Chapter 92 Little Spider, Great Wisdom (Part 1)_1

"Dr. Ethan, this is Dr. Connors, I think you two will have a lot in common." Shiller introduced the two.

"Nice to meet you." Dr. Ethan shook hands with Dr. Connors. Shiller continued, "I remember you both have teaching experiences at University of California, right?"

"Oh yes, you're right," Ethan said, "I taught physics at the University of California for half a year, that was quite a few years ago."

"Same here, I was a visiting professor, I taught for a shorter period and as you know, biology wasn't consideredate very much at the time..."

"Do you recall the ruckus those troublemakers caused during that graduation party?"

"Oh! Do you mean the Onion Club? Of course, I remember, those guys were running wild on campus for three or four days, I heard they even kicked Professor Old Frank in the butt, hahahaha..."

The party chatted on, with Shiller subtly directing the conversation. Soon, Ethan said wistfully, "It really was a near-death experience, wasn't it?"

"...they didn't have advanced methods of dealing with bodies. I went into shock, and they discarded me in a mass grave. Luckily, a kind-hearted body collector noticed I wasn't really dead and pulled me out. Later, Stark sent people to look for my body for a burial, and discovered I was still breathing..."

"They saved my life, it was an area lacking proper medical resources. Stark rescuing me was crucial, else I may not have survived the next two days.""

Dr. Connors shook his head, "Why the heck did you, a respectable professor, go there? Afghanistan is basically a graveyard, even the Regular Army doesn't get off easy there."

Ethan sighed and said: "Originally this had a confidentiality clause, but there's no need to hide it anymore, it's related to a military project."

Connors' fingers tightened at the revelation. He exchanged glances with Shiller, who coughed and said, "Coincidentally, we too had recently discovered another military human experiment project..."

"That's not important now." Ethan said: "I did all I could to prevent the inhumane incidents in there from happening, otherwise I wouldn't have been abandoned in that place."

The conversation continued, and Shiller gradually became aware of the entire sequence of Ethan's near-death experience.

Ethan was a physicist, involved in a secret experiment in Afghanistan under military escort. However, an issue arose and Ethan seemed to intervene in some way, causing the experiment to fail. The military left him alone and soon after, he was captured by those who abducted Iron Man.

Since they learned Ethan was a physicist, they wanted him to construct weapons for them. This was similar to the plot of the movie Iron Man 1, only difference was Ethan survived and didn't end up dying.

Thus cleared Shiller's doubts. Under normal circumstances, Stark should have been adamant about shutting down the weapon manufacturing department, but the Stark he encountered changed his mind quite easily after a minor persuasion. Shiller was just a Psychiatrist, certainly not God, so how could Stark be convinced so easily?

Turns out, the reason lay in the lack of a key element in Stark's stimulations, the death of Dr. Ethan. As a result, despite Stark reflecting on his actions leading to weapon creation potentially harmed many lives, he wasn't as fanatical about it as in the original plot. That's why Shiller easily persuaded him. Otherwise, no amount of persuasion would have swayed Stark's decision.

Shiller gave Ethan a brief update on recent developments surrounding Stark. Ethan seemed thoughtful, but he concluded : "Regardless, the uncle he grew up with is still alive. He's not alone, he still has family. That's a good thing, people need something to cling to to prevent them from falling into despair."

The three of them continued their conversation at the psychological clinic and there were quite a lot of topics they found in common because of their similar level of education and experiences.

All three of them were actually alumni of the same university. Dr. Connors holds three PhDs, while Ethan and Shiller each have two. Each of them taught at various institutions, some of which overlapped, so discussing this experience was quite engaging.

Soon after, the clinic door opened gently and Peter walked in with his backpack. He was instantly awed by the academic prowess in the room and said, "Um, did I come at the wrong time? I can come back later…"

Before Peter could slip away, Dr. Connors stood up, pulled him in and proudly introduced him: "Meet our young genius, Ethan. This is Peter, he's still in high school but he showed amazing talent during his internship in my lab, even up to par with postgrad students I've guided."

"Peter, this is Dr. Ethan…"

"Hello, Dr. Ethan."

As Peter was greeting, Steve walked in holding a hot dog. He hadn't met Dr. Connors yet, so Shiller introduced him, "This is Dr. Connors, the holder of PhDs in Medicine, Pharmacology and Biology, Dr. Ethan, a PhD in Mathematics and Physics, and of course, me, you already know, a PhD in Psychology and Philosophy."

