When Peter crossed over to Miles's world, it was around nine in the morning here. He wasn't surprised when he arrived there and it was night, as the US was roughly on the opposite side of the same latitude as his home country, making the time difference about 12 hours.
Then: He spent four days in Miles's world.
That was a journey spanning almost four days! He had already prepared to be questioned, fabricating a long explanation about how he spent the four days reflecting and repenting in his room. He even prepared to write a 10,000-word self-critique. As for food... Fortunately, he had "hamster tendencies" and routinely stockpiled snacks in his room. He planned to eat them all upon return, making it seem like he subsisted on them.
But now, it seemed none of that was necessary.
Peter quickly rushed to his desk. His laptop was still there, playing a movie clearly and smoothly without lag. And the movie was the one he had prepared to watch just before crossing over!
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse!
The nearly two-hour film was just playing the end credits, not even completely finished! One hour and fifty minutes!
Peter checked the progress bar, surprised and delighted. He had spent almost four days in the other world, but only one hour and fifty minutes had passed here. It was now 10:43 AM! Not even 11 AM! The time flow between the two worlds was drastically different!
But why did he return exactly when the movie finished playing? Was it a coincidence, or was there some special connection? Peter frowned slightly.
"Peter! Dear Peter!" (Replacing Bi De's Chinese name) The person outside, not hearing Peter's response, called out and knocked loudly on the door: "Dear Peter, it was just confinement! You're not seriously going to skip meals, are you? You're not thinking of doing anything rash, are you? Peter! Peter!"
Peter quickly pressed the spacebar on the computer, stopping the movie instantly. Then he closed the laptop and looked at his hands. He was still wearing the Nanometal Suit, and the web-shooters were still on his wrists.
He pressed the chest of his suit. This was the controller that came with the nanoparticles. Upon pressing it, the nanometal flowed like liquid, reversing its path from his limbs toward his chest, where it was all stored in the controller.
CLINK. Two objects dropped to the floor. These were the web cartridges loaded into the web-shooters. They were consumables and could not be nano metalized. The cartridges were only the size of coins. Peter quickly took them off and put them in his trouser pockets, where they weren't noticeable. He put on his shirt and then his jacket. From the outside, there was no sign of the suit underneath.
"Alright, alright, stop shouting! Who are you mourning?" (Peter's internal monologue is translated to the comic-accurate external action here.)
Having quickly done all this, Peter muttered under his breath and walked toward the door. He opened the door. Standing outside was a good-looking young man, about Peter's age. His name was Lu Lin, Peter's best friend.
They knew each other from high school and went to the same university. However, Lu Lin's major was different from Peter's. Peter chose Astrophysics, while Lu Lin chose Soil Science, specializing in Soil Chemistry. They had expected to go their separate ways after graduation, only meeting during holidays. But for some reason, Lu Lin ended up joining the same research institute as Peter, also as an intern consultant. It was unclear how he managed to get in. Lu Lin claimed it was because Mars was mostly soil, so a top student in Soil Science was naturally needed. Peter didn't believe that for a second. But since Lu Lin didn't press the issue, Peter didn't see the need to probe; having a good friend nearby was nice.
"Well, you finally came out?" Lu Lin grinned, draping an arm over Peter's shoulder. He moved his head close, looking Peter up and down: "Weird. You were locked up for a day, and you look stronger?"
"Do I?" Peter's eye twitched. This guy's observational skills are too sharp. The spider-gene enhancement had indeed made his body stronger. Previously, he was athletic but only moderately fit. After the enhancement, his muscles were more defined, his body was solid, and he even had an eight-pack!
"I figured it out! You're like a pig; you get plump after being confined for a day! What were you eating? Let me try some?" Lu Lin was still playfully grinning.
"Get lost," Peter realized he was being teased. "You'd eat pig feed? I'll take you to the cafeteria."
"Fine, but you just called the cafeteria food pig feed! I'm going to report you to old Dr. Otto!"
Peter closed his door, and the two walked toward the cafeteria. To reach the cafeteria (the communal area), they first had to exit the dormitory section. Stepping out of the dormitory section, the two immediately stopped joking around. Despite having seen the surroundings every day for six months, the sight always evoked a strange feeling.
The Martian Research Base was located in a desolate region of the Northwest Desert, featuring unique Yardang landforms that closely resembled the Martian terrain—one of the key reasons the base was built here. It covered nearly 200 acres, divided mainly into the Research Institute, the Dormitory Block, and the Living Quarters. The Dormitory Block had 100 capsule-style residences. There were only about 30 researchers, 20 logistics/support staff, and the rest were security personnel. Researchers spent most of their time in the Institute, while security was mainly posted around the perimeter. Logistics staff were stationed within the Living Quarters. Consequently, the base was usually very quiet during the day. The base had a "tight outside, loose inside" system: strict procedures for entering and exiting the base, but freedom of movement within the facility.