Since everything is ready, there's no need to delay it on purpose," Finn said. "Moreover, especially at a time like this, we must uphold the principle of entertainment above all else. Using something lighthearted to stabilize the public's panic is also a way of soothing them.
Since Finn, as a partner of Rat Challenge, cannot make himself free tomorrow, he could only assign the work to Harry again.
"You abandoned your own brother just for a bunch of hamsters?" Stark was utterly incredulous.
How can you call it throwing him away?" Finn immediately looked up at Tony Stark, his gaze incredibly candid, even carrying a hint of righteous indignation as if to say, "You just don't understand." "Didn't I specially arrange a job for him?
".." Even Iron Man was speechless.
Finn had his own plans.
His previous hosts all shared the same underlying logic as Harry—
Even when sick or injured, the stubbornness in their bones never diminished; no matter how much he wore his mouth out trying to persuade them eight hundred times to get some rest, those stubborn hosts would only focus entirely on their careers, unable to stay idle for a single moment.
By extension, Harry, who was already a workaholic, was certainly even more so; he was not the type of person who could just lie quietly in a hospital bed to recover. Since he couldn't be persuaded otherwise, it was better to just go along with his nature. Finn simply organized all the various tasks clearly and, after planning them out reasonably, assigned them all to Harry.
Lying in his hospital bed, Harry listened as Finn assigned him task after task, remaining silent for a long time, his heart filled with a complex mix of emotions.
The good news was: Finn was not panicking or anxious about the recurrence of the illness he had been worrying about.
The bad news was: Finn did not treat him like a human being.
Harry thought that the world truly operates on the principle of conservation.
Finn had been supplemented to make up for the genetic defects of the Osborn family, but he would surely be missing a piece in some other genetic aspect—
He is just simple-minded.
But just thinking about Thor's brother, that brother who was taken to Asgard to face judgment, Harry's mood improved significantly. Finn commanding hamsters to rule humanity was, after all, much better than Loki commanding an alien army to attack Earth.
After talking with Thor, Harry's mental state seemed to have undergone a continuous sublimation.
He had finally come to terms with it—
As expected, misfortune really is the best nourishment for healing oneself.
By the way, why did you acquire Malton's research institute?" Finn asked with some surprise. "He still wants to report the new research plan to you; I didn't expect you to be so optimistic about this project.
Wasn't it you who thought he was promising?" Harry asked in return. "The Osborn Group didn't have this sector before, but adding this strategic layout for the new year is fine; there were already plans like this in place.
"I just heard that Malton is the son of a fraudster, so I thought he would be very smart," Finn said in a somewhat envious tone.
"Why are you envious of others?" Harry also detected the envy in Finn's tone and asked in confusion.
Finn was momentarily speechless: ".." Even thinking about this matter felt a bit heartbreaking.
He couldn't exactly say that some humans are born with top-tier innate intelligence.
And some silly systems, having served one host after another with utmost diligence, only then had the chance to slowly increase their points in [Intelligence], finally enduring long enough to achieve their current clever appearance, right?
You'll handle this study program as well. Malton Soxs is indeed talented; he just lacks opportunity. The study organization is his life's work, but it is not his finish line. You can keep him by your side to work," Harry said to Finn. When he acquired Malton's study organization, he had already negotiated all the terms with Malton. "Everyone has different areas of expertise. Andrew is better suited for other things; you have been pushing him too hard lately.
Harry had also heard many glorious stories from Miss Felicia about how Finn [indiscriminately outshines everyone].
Andrew was naturally the first one to be swept up in the chaos; even Harry could see that the dullard had become much more irritable.
Andrew?" Finn asked in confusion, "There's no difference between him and before.
Harry paused.
Indeed, in front of Finn, Andrew had always maintained a silent and submissive demeanor.
No matter what Finn said, Andrew would only ever say, "Yes, sir."
Harry didn't used to care about such trivial matters, but.. Andrew was after all Finn's secretary, he didn't want to watch this gloomy mushroom that Finn had finally managed to uproot and keep by his side actually wither away under the sun.
