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*****
Flick!
A crisp sound echoed. Gwen clutched her forehead, hissing through her teeth as she took a sharp breath.
"That's for being a troublemaker!"
Mike smiled, satisfied with Gwen's theatrical reaction. He hadn't used any real strength, but he still reached out to rub Gwen's forehead, asking carefully, "It doesn't hurt, does it?"
Gwen looked at him with mock grievance. "What do you think?"
"Impossible! I barely touched you!" Mike muttered in confusion. He lifted a finger and flicked his own forehead.
Flick! A sharp sound rang out, but there was no pain at all. "See? Doesn't hurt!"
"Pfft!" Gwen burst into laughter at Mike's bewildered expression. "Dad, you are honestly too cute sometimes."
Mike smiled and pointed a finger at her playfully.
"What's all the laughter so early in the morning?" Raven asked, setting two plates of breakfast down in front of Gwen and Mike. She turned to see little Lamb carrying the other two plates over. After helping him set them on the table, she ruffled Lamb's hair and sat down on Mike's other side.
"Milk or juice?" Raven asked with a smile.
"Milk!" Lamb raised his hand enthusiastically. "You have to drink milk to grow tall and strong!"
Hearing this, Gwen glanced down at her own developing figure, then pushed her juice toward Mike. "I... I'll have a glass of milk too."
Mike couldn't help but laugh. He looked at Lamb and said, "Actually, if you want to grow tall, you just need to get plenty of sunlight."
"Sunlight?" Lamb pouted. "I'm not a sunflower."
"But you have Kryptonian blood," Gwen said, looking at her brother with envy.
Lamb asked innocently, "So, Kryptonians equal sunflowers?"
"Hahaha!" The three of them burst into laughter.
Raven handed the milk to Lamb. "Just eat your breakfast. Don't you want to go see the giant pandas today?"
"Mhm-mhm!" Lamb nodded vigorously and buried his face in his food.
Meanwhile, Mike swiped his hand over his phone, projecting a virtual screen that displayed news about Oscorp. He turned to Gwen.
"Oscorp caught fire last night. I heard Norman Osborn was hospitalized with severe burns."
"Yeah."
"You went out last night to treat him?"
"Yep!" Gwen sat next to Mike, tearing off a piece of toast from her plate. As she chewed, she added, "The situation was critical. If I had arrived any later, Harry would have been an orphan."
Mike nodded and smiled. "You did well. Norman Osborn is very lucky."
"I think so too," Gwen said, smiling as she recalled the dramatic line she had left behind. That feeling of 'performing a deed and vanishing into the shadows,' leaving behind only a cool silhouette... it was honestly a bit addictive.
"But was it really just luck?" Mike said quietly.
Gwen paused, a look of contemplation crossing her eyes. Did her father mean there was something strange about the incident?
The fire... Gwen looked at the news report Mike had brought up. The fire had taken half an hour to extinguish, and Norman Osborn was only rescued afterward. Half an hour in those kinds of flames...
"How did Norman Osborn last that long?" If he were a normal human, he wouldn't have survived.
Gwen's eyes lit up as the realization hit her. "I remember now! Harry said Oscorp was secretly researching an enhancement formula. Maybe Norman Osborn injected himself with it!"
Mike blinked and shook his head with a chuckle. "That boy really trusts you kids. He tells you everything."
"Well, we're very close friends. The best!" Gwen said proudly.
"Wait." Gwen stuffed another small piece of toast into her mouth, looking puzzled. "If he was already enhanced, the fire shouldn't have been able to trap him, right?" She looked at Mike. "Dad, did I guess wrong?"
Mike shrugged. "If the fire was an accident, then his enhancement might have been an accident too. Otherwise, everything was a pre-planned scheme—a plan executed at the cost of his own life."
Gwen pondered for a moment. "It was likely an accident."
If it hadn't been for her, Norman Osborn would be a corpse. Medical monitors can be fooled, but her Penance Stare and spiritual perception couldn't be; Norman's soul had been on the verge of vanishing.
"As long as you've made your own judgment," Mike smiled, closing the virtual screen. He looked at Lamb, who had already cleared his plate, and said helplessly, "Slow down!"
With his mouth full of food, Lamb grinned, but suddenly his eyes rolled back and he started thumping his chest.
"Phew! Saved!" Lamb let out a long sigh of relief.
"Haha!" The room filled with happy laughter.
By evening, in a private laboratory in Queens.
This was an old facility that hadn't been used in a long time. Though outdated, it was more than sufficient for Norman Osborn to conduct a self-examination.
He had originally wanted to return to the labs at the main Oscorp building, but because of last night's fire, every eye was on that location. If a man who had been "burned to a crisp" suddenly appeared there, it would cause a media frenzy. He didn't have time for reporters. Furthermore, he felt it was best to keep his enhancement a secret given the current situation.
After running the tests, he reached a result that filled him with ecstatic joy.
He had truly succeeded! And the effects were even better than projected!
