A Variable?

Li Nian and Peter did not head to the convenience store first. Instead, they walked all the way to a large house, which Li Nian had also bought—using the money of those kind-hearted billionaires, of course.

Li Nian had also transferred a tiny bit of money from Jonathan's account and given it all to Peter. Peter had originally refused in every possible way, but the moment he heard it was from his stingy boss, he silently accepted it.

Li Nian's forehead had flickered at the time, and he could clearly sense Peter's feeling of triumph. A kid really was a kid; the smallest thing could make him happy.

The moment they entered the house, they were greeted by a burst of clattering sounds and the buzz of electricity...

Otto wore protective goggles as he carefully polished the mechanical equipment before him. Even after noticing their arrival, he had no intention of greeting them, remaining wholly focused on his work.

"Dr. Otto!" Peter greeted him excitedly. Otto looked up, immediately tossed aside his work, and strode toward Peter with excitement.

Peter eagerly raised his hands, ready to give him a hug, but then...

Otto walked straight past Peter and clasped Li Nian's hand with an excited expression. "You're here! Come take a look—does this device still need any improvements?"

Li Nian looked helpless. Ever since he had perfected Otto's nuclear fusion device last time, Otto had clung to him relentlessly, discussing every detail of all sorts of experiments with him day and night.

As their conversations grew deeper, the way Otto looked at Li Nian gradually changed. It was as if he were looking at some rare treasure, with stars practically spilling from his eyes!

Peter watched the two of them walk off arm in arm while chatting, his face full of embarrassment. He could only ease the awkwardness himself and slowly follow behind them.

This was the laboratory Li Nian had purchased, specially prepared for Otto. Food, clothing, housing, and transportation were all convenient. The only thing that had not changed was probably the lack of windows; sunlight could not reach inside. As a result, Dr. Otto had become paler and somewhat thinner recently, looking even more like a refined scientist.

A massive sphere stood in the center of the laboratory. This was Otto's nuclear fusion device, though it differed somewhat from the previous one.

The gentle blue glow before them seemed to contain the entire starry sky.

Although Peter had seen it more than once, he was still incomparably shocked every time. It was a spiritual kind of awe. Compared to Tony Stark's tiny device, this larger one was undoubtedly far more impactful.

Otto excitedly introduced his invention to Li Nian, while Li Nian helped perfect it using the various information in his mind. Who knew how long passed before Peter left first because he had something to do, leaving only Li Nian and Otto behind.

After a while, Otto finally stopped talking in satisfaction and prepared to rest for a bit.

Li Nian looked at him helplessly. Though he did not feel fatigue or hunger, prolonged thought still left the human part of him feeling somewhat weak.

"I'm looking for a way to send you back," Otto said after lowering his head and taking a gulp of water. "The multiverse actually exists. That really is astonishing!"

"Yeah." Li Nian gave a perfunctory response. The two of them seemed to have no topics other than scientific experiments. "I'm sorry. I apologize for the excessive things I said before..."

"It's fine," Otto answered stiffly. Li Nian had placed his wife's remains in a very good cemetery and bought a double burial plot, so Otto could continue staying with his wife after he died.

"If possible, I'd really like to work with the Tony Stark you mentioned." There was a trace of yearning in Otto's eyes. "There's actually such a genius in this world!"

"You'll have a chance to meet him," Li Nian said. He did not dare guarantee it, but in the future, villains really did cross over into the Avengers' universe, including Dr. Otto before him.

The atmosphere between them became awkward again. Li Nian stayed a while longer before leaving.

Mary Jane stood onstage in full dress, smiling brightly as she performed the play she loved with genuine emotion. Peter watched his girlfriend shine onstage, and for some reason, he felt a sense of pride, as though his own child had finally made something of herself.

Mary Jane's smile was as radiant as a flower, and from time to time she secretly glanced at her boyfriend below. Peter, who used to show up once in a blue moon, now understood how to care about his girlfriend's feelings. After several years of fighting criminals, he could now switch back and forth between Peter Parker and Spider-Man.

Clap clap clap!

As the performance ended, thunderous applause erupted beneath the stage.

Backstage,

Peter took Mary Jane's hand and said awkwardly, "I've become a full-time employee. I'll have an official salary from now on, so I won't need to make money by taking pictures of myself anymore."

Peter spoke happily. In truth, this was all thanks to Li Nian. He had invested some money in the newspaper, in exchange for making Peter a full-time reporter.

The moment Peter's miserly boss Jonathan saw the amount Li Nian had offered, his eyes went wide. Such a tiny price was not even worth mentioning, so he made Peter a full-time employee on the spot.

Mary Jane looked at the somewhat shy young man and smiled openly. "Peter, is Aunt May doing well? I'll go visit her with you today."

"Aunt May's getting healthier and healthier. A while ago, she even went racing with the neighbors."

Peter grinned like an idiot. Seeing her boyfriend act so silly, Mary Jane simply could not connect him with the great hero Spider-Man.

"Let's go, my great hero." Mary Jane gently brought her lips to Peter's ear. "My Spider-Man!"

Peter could not handle that kind of teasing at all. His face instantly turned bright red, his mouth opening and closing as he looked as innocent as a ten-year-old child.

Li Nian watched the young couple leave the theater hand in hand, and it felt like *** had plunged a knife into his heart, blood dripping down from it.

Four months had passed since the Otto incident. Li Nian, Peter, and Otto had been searching for a way to send Li Nian back, but...

Li Nian lowered his head in discouragement. Magic did not exist in this universe, and its scientific technology was not advanced enough either. Otto and Li Nian wanted to build a machine capable of traveling between universes, but neither Otto's ability nor the data in Li Nian's mind was enough to support the completion of such technology.

"Help!"

"Monster!"

A disturbance suddenly broke out in the street. The crowd shoved and fled in one direction, all wearing panicked expressions as though they had seen something terrifying.

"A monster?" Li Nian was somewhat surprised. Frowning, he walked in the direction opposite the crowd. He remembered that Venom's storyline was still some time away, and there had been no news of any alien meteorites falling to Earth.

A faint suspicion arose in Li Nian's heart. Could his arrival have caused some unknown butterfly effect...

Li Nian avoided the crowd when he suddenly felt a shadow appear overhead.

Boom!

A car crashed into Li Nian and exploded. The roar and shockwave sent innocent civilians flying, and the entire street was filled with bloody scenes...

"What is that?!" Li Nian transformed in an instant and shot high into the air, his gaze turning toward the direction the car had flown from.

"That is..." Li Nian's eyes widened, as though he had seen something utterly shocking.