Finn thought seriously for three seconds, but the more he thought about it, the more absurd it felt—
How could a hardworking, good person be "misery-stricken"?
One couldn't exactly say, "I'm a good person, I'm handsome, I'm rich, I'm optimistic, I have many friends, I've never done anything wrong, but I just live a miserable life," right?
This kind of illogical task was hundreds of times harder than simply being a villain.
"How do you think I should accumulate Misery Value while being a good person at the same time?" Finn gave his System PP a chance to express his thoughts.
System PP froze.
I knew you were a rookie system." Seeing that System PP was at a loss for words, Finn began to lecture with the gravity of a "senior system." "Our purpose upon arriving in this world is to execute missions. Don't let your own thoughts mislead you. As a system, your priorities are: first, to assist the Host; second, to drive the progress of the mission. But regardless, you must view issues from the objective perspective of a bystander. The ultimate goal of all our actions must be to achieve the mission objectives. Do you understand?
Besides, I am a principled system—oh, wait, I'm a person now. I have always believed that truth, goodness, beauty should have happy endings, while the villains should face retribution and meet a miserable end," Finn said earnestly; he did possess a sense of right and wrong. All one hundred of his previous hosts had been wonderful hosts, they deserved to reach the pinnacle of their lives in glory. "Moreover, if you ask me to change direction on a whim now, won't the three parallel plotlines I have so meticulously arranged all go to waste?
Speaking of which, Finn thought of his key plot character—Peter Parker.
He had clearly promised to attend the party tonight, but then suddenly told him he had something urgent to attend to.
"So, where is our community's good neighbor, Spider-Man, now?" Finn could tell at a glance that Spider-Man had another new hero mission on his hands.
The data streams of System PP were running at high speed, in just a few seconds, it pulled up the latest news footage.
On the screen, Spider-Man was hanging from the steel cables of the bridge by a web, engaged in a fierce struggle with the massive Lizardman.
Spider-Man's movements were as agile as a bolt of red lightning streaking through the night. Amidst his fierce struggle with Lizardman, he did not forget to take many civilians who had been caught up in this disaster and nearly plunged into the freezing seawater, securing them steadily.. stringing them together with webs and hanging them from the bridge's load-bearing beams.
A perfectly neat row, like special bridge decorations prepared for Halloween next month, looking both pitiful and somewhat comical.
Finn's gaze did not linger on Spider-Man, but instead stared fixedly at the clawing and brandishing Lizardman in the image.
"I suddenly feel like I don't look like a villain." Finn suddenly raised his hand to touch his own delicate and soft cheek.
System PP: 【?】
"Look at this Lizardman, he looks at least two meters tall! And he even has a terrifying lizard appearance! But what about me?" Finn naturally knew that he possessed the fine looks of a noble young master, was also plagued by anemia, hypoglycemia, stomach issues.. looking entirely frail and weak.
“A villain like me.. I feel like fighting Spider-Man wouldn't be very cost-effective.”
Finn suddenly felt that compared to Lizardman, he was like a mere decorative vase. Because of this, Finn felt dissatisfied with himself; with his current configuration as a villain, defeating him might not even showcase Spider-Man's heroic prowess.
"The core of being a villain lies in one's actions, not one's appearance." After having just undergone Finn's education, System PP also began to keep up with Finn's "villainous mindset." However, System PP discovered that his Host always had strange ambitions in the most peculiar places.
This made System PP somewhat worried; his Host would still find ways to [mutate] into a [more qualified villain].
Finn didn't argue—he was certainly aware that the key lay in "what to do," and he had even secretly devised no fewer than ten different schemes just to persecute Harry Osborn. However, Finn also felt that once any of those schemes were set in motion, there would be no turning back, nor would there be any timeline that could be reset; this irreversible risk made him hesitate to make a decision.
The main issue was that pathetic Misery Value panel, which remained stuck at the awkward value of 3.5/100. No matter how he calculated it, the safest path at the moment would be to first accumulate some basic points from other directions, gradually laying the groundwork as a "villain," and then step-by-step introducing the designed situation.
As for a key figure like Harry Osborn, he would, of course, be set aside for now to continue building up his strength to farm [Dislike].
He certainly didn't want to send himself to prison just because he rushed things in his very first step into a villainous career, only to end up struggling to figure out how to accumulate Misery Value in a cell.
Why are you hiding here all by yourself?
As the door was gently pushed open, the flowing wind carried with it the music and the clamor of voices from the party.
Noah caught sight of Finn huddled in the sofa at a glance. The fair-skinned young man was sunk deep into the soft gray velvet, his shoulders slumped slightly, his face wearing an air of listless exhaustion.