"Is your mental state alright?" Harry knew his brother was a very straightforward person, so he skipped the preamble and asked directly. After all, having suddenly taken over the entire Osborn Group, Harry was also worried about whether Finn's mental state would be affected.
Harry had originally intended to tell Finn that if he needed more manpower or wanted someone to consult for decisions, he could come to him at any time. But now Harry realized that Finn didn't need anyone at all, because—
Finn is the only person in this world who can directly assign him work.
It's fine," Finn said candidly. "After all, with me being this busy, I won't have time to have an episode.
".." Harry and Iron Man both froze, their eyes filled with disbelief.
CEOs like them, who are so arrogant that they would never be willing to expose their vulnerable sides, could not understand Finn's behavior of casually and openly parading his mental illness around.
Dr. Bruce Banner couldn't help but laugh.
After all, he is one of the Seven Major Sicknesses.
Dr. Bruce Banner truly did not know how Norman Osborn had raised two brothers with such completely different temperaments.
I'm done talking to you. Tonight, I still need to squeeze in some last-minute practice for the Rat Dance with Peter," Finn said as he prepared to turn away, but then he suddenly remembered something and added to Harry, "By the way, our show tomorrow will be live, but we'll also carefully edit the highlights to upload later. Peter and I will both be participating tomorrow, but we haven't drawn lots yet, so we're not sure exactly when we'll take the stage.
So, Harry, don't waste your time waiting for the live stream; just focus on your work.
".." As a workaholic, Harry had never imagined there would be a day when he was forced to work overtime by his own brother.
Felicia, standing to the side, could no longer hold it in; despite being a professional secretary, she couldn't suppress the urge to let the corners of her lips curl upward in a secret smile.
This Mr. Harry Osborn, who stood at the top of the business pyramid, had ultimately fallen at the hands of his own brother, being firmly suppressed by him.
——Is this what they call brotherly forced love? How thrilling.
"There is one more thing. As you know, Mr. Stark and Dr. Bruce Banner have already drafted a treatment plan for your genetic condition. However, I can't help but feel that being confined in the Osborn Group Laboratory—this enclosed working environment is not conducive to a full recovery. I intend to transfer you to a more suitable environment within the next few days so you can focus on your treatment," Finn said.
"The place you're talking about is—" Harry suddenly had a very bad premonition.
"Eden Mental Hospital." Finn replied calmly.
Harry: "??"
Harry: "!!"
Even Iron Man felt a bit of sympathy: ".." Your brother is just as heartbreaking as Loki.
Harry, you clearly have a huge prejudice against mental hospitals." Finn was still earnestly promoting it; ever since his last visit, Finn had been deeply moved. "You have no idea how good that place is, how high-end the facilities are, how discreet it is to meet all the patients' needs. Only by actually staying there for a while will you understand how suitable it is for patient recovery. Besides, I've already spoken with Dr. Thomas, he also believes that such an environment can provide better recovery for both your body and mind.
Harry felt a sense of suffocation. He remembered that he had solemnly promised Finn before that no matter what happened, he would never send Finn to a mental hospital.
—And the result?
His younger brother turned around and sent him straight to the mental hospital.
To prove to him through practical action that sending a brother to Eden Mental Hospital was no big deal.
If you're sick, get treated; don't worry," Finn said with a smile, his eyes curving. "I'm here for everything; I will help you.
Deadpan Harry: ".."
He finally understood what Thor said—
When there is no danger, one's own brother is the greatest danger.
Chapter 66: Intentions and Shackles
It has been in preparation for so long.
Finn was naturally looking forward to Rat Rise: Human Challenge Battle, which he and Anthony had co-launched.
The promotion for the show during Halloween was so explosive that the participants could be described as responding to a single call, not to mention the sponsors who proactively sought them out afterward. The number of applicants far exceeded expectations, completely igniting the public's enthusiasm for participation. Finn did not help with the follow-up, the mere task of screening challengers caused Anthony a great deal of trouble.
