MCIM Ch. 153

Otto's experiment had ended in complete disaster.

From his corner vantage point, Mario pocketed his phone and shook his head, thinking, When you really consider it, Tony building a functional arc reactor in a cave with a box of scraps... that's the truly insane part.

The power of the sun. How could anyone think controlling that would be easy?

He made his way toward Rosie. Movies needed to pass censorship boards and satisfy rating systems. Reality had no such constraints. Rosie had completely lost all signs of life. Her body was pierced with dozens of glass shards, each one having tearing through fabric and flesh. The sight was horrifying. It was a reminder that superhero battles always had casualties that never made it into the sanitized comic book versions.

He sighed softly. The chaos in the laboratory had finally subsided, and from outside came the approaching wail of police sirens. Probably nearby patrol officers responding to what must have looked like a terrorist attack from street level.

With a thought, he stored Rosie's body in his inventory.

"What are..."

A voice came from behind him. Mario turned to see Harry staring at him with eyes wide.

Harry's mouth worked soundlessly for a moment. "You... she... did you just..."

"Shh."

Mario raised a finger to his lips. "Some things are better left unsaid once you've seen them. Understand?"

He let that sink in for a moment, then smiled. "Interested in having a conversation?"

Harry nodded slowly. Mario obviously wasn't an ordinary person, though that was stating the obvious. Ordinary people didn't make corpses vanish into thin air like some kind of street magician.

The failed experiment had caused enormous damage and would have serious repercussions for both Otto and Oscorp.

"Master Harry, we should leave now."

Harry's butler materialized from somewhere in the chaos. The earlier pandemonium had pushed him to the side, but now he hurried to Harry's side, placing a protective arm around his employer's shoulders and steering him toward the exit. But Harry's eyes remained locked on Mario the entire time, filled with questions and something approaching awe or fear.

Mario offered a small wave as Harry was escorted out. A moment later, Peter emerged from a hidden corner, having quickly changed back into civilian clothes.

His eyes were bloodshot as he rushed to Otto's side. He bent down to check Otto's pulse, his hands shaking slightly as he pressed fingers against the unconscious man's neck. Finding a steady heartbeat, he finally let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

Mario walked over and placed a hand on Peter's shoulder. "He's fine."

Well, he's alive anyway. Whether 'fine' is the right word for someone who just became Doctor Octopus is debatable.

Looking at the destroyed inhibitor chip on Otto's back, he couldn't help but think: As expected... that thing was always going to be the weak point.

Spider-Man's world didn't have much in the way of super-advanced technology, but Otto's mechanical arms definitely qualified. Their incredible strength and reaction speed were far beyond what current science could explain or replicate. The AI integration alone was decades ahead of its time.

A flood of police officers rushed into the laboratory, followed by emergency medical personnel with stretchers and equipment.

Mario and Peter were asked to leave the scene. Standard procedure for a disaster area.

Peter's spirits were visibly low, his eyes still red-rimmed. "I should have stopped him beforehand. I knew the calculations were off. I told him..."

"No," Mario said firmly. "He devoted his entire life to this work. This experiment was his dream. He wouldn't have abandoned it, not for anything. Not even for sound mathematical proof that it would fail."

That was precisely why he hadn't intervened to stop Otto. Some people won't turn back until they slam face-first into a brick wall. The only thing he could do was try to replace those bricks with something softer. Like foam. Or in this case, stealing the corpse so Otto wouldn't wake up to find his wife's mangled body waiting for him.

They watched as medical staff loaded Otto onto an ambulance, his body strapped to the gurney with the mechanical arms secured separately. Peter stood frozen, unsure what to do next.

"Let's go."

"Where?" Peter asked, following on autopilot.

"Osborn Tower."

Like the Stark Tower, the top floor of Osborn Tower served as the owner's private residence.

Only after they'd gotten into the car did Peter seem to fully process what Mario had said. He looked confused. "Why are we going to there?"

"To see your friend."

The car started moving. Aside from the soft sound of tires on pavement, there was no noise at all.

"You have business with Harry?"

Mario shook his head. "Not me. You. I want to help you with something."

"Me?" Peter looked completely bewildered. "Help me with what?"

The car navigated toward Osborn Tower while Mario sat in the driver's seat, looking at Peter with unusual seriousness.

"Are you friends with Harry? I mean truly, honestly friends?"

"Of course!"

"Then why haven't you been honest with him?"

