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*****
"Yes, sir!"
Harry responded loudly, looking as though he had just been injected with a surge of adrenaline.
Norman Osborn curled his lips into a satisfied smirk. Love, it seemed, was indeed the ultimate stimulant. Judging by the relationship between his son and Gwen Kent, even if they didn't become lovers in the future, they would certainly remain close friends. This investment was guaranteed to pay off.
Recently, the secret enhancement serum under development at Oscorp had entered its final stages. If it succeeded, Oscorp Industries—which had been in a slump with dwindling assets—could regroup and even reach new heights.
The thought sent a wave of renewed vigor through Norman. Father and son looked at each other, both seeing a burning determination in the other's eyes.
"Get some rest. You'll go back to school tomorrow," Norman instructed before turning to leave.
Now that he was certain this was the work of Harry's friend, he no longer needed to worry. Indeed, it was better to put in some overtime tonight to ensure the serum's success as soon as possible; the military was already growing impatient.
As he watched his father's retreating back, Harry's expression was complex, but mostly filled with gratitude. He hadn't expected the problem that had caused him such a headache to be resolved so simply. Perhaps he had been wrong before. He should have told his father his thoughts earlier and made time to communicate with him.
But now...
"I have to let Gwen know!" Harry said happily to himself. He felt as though something might go wrong if he didn't tell her immediately.
The Kent Residence.
Gwen hung up the phone and flashed a bright smile at Mike. "Dad, no need for you to step in. It's handled!"
Mike froze, then let out a sigh of profound disappointment.
Gwen: "..."
What is with that face?
"It's been so long since I've had a proper 'chat' with another parent," Mike said in a mournful tone. He glanced at Gwen and added tentatively, "How about you give me a chance anyway?"
"Not a chance!" Gwen righteously rejected Mike's unreasonable request and dashed upstairs. Now that Harry was free, they could finally chat without worry.
"Haha!" Mike laughed heartily as he watched Gwen run off.
"Daddy! I'll give you a chance!"
Little Lamb suddenly appeared in front of Mike with a "whoosh," grinning widely.
Mike flicked the boy's forehead and smiled. "And what kind of chance are you giving me?"
"Any chance you want!"
"Wow, so generous!" Mike pinched Little Lamb's cheek and joked, "Then how about giving me a chance to find your pocket money?"
"No chance!" Little Lamb squealed in panic and vanished with another "whoosh."
"Haha!" Mike was laughing when he noticed Raven smiling at him. With a mischievous glint in his eye, he slowly walked toward her. "Honey, I'll give you a chance..."
"I don't need one!" Raven shook her head, backing away.
"Don't run! Haha!" Mike chased after her with a playful cackle.
Hearing the commotion downstairs, Gwen rolled her eyes and gently closed her door. "So boring..."
Late Night, Oscorp Industries.
Watching yet another failed experiment, Norman Osborn slammed his hand onto the control console in fury. He turned and grabbed the lead scientist by the collar, roaring, "I thought you said you were confident about this trial?"
The supervisor wiped cold sweat from his brow. "Theoretically... theoretically, there are no issues. But there are always discrepancies in practice."
"Damn it! I don't care about theory or practice! If this isn't finished within a week, everyone is fired!" Norman shouted. He released the man's collar, suppressing his rage. "Get out! All of you!"
The staff shuffled out, silent as cicadas in winter. Norman cradled his head in his hands, slumped in his chair. It was hard to imagine that the man who always appeared so powerful to the world could look so lost and worried.
The pressure he bore was immense. Oscorp was a defense contractor, but in recent years, they hadn't produced anything noteworthy. This lack of innovation had led to constant criticism, and both their contracts and stock value were in steady decline. Oscorp desperately needed a guaranteed, exclusive project to break the deadlock and restore the confidence of their old clients.
To this end, Norman had chosen a project long pursued in secret by major corporations and agencies: the Super Soldier Serum. A serum that could be mass-produced and was hailed as the ultimate enhancement. Since the appearance of Captain America, many nations and organizations had tried to replicate it, but all had failed.
Oscorp had tried before and failed as well. It wasn't until Captain America resurfaced and they managed to obtain a blood sample that they restarted the project. Since then, progress had been promising. But now, on the verge of success, they were stuck on the live-subject trials. Norman could not tolerate this delay.
"I only need one success to secure military backing and massive orders. That's all it takes to put Oscorp back on top..."
"No, I must develop it as soon as possible," Norman whispered, a dark resolve forming in his heart.
Planet Kent.
At an ordinary mutant kindergarten, a female teacher with a pair of beautiful butterfly wings on her back flapped into the classroom. Seeing the children already seated and behaving, she smiled and flew a quick lap around the room, leaving a brilliant rainbow trail in her wake. She waved to the little ones. "Good morning, children!"
This was her daily greeting. The rainbow represented her blessing to the children, but more importantly, the powder that formed the rainbow helped them feel more energized.
"Good morning, Teacher!" "You're as pretty as ever, Teacher Madeline!" "Teacher, you're so beautiful!"
The little ones chimed in with their greetings. Madeline blushed slightly at the compliments and looked toward a smiling Little Lamb. Among the children, Little Lamb was the boldest and had the best control over his abilities. He often helped the other children manage their powers and was a favorite among the staff.
Madeline smiled at him and clapped her hands, speaking in her signature gentle voice. "Alright, everyone! For this lesson, I want you to draw a picture. You should draw the person you want to see the most."
She paused and lowered her voice conspiratorially. "Think of these drawings as a vote. If it's possible, the person you want to see most might actually show up at the school right in front of you!"
The children erupted in cheers.
