Chapter 1038: World-Shaking Mundane Affairs (Fifteen) (Patreon)

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In the morning, New York was dusted with light snow. It was late in the year, less than a month away from Christmas. The usual heavy snow had yet to arrive, but even the fine, crystal-like particles brought with them a biting chill.

The insulation of the original Spider-Man suit wasn't sufficient. Peter felt a bit cold as he crouched by the door, shivering. He yanked off his mask, the damp strands of hair indicating that last night's battle with the Green Goblin hadn't gone smoothly; both had fallen into the Hudson River.

As Schiller released his grip, the rolling shutter door ascended once more. Schiller beckoned to Peter, who entered. Schiller then fetched a towel from the electric towel warmer and draped it over Peter's head.

Wrapped in the warmth of the towel, Peter took a sip of hot water and let out a long sigh. Schiller went to adjust the water heater in the bathroom, asking, "Would you like to take a hot bath?"

Sitting on the sofa, Peter shook his head, cupping the mug in his hands, appearing somewhat distant, as if still immersed in some untold story. Schiller sat across from him.

Suddenly, Peter snapped out of his reverie. He looked at Dr. Schiller, noticing his tired appearance—pale complexion, heavy dark circles under his eyes, clearly having gone without rest for many days.

A sense of guilt stirred within Peter. He stood up, intending to leave, but Schiller spoke up, "What's wrong? Last night, I saw you fighting someone on the Brooklyn Bridge?"

Standing there, Peter fell into contemplation once more. But soon, he spoke, "That person... that person was Harry, Harry Osborne. He's my college classmate, and the best friend I've made since starting college..."

Schiller interrupted, "Why were you fighting with him? And why was he dressed in a costume, wielding bombs, like a newly emerged supervillain?"

Feeling his temple pulsating incessantly, Schiller's heartbeat overly noticeable, he seized a moment when Peter wasn't looking to retrieve a pill bottle from a drawer beneath the coffee table and popped a pill into his mouth.

However, Peter caught the gesture. He looked at Schiller and asked, "What's that? What medicine?"

"It's nothing, just some painkillers. I have a bit of a headache; it'll pass in a while." With that, Schiller settled back onto the sofa.

He touched his lips, feeling a headache that seemed clearer than mere dizziness. He glanced at the beer can still sitting nearby but thought better of drinking in front of Peter, so he refrained.

Yet Peter's senses, enhanced through mutation, detected the scent of alcohol on the table and noticed an empty beer can rolled under the sofa. He sighed, saying, "Doctor, have you been drinking too much lately?"

"Of course, adults can drink, but excessive drinking isn't good for the body. If you have any troubles, you can talk to me. Numbing yourself with alcohol won't help..."

Schiller shook his head, struggling to lift his eyelids, opening his eyes momentarily to look at Peter, instinctively inquiring, "What happened between you and Harry? Why do you seem so sad and angry?"

Peter stood silently for a moment but then sat back down, straightening his back, placing his hands on his knees, and began, "Yesterday night, I was still patrolling New York when I heard an explosion sound near the Hudson River..."

As Peter recounted, Schiller finally understood how Harry had suddenly become the Green Goblin and why he had fought with Peter.

Harry had been busy funding projects at New York University's laboratory. But just the day before, Norman Osborne, Harry's father, had summoned him and revealed a cruel truth: the Osborne family had a hereditary genetic disease that led to personality splits and mental instability once triggered.

Norman briefly explained and then told Harry that Spider-Man's true identity was actually his good friend, Peter Parker. The Osborne family needed some of Spider-Man's mutated genes for research to save themselves from the hereditary disease.

Knowing that Harry and Peter were good friends, Norman hoped Harry could convince Peter to cooperate with his experiments to find a solution to their genetic disease. If that wasn't possible, a bit of blood would do.

At that time, Norman had been overwhelmed with days of continuous work dealing with Obadiah, which had left him with premature gray hair. So, without much explanation, he left.

In fact, during the Stark and Osborne cooperation, Osborne had heard that Connors was highly skilled in genetics. He informed Connors about his family's rare genetic disease, hoping Connors could help find a solution.

However, Connors primarily researched beastial genes and wasn't particularly adept at human genetic heritance. Yet, considering Osborne's significance and his unique achievements in biotechnology, Connors intended to do his best to help him.

Connors thought the lizard serum might be useful but wasn't certain. He informed Osborne that he intended to start with beastial genes, akin to using the lizard serum to regenerate human limbs, utilizing animal advantages to deal with Osborne's genetic disease.

Osborne found this direction feasible, having confidence in Connors' abilities. Thus, he temporarily set aside the matter. But as Harry grew older, his worries became more urgent.

However, Connors mainly worked at Stark Industries now, and Osborne knew Connors was busy with dozens of projects. He also knew Connors was the Lizard, and if he pushed too hard, he might anger him, putting Osborn Industries' building at risk.

Being emotionally intelligent, Osborne decided to remind Connors in another way. He collected various rare animal gene samples globally and sent them to Connors' laboratory, indirectly asserting his presence, urging Connors not to shelve the project dealing with his genetic disease.

