Chapter 3

Schiller observed that Stark was indeed on the brink of madness; his mental state was in shambles. Through telepathy, Schiller could feel the headache-inducing turmoil of Stark's thoughts permeating through the walls.

After taking a deep breath, Schiller walked into the room. As soon as Stark looked up, he rolled his eyes and gave Schiller a big blank stare.

Despite appearing slightly haggard, he wasn't disheveled. The result of being too proud to display weakness was evident as he refused to show it in front of Pepper.

As Schiller took a seat across from Stark, he cleared his throat. Pepper looked at Stark with concern before making her exit. He said, "Mr. Stark, may I ask you a question?"

"Alright, what's on your mind? You wanna discuss the meaning of life or maybe lecture me on some pseudo-psychological nonsense?"

"Ahem, neither. I just wanted to ask what my hourly rate is?"

Stark was obviously taken aback by this question and he asked in disbelief, "What?!"

"I said I want to know the price of my psychological counseling because when Miss Pepper talked to me about the price, I was drunk and I forgot all about it when I woke up," Schiller said.

Stark's mouth hung open, leaving him momentarily speechless. He waved his hand and finally managed to say, his tone laced with irritation, "Shouldn't you have gone for something more abstract, something befitting a psychologist? Like the meaning of life, or the objects of sorrow, you know, the classics."

"Yes, that's the next step. It's after the formal counseling begins. But first, I need to confirm if you can afford my psychological counseling fees," Schiller replied.

Stark widened his eyes in shock and said, "What did you just say?! Do you even know who I am? Oh my god, have you been living under a rock? This is the Stark Tower, and I'm Tony Stark! A billionaire."

"Yes, I know you're very wealthy, Mr. Stark, but how much money you have and how much you're willing to offer are two different things."

".... How much do you want?"

"One million dollars per hour, non-negotiable."

"Deal! Deal! You're one materialistic, crazy doctor. Are you out of your mind? One million bucks?! I could have a dozen gorgeous ladies on my yacht for that kind of money."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I must have misheard. I thought I heard someone say they were a billionaire while in a state of confusion. Silly me."

Stark was left in a state of speechlessness after Schiller's manipulation. He sat there, bewildered, unable to articulate a response. Then he finally said, "Did Pepper send you to mess with me? Ugh, fine. Just tell her she won. I already explained that the last party was just a farewell to some old flames. I didn't have any ulterior motives. Why won't she trust me? It's like I always say, trust is hard to come by when you're Tony Stark."

Schiller replied, "A dozen beautiful women on a yacht won't make you feel any better, sir, especially when you feel like you're dying."

Stark's exaggerated movements came to a halt, he stiffened for a moment, and turned to look at Schiller, his gaze suspicious.

"You're very afraid of death right now, but perhaps what you're most afraid of is not death, but not having a chance to make up for your mistakes..."

"Bullshit. Who are you? Who are you?!" Stark's emotions began to escalate, and he said, "Did Pepper tell you something... no, she doesn't even know. You..."

Stark stared straight at Schiller and said, "Let me tell you something, pal. I don't buy into any of this hocus pocus mind-reading crap. And unless you've got some kind of genetic mutation, I highly doubt you're anything special. So quit playing games with me."

He stood up and said to Stark, "A potential strategy to continue to evade my questions, I see. It's important to keep in mind that my hourly consultation fee is rather high, at one million dollars. If we continue to prolong this conversation, I may just be able to afford a new vehicle with the earnings. And this situation does not involve any form of mind-reading, but rather pertains to the field of psychology."

Schiller's casual and then serious words gave Stark a headache. He said, "Seriously, how did you manage to figure it out? Relying on some fluffy psychology theories?"

"The matter at hand is not of great significance. What holds greater importance is my recommendation to prioritize the resolution of the issue of mortality. Admittedly, you may perceive my suggestion to be overly simplistic," Schiller replied.

"But the method is..." Schiller stopped while Stark stared at him. Schiller said, "First, a 50% deposit is required, then we can begin with the following treatment."

Stark's face turned red with anger, and steam seemed to be rising from his head. He even let out a few puffs of smoke through his flared nostrils. Schiller had managed to crack him up, which only fueled his frustration. As he dialed Pepper's number, he took a deep breath to calm himself. "Sweetheart, where did you dig up this vampire of a doctor?... Yes, he charged me a million bucks for an hour of his time..."

Schiller snatched the phone from Stark's hand and he said, "It seems that Mr. Stark's unit of valuation for one million dollars is equivalent to a dozen beautiful women on a yacht..."

He then swiftly ended the call and tapped on his phone. "It appears the payment will be transferred in the next five minutes."

Stark glared at him, his arms crossed in defiance. "Go ahead, I'm curious to hear what else you have to say."

"What have you been avoiding all this time?"

"What? Have I been avoiding something?"

"You better ask yourself. The answer is hidden in there. I'm not talking about Miss Pepper's frantic phone call or your ex-girlfriend's ambiguous text messages. I'm being serious..."

