I'm working on Marvel's Spider-Man in American comics.

Chapter 416 Roman Holiday (1)

Finally, we've arrived in Rome!

Rome, the city of seven hills, the city of ten thousand cities, the eternal city, the capital of ancient Rome, held an unparalleled position in Europe—perhaps it could have rivaled Istanbul if it were still in Greek hands.

In short, this is a place brimming with historical and cultural atmosphere, and filled with all sorts of beautiful filters. But generally, filters are meant to be shattered; for example, Peter and Gwen encountered thieves three times while queuing to enter the Colosseum. There wasn't much that could be done in such situations; the police were far away, and all they could do was scare the thieves away after spotting them.

This wasn't the only thing that ruined the filter. The two of them bought tickets for the top floor, so they took the elevator directly to the very top of the Colosseum. The top floor of the Colosseum probably didn't have many tourists because the tickets were more expensive.

However, looking down from above, you still encounter the same problem that all tourist attractions face: crowds everywhere, a sea of ​​people. It's more about seeing people than sights. It's completely different from the Colosseum depicted in documentaries or photographs.

"Wow...it really feels like..."

Gwen scratched her head, looking at the massive Colosseum with a mix of awe and confusion. She wanted to say something praising the Colosseum, but in reality, the place was quite dilapidated, and the throngs of tourists gave her a strange illusion that these tourists might have damaged the Colosseum.

The floor of the Colosseum has been destroyed, revealing the rooms beneath that were originally for gladiators to rest or for keeping wild animals. The various stone pillars and walls there are also severely weathered. Only a small part of the Colosseum has been restored for tourists to stand on.

"My biggest feeling is that it's a real pity. I can't help but imagine the wonders this place used to be. But actually visiting it here, I feel that it's even more dilapidated than what I've seen in photos or on TV."

Gwen leaned on the railing, looking down at the Colosseum and the crowd. Peter stood beside her, first taking a picture of Gwen before telling her about the history of the Colosseum's destruction: "After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the entire Colosseum was left unmaintained for many years, essentially becoming a stone quarry for the Italians. In particular, many churches used stone from the Colosseum, so it suffered severe damage. It wasn't until the 17th century that the Vatican declared the place a holy site and began to protect it."

Gwen tilted her head and looked at the crowd below: "Sometimes I'm really curious, you have to go to school, be Spider-Man, and pretend to do an internship, where do you find the time to learn so much nonsense?"

"I don't know either. Maybe I just saw it and then remembered it?"

Peter said this half-jokingly, then took another picture of Gwen. Gwen, who was enjoying the breeze and looking at the crowd below, suddenly apologized.

"?"

“Um, I meant yesterday. Actually, I didn’t have any reason to be temperamental, since I know you were doing something very important, and that wasn’t really you.” Gwen tossed her hair. “I realized that I just… I just felt like I couldn’t help at all.”

“I remember we discussed this topic before.”

Gwen looked around; there was hardly anyone nearby.

"Yes, we discussed it. But reaching a conclusion after the discussion doesn't mean... it's over. You're fighting almost every day, putting on your uniform every day to fight those who commit crimes using superpowers."

Gwen said helplessly, "Do you know what's the most painful thing? You never tell the truth. You never say how dangerous this operation is, or how terrible the enemy you are facing. I just... I don't even know if you will die in your next battle, and I can't help you. I can't even be by your side because that might get in your way."

This is what angered Gwen—not because everyone saw LDM Peter and LMD Cindy on a date, but because she couldn't help them. The Kovacs incident gave Gwen a superpower, but it was practically useless. She was still just an ordinary person, completely defenseless against terrifying superpowered beings like the Elementals. Gwen felt even worse because she realized she still couldn't help.

If only I had Carol Danvers's ability, I could at least be of some help.

"...If you can really help, I might be more worried. I'll worry that you might get involved in something dangerous, that you wouldn't risk the enemy's strength to save me. Actually, we think the same way about many things, Gwen."

Gwen interrupted Peter: "What about Cindy? Aren't you worried about her?"

"Actually... I didn't call her in many very dangerous battles, and she didn't know about them."

Gwen opened her mouth, then smiled helplessly. She tossed her hair and suddenly thought of a question.

"Um, you've been to quite a few parallel universes, right? Aside from the one where I got bitten by a spider, what are we like in other universes?"

Peter opened his mouth, then suddenly realized it wasn't a good topic, but Gwen looked at him, and in the end he shrugged helplessly.

"As far as I know, in most parts of the world, we became lovers... and then you died."

Gwen opened her mouth, seemingly understanding why Peter had been trying to stop her from helping. After a moment's hesitation, she asked, "Okay, so, how did Gwen Stacy die?"

"Green Goblin doesn't know you're Spider-Man's lover. In some universes, you yourself don't know I'm Spider-Man. He grabs you, throws you off a bridge, and then..."

Peter didn't know how to describe it. In fact, even now, whether Spider-Man's improper use of his webs caused Gwen Stacy's neck to break, or whether Gwen was already dead before that, remains a controversial issue.

"I promise this won't happen to you."

"Because Green Goblin is dead?"

Peter nodded, unsure if the Green Goblin had truly vanished. After the incident, the White Queen scanned Norman's brain and concluded that the Green Goblin had completely disappeared, but she also said that the Green Goblin was extremely terrifying and couldn't rule out the possibility that he was simply hiding.

However, at least Norman's mental state is very stable now, and the AI ​​Green Goblin has indeed been eliminated, so Gwen is at least safe for now.

"Okay, let's skip this topic for now. You seem really down."

Gwen laughed, turned around and leaned against the railing: "Take a few more pictures for me?"

(End of this chapter)