Peter knew immediately what Mario was referring to, his identity as Spider-Man. His expression shifted.

"I..."

Seeing Peter's struggle, Mario could understand his position. But Harry regarded Peter as his closest friend. If this deception continued much longer, the eventual revelation would cause even more damage to their relationship.

"Peter, the people close to you will eventually discover your identity. It's inevitable. Secrets like that don't stay hidden forever. When that happens, and it will happen, how do you plan to face Harry? Instead of being caught, why not take control? Explain everything directly. And make him understand that what happened to his father wasn't your fault."

Peter was deeply conflicted.

The car was moving fast. While he wrestled with his thoughts, they'd already arrived at the entrance to Osborn Tower.

"I don't know how I'll face him in the future," he admitted quietly.

After exiting the vehicle, he raised his head to stare at the towering building before them. Sunlight reflected off the glass facade, creating dazzling patterns.

"No matter what, you have to face it eventually. What happened has already happened, that's reality. You can't change the past, but you can control how the truth comes out. Let's go."

Mario put an arm around Peter's shoulder and guided him into Osborn Tower. As soon as they entered, security personnel stationed at the entrance approached them. The guard recognized Peter immediately. As a close friend of his employer, he naturally knew him and spoke politely:

"Mr. Parker, are you here to see Mr. Osborn?"

He glanced at Mario briefly before continuing. "However, Mr. Osborn isn't feeling well today. I'll need to announce you first. I hope you understand."

Mario and Peter had arrived only slightly later than Harry. The explosion at the laboratory had left Harry disheveled and emotionally unstable, which explained the guard's caution.

Peter said nothing, only nodded silently.

The guard returned shortly. "Mr. Osborn is waiting for you on the top floor. Please follow me."

He led them to the elevator and pressed the button for the top floor. As the elevator began its rapid ascent, Peter stood with his head down, lost in thought. Mario didn't pay too much attention to Peter's emotional state. Instead, he watched the floor numbers change and tried to recall the name of Harry's butler. The man would need to step forward to testify on Peter's behalf about what had really happened to Norman Osborn.

Ding.

The elevator chimed softly and the doors slid open to reveal a massive living room.

Harry sat alone on a leather couch. He'd changed into clean clothes and held a glass of amber liquid, probably expensive whiskey. His gaze was distant as he stared out toward the balcony, but he turned at the sound of the elevator.

"Peter? Why are you here?"

Setting down his glass, he stood to greet Peter, then shifted his attention to Mario. Remembering what had happened in the laboratory, his eyes showed curiosity.

"Hello. I'm Harry Osborn. It's... nice to meet you."

Mario extended his hand with a smile. "Mario Argento. Likewise."

The top floor of Osborn Tower was decorated in an oddly retro style, giving the impression of having stepped back into some romanticized medieval period. Expensive tapestries hung on the walls, and the furniture had an antique quality.

"Mr. Argento... I'm curious, what brings you to see me?"

Harry felt puzzled. If what had happened in the laboratory wasn't some stress-induced hallucination, then Mario possessed special abilities. Just like Spider-Man, who swung between buildings every day.

"I just brought Peter to see you. And he has something important to tell you."

After a moment's hesitation, Harry shifted his gaze to Peter. Only then did he notice the deeply conflicted expression on his friend's face.

"Peter, what is it? If I can help with something, I definitely will. You know that."

Hearing Harry say this made Peter feel even worse inside.

"Harry..."

For a moment, Peter couldn't find the words. Should he just blurt out that he was Spider-Man? Should he explain that Harry's father had died right in front of him?

Seeing this, Mario smiled gently. "There's no rush. First, I'd like to ask, is your butler available? His name is Bernard, correct?"

"He is. But what does this have to do with him?"

"Everything."

Hearing Mario's response, Harry walked to a side table and picked up an intercom phone, contacting the butler who'd long served the Osborn family.

"Bernard, please come up. There are some things I need you for."

A clear but aged voice responded through the speaker. "Of course, Master Harry."

Harry hung up and invited both Peter and Mario to sit on the couch. Seeing Peter's troubled expression, he even tried to lighten the mood:

"Hey, Peter, it's not your first time here. Why do you seem so tense today?"

Ding.

The elevator sounded again. Mario instinctively wanted to check if any new notifications had appeared in his mind.

The elevator doors opened and a grey-haired man stepped out. Judging from his appearance, he was quite elderly, yet his eyes remained sharp and alert.