The great battle of the Alien invasion of Earth occurring in New York naturally had an impact on the show, but—
Aliens invading? What does that have to do with Rat Challenge?
It was even quite fitting; the human race, coveted by many parties, was indeed fraught with many calamities.
However, Anthony also said that although the show carried the title "Rat Rise," its core concept remained resounding:
Humanity never gives up!
And this real crisis from the alien invasion gave this slogan an even greater power of realism that strikes directly at the human heart.
The program followed the original plan drafted by Anthony and Finn, setting three major themes: "Cosmic Navigation," "Jungle Exploration," and "Sweetie Coffee Shop," totaling twelve episodes.
Each theme is further divided into three stages, which are naturally progressive. Only participants who successfully complete the previous stage can advance to the next. The first stage is considered a fundamental level, but it is still enough to weed out many challengers.
From the second stage onward, the difficulty increases significantly. Not only does the complexity of the tasks skyrocket, but the challenges also place heavy emphasis on the participants' physical endurance, core strength, limb coordination, reaction speed. By the time they reach the final third stage, all assessment standards will rise to a whole new level, serving as a comprehensive challenge to one's personal limits.
Of course, the final prize money is also quite substantial.
Challengers who successfully clear all three stages of a single theme will split a grand prize of three hundred thousand dollars!
If there is no winner, the prize pool will carry over to the next themed competition.
The setting of this competitive show is actually quite simple:
The hamster species achieved a super-evolution and rose to power, overthrowing human dominance in one fell swoop to become the masters of the new world.
The human faction fell apart as a result; some became slaves to the hamsters, while others chose to become traitors, serving the rats and fighting against their own kind. Among them, there was also a group of people who rose up as resistance fighters, attempting to break through the rats' hegemony to find a glimmer of hope for humanity. Consequently, the identity setting for all challengers participating in the show is "Human Resistance."
Currently, as the first season of Rat Rise, there are one hundred and fifty slots for the first level of each theme, which will be broadcast in two episodes. The number of slots for the second and third levels will gradually decrease according to the progress of the challenge, presented in two episodes each, with each episode containing even more intense and explosive eliminations and competitions.
And as a partner of Rat Rise, Finn naturally participated in it himself, there were many of Finn's friends who enthusiastically signed up for the challenge.
Even Anthony could not help but smile and tease Finn while watching the lively scene, saying that this challenge program, which had been prepared for so long, had ultimately turned into a party for Finn—a joyful gathering where a group of familiar friends surrounded him to play together.
Anthony deliberately arranged most of the friends who got along well with Finn to participate in the recording of the first episode together, which would clearly make Young Master Osborn even happier and make the atmosphere on set even more lively.
Of course, Anthony had his own selfish motives; these friends already possessed natural traffic and popularity on social media platforms, with solid fan bases. Their collective appearance could not only kick off the show with extremely high initial attention but also make the first episode's content more engaging, undoubtedly making it the most brilliant opening for Rat Rise.
Finn and Peter were high-energy, vibrant individuals to begin with, so it was not surprising that they were keen on participating in challenge competitions.
But what Andrew never expected was—
He had actually been dragged into this yet again.
"Why do I have to participate??" Andrew said to Finn, his face written with disbelief.
His name was signed up directly by Finn.
"You've been following me around taking photos and videos all this time; I feel like you don't have much sense of involvement," Finn said considerately.
Sense of participation?" Andrew didn't understand at all; he didn't need a sense of participation. "I think this is just fine.
"Isn't it very meaningful for us to participate in the same show together?" Finn asked back with a blink, his tone carrying an irresistible enthusiasm. What Finn didn't mention was that Montgomery and Matt had also been constantly encouraging him behind his back to sign Andrew up.
Facing Young Master Finn, Andrew had never dared to disobey anything other than saying "okay."
"You've been under too much pressure lately; getting some exercise will also help you relax your mind and body." Peter also chimed in from the side to comfort him.