After Jack hung up the phone with Spider-Man (Peter Parker), he called Gwen.
"Gwen, have you thought it over? Do you want to come help me out? Dr. Connors is really short-handed right now."
"I'm currently preparing for the MIT entrance exams, so I might not have time to help in the lab."
The sound of a pen scratching against paper came from Gwen's end; she was clearly studying hard.
Jack asked, "What are you going to MIT for?"
Gwen answered without hesitation, "MIT is a gathering place for geniuses from all over the world. Of course I want to go."
Jack asked again, "Are you going there to become famous, or to continue your research?"
Gwen paused briefly, then emphasized again, "MIT is a gathering place for geniuses from all over the world, so I have to go."
Jack slapped his forehead in exasperation.
"I have the genius among geniuses from MIT right here—Tony Stark."
"I also have Bruce Banner, who has seven doctorates."
"There's also Dr. Helen Cho, a researcher in nano-repair technology, and you're already familiar with Dr. Connors' research."
"Then there's Erik Selvig and Jane Foster, who are currently researching spatial portals."
"And many more… so tell me, where is the real gathering place for the most geniuses in the world?"
Gwen hesitated. "Maybe… your place?"
Jack said proudly, "Of course. Wouldn't it be better to spend the time you'd waste cramming for exams learning here with me instead?"
Jack knew he was riding on these people's reputations; otherwise, he wouldn't dare say his place was better than MIT.
Gwen fell silent for a long time. Looking up at the massive stack of review materials, she finally made her decision.
"You're right. However, I need to resign from Oscorp, so it might take a few days before I can arrive."
Jack replied casually, "That doesn't matter. Just come directly. Don't worry about resigning—if there's a problem, I'll handle it."
"The currently wanted Dr. Connors is still doing just fine researching in my lab, right? Nothing bad happened."
After thinking it over, Gwen agreed. "I'll head over tomorrow. Where's the location?"
Jack considered for a moment.
"I have things to do tomorrow. I'll pick you up the day after. My lab's location is pretty remote—you won't find it on any map."
Gwen replied, "Alright. I'll wait for you the day after tomorrow."
…
Jack continued working on his villain statistics, but he could only remember nicknames and not actual names.
Aside from HYDRA, there really weren't many villains yet. Most of them hadn't debuted, some hadn't turned bad, and others hadn't even appeared, so Jack couldn't remember who was who.
He first wrote down Wilson Fisk's name. Kingpin definitely existed in this universe; Jack had even seen news of him donating money.
Next was Sandman. Jack wasn't sure if Sandman existed yet, so he handed keywords to JARVIS.
"Flint Marko. New York. Sick daughter."
With that information, if Sandman existed, JARVIS would definitely find him.
"Venom, Rhino, Vulture, Mysterio, Electro… Ned?"
"Ned should be Peter's friend. Probably a chubby kid. He's not becoming a villain."
"Right—Doctor Octopus. Let's check him."
"My Archbishop Otto, my Lord, lead us to charge the tree once more."
JARVIS responded quickly and located Otto.
There weren't many Ottos researching an artificial sun.
"An Oscorp-funded project?"
"What a pity. Looks like your experiment's about to be cut—cut cock-style. Let me save you."
From the funding data, it was obvious Oscorp had lost confidence; the budget kept shrinking.
Soon, JARVIS also sent Sandman's information. Comparing it to his memories, Jack confirmed it was the Sandman from the Tobey Maguire universe.
Other villains included Killian and Whiplash.
Whiplash was useless trash—no need to keep him.
Killian still needed investigation. Killing him too early might waste a Summoning Card.
As for Extremis, Jack considered it extremely valuable.
If Tony refined it further, its high-temperature output alone could revolutionize industrial welding.
Tony injected with Extremis, healing his body first—then deciding whether to purge it—that was the plan.
"It's still too early," Jack muttered. "Half these bastards aren't even villains yet, and I've already forgotten their damn names."
…
The next day, Jack brought Spider-Man (Peter Parker) to Oscorp and successfully met Harry Osborn.
As the heir to Oscorp, Harry had no time to mourn. Stabilizing the collapsing stock price came first.
After shaking hands with Harry, Jack prepared to leave.
"You two are good friends. Catch up for a bit. I'll wait nearby—don't mind me."
Someone familiar with the company guided Jack around Oscorp Tower, leaving Peter and Harry alone.
At first, the atmosphere was heavy.
Eventually, they walked by the river. With Peter around, Harry finally had someone to talk to.
On the opposite bank, however, an old man held Max Dillon's files, already preparing to make Harry the scapegoat.
Later, Harry brought Peter back to Oscorp Tower, where Jack was already sitting in Harry's office.
"Welcome back," Jack said calmly. "Now we can talk about the ownership of Oscorp."
The smiles on Harry and Peter's faces vanished instantly.
Harry stared at Jack sitting in his father's seat, his gaze turning sharp and dangerous.
Then he looked at Peter—disappointment and betrayal filling his eyes.
Jack tapped the desk.
"Harry, Peter knows nothing. He came today only to comfort you."
Harry immediately hugged Peter, ashamed of his doubt.
"From your perspective," Jack continued, "your father was probably a good man. He was willing to pay any price to cure your family's genetic disease."
Jack pointed at Peter.
"One of those prices was Peter's parents."
Harry froze.
"Peter… is that true?"
Peter nodded, lips trembling.
"It's true. But Harry, it's not your fault. You didn't know."
Jack didn't soften his words.
"Your father collaborated with foreign powers to research biochemical weapons. When Peter's father discovered it, Norman ordered a hit. Richard Parker died in a plane crash while escaping."
"And after that, the spider research stalled. Even before he died, your father's hands turned into claws—a side effect of the experiments. You remember those hands, don't you?"
Harry collapsed onto the sofa, his mind overwhelmed.
Finally, he slapped himself twice and dropped to his knees.
"I'm sorry… I didn't know. I failed you."
Peter pulled him up. The two hugged, foreheads touching, crying together.
After calming down, Harry faced Jack.
"Thank you for helping Peter learn the truth. Now—what's your goal?"
Jack replied bluntly, "I'm here for Oscorp."
Harry sneered and sat across from the desk.
"Mr. Jack, why do you think you can take my father's company?"
Jack tapped the table.
"Put the cube your father left you here."
Harry did so.
Instantly, files filled the desktop—real data, not ads.
Doctor Octopus' arms.
Rhino's armor.
Vulture's wings.
Green Goblin equipment.
Harry also found the video of Norman and Richard Parker—and the method to cure himself.
"Now you know how to cure your disease," Jack said.
Harry looked at Peter, then replied bitterly,
"If there's a cure, my friend would help me."
Jack shook his finger.
"Not that simple. Those spiders are different. And I already bought all of them—they arrived at my lab this morning."
Harry slammed the desk.
Jack pressed him back down.
"Don't get angry yet. Here's something worse."
He played an intercepted recording.
"…kick the kid out early."
"…use the dead man."
"…stock price first."
Harry's rage nearly exploded.
"Now choose," Jack said calmly.
"Leave with half the cash flow, or get kicked out like a dog."
Harry laughed bitterly.
"I really am useless."
Jack leaned forward.
"No. Everything your father did was for your disease. And I can cure it."
Harry glanced at the Desert Eagle now in Jack's hand.
Raising his hands, he sighed.
"Fine. I don't have a choice."
Jack spun the gun casually.
"This isn't a threat," he said.
"It's surgery—cutting out the tumors."
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