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*****
Harry felt like he was about to cry. His emotions had never fluctuated this wildly in such a short span of time.
"You took them all...?" Harry stuttered, clenching his fist in front of Gwen to mimic her action.
Gwen nodded firmly. "It was the most efficient way!"
"Relax!" She patted Harry's shoulder reassuringly. "I used the perfect amount of force. They didn't feel a thing!"
They didn't feel a thing?
Harry's face paled. "You... you killed them all?"
Gwen flicked Harry's forehead, annoyed. "What are you thinking? Am I that kind of person? I just gave them a very thorough nap!"
Harry breathed a sigh of relief, then immediately slapped his own cheek. Is this really the time to be relieved?
He looked at Gwen helplessly. "But what happens when they wake up?"
"They never saw me. There won't be a problem!"
Harry started frantically tugging at his hair. "Miss Gwen! I'm asking what I'm supposed to say to them when they wake up! When my dad finds out, how am I supposed to explain this to him?"
"No explanation needed!" Gwen grinned, a mischievous glint in her eye. She waved at Harry. "Before I leave, I'll give you a little tap too. That way, you won't have to explain anything."
Hiss!
Harry sucked in a breath of cold air, but then he gave it a second thought... "That... is actually a pretty good idea," he admitted with a strange expression.
He ushered his friends further into the room and closed the door. Seeing their concerned gazes, his heart warmed. He turned to grab some snacks and said, "Don't worry, I'm fine. I've just had a lot on my plate recently, and my head's been swimming with all the studying."
Gwen nodded. "That's fine, but what happened to your phone? We couldn't reach you at all."
Harry rubbed the back of his neck and pushed the snacks toward them. "My dad wanted me to focus. He was afraid the phone would distract me from my progress, so he took it away."
"That's just crossing the line!" Mary Jane blurted out. Peter and Luke nodded in solemn agreement. Being locked in the house with every waking hour dedicated to studying... the mere thought of it felt like torture to them. How had Harry endured it?
Harry's expression remained calm; he even managed a small smile. "You get used to it."
He wasn't forcing the sentiment. He had been living this life since he was three years old. It was only during the time he spent with Gwen and the others—when his father was preoccupied with other matters and neglected his education slightly—that he had experienced true happiness.
He smiled softly. "Just having you guys here makes me happy enough."
"But this is basically house arrest!" Luke said, still indignant on Harry's behalf.
Harry remained composed. He patted Luke's shoulder and said, "Because I am an Osborn. I enjoy the wealth and status this name brings, so I have to accept the responsibilities that come with it."
Looking at him, the group suddenly felt that Harry had become very mature.
"You're right," Gwen agreed, though she immediately frowned. "But even if you have responsibilities and tasks from your father, you shouldn't have to lose your freedom."
Harry went quiet for a moment. "But what can I do?"
Gwen pondered this. "You need to be brave. Talk to your father. Tell him how you feel."
Be brave? But...
"Even if I work up the courage to talk to him, will he even listen?" Harry asked hesitantly, picturing his father's stern personality.
"How will you know if you don't try?" Gwen looked at him encouragingly.
After several seconds of silence, Harry braced himself. "I understand. I'll try!"
Gwen smiled. She was certain that Harry's father would value Harry's wishes—she could practically guarantee it.
"Let's stop talking about heavy stuff and chat about something fun," Peter suggested, steering the conversation. The group took the cue and began regaling Harry with all the interesting things happening at school.
In their company, time flew by. Suddenly, Gwen stood up. "They're going to wake up soon. We have to go."
"So soon!" Harry exclaimed.
"Take this. Use it to stay in touch." Gwen handed Harry a pink smartphone.
Harry's face flushed red. For a guy to use a pink phone...
"This is the phone Mary Jane got for you. We'll use it to contact you. Hide it well."
"I-I know! Stop nagging!" Harry muttered, snatching the phone and stashing it away in his snack hoard.
"See!" Gwen said proudly to Mary Jane. "I told you he'd like the pink one."
"I don't like it!" Harry shouted, his face crimson.
"Hehe!" Gwen teased him, while Mary Jane beamed, delighted that her little scheme had worked.
"Well then, see ya!" Gwen said.
Harry nodded. "See—"
POW!
With a crisp sound, a small fist—shrouded in a trace of blue flame—landed on Harry's face. Gwen turned to the stunned Peter, Luke, and Mary Jane. "Done. Let's head home!"
"Are you sure that didn't break him?" Mary Jane asked worriedly, looking at Harry as he slumped into Luke's arms.
Peter couldn't help but chime in. "He's already a bit slow; I hope he doesn't get even dumber!"
Gwen huffed. "Don't talk nonsense. I'm opening up his potential! Maybe he'll wake up smarter. Let's move!" She urged them along, and the group vanished into the night.
Less than two minutes after they left, the first security guard Gwen had knocked out finally stirred. He shook his head, trying to recall what happened, and then his expression shifted drastically.
I think someone knocked me out?
He looked over at his partner, who was also unconscious, and sprinted into the villa. Then, his face went pale with shock. Everyone was down.
"Young Master!" He shouted, racing up the stairs to Harry's room. Seeing Harry unconscious, he rushed to his side. After confirming Harry was breathing and unharmed, he breathed a sigh of relief, which was quickly replaced by a look of grim terror.
They had been attacked. The entire Osborn estate had been hit, and every single person had been knocked out.
"I have to tell the Master! And call the police!" he muttered, pulling out his phone.
Noisy, chaotic...
