—From now on, he would upgrade into "Spider-Man 2.0"!
After leaving S. H. I. E. L. D, Peter went to the Osborn Building again; Harry Osborn had given him time to go and see him.
As he stepped into the building, Peter was somewhat surprised to find that even in the Saturday Osborn Building, there were quite a few people working. The employees were all focused on their respective tasks, creating a scene of orderly, fast-paced busyness; Spider-Man couldn't help but wonder to himself if this was the "996" work schedule. However, since Dr. Connors' Lizardman mutation incident had just been exposed, the Osborn Group, as the primary investor in the project, had inevitably been swept into the vortex of public opinion.
Fortunately, the public's gaze was relatively rational: this disaster was, after all, the result of a failed experiment, driven by Dr. Connors's personal desire to cure his own disability. At the very least, Dr. Connors had never conducted human experimentation; he hadn't harmed others, but had instead used himself as the first test subject.
Therefore, public opinion did not place excessive blame on the Osborn Group; after all, the Osborn Group was merely the investor, Dr. Connors' previous projects had indeed helped and saved many patients; one could not completely erase his past contributions.
Peter was relieved to see that many people were still speaking up for Dr. Connors, feeling that he simply wanted to help all disabled people become whole, though his methods were somewhat extreme.
Harry sought out Peter this time because of Dr. Connors' situation. The research project had now been completely halted, the Osborn Group had explicitly terminated all related investments. Since Peter had just begun participating in the work for that project, he had naturally lost his position in the research department as well. Considering this, Harry had selected several suitable alternative projects for Peter to choose from. Peter hadn't expected Harry to be so thoughtful, choosing a research project within the Osborn Group that he was actually quite interested in, one where the laboratory was located right within the Osborn Group.
"Finn gave you an electronic invitation to the New Energy Base." Harry looked at Peter calmly, his tone betraying no emotion.
Peter froze for a moment, then immediately realized what was happening.
Finn obtained this invitation from Manager Daniel of the Brand Promotion Department, Daniel naturally reported the matter to Harry.
“If you want to visit the New Energy Base, why not just ask me directly?” A trace of cold incomprehension flashed through Harry Osborn's green eyes. He actually didn't mind giving his friend some preferential treatment or resources, was even willing to open up more conveniences for Peter Parker, but what he could not tolerate was the fact that Finn Osborn stood in the middle of it all.
"It's a bit complicated." Peter was momentarily speechless, not knowing how to explain it. If it had been just two hours earlier, he would still have been sporting a lizard tail that made it impossible to see anyone, that invitation to the New Energy Base was merely to help him hide the secret of the tail from Aunt May. Peter hadn't expected at that time that Harry would feel displeased because of this matter.
You two have become quite close lately." Harry let out a cold laugh, his tone dripping with undisguised sarcasm. "Clearly, you and Finn have more in common.
"Harry, I think you have some misunderstandings about Finn." Peter frowned slightly; he still wanted to smooth over the brotherhood between Harry and Finn.
“Are you taking my friend's side, or are you questioning me on Finn's behalf?” Hearing Peter mention a "misunderstanding," Harry's green eyes instantly darkened.
With the will and the notarization both perfectly clear, it was Finn who stepped forward to fight me for control of the Osborn Group." Especially when Harry thought of the provocative text message he had received from Finn this morning, "I spent the entire morning cleaning up the mess caused by Dr. Curt Connors, what about him? Does he even consider the impact this will have on the Osborn Group? Besides drinking and playing with his friends every day, all he knows how to do is scheme with lawyers to see how he can reap even more benefits.
Harry stared at Peter, his green eyes filled with cold fury; he had originally thought that Peter would stand by his side.
But as it turned out, Peter had betrayed this friendship, choosing Finn Osborn instead.
It was more like one of Finn's petty tricks—knowing Peter was his good friend, he wanted to snatch his friend away as well.
Peter, was it just a few parties, that was enough to buy you off?" Harry found it ridiculous. He could clearly provide Peter Parker with better resources and superior platforms; even setting aside true friendship, Peter should know that it would maximize his own interests. Yet Peter seemed unable to see this, now he was standing on Finn Osborn's side, wanting to resolve the misunderstanding regarding his "dear little brother.
I know you're angry, Harry," Peter said in a softened voice, his heart knowing exactly where the root of Harry's rage lay. "But I truly consider you a good friend, I'm saying this from the perspective of your friend.
Peter knew that what Finn did was intended to make Harry loathe him, the truth was, these measures were clearly effective.
But Spider-Man could hear Finn's thoughts.
He knew that the so-called "scheme" was nothing more than a means to achieve that absurd "Misery Value" mission objective.
It was precisely because he understood this absurd truth that he could not stand by and watch the relationship between these two brothers deteriorate to the point of a complete and total break.