Steve's jaw dropped, he nudged Peter lightly and said, "So there are seven PhDs in the room now, right?"

"There're only five of us."

"Well, on average, we have more than one each." Steve winked at Peter who responded with a laugh, "I'll get two, no, three PhDs in the future. That way, we five would have ten PhDs in total, averaging two PhDs each."

"Well, that would make me a double PhD. Thanks for that!" Peter laughed.

After finishing, the two burst into laughter together.

As the group sat down, like most conversations, the topic gradually shifted to the youngest one among them. Ethan asked Peter, "Have you decided on your future major? Which university do you plan to apply to?"

"I haven't thought about it much," Peter said shyly. "Even though my grades are decent, I lack confidence in applying to high-ranking universities. After all, there are so many people with good grades..."

"Don't worry, we can write you letters of recommendation, but of course, you have to work hard on your own. Otherwise, even if you get into a university, graduation could prove challenging."

"You underestimate him," Doctor Connors said. "During his internship with me, his talent was truly exceptional. Not to mention university, I feel he could directly go for post-graduate study without any issue."

"Oh, don't say that, Doctor! I still have a long way to go."

Connors noticed Peter's lack of confidence; it wasn't modesty, but a genuine lack of faith in himself.

He exchanged a glance with Shiller, and the two went to the rooftop for a smoke. Shiller began, "Peter comes from a modest background and was often ostracized in school. Even though his grades are good, he constantly worries about college tuition. His uncle is an ordinary, good man..."

"I see, it's like that again. I've encountered many students like this, most of them lack confidence."

"Peter's problem is slightly more serious. You know he is Spider Man. He places all his life's worth and expectation in his superhero persona. We're all trying to correct him and encourage him to live more as Peter Parker. But as you know, with such sudden and incredible power, and being able to use this power to help others, of course he'd want to."

Shiller said, "You can't convince people of this age group with too many grand theories, or make them understand the balance between two identities using specialized knowledge. Their self-control isn't that strong—whichever identity brings him greater achievement, he'll lean towards that."

"That's a shame. I don't want him to just swing around fighting thugs in the street. He's extremely talented and intelligent, and he's capable of achieving much more."

Just then, Shiller spotted a trail of smoke in the distance. A hulking figure followed. Shiller narrowed his eyes for a better look and discovered it was a monster.

Shiller stubbed out his cigarette, grounding it under his shoe, and said, "Let's return. There's been an incident."

By the time he reached downstairs, Stark was on the phone. "There's a monster in the East District. Ask Doctor Connors if he's got any leads."

"Doctor Connors? Why should I ask him?"

"Because that monster looks a lot like a monitor lizard. I'm guessing they're from the same family?"

At this moment, Doctor Connors too had just gotten a look at what was happening in the distance through his binoculars: a fiery red monster was leaping around the city. Unlike regular lizards, this one more closely resembled a monitor lizard—and was equipped with the spiky scales unique to its species. Its skin was rougher, and hanging under its neck were layers of dewlaps.

Doctor Connors uttered a curse, dropped his binoculars, picked up his coat, and was about to leave when Peter grabbed his arm. "Doctor! Where are you going?"

"To the lab in Stark Building. Oh, and Shiller! Get him to grant me access. This might be a result of a military experiment. I have to figure out how to resolve this."

"No, if you walk there, you might cross the danger area. You're just an ordinary person. Let me take you."

"And how do you plan on getting me there? Swing me around in the air like you? Then that dumb monster will definitely chase after us."

Pulling on his coat, Connors rapidly walked out the door of the clinic. Peter followd him. By his car, Connors said, "Let's go, get in."

Peter promptly got into the passenger seat.

But he quickly regretted it, because he had forgotten—just like Steve, Connors was a veteran.

By the time the car arrived at the entrance of Stark Building, Peter was crouched down, holding onto the bumper and almost throwing up.

As for damage caused by the monster, not a sign of it got close to them, let alone caught up with their tail lights.

Doctor Connors declared, "When I still had both hands, I could drive a car for miles even under the bombing of six aircraft. They're far from reaching that level."

After he finished speaking, a thumbs-up emerged slowly from in front of the car's engine.