Harry groggily opened his eyes as a barrage of loud voices flooded his ears. That was a really comfortable sleep, he thought. Then, the image of a fist growing larger and larger flashed in his mind.
Dammit! I didn't fall asleep; Gwen knocked me out! Harry was speechless.
But before he could dwell on it, a joyful voice cried out near his ear. "The young master is awake!"
A familiar figure rushed into the room: Norman Osborn.
Harry was stunned. That was fast. Was my father waiting right outside? The thought warmed his heart. It seemed his father really did care for him; he was just overly strict.
Feeling sentimental, Harry managed a smile. "Dad."
Norman Osborn nodded, his frantic pace returning to a normal, composed walk. "How do you feel?"
"I'm okay," Harry replied.
Norman went quiet for a moment. "We're leaving this place tonight."
"Leaving?" Harry's expression stiffened.
"Yes," Norman said grimly. "We were attacked. Every person in this house was knocked unconscious." He explained the situation, assuming Harry had no idea what had happened.
Harry nodded stiffly.
"The intruders knocked everyone out but didn't cause any injuries or steal anything. This was a demonstration—a threat. I suspect a competitor or one of our enemies. It's no longer safe here." Norman's eyes flashed with cold intensity. Once he found out who did this, he would make them pay.
"Um, Dad... did you check the security footage? Did it catch who did it?" Harry asked nervously.
"No. They were very clean—professionals, likely mercenaries or something similar," Norman replied as he mentally went through a list of suspects.
Harry breathed a sigh of relief. Good, no footage.
"What's with that look on your face?" Norman asked suddenly, eyeing Harry suspiciously.
Harry's expression flickered. "Oh, that's just... such a shame. I thought for sure they'd be on camera." He shifted his eyes, peeking at his father out of the corner of his vision.
Norman: [Suspicious Gaze] Harry: [Nervous Panic]
Norman frowned. "Harry, you're acting strange. Does this have something to do with you?"
Harry's head shook back and forth like a high-speed fan. "No! Nothing at all! How could it?"
Seeing this, Norman pondered for a moment. "Does it have something to do with that... 'team' of yours?"
The team? Dad knows?
Harry's heart skipped a beat. His expression changed slightly, but he tried to maintain a frown. "What team?"
Instead of getting angry, Norman actually looked impressed. "Good. As an Osborn, you must learn to hide your emotions. You still have a lot to learn, but that wasn't bad."
Harry: "..." I'm totally busted.
Harry screamed internally, but under Norman's sharp gaze, he held his ground, keeping a confused look on his face.
Norman actually let out a rare smile. "Impressive. Staying calm under heavy pressure. Very good!"
Being praised like this would usually have Harry over the moon. But now... he just wanted to cry. Dad, please just believe me! he wailed in his head.
Suddenly, a hand rested gently on his head. The cool touch felt incredibly warm. Harry froze, looking up at his father in shock.
"Did you really think I don't pay attention to you?" Norman looked down at his son and smiled faintly. "There was a period where your allowance spending was over the limit, you took company equipment, and you even pulled a few strings with our contacts."
Harry listened quietly, feeling a surge of emotion. He had thought these small things had gone unnoticed. Clearly, his father had been watching him all along.
"Your team is called 'Titans,' right? You even have your own website." Norman chuckled. "If someone hadn't been protecting that site, did you really think no one would have hacked that little webpage of yours?"
Harry's eyes widened. "Dad, was that you?"
Norman shook his head. "No. By the time I found it, someone had already placed it under protection."
Harry's spirits lifted. It must have been Uncle Mike!
"I originally thought your little team was just kids playing around, but after I gathered some information, I realized you guys are actually doing a decent job." Norman's eyes held a hint of amusement.
Does Dad know who Gwen is? Harry's heart tightened.
"That girl named Gwen... she's that Gwen, isn't she?" Norman asked.
Harry shook his head.
"How do you know which Gwen I'm talking about then?" Norman smirked.
Harry: "..." I just got played.
"Don't forget, I've met Mike Kent and his daughter," Norman said casually. He could still feel a phantom ache in his eye sockets from that encounter. Still, he took some pride in the fact that he had survived Mike Kent's fists.
Norman cleared his throat. "After the incident where the Mutants left Earth, even though that girl's appearance changed a bit, her name stayed the same. And since you're so close to her, well, there are only so many coincidences."
Speaking of which, Norman couldn't help but admire Mike Kent's boldness. He didn't even change her name—was he really not afraid of her being discovered and used as leverage? But as Norman learned more about Harry's team, he realized that the man's daughter wasn't someone an ordinary person could mess with anyway.
Harry scratched his cheek. It was pretty obvious.
Norman shook his head with a smile. "If I'm not mistaken, you like that girl, don't you?"
Harry's face turned bright red.
Norman said calmly, "In that case, you need to work even harder. Make yourself better so you can be worthy of her. She is Mike Kent's daughter, after all."
Though he hated to admit it, the Kent family was far more powerful than the Osborns. If Harry wanted to be accepted by Mike Kent, he had to be exceptional. Of course, if Harry actually managed to woo Mike Kent's daughter, Norman would be ecstatic.
Harry nodded, his face still burning.
Norman pondered for a moment. "Since the girl was behind this, then today's incident is fine. It seems that locking you in here to study isn't the best method after all."
He patted Harry's shoulder. "From now on, you will arrange your own study schedule. I won't force you to stay in the house anymore."
Harry's eyes lit up with joy.
"However, you must be disciplined. Don't forget, you're trying to win over Gwen Kent."
"Yes, sir!"
(End of Chapter)