"Finn is your only family left, isn't he?" Peter asked.
"So, just because he is my family, I should selflessly give him everything?" Harry sneered, his eyes filled with disdain.
Harry Osborn was a powerful figure already standing at the pinnacle of a business empire, but at the same time, he was also a man burdened by the weight of the entire Osborn Group, suffocating under the pressure of all sorts of people and affairs. When he saw another person of the same blood living a life of ease and freedom, would his heart not feel a sense of imbalance?
Sometimes, Harry feels that Finn is the favored one, favored by his father, favored by fate, favored by this world.
Peter's support seemed to further prove this.
This "favoritism" made Harry Osborn feel disgusted.
I didn't mean it like that," Peter said, shaking his head with an earnest tone. "I just feel that your conflict from the very beginning stemmed from property disputes. If you could move past this conflict, Harry, have you ever thought about truly getting to know your younger brother?
Peter also knew he was being demanding of Harry, but if he, as an insider, did not say certain things, then Harry would probably never hear them.
You're too naive, Peter." Harry's voice was cold, his already sharp features now masked by a layer of inhuman ruthlessness. "In the face of the Osborn Group, with a market capitalization of 1.6 trillion dollars, all humanity is exposed completely. Instead of wasting your breath trying to convince me that I've misunderstood Finn, you'd be better off advising your new friend—tell him to use his brain a little more wisely.
“There have never been just Finn among those who want to take a slice of the Osborn cake.” Harry naturally thought of those restless obstacles attempting to trip him up, “When these people join forces to bring me down, which side do you think Finn will be on? Will he join them in kicking me while I'm down, or will he turn around and help me instead?”
He will stand on your side," Peter said with certainty. "He will do it.
Peter had always been able to hear Finn's inner thoughts, so he was naturally aware of Finn's intentions now. Finn was indeed scheming to make Harry dislike him, even deliberately guiding Harry to strike him ruthlessly, but the ultimate goal of all his calculations..
—It ended with the failure of Finn Osborn, not the failure of Harry Osborn.
Harry chuckled, not knowing where Peter got such confidence.
Finn doesn't hate you." Peter knew that saying this to Harry now held little significance and might even backfire, but he simply couldn't just let it go; it was as simple as that. "No one who hates you would be willing to put in the effort to create an entire series of emojis for you.
Harry fell silent.
Obviously, he had also thought of that series of Mr. Suit memes.
Even Manager Daniel said that this set of memes had become popular behind the scenes within the Osborn Group.
Don't you think that's a contradiction?" Harry Osborn asked back with a sneer. "If what you say is true, then what is the purpose of everything he is doing now?
"He might just.. want to get your attention." Peter couldn't tell the truth, so he came up with an explanation that even he felt was somewhat far-fetched.
Harry looked at him blankly, an absurd expression of "you must be crazy" appearing on his face. But inexplicably, Harry thought of the last time he had left Finn in the conference room; the young man had kept his head bowed silently during training without a single word of protest, when he finally looked up, he had that natural expression of [waiting to be scolded].
Finn loves parties, but the people at those parties are all outstanding talents from various industries. They aren't business leaders, but they all shine in their own fields," Peter continued. "Finn loves painting, he has accumulated quite a lot of popularity online; many people love the characters he creates. He also loves dancing; he is currently planning new projects with his friends, not only designing an entire series of IP characters but also personally choreographing for shows.
Peter hoped Harry could see the Finn beneath the superficial fun, a man full of vitality and a passion for life.
He isn't someone who does nothing; he has been shining in the field he loves.
I know you are a very smart person, Harry." Peter's gaze was sincere; he hoped Harry could see the Finn in his eyes, rather than seeing the [greedy and foolish younger brother] that Finn had crafted for himself. "I just feel that you could try to learn more about Finn.
I only have Aunt May left; Aunt May is my best family," Peter added softly, a hint of gloominess appearing in his eyes. "Finn is also a good family member; I don't want you to lose him.
Hearing Peter speak of his family, Harry's expression softened slightly, he said calmly, "Peter, I can only say that the family ties of the Osborn family are not as beautiful as you think."
Harry suddenly thought that when his father died, he was very calm.
He might have been sad, but.. it wasn't enough to bring him to tears; instead, his mind was constantly calculating how to smoothly take over the Osborn Group and stabilize the board of directors after the death of Norman Osborn. On the contrary, Finn could cry until his face was covered in tears by the bedside, appearing so indifferent and cold-blooded.
His father stroked Finn's hair with eyes full of affection.
Harry didn't know how Norman and Finn got along, but in that moment, standing to the side, he felt like an outsider.
I can treat Finn as a younger brother," silence stretched between the two for a long time before Harry spoke slowly, "but only on the condition that he does not greedily covet things that do not belong to him.