"Alright, start drawing!" Madeline said with a smile, cheering internally. Great, I can slack off again this lesson.
"Who are you going to draw?" "I'm not telling you!" "If I tell you mine, will you tell me yours?" "Uh, fine!" "I'm going to draw Lord Mike Kent!" "Ah! Me too!" "Really? We're thinking the same thing!"
The children chattered away. Nearby, Little Lamb looked utterly speechless.
Mike Kent? What's the point of wanting to see him?
"Lamb, who are you drawing? Is it Lord Mike Kent too?"
"No way!" Little Lamb said with a look of disdain. "I don't want to see him at all!"
"?" The little girl next to him widened her eyes in shock. "You actually don't want to see Lord Mike Kent?!"
"Is there a problem?" Little Lamb tilted his head.
"Of course there is!" the girl said sternly. "Lord Mike Kent saved all of us! He's the person who gave us a new life and a future! We have to be grateful!" She paused, cupping her cheeks with a look of longing. "If I could meet Lord Mike Kent just once, I'd be willing to die for him!"
Little Lamb was incredulous. "You want to die for him? Did you even ask if he wants you to die?"
"What did you say?" the girl glared at him.
Little Lamb gave a sheepish smile. "I mean... he doesn't need you to die for him."
"That doesn't matter!" the girl declared, clenching her fist. "Death is the best way to prove my noble love!"
"!" Little Lamb looked at her in shock. He reached out to feel her forehead and sighed. "I think your little brain has overheated."
The girl huffed and slapped his hand away, turning her back to focus on her drawing. Little Lamb stole a glance.
Tsk. That doesn't look like him at all! She drew my dad so ugly!
He looked at the blank paper in front of him, thought for a moment, and began moving his brush rapidly.
The bell rang to signal the end of the class. Madeline, who had been alternating between guiding the children and slacking off, perked up.
Clap! Clap!
She clapped twice. Once all the little ones were looking at her, she smiled. "Alright, if everyone is finished, keep your drawings safe. When the next bell rings, everyone will take turns showing their drawing and explaining who they drew and why they want to see them!"
With that, Madeline watched the children leave the classroom.
"Lamb? What's wrong?"
"I..." Little Lamb looked at what he had drawn, his face falling. "Can I draw a new one?"
"Why would you redraw it?"
"I didn't know everyone had to give a speech!"
"It's okay. No matter how 'ugly' it is, it's the result of your hard work. Don't worry about people laughing." Madeline encouraged him, waving him toward the door. "Go on, go outside and play."
Little Lamb looked at his incredibly lifelike drawing and let out a howl of grief as he bolted from the room. If he had known, he would have drawn something else!
Watching his retreating figure, Madeline couldn't help but chuckle. That child is truly adorable.
A short while later, the children—who had been playing outside—rushed back into the room as the bell rang. Under Madeline's encouraging gaze, the children stood up one by one, showed their drawings, and explained why they wanted to see the person they depicted.
Little Lamb watched them with a look of boredom, his lips moving as he mimicked the other kids in a tiny whisper: "I drew Mike Kent. I want to see him to say thank you!"
He sighed. He had heard variations of that same sentence dozens of times in the span of a few minutes. When he saw a classmate hold up a drawing for everyone to see, he looked down at his own work, his fair little face scrunching up like a steamed bun.
"Lamb! It's your turn!"
Madeline noticed his expression and laughed inwardly as she called his name. Little Lamb stiffened and looked up. Seeing the encouragement in her eyes, he said with a pained expression, "Teacher, I think I'll skip. I..."
"Don't be afraid!" Madeline nodded. Her butterfly wings flapped gently, and the brilliant scales formed a colorful "Go for it!" sign behind her. "Everyone, let's cheer for Little Lamb!"
Madeline led the applause.
"Go Lamb! Go!" the children cheered.
Little Lamb looked at them, feeling like he wanted to cry. You really don't have to do this. I'm going to let you all down.
Just then, the little girl he had been talking to earlier snickered and gave him a nudge, pushing him forward. The applause grew even louder.
Little Lamb bit his lip, wearing a "do or die" expression. He strode to the front of the room and held up his drawing.
It was a lifelike... beautiful woman?
The woman had exquisite features and was wearing a bikini. She had a smoking hot figure, a pair of beautiful animal ears on her head, and a long tail swishing behind her.
A... a Cat-Girl?!
Madeline froze, her eyes widening as she screamed internally. This is drawn way too well! Wait! Now is not the time to be impressed!
"Lamb, put that away!" Madeline cried out.
Little Lamb quickly folded the paper. Looking at his stunned classmates and Teacher Madeline's reddening face, he spoke rapidly: "I want to see Meow-Ear, because she can help people with massages."
With that, Little Lamb scurried back to his seat. The entire classroom fell into a dead silence. He stole a glance at the others and let out a soft breath. Luckily he had spoken quickly, or they would have all had time to react.
Now... I think I've stunned them? he thought to himself.
"Ahem!" Madeline recovered and cleared her throat, speaking quickly. "Little Lamb's drawing is very good. Although... it's a bit unconventional, he was brave enough to speak his true thoughts, which is wonderful. Everyone, let's clap."
There was a smattering of thin, scattered applause. The children looked at Little Lamb as if he were a heretic or some ungrateful villain. After all, they had all drawn Lord Mike Kent.
Little Lamb's mouth twitched. Why would I 'want' to see someone I see every single day? I just drew the person I actually want to meet. What's wrong with that?
At that thought, he puffed out his chest and looked at everyone. "Are you all impressed by how well I draw?"
Everyone: "..."
(End of Chapter)