Chapter 16: Peter Gets Bitten by the Spider

At Oscorp Industries—one of the major industrial companies in New York, rivaling Stark Industries—there's a key difference: unlike Stark Industries, which focuses on military development, Oscorp is dedicated to breakthroughs in life sciences.

Oscorp's most famous technology involves cultivating mutated animals and extracting their corresponding mutant genes. This research is aimed at curing human diseases and extending human life.

Alan discovered this information during his online research.

The group soon arrived in front of the Oscorp Industries building. As soon as they got off the bus, a guide was there to lead them on a tour.

Alan walked alongside Gwen and Peter. Just as they were about to follow the guide into Oscorp, someone called out behind them.

"Peter!"

Peter turned around and excitedly called back, "Hi, Harry!"

Alan and Gwen also turned to look.

Harry approached them, glanced at Gwen, and said, "Hi, Gwen. And this is...?"

"This is Alan Ford, the new transfer student in our class," Gwen introduced.

Harry extended his hand and shook Alan's. "Hello, I'm Harry Osborn."

"Nice to meet you," Alan replied.

Alan, of course, knew who Harry was, even though Harry didn't recognize him. Harry Osborn—son of Norman Osborn and heir to Oscorp Industries. He was also Peter Parker's close friend.

Their visit to Oscorp was possible partly because of several collaborative projects with the state university and partly due to discussions between Harry and his father.

"Shall we go inside?" Gwen reminded them.

"Harry!" a middle-aged man's voice called from behind.

A man in a suit, with a piercing gaze and a bag in hand, approached.

"You forgot your backpack," he said as he handed it over to Harry.

Harry took the bag from him and then introduced him to the group. "This is Norman Osborn, my father."

Norman glanced at the group and smiled, "So, you must be my son's classmates."

Peter immediately said, "Yes, sir! I've read your research paper on micro-science—it's absolutely brilliant."

Peter was practically starstruck, as if he were meeting his idol.

"You understand it?" Norman asked, surprised.

"Of course! I even wrote a report on it."

Like Tony Stark, Norman Osborn was also extremely proud of his genius, having founded Oscorp and made significant strides in life sciences. For a teenager like Peter to grasp his work impressed him.

Norman cast a brief glance at Alan and Gwen but subconsciously dismissed them.

"Impressive. I hope we'll have a chance to sit down and discuss science sometime," Norman said. "But for now, head inside. Your time for the tour is limited."

As they entered, Gwen whispered in Alan's ear, "When I spoke with him the other day, he was just as arrogant."

Alan smiled and replied casually, "Maybe that's just how geniuses are."

Before entering Oscorp, Alan had imagined the grandeur and scale inside. But as he stepped into the exhibition hall, he was still struck by the sight before him.

The entire floor of the exhibition space was filled with glass display cases, each housing animals unlike anything you'd normally see.

These were all mutated animals cultivated by Oscorp Industries' scientists. Each glass case had its own guide, explaining the animals inside, their experimental value, and the direction of the research.

While others were taking notes and listening attentively, Alan, like Harry, wasn't very interested in any of it.

"You don't seem too fond of this stuff either," Harry noticed, seeing Alan not rushing up to the exhibits like the rest of the group.

"I'm just here for the fun of it. Staying at home all the time gets boring."

Harry smirked, agreeing with Alan's perspective. The two walked at the back of the group, disinterested. Alan learned a bit about some amusing high-society gossip from Harry as they strolled along.

Meanwhile, Gwen and Peter were at the front of the group, both showing great enthusiasm for the scientific research on display.

"Here in front of you is Oscorp Industries' genetically-engineered super spider," the guide explained. "It combines the best traits of three different species of spiders, utilizing cutting-edge gene recombination technology. There are only fifteen of them in existence."

In front of the group stood a large glass case divided into fifteen smaller sections, each housing a vividly-colored red and purple spider. Though small, their webs appeared incredibly strong.

Gwen, intrigued, leaned closer for a better look. After carefully counting, she frowned and said, "There are only fourteen spiders."

"What did you say?" The guide was momentarily stunned and hurried over to check.

Sure enough, one section of the case was empty.

There were only fourteen super spiders remained.

"I suppose one was taken for research by the scientists," the guide quickly explained. "Okay, let's move on to the next exhibit."

No one noticed that, at that moment, one brightly-colored spider was rapidly crawling up Gwen's pant leg and into her backpack. Even Alan, walking at the back, missed this detail.

As the group moved on, Peter paused to take a few photos of the super spiders with his camera.

Suddenly, a small black spider crawled onto his arm. Peter recognized it as one of the three types of spiders the guide had mentioned earlier—part of the genetic makeup of the super spider.

However, this particular spider was just a regular one, not mutated.

While Peter was examining the spider on his hand, it bit him sharply on the web of his thumb. Wincing in pain, Peter flung the spider off, leaving behind a small bite mark.

He rubbed the spot, relieved that this species of spider was non-venomous. This minor incident didn't catch anyone's attention, and the group continued with their tour.

The science exhibition soon came to an end. Although it was interesting, Oscorp wasn't about to reveal its most secretive research to a bunch of students.

After all, that was the foundation of their entire company.

After leaving Oscorp Tower, the students began heading home. Harry had wanted to invite a few of them over to his house, but Gwen was picked up by her father, Officer George, who was "conveniently passing by," while Alan politely declined, claiming he had some things to take care of at home.

The three stood at the entrance of Oscorp, and Harry suddenly noticed a small wound on Peter's hand.

"Peter, what happened to your hand?" Harry asked, his sharp eyes catching the mark.

"It's nothing," Peter quickly replied. "Just got a little cut while doing an experiment." He brushed it off casually.

Alan glanced at Peter's wound, deep in thought.

Spider-Man was about to be born...

...