"I suggest you find a girlfriend quickly, so you don't have to rely on me to patch you up next time."
Ben put the first-aid kit away and tossed the blood-soaked cotton balls into the trash.
"I want to, but Liz doesn't even see me."
"Are you still hung up on Liz?" Ben asked, handing Peter a vial. "This is the antidote for the Lizard Serum."
"Thanks, too bad I let the Doctor get away," Peter said regretfully.
"You didn't let him get away, you barely escaped with your life," Ben corrected, shaking his head. Seeing the embarrassed look on Peter's face, Ben added, "I'm being polite."
Peter lowered his head dejectedly. "You're right, I'm no match for him."
"Maybe your superpowers just haven't fully manifested yet," Ben said. "Regardless, we need to find them quickly."
Peter nodded in agreement, but then his expression turned surprised.
"Them?"
"Someone even crazier than Connors," Ben offered no further explanation.
Meanwhile, in the sewers.
Lizard was furious after his fierce battle with Peter.
Letting that annoying little bug escape was a mistake, but thankfully, he hadn't come away empty-handed.
Following the spider silk down the sewer pipe, Lizard finally found a clue at a junction of pipes – an old camera.
He extended his claws, ripped the camera from the wall, and after examining it, discovered a name engraved on the back.
"Peter... Parker?"
Lizard's voice was a mixture of surprise and cruelty!
He hadn't expected the Spider-Man's identity to be Peter.
After all, Connors had greatly valued Peter's talent, especially after Peter helped him crack the half-life equation. He had realized Peter was a genius!
Even now, as a Lizard Man, he was still amazed by Peter's intelligence.
He had originally planned to share the serum's blessing with Peter, but now it seemed unnecessary. No matter how much he admired the young man, he would never let anyone who dared to interfere with his plans off the hook!
At that moment, only one thought remained in Connors' mind:
Kill Peter Parker!
The next day.
Ben, unusually, went to school with Peter.
"Osborn Tower has been sealed off, and Norman Osborn hasn't shown his face yet."
Peter looked down at the day's news as they walked.
He frowned with worry and looked at Ben, full of confusion. "Osborn Tower is sealed? What happened?"
Ben had gone to Osborn Tower last night to make the serum. If anything had happened, he would surely know best.
"Don't you already know?" Ben whispered.
"You mean about the other mad scientist?" Peter asked, his face a mask of disbelief. "You just said you fought some monsters he created, not that you almost tore the building down!"
Ben shrugged, offering no explanation.
"I wonder if this will affect Harry," Peter said, worried about his good friend.
Such a major incident at the Osborn Corporation would certainly impact Harry.
The most immediate effect was Harry texting Ben to say he couldn't go with him on the weekend to scout locations for the company or purchase lab equipment.
Ben understood, of course.
Regardless, this was a huge scandal for the Osborn Corporation.
Even though Norman Osborn was frequently ousted by the Board of Directors, he was still the founder and largest shareholder of Osborn. It was best for him to stay out of the spotlight during times like these.
It was just unclear whether this would cause Norman to lose further control of the Osborn Corporation.
In reality.
At that moment, in the Osborn mansion, Norman wore a rare expression of relaxed joy.
He gleefully opened a bottle of champagne and, with a flushed face, walked to the dining table, even intending to pour some for Harry.
"Ah, I forgot, you're not old enough to drink yet."
With that thought, Norman sat down, loosened his tie, and took an elegant sip.
Unlike Norman's state of mind, Harry had never seen his usually stern father look so relaxed and happy, and behind this happiness seemed to be a destructive madness.
"Dad, the company is in such big trouble, aren't you worried at all?"
In Harry's view, his father should at least hold a press conference and give the public a reasonable explanation to prevent the Osborn Corporation's stock price from plummeting further.
But from the moment he heard the news, his father had acted as if he didn't care at all, letting the situation escalate, and even ignoring all the calls from other board members.
"Why should I worry?" Norman asked back.
He was in a good mood, so he gave Harry more smiles and patience. "You can't see the situation clearly at all, that's why I'm worried about you."
"I don't understand."
"It's simple, Harry," Norman said after taking a bite of steak and wiping his mouth. "I only need to worry when I'm about to lose something, but what if that something doesn't belong to me?"
"But you founded the Osborn Corporation yourself. If it doesn't belong to you, who else would it belong to?" Harry still didn't understand.
Even though his father held the largest share, he claimed the company didn't belong to him.
Norman smiled without speaking.
What Harry didn't know was that while his father's shares were indeed the largest, he didn't have absolute control. The members of the Board of Directors had long since banded together to sideline him.
The Osborn Corporation of today was no longer the Osborn Corporation of yesteryear.
Thinking of this, Norman let out a cold laugh in his heart.
Those vampires wanted to take his company? How could he let them succeed?
"You want me out? Then nobody plays anymore!"
In fact, Norman had wanted to flip the table for a long time. The recent attack on Osborn Tower actually suited his intentions perfectly.
Difficult?
Then let's not do anything at all!
However, as if remembering something, Norman took a sip of wine and said to Harry:
"Contact Benny and have him finish Primus Technology as soon as possible. When the Osborn Corporation's stock price hits its lowest, I'll pay him to help me acquire the company's shares."
Norman didn't expect to regain complete control of Osborn. In reality, he knew very well that Osborn was already in big trouble, and even if he acquired it, the stock price would be hard-pressed to return to its original level.
This might not be a losing deal, but the profit wouldn't be much.
But the Osborn Corporation was, after all, the culmination of Norman's half-life's work. He had spent more energy on the company than on his own son. If there was a chance to save it, he still wanted to get the Osborn Corporation back.
He wouldn't let Ben take the risk; instead, he planned to pay himself. Using Primus Technology as a front was just to avoid attracting attention.
Harry nodded.
He couldn't understand all the intricate details, but at least he could follow instructions.
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