Osborn Takes the Initiative

"Ha ha, Peter, welcome." Norman rose warmly to greet him.

"Uncle Osborn, it’s good to see you. I should have come to visit you long ago." Peter was equally polite. At least, he had always had a good relationship with Harry, and he couldn’t neglect basic courtesy when meeting his good friend’s father.

"I just heard that you killed a Super Spider downstairs that was threatening everyone’s safety, once again saving everyone."

"This time was completely accidental. I didn’t even know beforehand that it was a Super Spider."

"This was a mistake on the staff’s part. Under normal circumstances, all those Super Spiders should have been locked inside glass cases. There was no way they should have escaped. I’ve already sent people to investigate. Hopefully, it was only an accident."

"Do you mean that it could have been caused deliberately, Uncle Osborn?"

"I don’t know. But I can’t rule out that possibility, so for safety’s sake, it’s better to investigate. If the facts prove that it was merely an accident, then of course that would be even better."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Osborn sighed. "Actually, your father, Richard Parker, was once an employee of Osborn Corporation as well. The Super Spider project was completed under his direction. Later, he met with an accident, leaving many of our corporation’s projects unable to continue. We all deeply regret what happened to him."

Peter only knew that his father had been a biologist, but he actually didn’t know much about the specifics. After all, he had been too young when his father passed away.

Osborn naturally wouldn’t tell Peter that his father had actually been a bastard, a liar, a scoundrel, and human trash who had taken the corporation’s funding, produced results, and then fled with the research data.

If Richard had truly escaped, that would have been fine. At worst, Osborn Corporation could have taken it back through other means. Whether through money or power, there was always a way to resolve things through a transaction.

But that idiot Richard had actually died while fleeing, and the research data had vanished along with him.

Peter had no way of knowing what Osborn was thinking. When he heard Norman say that his father had also worked for Osborn Corporation, his opinion of the corporation immediately improved.

"Peter, what are your plans after this? Which university are you going to attend? Columbia University or New York University? Somewhere farther away would work too. I can write you a letter of recommendation." Norman asked enthusiastically.

Harry, sitting nearby, cut in with a smile. "Dad, Peter is Thor now. No university anywhere in the world would refuse him."

"Ha ha, look at me. I forgot."

Norman laughed, then changed the subject.

"So what major are you planning to study? If it’s biology, you’ll need to conduct a lot of experiments. Osborn Corporation can provide you with a laboratory free of charge for your daily studies and research."

"Uh, I haven’t decided yet. Maybe I’ll study physics, especially things related to electricity and magnetism."

"Is that because of the Ultimate Limit Qigong you’re currently learning?"

"That’s right. I’m only at the First Heaven of Magnetic Field Rotation right now. The upper limit of the qigong is the Fifty Heavens, and according to my master, there are actually even higher realms beyond that limit. It’s just that they can’t be reached because of problems with the technique."

"May I ask something? Aside from giving people superpowers and making their bodies unbelievably strong, does this qigong have any effects on diseases? For example, cancer, leukemia, viral infections, poisoning, genetic diseases, and so on?"

Peter scratched his head and thought for a moment before frowning.

"My master hasn’t mentioned any of that. I guess our immunity has definitely been strengthened, so we should have some resistance to viral infections. It should probably help with toxins too, but I’m not sure about cancer or leukemia."

"As for genetic diseases, I heard my master mention that when Magnetic Field Rotation reaches the Ninetieth Heaven, it can alter one’s own DNA."

Norman’s breathing immediately quickened. "Has Mr. Zhan reached the Ninetieth Heaven?"

"No. My master is only at the Twenty-Five Heavens right now, and because of the technique’s limitations, he can only reach the Fifty Heavens."

The fire of hope in Norman’s heart was extinguished once again.

"However, my master has high hopes for my senior apprentice-brother. He believes he’s capable of breaking through the upper limit of the technique."

Norman froze, then quickly understood.

"Mr. Stark? He really is a genius."

His thoughts raced, and he made his decision without hesitation.

"Peter, have you ever considered approaching this from a biological perspective and helping Mr. Stark overcome the upper limit of the Ultimate Limit Qigong?"

"Huh?" Peter stared blankly. "Me?"

"That’s right. I don’t know much about qigong, but since it can have such a tremendous effect on the human body, there must be biological elements involved." Norman’s eyes shone as he stared intently at Peter.

"Mr. Stark is indeed a genius, but overcoming a project often requires researchers from many fields to work together. It’s not something one person can solve alone. If you’re interested, Osborn Corporation will do everything in its power to help you."

"This… is too sudden. I might need to think it over carefully." Peter was startled and hesitated.

"Of course. This is an important matter, so you don’t have to decide right away." Norman smiled. "Also, Harry’s Chinese has improved quite a bit. In a few days, he may join the Ultimate Limit Hall as well."

"Really? That’s great!" Peter happily looked at Harry beside him, and the two exchanged a smile.

After they finished discussing business, Norman was busy with official matters and didn’t continue accompanying Peter. He had Harry take Peter around some more of the corporation’s experimental areas.

The scope of this tour was far broader than the one previously arranged for the students. Peter was even shown many of the corporation’s confidential internal laboratories, allowing him to see the research strength of Osborn Corporation.

They didn’t finish their tour and leave the laboratory until dusk.

Harry had dinner with Peter, then had someone drive Peter back to the martial arts hall.

During evening training, Peter told Zhan Liu what Norman Osborn had said and asked for his master’s opinion.

Zhan Liu naturally wouldn’t refuse such an opportunity delivered straight to his door.

"You’ve seen how unreliable that Tony fellow is. If you expect him to break through the technique’s Fifty Heavens limit, who knows if you’ll have to wait decades. If you can achieve something in biology, you’ll be able to give that fellow a little stimulation too. You know how much he cares about his pride."

Peter secretly chuckled and nodded. "All right, Master. I understand. I’ll get back to Mr. Osborn later."