Parker Tower, Conference Room.
As the air distorted, several figures appeared before the eyes of the Spider-Men waiting anxiously in the conference room.
Once the distortion vanished and they saw Ryan and the others had returned, the Spider-Men present breathed a collective sigh of relief.
The two Spider-Gwens simultaneously lunged toward Ryan at the first opportunity.
However, upon seeing the Long-Haired Gwen beside her, the Short-haired Gwen stopped in her tracks just before throwing herself into Ryan's arms, watching as the Long-Haired Gwen embraced him.
It was so natural...
The Short-haired Gwen from another Universe couldn't help but lower her head in disappointment...
But before her disappointment could last even a second, she felt her waist tighten as she was pulled into a firm, warm embrace.
Smelling that familiar, faint woody incense, the Short-haired Gwen didn't even need to think to know who it was!
Because not long ago, she had smelled this reassuring scent 'up close' in her other self's bed...
Instantly, the disappointment in the Short-haired Gwen's eyes vanished, replaced by nervousness and joy.
But she still didn't dare raise her lowered head, especially since she could clearly feel the other version of herself staring at her; she dared not meet the 'Official Wife's' gaze...
As long as I don't look, I won't see my other self getting angry...
The Long-Haired Gwen was indeed staring at the Short-haired Gwen being held tightly by Ryan, but contrary to what the Short-haired Gwen expected, the Long-Haired Gwen didn't feel much jealousy in her heart.
Because she had known for a long time that an outstanding man like Ryan, who possessed every virtue, could not possibly have only one admirer.
And the temptations a man could least resist, besides power, were undoubtedly 'carnal' ones—namely, beautiful women.
Ryan was already not lacking in power.
As for women, as Ryan grew stronger and stronger, it was certain that she would not be the only woman by his side in the future.
So, rather than relying on Ryan's affection for her to exhaust his love by repeatedly opposing his acceptance of other women who intruded, it was better to accept this inevitable outcome in advance and vet them for Ryan herself.
After all, since the moment Ryan pulled her out of that desperate situation in this life, she never intended to leave his side, no matter what he became...
What's more... even though she had become Spider-Woman with Ryan's help and her physical fitness far exceeded her former self...
To be honest, even as Spider-Woman, she was finding it a bit hard to keep up with the increasingly powerful Ryan...
Now that there was another version of herself to share the 'pressure,' wasn't it easier to accept than a complete stranger sharing it with her?
"Oh~~~ variant girlfriends from two Universes together! Why didn't I think of this explosive idea? I'm definitely going to have two Vanessas together in the future!"
It wasn't until Deadpool, who followed Ryan out of the Quantum Tunnel, spoke up without any restraint.
Only then did the other Spider-Men, who were surprised by the sight of Ryan holding a Gwen in each arm but dared not speak, have their chatterbox attributes ignited, and they began to buzz incessantly about it.
The male Spider-Men all gave Ryan thumbs-up, expressing admiration and envy.
The female Spider-Men—the pregnant Spider-Woman Jessica and Peni Parker—gave Ryan the middle finger in contempt, looking at him as if he were a scumbag.
However, Ryan didn't care about their looks.
After all, pregnant women and little girls weren't his type, so why should he care what they thought of him?
Ignoring the chatter of the surrounding Spider-Men, Ryan walked through them with a Gwen in each arm and sat down squarely in the head seat.
The male Spider-Men: Impressive!
"Alright, quiet down. The meeting is starting."
Ryan's calm sentence immediately silenced all the chatterbox Spider-kids in the room.
See, this is the authority of the Spider Monarch!
Once the conference room fell silent, Ryan held up a finger: "First, I'm announcing some good news. The Inheritor Family has been completely wiped out by me. You no longer have to worry about being hunted by those little bats ever again..."
Although the Spider-Men had expected this, hearing for certain that the Inheritor Family—who had hunted them across the Multiverse—was destroyed by Ryan made them all so emotional they nearly burst into tears.
Even the tough Spider-Man 2099 felt his eyes well up.
Or rather, among this group of Spider-Men, the one who felt the most excitement and relief at the Inheritor Family's destruction was Spider-Man 2099, Miguel.
After all, his previous tactical errors had led to over a hundred Spider-Men dying at the hands of the Inheritor Family. Miguel had been in agonizing pain and felt immense guilt over their deaths.
It was because of this that Miguel felt he lacked the ability to continue leading the Spider-Alliance and voluntarily gave up his leadership position to the more capable Ryan.
The members of the Spider-Alliance present understood his feelings perfectly as they saw Miguel with his head bowed, tears falling onto the conference table. They all stood up, gathered around him, and placed their hands on his shoulders.
They didn't try to comfort Miguel with words, but they showed through their actions that they didn't blame him and would always support him.
Although Miguel had some flaws in his personality, like arrogance, his starting point was indeed for the good of all Spider-Men, not for some personal desire.
Seeing this, Ryan tapped the table, raising his voice slightly: "Miguel, as a leader of an alliance, shedding tears won't solve any problems!"
Hearing this, Miguel raised his head with red eyes and looked at Ryan, his expression desolate: "No, you are the leader of the Spider-Alliance now. I am no longer fit to lead the Spider-Alliance, or even to stay in it..."
The others were shocked to hear Miguel's intention to quit the Spider-Alliance and were about to persuade him, but they saw Ryan raise his hand.
Seeing this, the others could only fall silent.
It had to be said that compared to Miguel—whom the other Spider-Men dared to ignore or interrupt—Ryan's absolute authority, where his orders were strictly followed, was more suited for a leader.
To put it bluntly, these Spider-Men were just lacking a strict father!
And he, Ryan Parker, was that strict Spider-Father!
Ryan looked at the group of Spider-Men who, even without him speaking, didn't interrupt and waited quietly for him to talk. A flash of satisfaction appeared in his eyes.
Not bad, they have some discipline.
He didn't want a Spider-Alliance with no discipline to speak of; what he wanted was a Spider-Alliance that, like the Spider Family, was entirely his own domain!
After a full ten seconds of silence in this eerie atmosphere, a smile slowly spread across Ryan's face as he looked at Miguel: "Miguel, you did indeed hand the leadership of the Spider-Alliance over to me before, and I am very happy to accept it..."
"But who said a team can only have one leader? The Avengers in the neighboring Universe are co-led by Captain America and Tony..."