Previously, the first Spider-Man had sacrificed himself, the second generation took over, and then the second generation disappeared, and now the third generation had emerged. Osborne had been observing this situation and gradually realized the problem.

He realized that the behaviors of the first Spider-Man and the third Spider-Man were too similar. He was very adept at analyzing various opponents' behavior patterns, so he was confident in his own judgment. Of course, he hadn't anticipated a resurrection; he suspected that the first Spider-Man's sacrifice might have been a ruse.

As he investigated further, Osborne discovered that Spider-Man was none other than Peter Parker, the talented young man in various aspects and also his son's classmate and good friend. Wasn't this an unexpected opportunity?

Anyway, Harry and Peter's relationship was good. If Harry just mentioned it, couldn't they easily get Spider-Man to come and do a genetic sampling, then send it to Connors for research?

Knowing that Spider-Man was Peter Parker, Osborne felt sure that Peter wouldn't react like an ordinary person, fearing genetic sampling. After all, it wouldn't cause any harm to the body or leave any wounds. Osborne thought it would be an easy matter.

Even if Peter couldn't come over, bringing some of his blood would suffice. And they didn't need much—10 to 20 milliliters would do, or even tissue samples or hair.

At that time, Osborne was overwhelmed with tasks. He took a few minutes out of his busy schedule to discuss this matter with his son, just in passing. After all, Harry and Peter had such a good relationship, and Peter was so kind-hearted that he would surely be willing to help his friend deal with the issue of genetic disease.

In Osborne's view, it was a trivial matter. But from Harry's perspective, it was different. He felt as if lightning had struck him.

First, the first fact had a significant impact on him: he had a hereditary disease that could turn him into a madman. The second fact made it even more unbearable: his good friend Peter Parker was actually the renowned Spider-Man of New York.

But what he found most unacceptable was that his father actually wanted to capture Spider-Man for experimentation.

Throughout their friendship, Harry had always played a higher, kinder, and more compassionate role. He knew Peter's family situation wasn't great, so even when involved in various laboratory projects, earning some money, sometimes too busy to focus on studies, Harry would help him with signing in for leaves.

Harry knew there was a certain gap in background between Gwen and Peter; he feared Peter would embarrass himself when dating Gwen, so he specifically invited Mary Jane along when they went out to dine at a high-end restaurant in New York, teaching Peter some upper-class social etiquette.

Peter usually behaved like a bookworm, and he was somewhat introverted. Harry took him to join clubs, introduced him to professors and principals, got him into the football club, and even introduced him to many future sports stars who had already been selected for professional teams.

While doing these things, the matter of Peter owning patents for multiple interstellar transport routes had not been disclosed. Harry only helped Peter purely out of friendship, which led to a habitual mindset.

After all, at that time, Harry thought the gap between himself and Peter was quite large. He believed Peter needed help, so he tried to consider Peter as much as possible and help him live a better life.

But the result was that Peter Parker turned out to be Spider-Man, and Norman Osborne hadn't told his own son that the first Spider-Man and the third Spider-Man were actually the same person. Harry thought Peter was only the third Spider-Man.

So how did society view the third Spider-Man? A wealthy second-generation wearing cutting-edge high science and technology combat suit, a playboy in the style of Iron Man, an idle wanderer, and a busybody.

This made Harry feel deceived. Because he was also the son of Osborn Industries, he knew that the combat suit worn by the third Spider-Man might cost more than Iron Man's iron armor. Many of the technologies used on it, even Iron Man hadn't applied them. Didn't that mean Peter's background was better than Iron Man's?

Harry didn't know that Peter had developed many of his own technologies with the help of the Stark Tower lab, and these technologies were only suitable for lightweight combat suits like the Spider-Man suit, not for the heavy armor combat suits like Iron Man's, so naturally, they hadn't appeared on the iron armor.

But in Harry's view, being able to completely resist the influence of Stark Industries' technology and carve out his own research path required research funds of astronomical proportions, which even Osborn Industries might not be able to afford.

In other words, Peter, who could afford such a combat suit, either had a better background than him, or was equally matched. So why would he pretend to be a poor boy to garner sympathy from his friends?

Harry felt extremely angry at Peter's deception but also worried about Spider-Man. He knew he had to find a way to deal with the contradictions between the two sides as soon as possible.

In short, Osborne's long-standing educational policy made him unaccustomed to explaining too much to his own son. But in this matter, Harry underestimated the seriousness of the situation.

Osborne was a man of decisive character. Harry thought the next second Spider-Man would be dueling with the Osborne family.

So, just the night before last, while old Osborne was facing off against Obadiah again, Harry, using his Osborne family genes, opened the armory of Osborne's biotechnology industry.

There were stored the symbiote armor developed by old Osborne with the help of symbiote research, a replica of the Stark Industries propulsion system, temporarily shelved due to insufficient energy, the glider, and some pumpkin bombs eliminated due to research route errors.

And thus, Green Goblin was born.

[Read at www.patreon.com/shanefreak, and thanks for the invaluable support!]

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 1039: Startling Mundane (Sixteen)