"We should leave."
Gwen's grip on Peter's arm suddenly tightened. "This school is seriously weird. The people here are weird too."
The look Emma had given her just now had been far too penetrating, as if she could see straight through Gwen with effortless ease. For someone as stubbornly proud as Gwen, that feeling sat badly with her.
"Weird? I think this might be exactly the place we needed to find."
Normal places outside could not cure his genetic disease.
Every field had its experts. With Dr. Connors's depth of knowledge, he would definitely be able to save him.
The thought only made Harry more excited, and his urgency grew stronger by the second.
On the other side, Peter shook his head, trying to clear the chaos from his mind.
But whenever he thought of the conversation between those two people just now, it felt as if ants were crawling through his chest.
Fenris. The man who had once saved his Uncle Ben, then put Dr. Connors down for good with a single punch.
Peter had only just become Spider-Man back then, but even now, the power Fenris had shown at the time remained burned deep into his memory.
"Let's go."
Business came first. Peter pulled himself back together.
Following the directions, the three of them soon arrived at Dr. Connors's office.
Although there had been some unpleasantness between them before, Connors knew that what happened back then had largely been his own fault. So when he saw Peter and Gwen, two of his former favorite students, he was especially friendly. He even brewed the three of them a pot of tea from Wakanda.
When he learned that Otto had finally prepared everything and would be conducting the magnetic confinement controlled thermonuclear fusion experiment tomorrow, Connors solemnly accepted the invitation. From the bottom of his heart, he was happy for his old friend.
"Don't worry. I'll be there on time."
Connors patted his chest and gave them his word.
"That's great."
Peter and Gwen had successfully completed their task. "Then we'll be looking forward to seeing you there, Doctor."
"Good."
Connors then turned his attention to Harry, who looked both expectant and a little nervous. "I received an email from the Osborn Group earlier. And you are?"
"Hello, Dr. Connors. My name is Harry Osborn. I came here this time because…"
Harry cleared his throat and explained the whole reason for his visit. "I know you previously conducted related research at the Osborn Group, which is why I took the liberty of coming here to bother you."
"As long as you're willing to help me, money or anything else you might want, Osborn can satisfy you."
Harry spoke in one long breath, completely failing to notice that Connors's expression had quietly darkened.
"Where is Norman Osborn? Where did that old bastard go?"
Connors asked, his face shifting between anger and restraint.
"My father disappeared a few days ago…"
Harry frowned slightly. The way Connors referred to his father was far too rude.
But right now, he was the one asking for help, so he hid his displeasure well.
"Disappeared?"
"More like he finally couldn't hold out anymore and went to meet God!"
Connors's right hand clenched hard, crushing the ceramic cup into pieces with ease.
After a few undisguised cold laughs, Connors snorted. "Back then, for his own selfish reasons, he threw me out of Osborn without the slightest regard for our past friendship. If not for Fenris, I don't even know what gutter I'd be rotting in right now."
"And now his son comes to me for help? Let me tell you something: not a chance."
Connors lost all of his usual gentleness and drove him out without mercy. "I will never help anyone from the Osborn family. Leave!"
"Dr. Connors…"
Seeing the atmosphere turn cold so abruptly, Peter and Gwen looked at each other in stunned silence.
"You!"
Harry had never expected this. He had come to this school filled with joy and hope, only for Connors to pour a bucket of cold water over him and throw him straight back into the abyss.
Asking him to go home now was no different from telling him to die.
"Dr. Connors…"
Harry adjusted his emotions, softened his tone, and tried to plead again.
"It won't work. Leave. I won't save you."
Connors turned away and said nothing more. "Peter, I'll be there on time tomorrow. You should all go."
"This…"
Seeing that Connors had truly turned on them on the spot, then glancing at the utterly devastated Harry, Peter and Gwen both frowned, conflicted.
"Doctor, I'm innocent in all this. Are you really planning to stand by and watch me die?"
Harry stared at Connors's back. When he saw that Connors truly remained unmoved, the last trace of hope in his eyes faded into gray.
"Fine."
"Fine! Fine!"
After saying it several times in a row, Harry's expression suddenly grew complicated.
There was confusion in it. Hatred. And a trace of fear so faint even he did not notice it.
He took one last look at Connors's back, then turned and left without hesitation, slamming the door heavily behind him.
"Doctor, we'll leave for now."
"Mm."
Inside the Rolls-Royce.
When Peter and Gwen caught up, they saw Harry lying over the steering wheel, his upper body trembling faintly.
"You're here. Let's go back."
Seeing the two of them return, Harry jolted, then straightened up.
His eyes were bloodshot. In an instant, he looked haggard, and the pain in his eyes could not be hidden, but he still forced out a difficult smile for them.
"Harry…"
Looking at his friend like this, even Peter felt a sharp ache in his chest.
"The conflict between your father, the Osborn Group, and Dr. Connors has nothing to do with you. We can help you talk to him again later."
Gwen could not bear to see him like this and encouraged him, "Harry, don't give up hope, okay?"
"Thanks."
Harry wiped his eyes. "But there's no need."
After Norman Osborn disappeared, Harry had discovered a hidden room in the family manor, one he had never known about before.
Inside were countless pieces of equipment he had never even heard of.
Norman had left a message: if things had already reached the point of no return, then he should take those things out and use them.
Harry took a deep breath. Within just a few breaths, he had already brought his emotions back under control.
"Get in."
Harry raised an eyebrow at Peter and smiled. "Stop worrying. The world is a big place. Connors isn't the only doctor in it."
"That's the right way to think." Gwen did not suspect anything. Seeing Harry's mood improve, she relaxed and got into the car.
"No…"
Peter looked deeply at his best friend.
After so many years of friendship, no one in the world understood Harry better than he did.
"You two head back first. I still have something to take care of here."
Peter gritted his teeth, turned, and left.
"Peter, what are you going to do?"
Harry leaned out through the window.
"I'm going to find someone who can save you!"
Peter moved extremely fast. In the blink of an eye, he had already become a small black dot in Harry's field of vision.
As his friend's voice rode the breeze into his ears, Harry pressed his lips together, and his expression became indescribably complicated.
(End of Chapter)
[Get +30 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Zaelum"]
[Every 300 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
[Thanks for Reading!]