Chapter 54

Seeing Doctor Octopus's dedication to his work, Mark felt a sigh of relief in his heart.

He had a reason for going to great lengths to win over Doctor Octopus, of course.

The title of scientific advisor, equipment improvement – these were all just pretenses.

At the core of it all, he wanted to study his own situation, to develop his own abilities!

He had an intuition that what he was displaying now was just the tip of the iceberg when it came to his true power!

However, he currently only knew that he could quantum-traverse to other parallel universes and had managed to develop the ability to instantaneously reshape his quantum-self in another location, even in the midst of extreme emotional fluctuations, the "Flash Step."

But beyond that, his self-understanding and research into more abilities had made no progress at all.

So, he needed the help of more physicists.

They could help him analyze, teach him about this field of knowledge, and thus, aid him in his development!

Certainly, these were all Mark's ultimate goals.

Currently, he and Doctor Octopus had only achieved a preliminary cooperation; it wasn't the time yet to discuss these matters.

Mark also didn't feel comfortable letting someone who could potentially be an enemy study him.

Nanoparticles, external objects like these, weren't a big deal.

If he ran out, he could always go get more.

During this process, Spider-Man had been silently observing from the sidelines.

He didn't obstruct Mark from recruiting Doctor Octopus.

On the contrary, he even felt a bit of gratitude.

Grateful that Mark had persuaded Doctor Octopus to turn over a new leaf!

It was something he wanted to do but couldn't.

However, while he might not want to, Mark didn't want to let him off.

Mark turned to Spider-Man and said, "Peter, how about you help as well? You can also bring Harry along."

"How can I help?" Spider-Man showed little enthusiasm.

Mark explained, "You should know, scientific creations can be turned into profit. You and Doctor Octopus can collaborate on developing civilian devices, using Harry's Osborn Corporation as the external sales channel. It can help generate research funds and improve your own lives."

Spider-Man seemed to be deep in thought.

Mark was a bit exasperated.

In fact, he had never quite understood why Spider-Man, who possessed a sharp mind, was content with making a living delivering takeout and selling staged photographs, leading such a miserable life.

With his intelligence, by simply dedicating some time aside from being a superhero to conducting basic research, he could easily develop many useful devices and greatly improve his quality of life.

After all, Spider-Man's intellect wasn't inferior to Iron Man's!

If Iron Man could create Stark Industries, then in certain worlds, Spider-Man could surely establish Parker Industries. But the fact that Spider-Man was only running a selfie business under the "Parker" brand was indeed a bit underwhelming.

He felt he should extend a helping hand to this childhood idol of his.

After all, wasn't he even considered a big brother to him?

"Imagine if you could develop more devices that make people's lives easier. Wouldn't that fundamentally enhance people's lives? Isn't that a form of being a superhero?"

"Aunt May is getting older. Don't you want her to avoid working hard and worrying about you in her old age?"

"It's time to grow up, Peter."

Mark looked at Spider-Man, urging him earnestly.

His words struck a chord with Spider-Man as well.

Spider-Man nodded solemnly.

Mark's words had illuminated a new path for him.

Spider-Man was a good kid, otherwise, he wouldn't have held Uncle Ben's last words close to his heart, using them as motivation to persevere through countless difficulties.

Now, hearing Mark's words, he had a sudden realization.

He was growing up, and Aunt May was growing old.

He couldn't let Aunt May end up with no one to rely on in her old age.

Mark patted his shoulder. "But you'll also need to talk to Harry about it."

Spider-Man nodded.

He believed Harry would agree.

After Norman Osborn's death, Harry inherited the Osborn Corporation.

However, he lacked experience in managing the company and had been living off of the profits from it for the past two years.

The company's performance had been declining day by day.

This led Harry to take risky actions, supporting Doctor Octopus in his theoretical experiment in an attempt to turn things around.

Unfortunately, Doctor Octopus failed.

This not only exacerbated the already struggling Osborn Corporation but also put it in an even worse position.

Now, with alternative solutions that could help the Osborn Corporation recover, it would be hard for Harry not to agree.

As for how to resolve the grievances between Harry and Doctor Octopus, it would depend on Spider-Man's ability as an intermediary.

In this way, even if events unfolded in a similar manner to the third installment, with appearances by Venom and Sandman, Spider-Man along with Doctor Octopus and Green Goblin's abilities could handle it completely, avoiding the need for Green Goblin to sacrifice himself like before.

After advising Spider-Man, Mark approached Doctor Octopus.

Doctor Octopus stood by a table, his hands and two mechanical tentacles working in coordination to study and analyze the nanometal armor.

Seeing Mark approach, there was no reaction from him.

Mark had to take the initiative and briefly explained the effects he wanted to achieve.

Mainly, he wanted to incorporate the mind into the nanometal armor, allowing localized nanomaterialization based on his commands.

Doctor Octopus impatiently nodded, showing dissatisfaction at being interrupted during his research.

However, after hearing Mark's request, he agreed.

"It's not complicated. You just need to add a simple device to this central control unit. Do you want an intelligent or non-intelligent version?"

"What's the difference?" Mark asked.

"The intelligent version is more precise but takes more time; the non-intelligent version can only operate based on preset modules. The advantage is simplicity. If you want the non-intelligent version, I can make it by hand for you right now. For the intelligent version, you'll need to provide me with a lab equipped with a high-precision lithography machine," Doctor Octopus replied without looking up.

"Then let's go with the non-intelligent version for now," Mark said helplessly.

Where was he going to find a high-precision lithography machine?

Doctor Octopus then said, "You can ask Harry Osborn. Osborn Corporation has the lithography machine I need."

Mark was momentarily taken aback, then it clicked.

Of course!

Green Goblin's armor, the glider controlled with ease, and Doctor Octopus's mechanical tentacles all had the shadow of Osborn Corporation behind them.

So, the Osborn Corporation must have a high-precision lithography machine!

However, Doctor Octopus's words made Mark feel a bit strange.

What did he mean by "ask Harry Osborn for it"? It sounded as if he was asking for something so casually.

Later, Mark approached Spider-Man and asked him to help facilitate a connection to Harry Osborn, to discuss the possibility of collaboration.

On his end, he began working with Doctor Octopus to dismantle the equipment.

°°°

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