Chapter 11: The Sturdy Old Man

Peter’s family did not stay long at the hospital.

According to the Mediterranean doctor, Xu Wang’s physical condition was fairly good.

He could even be discharged shortly after receiving the medication.

Compared to Xu Wang, Ben Parker’s situation was more urgent.

After being bitten by a mutated dragonfly, Ben’s body had clearly begun to change.

This was evident from the agile movements he had just shown in the hospital.

At that moment, Ben was starting to feel some discomfort.

Once home, he lay down on the bed and quickly fell asleep.

What Ben did not know was that while he slept, his genes were undergoing a profound transformation.

When he woke up, he would face an entirely new version of himself.

Meanwhile, after spending the afternoon in the hospital, Xu Wang also left.

Having received an IV drip and rested for the afternoon, he felt much better.

Ben had covered the medical expenses this time, but if Xu Wang stayed any longer, he wouldn’t have the money to pay for further treatment.

Though Ben and the others hadn’t said much and just urged Xu Wang to take care of his health, Xu Wang was determined to repay the medical fees Ben had advanced.

After all, earning money was not easy for anyone.

When it came to his own people, Xu Wang was quite kind-hearted.

So he planned to work overtime that night.

After discharge, using the light from his personal terminal for illumination, Xu Wang wandered alone through the streets and alleys of New York all night.

He only stopped when the recycling center opened, finally pausing his work.

There was no denying it—the scavenger profession was not an easy one.

Even the most experienced old scavengers could barely earn over fifty dollars a day.

Of course, as a top-tier talent from the East, Xu Wang clearly earned much more.

In this regard, he felt he had a natural aptitude for scavenging.

“Coming this early today?” the recycling center staff, who remembered Xu Wang, asked.

Xu Wang, exhausted, replied, “No choice, I’ve got to support my child. I picked through garbage all night yesterday.”

Hearing this, the worker felt a pang of sympathy, took Xu Wang’s receipt for the scrap, and handed him a Franklin bill from the cash register.

“Ma’am, consider this a little help from me.”

Xu Wang was deeply moved. Looking around, he picked up a stone and handed it over as a gift in return.

This was an unexpected windfall.

Yet, compared to the medical fees Ben had paid, it was clearly insufficient.

But Xu Wang was not in a hurry.

As he had said before,

Scavenging was a promising career.

He was confident he could earn the money before returning through time.

Just like his Harley motorcycle—

If he found it, it was his.

That was the law of the wasteland.

He would specifically target those who looked like “wastelanders.”

By early morning, after a night of scavenging, Xu Wang felt tired and decided to find a place to rest and take a nap.

Meanwhile, in Queens,

After a night of genetic alteration, Ben Parker had awakened.

Like Peter, Ben was nearsighted.

But when he put on his glasses, everything appeared blurry.

This was because the lens prescription no longer matched his eyes.

Still groggy from just waking, his mind gradually cleared, and with some confusion, he took off his glasses.

At that moment, Ben felt the world was remarkably clear!

His nearsightedness had completely vanished!

Not only that—

Looking out the window, he could see even the feathers on a crow hundreds of meters away with perfect clarity!

His vision had improved!

“Incredible! What’s happened?”

Ben put down his glasses, took off his sweat-dampened shirt, and turned to the mirror.

In the reflection, he was astonished to see that his once aging and bloated physique now resembled that of a fitness enthusiast—perfectly toned!

All excess fat had disappeared.

Only well-defined muscles remained!

Staring at his mirror image, as if he were a completely different person, Ben slowly opened his mouth.

“Oh my God! Ben! What’s going on with you?”

Aunt May was awakened by Ben’s commotion.

She groggily opened her eyes to see Ben Parker standing tall and muscular before her.

His face was the same, but that body…

Aunt May quickly shut her eyes and shook her head, thinking she must be dreaming.

As if a thought occurred to her—

Ben touched his neck and found a small lump.

It was the mark left from the mutated dragonfly bite the day before.

Hastily putting on fresh clothes, Ben strode out of the room toward the kitchen.

Thanks to his newfound super vision, after a brief search, he spotted the stiff, dead body of a green dragonfly in a corner.

“Ben, what exactly is going on?”

Aunt May had also changed and followed him.

She looked at Ben standing dazed in the kitchen, her expression filled with anxiety.

She had never heard of anyone becoming a muscular giant overnight.

Such an extraordinary and sudden change made her deeply uneasy.

Ben held the dragonfly’s corpse and, his throat dry, said, “May, I think we’re in trouble…”

In the end, Ben and Aunt May decided not to tell Peter about this.

They believed the dragonfly must have come from Xu Wang.

After all, Xu Wang was there when Ben was bitten.

He even had an empty bottle with the cap unscrewed in his hand.

Most importantly,

During the hospital checkup yesterday, the doctor clearly said Xu Wang had many marks from animal and insect bites.

His suspicion was the greatest.

Ben just didn’t understand why Xu Wang would bring such a dragonfly to their home.

Was it coincidence or deliberate?

Moreover,

Ben’s body had undergone such drastic changes after the bite.

What about Xu Wang? Had the young man’s body also mutated?

Out of a sense of responsibility, Ben felt he had to find out.

So, during breakfast, Ben asked Peter, “Peter, do you know where your friend Xu Wang lives?”

Peter was eating macaroni with a spoon.

Hearing Ben’s question, he looked up, pushed up his glasses, and, puzzled about why Ben wanted to know about Xu Wang, replied, “I don’t know.”

“He seems to have no place to live now. I introduced him to the Love Home a couple of days ago.”

“Love Home? So he’s homeless now?”

This was something Ben had not expected.

He had seen many homeless people, but someone like Xu Wang, who was so mentally sound, was rare.

Peter recalled Xu Wang’s smiling face, scratched his head, and added, “He said he’s a scavenger now.”

“Can you contact him?”

Ben thought for a moment. “There’s something I want to ask him.”

Peter was completely helpless.

Although he had given Xu Wang their home address, he didn’t know Xu Wang’s personal contact information.

So he quickly finished his macaroni, stood up, picked up his backpack, and said, “I’ll tell Xu Wang you want to see him. Aunt May, Uncle Ben, I have to go now.”

He still needed to visit the Osborne Group again.

Yesterday, worried about Ben, he had sneaked in briefly but fled immediately.

Today, he had to go again and see if he could investigate his parents’ affairs.

Just as he was leaving, Peter noticed Xu Wang’s Harley motorcycle parked in the yard.