That depends on his behavior.
Peter opened his mouth, but he couldn't say anything; Finn didn't care about the inheritance at all; he simply had no choice but to complete his [mission].
—It's just too hard.
Peter didn't know how he could truly ease the relationship between him and Harry, given how Finn had repeatedly and deliberately provoked Harry by stepping on his landmines.
After Peter left, Harry sat alone in the office for a long time before finally using his phone to open Finn Osborn's drawing account.
He still didn't know why Finn's account name was "Seven Major Sicknesses."
But it could not be denied that Finn truly loved painting and possessed the talent, having already accumulated a significant number of fans. He casually scrolled through the account's updates and discovered that Finn maintained a frequency of posting almost every day, with every painting radiating a vivid, soulful spirit. At the very least, from these works, Harry could sense the creator's purity, innocence, love for life.
As his fingers continued to scroll down, Harry's gaze suddenly froze—it was a popular poll that Finn had casually participated in a month ago.
[Unconditionally grant you one wish. Out of the following eight options, which one will you choose:
1. Thirty million dollars
2. A luxury supercar anywhere in the world
3. Eating Frenzy Without Gaining Weight
4. Seaside Villa
5. Grow Ten Centimeters Taller
6. Lose Twenty Jin
7. Love Your Family
8. Marry your idol
The voting results showed that among the millions of netizens who participated, only 3% chose "Love Your Family," making it the lowest option of all.
And Finn's choice was the seventh one.
Harry froze, then a surge of complex emotions rushed over him, it was unclear whether it was surprise or a sense of absurdity.
—Isn't Finn's only family in this world himself? What on earth is he longing for?
Peter Parker's words were still swirling in Harry Osborn's mind. In the empty office, Harry Osborn stared at the option on his phone, remaining silent for a long, long time, before a sentence suddenly surfaced in his mind:
The more you lack something, the more obsessed you become with obtaining it, don't you think?
Harry pulled his thoughts back and scrolled back to Finn's latest update.
Finn's scattered IP designs were actually quite numerous, but the most popular ones were, of course, Mr. Suit and Summer.
Harry opened the lively comments section, where a fan asked curiously, "I want to ask, is there a special relationship between Mr. Suit and Summer?"
[Seven Major Sicknesses: It's big brother.]
Chapter 18: Fall and Sprain
Although Peter had resolved the issue with his tail, he had, after all, already promised Aunt May that he would be going on a two-day, three-night trip to visit the New Energy Base. Coming home early at this time would clearly make it very likely that the lie would be exposed; to avoid any unnecessary complications, Peter decided to stay at Finn's house for one more night for the time being.
Finn was not at home in the afternoon either; he had been taken by Anthony to the venue for "Rat Rise: The Great Human Level-Clearing Battle." The various mechanical props required for the first session had arrived one after another, workers were busy taking inventory while waiting for subsequent assembly and debugging. However, Finn rushed back before dinner, partly because he was worried that Peter would feel constrained dining alone in the villa, partly because he had a breakdancing class to attend in the evening.
Peter had also met the teacher before; she was Karen, the leader of the [Pulse Lab] dance troupe from the last party.
Karen did not mind Peter watching from the side, she even took the initiative to ask Peter if he wanted to learn along with Finn.
Peter smiled and waved his hand. He didn't have any intention of unlocking "Dancing Spider-Man" for the time being, but since he had nothing else to do, he sat on one side of the dance studio to observe this live demonstration.
The technical difficulty of the dance clearly increased instantly; it was no longer the simple movements used for choreographing for the hamsters, Finn learned very earnestly.
At least in Peter's eyes, Finn's dance skills were actually quite outstanding. You wouldn't feel that learning was a tedious thing for Finn; the young man clearly enjoyed the process of controlling his body through rhythm.
"If you had been practicing since you were a child, you would have had your own dance troupe by now and won countless awards," Karen said, her eyes filled with admiration as she looked at Finn. It was truly impossible to equate this young man, who possessed both rhythm and explosive power, with a "beginner," but some people are simply born with a natural talent for dance. Then again, a figure like Norman Osborn likely wouldn't have trained his successor in street dance from a young age.
"Do you want to perform on stage?" Karen asked again. It wasn't difficult to provide Finn with such an opportunity.
I'm a little too nervous," Finn said, shaking his head honestly. "Let me first get used to performing while wearing that hamster mascot head.
When exactly is that hamster mascot suit of yours arriving?" The man couldn't help but laugh. Regarding Finn's choreography for "The Advancing Hamsters," Karen also offered a few thoughts. "I'm actually quite looking forward to it.
"Soon, soon, it'll be here next week," Finn said.
“Do you want me to dress up as a hamster with you?” Kyle suddenly got excited too, he thought it was quite interesting. "Aren't there two of them?"