In the end, the debate competition never resumed.
The White House had been completely destroyed—wiped from existence without even a foundation left behind. An incident of that magnitude plunged all of Washington, D.C. into a state of extreme tension.
And so, after just one night's stay, the Midtown High participants—who had only just arrived—were sent back the way they came, boarding buses and leaving the capital behind.
-----
On the bus ride home—
With Gwen nestled in his arms, Peter began talking about the future.
"I've decided," he said, his tone calm but firm. "I'm going to Columbia."
Columbia University.
Ranked third in the United States, just behind Harvard and Stanford—and eighth in the world.
Though it trailed slightly behind Stanford on the West Coast and the world-renowned Harvard, it was still an elite institution far beyond the reach of ordinary people.
It was here that the Manhattan Project had taken place.
The birthplace of the world's first atomic bomb.
"I'm planning to stay in New York," Peter continued. "Actually… there's a good chance I'll drop out midway and start my own business."
He paused slightly, then added,
"I don't want to spend my life buried in a lab. You get that, right?"
This—
Was the truth.
With the advanced technologies granted to him by the Infinite Multiverse Altar System, Peter already had everything he needed to build a business empire from scratch.
Going to college?
That was just a means to an end.
A way to recruit talent.
A way to organize and refine the vast knowledge he already possessed.
Once those goals were achieved—
There would be no reason for him to stay.
After all, anything a university could teach…
He could learn on his own.
…
Gwen didn't question him.
Even though his decision seemed sudden—changing overnight—she simply nodded and smiled.
"That's actually perfect," she said softly. "We'll get to see each other more often."
Her top choice was Oxford, followed by Harvard.
Both were closer to Columbia on the East Coast—certainly closer than Stanford on the West Coast.
A flight from New York to London only took a few hours.
Back and forth in a single afternoon?
Totally doable.
With their futures decided, the two teenagers naturally drifted into a world of their own—whispering, laughing, and shamelessly feeding everyone around them an endless stream of affection.
By the time the bus returned to New York in the evening—
The world had already exploded.
…
News of the White House attack had detonated across the globe.
The office of the President of the United States—
Destroyed.
The White House—
Reduced to rubble.
This wasn't something that could be brushed aside with a few statements and a press conference.
Every major media outlet in the world turned its attention to Washington.
Although the city had entered full lockdown—officially to capture mutant fugitives involved in the attack—
Satellite surveillance and embedded reporters picked up something else.
Gunfire.
Explosions.
They were still fighting.
And of course they were.
After going completely berserk, Juggernaut's power had spiraled beyond control.
Peter could easily slip away from the U.S. military's bombardment—
But Juggernaut?
Taking that barrage head-on was barely equivalent to a low-yield nuclear strike.
And for someone who could go toe-to-toe with the Hulk—
That was nothing.
…
After a full day of bombardment, when the military began clearing the battlefield—
Juggernaut suddenly burst out from underground.
Face-to-face with the army.
What followed—
Was a massacre.
Even when Juggernaut eventually regained some of his sanity and attempted to leave, the heavily battered U.S. forces refused to let him go.
They surrounded him.
Layer upon layer.
And the battle reignited once more.
Later, through information obtained from Mystique, Peter learned the full story.
Despite exhausting every option, the military had been helpless against a monster who could shrug off heavy artillery like it was nothing.
In the end—
For the sake of saving face.
And to give the public an answer—
The President ordered S.H.I.E.L.D. to intervene.
Director Nick Fury personally approached Professor Charles Xavier, requesting the assistance of the X-Men.
But in the end—
Things took an unexpected turn.
Under Charles's control, and with his restraints temporarily lifted—
Magneto was the one who subdued Juggernaut.
Only with the Master of Magnetism's power…
Were they able to capture him.
Afterward, due to an agreement with Professor X, Magneto was transferred to the Xavier Institute.
Without his helmet, he stood no chance of resisting Charles's telepathic control.
Imprisoned—
But alive.
None of that really mattered to Peter.
…..
After returning from Washington—
He and Gwen entered the final countdown of their high school lives.
Unlike most students, they didn't have to stress about college applications.
While others were busy with entrance exams, overseas applications, and extracurricular activities to boost their resumes—
Peter had already moved on.
He was planning his next step.
Starting a business.
Well—
Not exactly.
Building something from nothing?
Too slow.
Too inefficient.
Too much of a waste of time.
…
Instead—
Peter set his sights on a corporation headquartered in New York.
A giant.
A name that anyone in a Spider-Man world would recognize instantly.
Oscorp.
Where there was Spider-Man—
There was always Oscorp.
And where there was Oscorp—
There was the legacy of the Green Goblin.
Two generations of it.
…
But in this world—
Norman Osborn had never become that infamous villain.
Because—
He was dying.
A hereditary genetic disease was slowly consuming his life.
Which made it all the more tragic.
A company worth hundreds of billions—
A corporation that once stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Stark Industries before Tony Stark became Iron Man—
Was now on the verge of collapse.
Once Norman died—
Wall Street's wolves would tear Oscorp apart.
Piece by piece.
But—
Harry Osborn, the heir to it all—
Was Peter's best friend.
And for a friend?
Peter Parker…
Wouldn't hesitate.
Not for a second.
--------------
T/N:
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