“It's lively downstairs, why don't you go down and play?” Noah's hand on the door froze involuntarily.
Noah had long ago discovered that Finn would occasionally sneak into this exclusive VIP room alone.
This was the private domain of Finn Osborn, who served as the host; aside from a few very close friends, no one else would dare to easily open this door unless they had something important to discuss.
The young man did nothing, simply sitting quietly on the sofa, his gaze cast peacefully toward the night sky outside the window.
The dazzling lights of the party stretched his shadow long, the deafening music, laughter, voices could permeate through the glass, yet they were isolated by an invisible barrier, unable to merge into the stagnant and quiet aura surrounding him.
Every time he caught sight of Finn like this, a complex feeling would always well up in Noah's heart.
What are you doing here?" Hearing the voice, Finn turned his head and looked up, his long eyelashes trembling. His eyes still held a hint of surprise from just having pulled himself out of a state of immersion while communicating with System PP. "Aren't you busy with the fashion show?
"No matter how busy I am, I can always find a night to come and join the fun at a party," Noah said with a smile, reaching out to bluntly mess up Finn's hair, which was already styled with hairspray.
Don't mess it up!" Finn immediately turned his head to avoid it, his voice carrying a hint of urgency. "This hairstyle was specially done for me by Catherine.
Seeing the young man suddenly come to life like this, Noah couldn't help but smile: "I heard you hired three very powerful magicians. It's a pity I couldn't make it to that magic show."
They're coming back next week," Finn said, a hint of pride in his voice. "There will be an opportunity eventually.
"Where did you find them?" Noah asked, sitting down on the armchair beside him.
It's that dog-walking partner," Finn said. "You saw them last time, too.
"I have some impression of him," Noah said casually, but he didn't have much of an impression, he didn't care either.
"By the way, how is the progress on your show with Anthony going?" Noah had been too busy lately, he had no time at all to care about Anthony's show, "Rat Rise: The Great Human Challenge." Instead, it was Elias and Finn who had both been tricked by Anthony, becoming part of the first batch of humans to be [enslaved by rats].
“It's going well. Anyway, Anthony is the one who's mostly busy,” Finn said, resting his chin in his hand, his tone carrying a hint of complaint. “But it's all Anthony's fault, too. Now, my head is filled with hamsters every single day.”
Finn even went out of his way to add a [SUMMER] running hard in a running wheel to his [Sleepless Summer] series of emojis.
It was, of course, a symbol of himself.
Like a hamster that is constantly working hard to grind.
However, I feel that by agreeing to this matter for Anthony, my professionalism in drawing has also improved significantly." Finn's eyes suddenly lit up as he thought of something. He leaned in toward Noah and said, "Later, I can also design the trendy streetwear looks for your [Metal Cool Little Brother] and [Metal Cool Little Sister]. If you think they're usable, you can just use them directly.
Noah was momentarily stunned.
"You know, that 'Mr. Suit' meme of mine went viral out of nowhere. The download numbers skyrocketed beyond my wildest expectations, suddenly, I've been getting all these brand collaborations and stuff." Finn had only just realized that his artwork was becoming lucrative, he had also discovered that his friends were quite fond of his drawings.
About the time I crashed your new car before.." Finn was naturally feeling guilty, but Noah refused to let him compensate him no matter what. "I was just thinking about how I could design something else for you that could create value. I've already got some preliminary concepts! The little brother character will wear a black leather jacket with studs paired with jeans, with super cool silver-gray wolf-cut hair and a mini metal guitar in his hand; the little sister character will go for a sweet and cool style, with a short metallic crop top paired with cargo skirts and silver chains on the boots, her hair will be shoulder-length with wire wrapped around it—it'll absolutely fit the tone of your brand.
Watching the young man's face light up with such animated excitement, Noah couldn't help but chuckle. 'Alright, fine. But once we make some money, I'll give you a cut,' he said, before pausing to add, 'Though, you've already got enough on your plate—don't overextend yourself.'
"Don't worry! There's always time if you squeeze it." Finn was always full of energy, living like a system that never needed rest.
Finn loved to keep his schedule packed every single day, of course, he also used System PP to keep an eye on the latest news and Spider-Man's intel. Then, on the following night, a breaking news report stated that Lizardman had been arrested, his identity was directly exposed as Dr. Curt Connors.
Isn't he.. the professor from Peter's biology experiment project?
Once considered Peter Parker's respected mentor, he had suddenly turned into the Lizardman, a threat to public safety.
As a member of the side of justice, Spider-Man's Peter had no choice but to stand on the opposing side, defeating his former mentor and sending him to prison.
