Kamen Rider ZZZ, the American comic book spiritual mentor

His eyes were filled with terror, pain, and bewilderment at being caught off guard.

“Mother fucker…”

Lin Nan didn't give him any time to react. She pulled out pepper spray, pointed it at his face, and pressed the button.

"Sizzle..."

The robber's painful writhing did not stop Lin Nan. He pressed the robber's hands down with his knee, and almost emptied the pepper spray in his hand.

The man in the baseball cap covered his face and fell to the ground, rolling around frantically.

All of this happened in less than five seconds.

Inside the convenience store, the clerk stared in disbelief, clinging to the doorframe, his phone still in the position of as if he were about to call the police.

Uncle Ben, who had just walked over, stopped and stared in astonishment.

Lin Nan calmed his heavy breathing, kicked the pistol that had fallen not far away into the drain, and then bent down to pick up the canvas bag that had fallen.

"yours."

The still-stunned shop assistant snapped out of her daze and answered tremblingly:

"Oh my goodness, thank you, young man."

Lin Nan shook his head and turned to look at Uncle Ben. The old man was scrutinizing him, his eyes filled with shock, lingering fear, and deep concern.

"Child, are you alright, God? This is too dangerous! You should call the police or..."

"I'm fine, sir," Lin Nan said, trying to keep her voice steady.

The siren blared, growing louder as it approached; the police were coming.

Lin Nan glanced at her wrist: [Causality Value: 76]

After changing Uncle Ben's fate, his causality value surged.

Is it a lot? Not much. In fact, Lin Nan felt that the Temple of Cause and Effect was too stingy.

This kind old man deserves more. If one day he can step into a higher dimension and re-enter the Temple of Cause and Effect, he will question why Uncle Ben is only worth so little.

But thinking about these things now is too far off.

It should be soon before we draw the first dream capsule.

Chapter 2 Peter's Confession

"I have to go, sir." Lin Nan put away the baton and the spray bottle, tucked them back into his pocket, nodded to the kind old man, and turned to walk quickly into the dark alley behind him.

“Wait for the child… at least let the police…” Uncle Ben called out from behind, his voice full of concern.

Lin Nan did not turn around; his figure quickly disappeared from sight, concealing his merit and fame.

It started to rain, and the raindrops pattered all night long.

Two days have passed since the convenience store incident, and the number has slowly climbed from 77 to 79.

Based on the two days of surveillance, Lin Nan was certain that Uncle Ben's fate had been altered.

It seems that all predetermined trajectories in this universe can be changed, and there is no such thing as destiny.

For example, Doctor Strange's car accident, or Uncle Ben's death—anything is possible.

A police officer came to the school once during that time; it was a detective named George Stacy. Lin Nan knew who he was—Gwen Stacy's father, Parker's classmate.

A young Chinese person can be easily traced if there are witnesses.

Lin Nan was not surprised at all by this.

George Stacy wore a crisp shirt, his gaze possessing the sharp edge unique to a professional police officer.

They asked Lin Nan a few brief and concise questions, such as: Why were you there? Why did you happen to have a baton and pepper spray on you? Did you have any professional training in this area before?

Lin Nan's answer was quite cautious: she was just passing by and happened to see a suspicious person.

And batons and pepper spray...

It's perfectly reasonable for an Asian teenager living alone in this free country to carry some small self-defense items, right?

After all, in the free United States, shootings happen every day; it's no joke.

Detective Stacy stared at him for a long time, her sharp gaze seeming to want to dissect him completely.

After watching for a long time, he finally said nothing, nodded, and left.

George Stacy…Gwen’s father, and if all goes well, this man will soon become the director.

Time flies, and Monday is here in the blink of an eye.

On Monday, the air at Midtown High School was filled with the unique restlessness of youth and the faint odor of the laboratory.

Lin Nan, sitting in the back row of the classroom, observed Peter Parker drop his pencil on the floor.

Whether it was because his spider-sense wasn't activated or for some other reason, Parker didn't notice his gaze.

