus on sniping those leading Giant Bats first."
"Daisy, get down from there. Clint doesn't need protection for now. Go around the back of the first defensive line on Second Street and use your shockwave ability to ambush..."
Orders flew one after another, units prepared, superheroes poised for action.
The Brooklyn Bridge had been reduced to rubble after the intense battle from the previous night. Even the surrounding alleyways were heavily damaged.
The streets were littered with rubble and shrapnel left over from the previous night. The bulb lights illuminating the multi-layered defenses reflected a faint glow in the night. The robots serving logistics had their eyes glowing faintly, adding splendor to the weaponry brandished by the heavily armed combat personnel.
As the first bat took to the sky, on the other side of the Brooklyn Bridge, the skyline seemed to surge with a tide of darkness. Countless bats rose with their eyes flickering like red stars, which in an instant blotted out the entire sky. Even the moonlight dimmed in its presence.
Everyone watched in awe the formidable might of the bat army. Steve said, "We have indeed underestimated their insanity."
Just as the two were discussing, Stark saw a figure swinging past on a spider silk landing directly in front of the frontline.
Both Stark and Steve were startled. Steve yelled, "Spider Man!!! What are you doing??!! Come back!! It's dangerous!!!"
That place was even farther than the first defense line, with hardly any cover or protective measures. Once someone fell there, they would immediately face the frenzy of the full-strength bats.
But Peter seemed to have not heard and then something happened that took everyone by surprise.