Schiller leaned towards Stark and pushed his glasses up. Curiosity gleaming in his eyes as he looked at Stark.

Stark shuddered and said, "Hey, I don't like men, stay away from me."

"You're not as absurd as you seem to be. I know someone who is very similar to you. He disguises himself as a playboy, living a careless life and never thinking about tomorrow.

He displays an exceptional level of intelligence, almost bordering on hyperintelligence. As such, he awaits for the answer to be revealed to him by someone, which in this case is rooted in...his past."

Stark's eyes bore into Schiller's, piercing through him with a fiery intensity. Schiller, undeterred, held his gaze, meeting him eye to eye.

Stark whispered, "I'll give you two million dollars to leave here. I'll tell Pepper that your treatment is effective. I..."

"If I'm not mistaken, Miss Potts is listening right now," Schiller interrupted.

Stark fell silent. Schiller continued, "Two million dollars, and I'll tell you a truly effective method."

"Deal," Stark agreed.

"In the part of your past that you're most reluctant to face, you'll find all the answers you're looking for. I read about it in the news. Your father, the founder of Stark Industries..."

"That's enough," Stark said. He turned around, and his voice trembled as he said, "Pepper will transfer the consultation fee to you. Please leave."

"...He would be willing to give you a second chance at life. God bless you."

"Leave."

Stark's rage was palpable as he watched Schiller leave, and his frustration boiled over as he violently smashed a glass on the table. Meanwhile, in the S.H.I.E.L.D.'s office, Nick Fury swiftly pressed his earpiece and said, "Get me all the intel you have on a psychologist by the name of Schiller, and make it snappy."

After Schiller left, a large sum of money quickly appeared in his account. He was thrilled and thought to himself that although Stark was difficult to deal with, you get what you pay for, and he was willing to help this wealthy man with his troubles. He knew this wasn't the last time he would be meeting the man.

Soon, there was another surprise - Schiller discovered that he could replicate Spider-Man's abilities.

It turned out that the lack of this function before was not a system error but that Peter had not been bitten yet. Now that he had his spider abilities, Schiller could naturally replicate them.

Schiller clicked on "Copy" and obtained "Spider-Sense (Low-Level)". Compared to the impact he felt when he first received telepathy, this time it seemed unremarkable. Schiller felt that his five senses had slightly improved, allowing him to see farther and hear more clearly. As for intuition, Schiller had not felt anything. He had a feeling it was something of a mix between spider-sense and the normal sense that had evolved.

He was somewhat regretful that he couldn't have Spider-Man's physical abilities, but since this was a weakened version, it probably only slightly improved his athletic ability and was far from being able to do extraordinary things.

Spider-Man didn't have such great power at the beginning either, and his spider abilities developed gradually. Currently, it seemed that Schiller's abilities are only slightly beyond that of an ordinary person, and not too exaggerated.

Since the plot of Spiderman has started, Peter's uncle may also be in trouble. After thinking for a moment, Shiller decided to send a message to Peter, saying, "How are you? Do you want to come to the hospital? I am a doctor and can introduce you to a reliable trauma doctor."

Peter's response came quickly, and he said, "Whoa, you're a doctor? That's awesome! Where do you practice, and what's your specialty? Orthopedics, maybe? Not that I need surgery or anything, but it's always good to know. Things are also looking up for me and Gwen."

Shiller said, "I advise you to come and get checked out. Being bitten by an animal is not a joke. Plus, we can meet each other in person..."

Peter hesitated, after all, meeting someone online was not a good idea. And he had just gained spider powers and was extremely excited, not wanting to do anything else. Schiller said, " I actually work at the Presbyterian Hospital as a doctor. I can give you and Gwen a comprehensive physical examination, I can offer it to you both for free. And there's a great café nearby that you can all go to."

Peter was somewhat moved, firstly because his family situation was not good and he didn't have the opportunity to do any medical checkups. Also, the Presbyterian Hospital was well-known among New Yorkers. He said, "Thanks for the offer. I really appreciate it. However, I would like to bring my uncle and aunt with me. They're a bit older and may find it challenging, but I hope it'll be fine. Just let me know if it's too much, and we'll figure something else out."

Schiller thought for a moment and said, "Sure, I can help you book an appointment for this weekend. You can also try inviting Gwen and her family. I have plenty of available spots."

Peter joyfully called Gwen, knowing that he had always been helped by her. Because of his family's poor financial situation, Gwen always brought him snacks and helped him with lots of different things. Peter always felt guilty for not being able to help Gwen in return.

But this was a good opportunity to make it up to her. The Presbyterian Hospital was not easy to get into, even with Gwen's father being the commissioner of the New York Police Department. Booking a comprehensive physical examination usually required a long wait or was simply not possible.

Things were going really well for Peter lately. First, he got superpowers and now his internet buddy turned out to be a doctor at a big hospital. Maybe Uncle Ben and Aunt May wouldn't say that online chatting was pointless anymore.