However, Shiller was not actually a universe administrator, let alone Eternity, who themselves are a part of the cosmos. The Gray Mist needed to learn how to take over the universe's structure and exercise some of its powers within it.
This explains why Nick saw the mysterious Guest in the Fog wandering aimlessly around the Earth, because this was the learning process of the Gray Mist.
Because the Gray Mist initially did not understand how things worked, early reports and interviews about the fog guests made no mention of the disruption of space-time. At that time, the Gray Mist did not dare to arbitrarily manipulate space-time, so naturally, there were no sightings reported.
Once the Gray Mist had adapted to the operation of the cosmos, Shiller could commence his script. However, he first had to sort out the problem in the universe, namely Bruce and Spider Man.
This reflected the difference in problem-solving between Shiller and Nick. After all, Shiller was a psychiatrist. While he enjoyed providing therapy for others, he was acutely aware of the critical factor in problem-solving.
The key was not in the arrangement of a third party other than them but in their communication.
Bruce arrived in this cosmos and had never met Spider Man. He didn't know about his acquisition of Spider Man's powers, and Spider Man, having never met Bruce, did not know his powers had been transferred to Bruce.
The solution was simple: make them meet each other and let them understand each other's past, presence, and future. In short, they needed to communicate.
Psychiatrists typically advise their patients to communicate with those who cause them psychological problems, but they never say it directly, because wherever there's a possibility for communication, there is no need for psychiatrists.
Since psychiatrists cannot meet with the other party and cannot bear responsibility for their treatment, they often encourage patients to talk to someone else, like changing the environment or taking a rest for a while. All these are based on the interests of patients, not the feelings between both parties.
However, it was clear that Bruce and Peter could effectively communicate. Neither of them were overly controlling or arrogantly self-centered. Their inability to communicate was obviously affected by external forces.
A seasoned psychiatrist would notice that objective conditions are always easier to overcome than mental problems. As long as both parties are alright, no distance is too far, and no barrier is too great.
So all Shiller needed to do was bring them together, start a conversation, and let them decide whether or not to tell each other about the potential dangers or powers they might gain. Whether they would live or die, gain powers or lose them, was up to them.
If any distinctions were to be made, Nick was more like the father figure to Spider Man, where his desire to control and protect were balanced and would spare no effort to help Spider Man.
However, Shiller always stayed in a psychiatrist's position. A psychiatrist is just a doctor, not a parent, and is only responsible for the difficulties between them. They make their own decisions about their lives.
Of course, Spider Man must be saved. Apart from Shiller's personal affection and his unwillingness to see Spider Man die, Spider Man played an essential role in his play, and his death was just the beginning.
Ultimately, someone had to take the blame for restarting the cosmos.
Peter blinked, finding himself standing in a dark space. When he looked up, he was stunned.
Before him was an enormous, indescribable machine, composed of numerous intricate parts. However, data fragments, floating with a faint glow, were connecting those parts.
The data were not merely numbers but the perspectives of numerous individuals. The vast machine, which was mountainous in size, was brimming with countless pieces of data, encapsulating the views of all intelligent life across several universes.
"What is this?", Peter muttered in disbelief.
He could not help but step forward, drawing closer to the massive machine. There, he saw several familiar components.
Peter suddenly remembered he had participated in a project at Stark Group before - the Universe Engine.
At that time, Shiller brought the White Can, hoping to research a cosmos-moving engine, their protection against a universe collision experiment.
However, a cosmos-moving engine's creation was no easy task. The ordinary scientists from Stark Group weren't reliable, so Peter got involved in the project, designing many components.
Peter saw these components in the colossal machine.
Was this the Universe Engine?
Why would that mysterious black sun throw him here?
The cosmos was coming to an end, and a new cosmos would be born. Peter repeated those words he heard from the black sun in his mind.
The end of the cosmos was something Peter had known for a long time, but what did rebirth mean? A new Big Bang?
No, he needed to think from the beginning.
The other party did not seem to be human, so Peter couldn't use a human scientist's perspective to understand him. These mysterious beings certainly leaned more towards magic, something Peter failed to comprehend.
Peter was deep in thought. The only thing he believed he had a slight understanding of was theology, because he had grown up surrounded by believers and had read the Bible.
As soon as he thought of the Bible, an idea struck Peter. How did Jesus die again?
Jesus was nailed to a cross, the most infamous punishment in the Bible. His palms and overlapped ankles were pierced, he died on the cross, and then he resurrected.
How many nails were there? One for each hand and one for the overlapped legs. That made three nails creating three holes.
Peter's eyes widen in realization. If he remembered correctly, his body was pierced by the high-energy particle stream, leaving three holes in his body.
And where did the high-energy particle stream come from? Otto had discovered a mysterious igniter, which Peter had seen before it was thrown into the High Energy Collider. It was almost identical to the fog particles he encountered in the mysterious Meeting Space.
So, this mysterious dark sun had organized this whole event to create three holes in his body.
He died from those three holes and then resurrected. When he stood up, the earth turned into a field of dark red soil, symbolizing the field of blood that had absorbed the blood of Jesus.
Had he become Jesus?