Seeing his father angered, Harry hurriedly explained, "Sorry, I didn't mean to, Dad. I... I just came to remind you that my science class is visiting the company tomorrow, and I was hoping you could..."
Before he could finish, Norman Osborn interrupted him, "Perhaps next time you enter a room, you should knock first."
Without waiting for Harry to react, he directly ordered his subordinate, "Massa, take him out of here!"
Harry tried to say more, but Massa patted him on the shoulder. "Harry, maybe you should find another time to make your case."
He still wanted to speak, but seeing the displeasure on his father's face, he had no choice but to leave the room first.
Even after walking out the door, he could still hear his father's voice, "Hey, listen, Joe, I'm not doing nothing, just sitting around being your temporary babysitter..."
He sighed softly and turned to leave.
Harry's father, Norman Osborn, was the chairman of Oscorp.
Oscorp was massive and powerful, focusing primarily on the biological sector and leveraging it to break into the military-industrial complex. It was one of the few super-corporations that held significant weight in the United States, alongside the Howlett Corporation, Stark Industries, and Roxxon Energy Corporation.
Yet Harry did not like this kind of life.
His relationship with his father was not even as harmonious as that of an ordinary family.
His perpetually busy father rarely communicated with him, and the words they exchanged each day could be counted on one hand.
Sometimes he even wished—he would rather have a life like Peter's.
Though ordinary, Peter never had to deal with such an abnormal family relationship.
After Harry went downstairs, Norman Osborn hung up the phone.
He sat down on the sofa. Moonlight streamed through the window, casting a sharp line of division between shadow and light across the cushions.
Norman's body sat right at the border of light and shadow, his gaze flickering slightly.
After a moment, he slowly pulled a few photographs from his pocket.
Most of the photos were of Spider-Woman, and a small number showed a live spider from the laboratory's "OZ Project".
The "OZ Project" was a biological experiment conducted by Oscorp to breed a new type of spider and then run human trials to harness the evolutionary abilities of spiders.
Unfortunately, not long ago, the specimen labeled "Spider No. 00" had an accident at the science exhibition.
After escaping the exhibition platform, Spider No. 00 vanished without a trace.
Putting the photos down, Osborn stood up and asked his subordinate, "Are you a fan of Greek mythology, Massa?"
"No, sir." Massa shook his head.
"Then surely you've heard the story of Arachne?!"
"Not very familiar with it, Mr. Osborn."
Norman's gaze drifted toward the window. "This story begins with Athena. Do you know Athena? Legend has it she heard of a mortal woman who, just like you and me, was a weaver even more talented than the goddess herself."
Hearing this story for the first time, Massa looked somewhat surprised. "A weaver?"
"Athena was deeply displeased upon hearing this, so she descended to the mortal realm to destroy all of that woman's woven goods."
Massa played his part as a good straight man well. "Well, that certainly sounds like something a woman would do."
Norman Osborn continued, "When the mortal woman saw what had happened before her eyes—that a deity had insulted her dignity and destroyed the very work that was her life—she hanged herself in despair and fury!"
Keeping his eyes fixed on the photograph of the spider on the table, Norman's expression remained unchanged. "Athena pitied the poor girl and cast a spell upon her head, saying, 'You shall not die, Arachne; instead, you shall become a weaver who weaves for all eternity.'"
At this, his eyes grew sharp. "As soon as Athena finished speaking, Arachne began to shrink and turn black. First, her nose and ears fell off, then her hands turned into legs, and the rest of her body became her torso."
"After that, she spun around, spitting silk and weaving webs. She had completely turned into a spider."
Having finished the story of Arachne, Norman shifted his gaze to the photograph of Spider-Woman.
"Now, someone has become Arachne..."
"There's a missing persons case in Hell's Kitchen, and I hear spider remains were found at the scene."
After a moment of silence, he changed the subject and instructed his subordinate, "Follow up on this case. It might be related to our 'OZ Project'."
"Yes, sir." Massa nodded. "I'll make arrangements immediately."
Once everyone else had left the room, Norman Osborn sat down and stared at the photographs on the table.
His entire body sank completely into the darkness.
***
Meanwhile, Forest Hills, Queens.
Peter was explaining to Uncle Ben and Aunt May what had happened during the day.
During class, the history teacher's voice had been so soporific that he had drifted off to sleep while listening.
As a result, because the Blacklight Virus had not been fully metabolized by his body, an emotional surge in his dream caused him to accidentally lash out in reality, smashing his desk in two with a wave of his hand.
Though he moved too fast for anyone to see his right hand undergo its alien mutation, the flying splinters of the desk had injured an unlucky guy at the next desk.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to."
Peter sincerely apologized to Uncle Ben and Aunt May.
He had originally intended to keep a low profile, never expecting that even taking a nap could cause trouble.
He could only lament that everything was going wrong and his luck was simply terrible.
"No, this isn't your fault, Peter. It was just an accident. Your uncle and I both know you're not that kind of person."
Aunt May came over, cupped Peter's face in her hands, and gently comforted him.
Uncle Ben had just hung up the phone with the school, looking somewhat heavy-hearted. He said to the two of them, "We have to pay twenty-five hundred dollars in hospital fees for the injured kid."
"Twenty-five hundred?"
Aunt May sighed.
Given their current household finances, two thousand five hundred dollars was a huge sum for the two of them.
Uncle Ben walked over and patted his wife's shoulder with a forced smile. "Don't worry, we still have the credit card."
Based on his inherited memories, Peter knew that the Parker family's credit card had been maxed out long ago.
Mentioning the "credit card" was just an excuse to comfort him.
Staring out at the pitch-black night, his expression gradually grew solemn.
Sure enough, no matter which world one is in, money is indispensable.
It seemed he needed to do some of the things he used to do frequently in the world of Prototype.
One hour later, the Empire State Building, New York.
With his face covered by a black Spider Mask formed by extended cellular mutation, Peter stood atop the roof, gazing out at the bustling nightscape below.
Brilliant neon lights mingled with the hum of traffic and the occasional wail of police sirens. Overlooking the city from this height, everything within it was laid out before his eyes.
He glanced at the clock on a distant skyscraper.
The hour hand pointed straight to twelve; it was already the dead of night.
Amidst the howling wind, he took a bold leap and plunged off the building.