Peter bent down to pick it up, his movements so fast they seemed almost unnatural.

He had already reached out his hand before the pencil even hit the ground, but at the last moment he deliberately slowed down, letting the pencil fall to the ground.

The pencil rolled a few times on the ground and landed at Lin Nan's feet.

Lin Nan bent down, picked up the pencil, and handed it to him, her gaze gentle: "Are you alright, Peter?"

"Huh? Oh! I'm fine, very fine." Peter took the pencil, his eyes dark-circled. "Well... I've just been having some trouble sleeping lately, you know, the schoolwork is pretty heavy, and..."

"Parker!" The physics teacher on the podium tapped the blackboard, interrupting him.

"If you're not going to explain this problem, at least don't daydream."

Peter looked up abruptly, his face flushed. "I'm...I'm sorry, Mr. Thompson, I..."

The teacher sighed, "Alright, Lin, you answer."

Lin Nan stood up and gave a very fluent answer.

Having a science and engineering background from a previous life is like a game-changer in this kind of high school curriculum.

As he sat down, he felt Peter cast a grateful glance his way.

When the bell rang, the students poured out of the classroom like wild dogs running free, freely expressing their sense of freedom.

Just as Lin Nan was packing her schoolbag, Peter lingered over, seemingly wanting to say something.

“Hey, Lin…” he lowered his voice, “It was you near the convenience store that day, wasn’t it?”

Lin Nan paused, then looked at Peter.

His deep blue eyes were filled with worry at that moment.

“My uncle told me that there was a brave Asian boy at the time, but then he disappeared…”

"From his description, I think that person looks a lot like you."

"It's me." Lin Nan did not deny it.

Peter stared at him for a long time, then suddenly said, "Have you practiced anything? I mean, something like Chinese Kung Fu..."

Lin Nan laughed and said, "Peter, not all Chinese people know kung fu. He just watched a few videos online and got lucky."

"luck…"

Peter repeated it.

He looked up, his eyes filled with a complicated expression: "Lin, could you come to my house after school? My uncle and Aunt Mei would like to formally introduce you, and we have something we'd like to show you..."

Lin Nan's eyelids twitched suddenly because he saw the number on his wrist change, jumping directly to 85.

Parker, what does he want to show me?

After thinking about it, Lin Nan nodded: "Okay."

After school, Lin Nan and Peter went to Peter's house together.

Peter's house is a typical two-story building with a small garden in front, where a few daisies are planted.

Uncle Ben opened the door. He had a full head of white hair and warmly welcomed Lin Nan in, as if he were welcoming his own child.

"Child, come in quickly."

"Mei, the children are back."

The aroma of roasting meat wafted from the kitchen, and a frail old man with a full head of white hair peeked out from the kitchen with a warm smile.

"Oh, darling, you must be Lin. Ben told me about you. You're such a brave and good girl. Sit down, dinner will be ready soon."

The house wasn't big, but it was very cozy.

Family photos hung on the wall, showing a young Uncle Ben and a young Aunt May…

There was also a couple wearing white lab coats and glasses, holding Parker, who was still a child. The lab coats were printed with the Osborn Industries logo.

Peter then crept over, looking somewhat awkward: "Lin... um... do you want to come to my room and take a look at my Death Star model..."

Lin Nan nodded: "Okay."

Uncle Ben gently patted the two children on the shoulder: "Go on, kids, dinner is ready. I'll call you down to eat."

The two went up to the second floor.

Peter's room was small, just a tiny space, piled high with books and various scientific magazines, as well as some random electronic components.

There's a classic photo of Einstein sticking out his tongue on the wall.

A typical bedroom for a science and engineering enthusiast.

"Lin, sit down." Peter pointed to his bed, picked up a chair, and paused for a few seconds, as if organizing his thoughts.

"Lin... my uncle said that the robber had a broken arm, and the pepper spray burned his cornea; he might need several weeks of treatment..."

"What I want to ask is, weren't you scared at all at the time?"

Lin Nan did not answer immediately, but looked around.