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A few days later, near evening.
After some preparation, a new company secretly controlled by Peter was finally about to officially launch.
Since the company was formed pretty quickly, they hadn't built their own headquarters yet.
So for now, they rented a building in the bustling heart of New York City to use as their office.
With Tony's "friendly" financial backing, money was never an issue.
Plus, rumor had it that Dr. Otto had some mysterious connection to Superman, so even the government dared not interfere with his company.
That was the real reason the company got off the ground so fast.
With the company established, Dr. Otto showed off his exceptional business talents.
Not long after, they planned a fancy banquet, inviting elites from all over, some famous wealthy folks, and lots of media.
The goal was to make a big splash for the company right from the start.
And as the secret boss behind it all, Peter naturally got an invite.
Though, the reason Peter got invited was because of Dr. Otto's intern—Spider-Gwen.
"Okay, so about me, the secret boss, needing an invite from my own company's intern to attend the banquet…"
"This feels like one of those weird jokes—like the CEO getting stopped by his own security at the company gate..."
Wearing a slightly old-fashioned suit, Peter slowly stepped out of Uncle Ben's old car.
As soon as he got out, Gwen, dressed in a gorgeous evening gown, noticed him right away and walked over with a smile.
"Good luck, Peter."
Uncle Ben glanced at the pretty girl heading toward them, shot Peter an encouraging look, and, not wanting to be a third wheel, drove off right away.
"Peter Parker, you finally made it! Was that Uncle Ben just now?"
Gwen reached Peter in no time, glancing at the retreating car with a bit of curiosity.
"Yeah, Uncle Ben dropped me off."
"Alright then, be sure to say hi to him for me when you get home. For now, let's head inside."
As she spoke, Gwen led Peter through the bustling crowd outside and into the banquet hall.
That typical novel-style drama where security causes trouble? Yeah, that didn't happen.
"Looks like there are a lot of people here..."
Once inside, Peter realized the place was just as crowded as outside.
But outside, most of the people were small-time media reporters who didn't get an invite and were hoping to catch something newsworthy.
Inside the hall, though, it was all elites—political big shots, mainstream media, and heads of well-known companies.
"Of course. Our newly launched company isn't some tiny startup..."
Gwen clearly knew a bit of inside info and leaned over to whisper to Peter.
"Rumor has it, the mysterious boss behind our company is none other than Superman himself..."
"Wait, how do you know that?"
Peter was curious—did Otto seriously tell his students that too?
"Obviously... I guessed!"
Gwen looked all serious, like she was about to drop some major secret—but then suddenly flashed a bright smile.
"Haha, just messing with you. I asked my professor about it, and he totally yelled at me. Said not to believe stupid rumors like that."
"But honestly... I don't think it's just a rumor."
She kept chatting as they made their way to the center of the hall.
...
In fact, that very "rumor" had already been making waves among the upper class.
Otherwise, nobody could figure out how Dr. Otto—who used to be a nobody, just a mildly impressive scientist—suddenly got massive funding and built a company this big, this fast.
At the banquet, Peter also spotted a few familiar faces.
Like Pepper Potts, Tony's personal assistant, and the group of scientists who decided to stay with the company and keep doing research—even the ones Peter had basically "kidnapped"—along with their friends.
Worth mentioning: out of the dozen or so scientists Peter asked about returning home, only five actually took him up on it, since they lived pretty far from New York.
The rest—like Reed Richards, Helen Cho, and Erik Selvig—chose to join the company.
After all, why not stick with a big, shady tree? What company could possibly have more potential than one founded by Superman?
Soon, at 7 PM sharp, the banquet officially began.
Peter sat at a quiet table in the corner, watching with interest as Dr. Otto slowly walked onstage to give the opening speech.
And no, he wasn't sitting there because anyone looked down on him for being some "broke kid."
He asked for that seat himself.
The rest of the tables were filled with elites, and honestly, none of them were there for the food or drinks.
They came to sniff out what this new company was all about—and maybe network with some big shots in other industries to look for collab opportunities.
"Ladies and gentlemen, good evening. Thank you all for taking the time to attend this banquet hosted by StarTech Industries."
"Just like our name suggests, StarTech is all about exploring the universe and unlocking its secrets. Our journey is to the stars and beyond."
Wearing a pricey designer suit, Dr. Otto slowly took the stage, the four mechanical arms on his back swaying lightly like a graceful octopus.
Worth noting: the basic control chip Otto used to have? It's been upgraded. At this point, there's pretty much no chance of his mind being hijacked by the AI in his arms if something goes wrong.
"Dr. Otto, may I ask—what exactly is the core business of your company?"
As Otto was giving his passionate speech, a reporter suddenly stood up and threw out a question.
"Our company operates in a wide range of fields. From energy and the internet, all the way down to materials science and nanotech—we plan to explore it all."
"But right now, our main focus is... medical technology."
"Medical? Isn't that a huge leap from everything else?"
People in the room were clearly baffled.
If Otto had said they were in the energy sector, nobody would've blinked.
They all still remembered the artificial star that lit up the New York night sky not long ago.
But now he's suddenly saying they're focused on healthcare?
"Excuse me, Dr. Otto—when you say medical, what exactly do you mean?"
The reporter followed up quickly, clearly knowing how to ask the right questions.
"As we all know, there are countless people around the world suffering from disabilities and diseases."
"Our company will soon launch a cutting-edge nanotech medical pod, along with a special serum that can regenerate lost limbs. We're calling it the Regeneration Serum."
If this had been the old Otto, with no background or connections, he probably wouldn't have survived saying something that outrageous—he'd just mysteriously disappear the next day.
But now? With Superman backing him, Otto stood there brimming with confidence.
"A serum that can regrow limbs? You've got to be kidding!"
The whole room exploded. Everyone was stunned speechless by what Otto just said. The once-quiet banquet turned into a chaotic buzz of disbelief.
Most people simply couldn't wrap their heads around the idea that this kind of medical breakthrough was even possible.
But if it was real? It'd easily win the highest honors in all of science.
"Dr. Otto, are you planning on working with the military on this?"
Out of nowhere, a stern-looking general stood up, clearly hyped up, and asked eagerly.
"Sorry, but we—"
"Everyone, look! What the hell is that?!"
"Looks like... some kind of demon with a green mask!"
Just as Otto was about to turn the military down, chaos broke out outside.
BOOM!
A massive explosion ripped through the air.
"We're under attack! Get everyone out—now!"
Up in the sky, a guy wearing a devilish green mask and standing on a weird-looking flying machine had appeared above the venue!
"....."