After exchanging some money, Yuzhou directly rented the house next to Peter's.
He did not buy it—not because he lacked funds, but because he had no legal identity. He was, in every sense, undocumented.
Renting was far more convenient. As long as enough money was paid, no one would argue with cash.
After returning home, Peter fell into deep thought.
Behind the mask, he was a lively, fearless Spider-Man. But once the mask came off, worries weighed heavily on him.
What troubled him the most was the news playing on television.
His girlfriend's father—Captain George Stacy—was publicly calling for the arrest of the masked vigilante. That masked man was Spider-Man.
That masked man was him.
"I'm the one saving people," Peter muttered angrily. "So, why is he treating me like this?"
Frustrated, he turned away from the television.
Aunt May, who had raised Peter since childhood, watched him with confusion.
Not long ago, Peter's uncle Ben had been shot and killed while trying to stop a thief, leaving May and Peter dependent on each other.
It was a cruel fate.
Recalling the words spoken by the fortune-teller on the bridge, Peter made a decision without hesitation. He headed straight for Dr. Connors' home to investigate.
Living next door, Yuzhou naturally noticed Peter's movements.
He did not stop him.
Instead, the moment Peter left, Yuzhou knocked on Peter's front door.
"Yes? May I help you?"
The one who answered was Aunt May.
"Hello," Yuzhou said politely. "I'm your new neighbour. I thought I'd come by and introduce myself."
He lifted the small gifts in his hands and offered them to her. Feeling awkward about refusing, Aunt May accepted them and invited him inside.
The house was small.
Yuzhou glanced around briefly. The television was still broadcasting news about Spider-Man. The police's stance was clear—Spider-Man was being treated as a criminal.
"Nice to meet you," Yuzhou said after taking a seat. "My name is Yuzhou. I'm from China."
"My name is May," she replied. "You're from China? That's surprising." At her age, this was her first time meeting someone from there. "I've heard it's a very mysterious place."
Yuzhou laughed lightly. "You could say that. In fact, I know a few… rather mystical Chinese arts."
"Really?!" Aunt May's eyes widened. "Could you show me?"
"Of course."
That was precisely Yuzhou's purpose—to subtly alter the original course of events.
Letting Aunt May witness something "mystical" was one effective way to do it.
"Watch closely."
A faint smile appeared on Yuzhou's lips as a medal appeared in his hand.
Engraved on it was the visage of Tartarus.
"Tartarus-san," Yuzhou said calmly, holding the medal between two fingers while touching the Z Riser. "Lend me your power over space and time."
Golden light surged from the medal and flowed into Yuzhou's body.
Golden arcs of electricity crackled around his hand before he flung them toward an open area in the room.
A circular ring of golden lightning formed in midair, rapidly stabilizing into a radiant vortex—an insect-like golden wormhole infused with spacetime energy.
"This—this is?!" Aunt May covered her mouth in shock. "Oh my God!"
"Well?" Yuzhou said with a smile. "Isn't it magical?"
"My goodness… this is real?" she stammered. "How did you do this? Does God really exist?"
"Don't be in such a hurry," Yuzhou replied calmly as he stepped toward the vortex. "The best part is yet to come. Come—I've got a surprise for you."
"A surprise?" Aunt May asked blankly as she approached.
Yuzhou grasped her wrist and stepped straight into the golden vortex.
Fear welled up in her, but it was already too late.
The vortex shrank rapidly and vanished from the room.
The two reappeared beside a road at night.
Cars streamed past, horns blaring intermittently.
"Where are we?" Aunt May gasped. "This is incredible!"
"It looks like a nearby street…"
She was still in shock. What Yuzhou called "Chinese mystical arts" had gone far beyond reality—it allowed one to traverse space itself.
"May," Yuzhou said quietly, pointing ahead. "Look. Who is that?"
She followed his gaze—and froze.
"That's… Ben…!"
Her face drained of color.
"That's impossible…"
Ahead of them was her husband, Ben Parker—alive—walking casually with his hands in his pockets, unaware of their presence.
"What is happening?" Aunt May forced herself to calm down and turned to Yuzhou.
"That vortex didn't take us through space," Yuzhou said calmly. "It took us through time."
He looked ahead and continued evenly.
"May—do you want to save your husband?"
"Yes! Of course I do!" she cried. "I dream of it every day!"
Her eyes welled with tears.
At that moment, a commotion erupted nearby.
A heavyset man burst out of a convenience store, shouting:
"Someone stops that man!"
A blond man wearing sunglasses sprinted across the road, trying to flee.
"Wait—that's Peter?"
Aunt May noticed the young man near the shop.
It was Peter—at this point in time.
Yuzhou and Aunt May stood on one side of the road. Peter and the shopkeeper were on the opposite side. Ben was directly ahead of them.
The blond man glanced back at the shopkeeper as he ran, failed to watch his footing, and collided with a woman, falling hard to the ground.
The pistol hidden in his clothes slipped free and skidded across the pavement.
At that exact moment, Ben walked up to him.
"No—Ben's in danger!"
Aunt May knew this face.
This was the man who would kill her husband.
And this was the moment it happened.
"Mr. Yuzhou, please—save Ben!" she begged, turning to him.
She knew Yuzhou possessed extraordinary abilities. If she rushed in herself, she might only die alongside her husband.
The blond man, seeing the gun fall, reached for it.
Ben reacted instantly.
The two began struggling over the weapon.