—So tragic.
This script is so similar to what I imagined, only the character setting changed from [Trusted Best Friend] to [Respected Mentor]." Finn suddenly felt like the plot was clashing. "In fact, I suddenly feel like I've been outdone—after all, I can't turn into a two-meter-tall Lizardman.
System PP: [..] The Host doesn't need to have that kind of ambition.
As Peter Parker's friend, I should be looking out for him at a time like this." Regardless, before becoming Spider-Man's [Archnemesis], Finn wanted to play the role of the [Hypocritical Best Friend] perfectly. "After all, the one arrested is his mentor; regardless, I should go and comfort him now.
Finn also sent a message to Peter, but Peter replied saying that he was fine and had already returned home.
Having previously driven Peter home, Finn also knew where Peter lived. He drove to a spot near his house and stopped, then began making a call.
The call did not go through.
Why isn't he answering the phone?" Finn muttered with a frown, "Would it be inappropriate for me to just knock on the door?
"Peter Parker is not at home. The signal is located at the corner on the east side, twenty-five meters away from you," System PP said.
"Peter, what are you doing here acting so suspicious?" Finn, even more confused, charged straight toward the signal's location without hesitation, sure enough—
Peter was standing in the shadows of the corner, looking at Finn with an awkward expression, his body instinctively pressing against the wall behind him.
"What are you doing here?" Peter was also surprised that Finn would show up here.
"I saw the news report, of course," Finn said.
[I've also seen Spider-Man's heroic figure!]
"Professor Connors has been arrested, since you were in his project, I was very worried about you, so naturally, I wanted to come and see if you were affected." Finn said with reason.
You aren't hurt, are you?" Finn thought of the fierce battle between Spider-Man and Lizardman that he had seen in the video, he couldn't help but feel a bit worried. His gaze subtly scanned Peter from head to toe. "You shouldn't be injured, right?
Peter pressed himself even closer to the wall, feeling somewhat nervous.
"What's wrong? Why do you look so strange?" Finn leaned in, asking suspiciously.
Something went wrong." Peter also felt that in this situation, he couldn't hide it from Finn. "I was hit by.. a special serum.
—A special serum?
[Huh?] A flash of inspiration struck Finn, memories of certain former Hosts came rushing back at once. [It couldn't be one of those potions where you have to block the System to neutralize the side effects, could it!]
Thinking of this, Finn even felt a sense of excitement, as if he were eager to give it a try.
An unknown plot that he never even had the right to witness—could it be that he finally has the right to take the field himself!?
[So.. I can also encounter this kind of plot?!]
I've only undergone a partial physical mutation." Peter couldn't understand what Finn meant by his inner thoughts, but he vaguely felt something was wrong and hurriedly said, "I can't recover for the time being.
“Which part?” Finn asked with a hint of regret, then followed up with a strange look.
Peter awkwardly pulled out a thick, lizard tail covered in dark green scales from behind his back.
Finn's eyes widened: "!!" Good heavens, Spider-Man grew a lizard tail!
Chapter 14: Sleepwalking · In the Same Bed
Finn simply extended his finger in disbelief.
Poked Peter's lizard tail.
It was hard, cold, covered in scales.
"Can you.. change back?" Finn asked hesitantly.
Yes." Peter nodded, but Dr. Connors's laboratory had already been cordoned off, so Peter couldn't get in or refine the serum at the moment. Peter later contacted a S. H. I. E. L. D. agent he trusted, Coulson, but the other man said he was not in New York for the time being. After all, Peter still had his identity as Spider-Man, for safety reasons, Agent Coulson stated that he would personally come to pick him up tomorrow to go to S. H. I. E. L. D. to deal with the physical mutation, "But it will most likely be tomorrow or the day after tomorrow before we can get a response; I've asked a friend to help.
After Dr. Connors mutated into Lizardman yesterday, Peter knew something was wrong.
At that time, the Lizardman's identity had not yet been exposed, so Peter had told Aunt May in advance that he was attending a two-day, one-night internship training program at the Osborn Group, that he had been out all night tracking the whereabouts of the Lizardman. But now that Aunt May was asking what time he would be home, his appearance with a tail made it difficult for him to go home.
"Going home will definitely scare my family." Therefore, Peter was hesitant even as he reached the doorstep, unsure if he could hide his tail.
“Then why don't you come home and stay with me for a while?” Finn said after thinking it over, feeling that Peter needed a safe place to land right now. “There are only two butlers in my home, they are very easygoing, so you don't need to worry. Besides, they aren't your family, so even if they see you with a tail, they won't be worried about you.”
Peter: ".." It was the same logic.