"Master Harry."

He greeted Harry first, then nodded politely to Peter and Mario before standing to the side, awaiting instructions.

Harry turned his gaze toward Mario expectantly.

Without hesitation, Mario looked directly at the butler. "Harry wants to know the truth about his father. You handled his father's body. I believe you have something you'd like to say to Harry."

Harry's expression changed immediately, and he turned to stare at his longtime servant.

"Bernard..."

"Master Harry, I never intended to deceive you."

As he spoke, Bernard glanced at Mario with a flash of surprise in his eyes. He couldn't understand how Mario knew about this, he'd never told anyone.

"On the night your father passed away, I cleaned his wounds. The fatal injury was caused by the blade on his own glider. I knew you wanted to protect your father's reputation, so I remained silent. But your father was responsible for his own death. I loved your father, just as I love you."

Hearing the butler's words, Harry's eyes reddened. He simply couldn't believe what Bernard was saying. At this moment, he still didn't know that his father had been the Green Goblin.

He sprang to his feet and grabbed Bernard by the collar in a panic.

"No... no, that's impossible!"

Then he released him and collapsed weakly back onto the couch. Mario stood from his seat and walked toward an ornate full-length mirror in the room.

"Harry... come here."

Hearing his voice, Harry raised his head to look at Mario.

Mario extended a finger and lightly tapped the mirror's surface. In Harry's eyes, it was like watching street magic performed on an impossible scale, the mirror instantly filled with cracks. Within moments, the fractures spread across the entire surface, and the whole mirror shattered and vanished.

What was revealed behind it was a hidden room.

"Go ahead and look inside. All of your father's things are in there."

Harry slowly stood. Peter quickly rose as well and moved to support his friend. The hidden chamber was equipped with motion-sensor lights. Sensing someone enter, they immediately illuminated.

An entire wall was lined with pumpkin bombs. On a display case to the side rested the Green Goblin's glider and armor, along with that distinctive green, demonic mask.

Harry reached out with shaking hands and picked up a vial of green serum from a nearby shelf. In that moment, he believed everything the butler had said.

"Bernard... you knew all along, didn't you?"

Bernard hesitated briefly, then nodded.

"Your father forbade me from telling you."

Holding the green vial, Harry collapsed to the floor. Tears streamed from his eyes, yet a bitter smile appeared on his face.

"Bernard, you should go now. Let me be alone for a while."

Bernard looked at Harry with evident concern, but ultimately turned and left.

Mario walked over and likewise took a vial of the Green Goblin serum from the display case. In his assessment, this stuff was completely inadequate. The first version of the enhancement serum developed by Banner might not have been as powerful as the Green Goblin formula, but Banner's research had no side effects whatsoever.

Unlike this serum, which made users violent, insane, filled with destructive impulses, sometimes even causing dissociative identity disorder, just like what had happened to Norman. Actually, he suspected that split personality disorder might be hereditary in the Osborn family. Otherwise, Harry wouldn't have been able to see hallucinations of his father even without using the serum.

Several minutes later, Harry seemed to have recovered somewhat. He lifted his head and looked at Peter, who was watching him, and felt a warm current flow through his heart despite everything.

He forced the corners of his mouth to move, forming an awkward, painful smile.

"I don't think I can keep you company today. I need some time to process all this."

Before Peter could reply, Mario spoke up. "Didn't you want to know Spider-Man's identity? That's why Peter came here today."

Harry froze. For the past two years, he'd believed that Spider-Man had killed his father, and he'd devoted himself wholeheartedly to revenge.

Meanwhile, Peter had been taking photos of Spider-Man all this time. Harry had long suspected that Peter knew Spider-Man's identity, but he had never revealed anything. That silence had hurt deeply.

In his heart, he had felt betrayed.

Yet he'd never forced Peter to reveal the truth. Even when Doctor Octopus came after him, he had only mentioned that Peter might know Spider-Man's identity, and he'd specifically instructed Otto not to harm Peter.

That was true friendship. That was loyalty.

At this moment, Peter had no choice left. Under Harry's gaze, he pulled open his shirt, revealing the red Spider-Man suit underneath.

"I'm sorry, Harry. I am... Spider-Man. Your father... in his final moment of clarity, made me promise not to tell you about him."

Harry stared at the red suit with its spider emblem, his eyes losing focus.

The chain of revelations that had struck him today was simply too overwhelming to process all at once.