To wrestle for the gun, the aging Ben used every ounce of strength he had.
But his opponent was a young, able-bodied man—there was no comparison.
Before long, the blond man forced the muzzle of the gun toward Ben.
At the instant his finger tightened on the trigger, a faint beam of light streaked through the air and struck the weapon, knocking it clean out of his hand.
"Damn it!"
The blond man stared in shock at the gun skidding away, cursing under his breath. He reacted quickly, lunging to retrieve it.
Snap!
Another ray of light flashed—this time striking the fallen gun directly.
White smoke billowed upward. When the blond man looked again, the weapon had already been reduced to a twisted piece of scrap metal.
"What the hell…?"
His face went blank with disbelief, eyes wide behind his sunglasses.
Ben was equally stunned, but he did not hesitate. Hearing the shop owner's cries from across the street, he had already determined one thing—
This man was a thief.
Ben stepped forward and reached out, attempting to restrain him.
Seeing this, Yuzhou frowned slightly and shifted his gaze across the road.
Peter had already noticed.
The man struggling with the thief was his uncle.
The hesitation he had felt earlier—caused by the thief's petty "kindness"—vanished instantly. Peter sprinted across the street at full speed and drove his fist into the blond man's face.
The blow sent the man crashing to the ground, blood streaming from his nose.
Seeing Peter intervene, Yuzhou did not act further.
It was clear—Peter had already unconsciously used his Spider-Man abilities.
"He's alive… Ben is alive!"
Aunt May trembled with emotion. The husband who should have died at this moment was standing there, breathing, unharmed. For a brief instant, she did not even know how to react.
Yet confusion quickly followed.
If Ben had truly been saved, why had her memories not changed?
If the past had been altered, then the memory of Ben's death should never have existed.
And yet—it remained.
Unchanged.
And then there was Peter. The speed at which he crossed the street was far beyond that of any ordinary human.
"Come. We're going back."
Before Peter could fully grasp what had happened, Yuzhou opened a golden wormhole inside a nearby alley and pulled Aunt May inside.
The world spun.
When her vision cleared, Aunt May was back in the living room, collapsing onto the sofa in disbelief.
She stood up almost immediately, searching the house frantically—but Ben was nowhere to be found.
"We saved him… didn't we?" she asked desperately, turning to Yuzhou. "Then why isn't he here?"
She believed now—completely—in Yuzhou's abilities and in the so-called Chinese mystic arts.
But none of that mattered.
Only Ben did.
"We did save him," Yuzhou replied calmly. "But that was another world."
"Another… world?"
Aunt May felt as if the ground had vanished beneath her feet.
She had seen her husband alive again—only to learn that it was not this reality.
Silence stretched between them.
Finally, Aunt May spoke, her voice steady despite the pain.
"It's all right. If he's already gone… then being able to see him once more was a blessing."
"And knowing that he's alive somewhere—alive in another world—that's enough for me."
Seeing the gentle, accepting smile on her face, Yuzhou nodded inwardly.
She was stronger than most.
"Have you met Peter?" Aunt May asked, deliberately changing the subject.
"If you could take me to that time… then you must know him too."
"We've crossed paths," Yuzhou answered. "He's a good kid."
"…He's different too, isn't he?" she asked quietly. "Like you."
Yuzhou nodded. "Yes. Though not in the same way."
He gestured toward the television, where the news about Spider-Man was still playing.
"He is Spider-Man."
"So it really is true…"
Aunt May was not particularly shocked. After what she had witnessed, Spider-Man no longer felt unbelievable.
And Peter's recent behavior had already led her to suspect as much.
---
Peter, meanwhile, had gone to Dr. Connors' home.
There, he found extensive research on reptilian genetic inheritance.
Connors himself appeared, his words carefully measured, layered with hidden intent.
Peter was not foolish.
At that moment, he finally understood—the words spoken by the Chinese man on the bridge were true.
Without hesitation, Peter headed straight for the police station.
---
"The Lizard is really Dr. Connors!"
Inside the station, Peter pleaded desperately with Captain George Stacy.
"That's absurd," George replied, barely glancing up from his work. "You're telling me a scientist can turn into a giant lizard monster?"
"It's true!" Peter insisted. "He used genetic splicing—he fused reptile DNA into himself!"
"I'm sorry," George sighed, finally looking at him with mild irritation. "This isn't Tokyo."
"Tokyo… what?" Peter blinked, momentarily stunned. "Please, just believe me!"
"Peter," George said sternly, setting down his papers. "We're busy. We're hunting that masked vigilante. If you want to talk about monsters, try contacting the authorities in Tokyo. Maybe they'll believe you."
"But why Tokyo?!" Peter protested.
"Because," another officer chuckled from nearby,"they deal with monsters all the time. Maybe an Ultraman will come help you."
Laughter followed.
In that instant, Peter understood.
They were mocking him.
"This is unbelievable!"
Grabbing his backpack, Peter turned and stormed out of the station.
This kind of humiliation—he would not endure it.
(End of Chapter)