"So it really is Spider-Man?"
As he observed the man in the bodysuit, Yuzhou spoke the name aloud.
"Uh… buddy, I'm glad you know who Spider-Man is," Spider-Man replied, sounding slightly surprised. "But I've got something to take care of right now."
He was genuinely taken aback that Yuzhou recognized him so easily. At this point in time, Spider-Man had not yet appeared frequently in public.
The moment he finished speaking, a strand of web shot from his wrist. He leapt forward, swinging straight toward the lizard-like monster on the bridge.
Yuzhou watched quietly, while considering which Spider-Man universe this might be.
There were many Spider-Man worlds. To determine exactly which one he had entered, he would need to observe how events unfolded.
After charging in, Spider-Man used his webbing to catch several cars that had been hurled toward the sea by the lizard monster, suspending them along the side of the bridge.
He then fearlessly engaged the creature in close combat.
However, after only a brief exchange, the lizard monster leapt into the ocean and escaped.
Yuzhou raised an eyebrow slightly but did not intervene. Characters critical to the plot were best left untouched for now—interfering too early would only make later changes more troublesome.
Seeing the monster flee, Spider-Man was about to give chase when cries for help rang out.
"Save my child! Someone please saves my child—he's still in the car!"
Spider-Man halted and turned his attention to the vehicles hanging beneath the bridge. Inside one of them, a young boy was crying desperately for help.
Without hesitation, Spider-Man jumped down and climbed into the suspended car.
"So this is The Amazing Spider-Man," Yuzhou muttered.
With the scene playing out before him, he could now confirm which Spider-Man world this was.
The Amazing Spider-Man.
The story centred on Spider-Man's battle with the Lizard.
But the relationships involved were complicated.
Spider-Man was Peter Parker.
The Lizard was Dr. Curt Connors, a friend of Peter Parker's father.
The police officer pursuing both Spider-Man and the Lizard was Peter's future father-in-law.
Peter soon rescued the child from the car. Although the leaking fuel nearly caused an explosion, the rescue was ultimately successful.
With that done, Peter had no intention of lingering.
The lizard-like monster had already escaped—and more troubling still, Peter realized that the creature was clearly another genetic mutant.
A web shot upward, and with a swift swing, Peter returned to the steel bridge.
"Huh? You're still here, buddy?" Peter said when he spotted Yuzhou. "No time to chat—I've gotta go."
Just as he was about to leave, Yuzhou called out calmly.
"Peter."
"What?!" Peter froze mid-step. "How do you know my name?"
"I'm a fortune-teller," Yuzhou replied evenly. "I divine heaven, earth, and mankind. Naturally, I know your name."
"A fortune-teller? From China?"
Peter was a genuine academic prodigy with broad knowledge. Hearing this, he found himself half-convinced.
After all, he had never revealed his identity or name—except moments ago, when he removed his mask to calm the child he rescued.
"Is there something you want to have your fortune told?" Yuzhou asked with a smile, waiting patiently.
"Yes," Peter answered after a moment's thought. Since his identity was already exposed, he no longer cared. He removed his mask and stepped closer. "I want to know where my father is."
Yuzhou: "..."
In this film, Peter's parents disappeared and entrusted him to his aunt and uncle.
As for Peter's father… he did appear briefly in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, but asking Yuzhou where he was right now was genuinely difficult.
"How about a different question?" Yuzhou said after a pause.
"So you're a fraud?" Peter scoffed. The man before him claimed to know everything, yet one question had completely stumped him.
So much for that small glimmer of hope.
"Forget it. I'm leaving."
Peter waved dismissively and was about to put his mask back on when Yuzhou stopped him again.
"Wait. I know something about that lizard monster."
"You're not messing with me again, are you?" Peter said sceptically. Still, he stopped—listening wouldn't cost him anything.
"I'm not joking," Yuzhou replied. "Just like you, the lizard monster gained its abilities through animal genetic inheritance. That's why it became what it is."
"You seem to know a lot," Peter said, raising an eyebrow. "So? What else? Don't tell me that's it."
"There's more," Yuzhou continued. "The Lizard is Dr. Connors."
"Dr. Connors learned that his company's boss planned to test a genetic serum at a military veterans' hospital after retirement. To stop him, Connors injected the serum into himself."
"And that's how he ended up like this."
"What?!" Peter stared at him in disbelief. "How could Dr. Connors turn into something like that?!"
Peter glanced at his own body. After being bitten by that special spider, he certainly hadn't grown extra limbs or anything grotesque.
By all logic, even if Dr. Connors experimented on himself, the mutation shouldn't have been so extreme.
"If you don't believe me," Yuzhou said calmly, "go ask him yourself. His company's boss—the one you rescued—is still hanging beneath the bridge."
Peter frowned deeply.
If Dr. Connors truly transformed himself to stop his boss, then it was at least understandable.
And judging from what Peter had just seen, Connors had clearly lost much of his rationality, entering a berserk state.
"Damn it," Peter muttered. "I really shouldn't have saved that guy."
Despite his words, he made no move to take revenge. The values instilled in him since childhood—and his uncle's teachings—prevented him from crossing certain lines.
"I'm going," Peter said. "We'll talk another time."
Now that he had this information, Peter was eager to find Dr. Connors and confirm whether the fortune-teller's words were true.
Yuzhou did not stop him. That exchange alone was already enough to alter many future events.
As Spider-Man swung away into the distance, Yuzhou glanced down at the cars still hanging beneath the bridge.
Suddenly, a blade of light flashed through the air, slicing cleanly through one of the web strands.
With a loud splash, the suspended car plunged into the sea below.
"Whether he lives or dies has nothing to do with me," Yuzhou said indifferently.
When he finished, his body dissolved into particles of light and vanished.
Only by following the protagonist of this world could major changes truly be made.
After all, every plot revolved around its main character.
And Yuzhou's destination was already clear—
Queens.