Norman stood shirtless, his muscles defined and sharp, radiating a raw sense of power. Wiping away his sweat, he walked over to the blood analysis machine. He stared at the results, deep in thought. His body had been enhanced, but the process had been entirely unorthodox. There had been no equipment, no monitoring, and the dosage of the formula was unknown. The entire event was a fluke—Norman himself felt it was a miracle.
He rubbed his temples. If he knew the exact process, he could increase the success rate for others, but for now...
"Damn it!" Norman tapped the console lightly. "Regardless, I am the success story. I can use this as leverage to convince the military."
If he succeeded in that, he would receive massive funding to continue the project. With himself as a successful test subject, future experiments would go much more smoothly. At the thought, a smile broke across his face, and he let out a sigh of relief.
He headed to the shower to wash up, then threw on a white lab coat. He picked up his phone, intending to share the good news with his son. Harry was the only person he could truly share this with.
As the call connected, Norman's lips curled into a smile. "Harry, book a restaurant. I have some good news to share with you."
"Uh... Dad, I..."
Hearing Harry's hesitation, Norman's brow furrowed. "Whatever it is, just say it!"
"I... I'm on a date with Gwen." After saying it, Harry glanced nervously at Gwen in the distance, his face flushing.
"A date?" Norman was taken aback.
"Well, not exactly." Harry thought for a moment. He felt he should tell Norman about Gwen's help to further improve Gwen's standing in his father's eyes. "Gwen did me a huge favor this time."
At those words, Norman suddenly recalled the blue flames. He paused, then said, "So, was it really her who saved me?"
He had heard the details from the doctor. At the time, he suspected Harry had asked the Kents for help. As it turned out... it really was the Kent daughter? It seemed even the daughter—who had never shown off her abilities—was terrifyingly powerful.
"Yes," Harry said with admiration. "Gwen arrived just in time."
"I see." Norman said as he dressed himself. "Which restaurant are you at? I'll come by to see Miss Kent and express my gratitude in person."
"What? You're coming here!"
"Yes! Is there a problem?"
"But... this is my date."
"Does it matter?" Norman said matter-of-factly. "I'm coming now. Send me the address."
"Fine..." Harry agreed, sounding dejected.
As the line went dead, Harry ruffled his hair in frustration. He sent the address, and noticing Gwen's curious gaze, he gave her a weak, wry smile. This was his first one-on-one "date" with Gwen; was it really going to be crashed by his father? It had been so hard to get Gwen to agree to come out with him.
Sob! In his mind, a tiny version of Harry was weeping. He forced himself to walk back to Gwen with a brave face.
"What's wrong? Is everything okay?" Gwen asked, resting her chin on her hand.
Harry shook his head, then quickly nodded. "Uh, my dad says he wants to come over to thank you."
"Your dad?" Gwen paused, her brow furrowing slightly.
"Yeah." Harry nodded. "I really didn't tell him who you were; he guessed it himself."
"That makes sense. We've met several times, after all," Gwen said, rubbing her chin.
Harry breathed a sigh of relief. At least Gwen wasn't mad at him.
"Harry." Gwen suddenly winked at him. Her beautiful face was suddenly full of... a very "business-like" expression. But she was still stunning.
Harry was confused. "Hmm? What is it?"
"Do you think your dad will bring me a gift since he's coming to thank me?"
Harry laughed at that. "That's a certainty!"
"Awesome!" Gwen said with a grin. "If he brings a gift, then we can consider the matter settled and the debt paid."
Settled? Harry felt a warmth in his chest. Was Gwen saying this because she didn't want the incident to become a burden on their future friendship? What a wonderful girl. Harry's admiration for her only grew.
"Hello, would you like us to serve the food now?" a waiter approached and asked politely.
"Yes, go ahead," Harry said. He turned to Gwen. "No need to wait for my dad. We'll just order a few more dishes when he arrives."
He knew the Kent family usually ate Chinese food, so to cater to her tastes, he had specifically chosen an authentic Chinese restaurant.
"Alright!" Gwen agreed. If the host said so, she had no complaints. More importantly, she was actually quite hungry.
Soon, the dishes began to arrive. "They say these are some of the most famous dishes from China," Harry said with a smile. "Try them out. They say the flavor here is excellent."
Gwen nodded. They were mostly classic home-style dishes. She picked up her chopsticks and took a bite.
"How is it?"
"Not bad."
"Just 'not bad'?" Harry felt a bit disappointed. He had put a lot of effort into finding this place.
Gwen laughed. "You've eaten the food at my house. For me to say 'not bad' for a restaurant is a very high compliment."
Harry froze. That was true! Mike Kent's cooking... Harry swallowed. That food was incredible.
"Eat up, it won't be as good once it gets cold," Gwen urged him.
In truth, she felt a bit awkward. She could vaguely sense that Harry had feelings for her, but she didn't feel the same way. Eating alone with him felt too much like a real date... so for her, Norman Osborn's arrival was a literal lifesaver.
As they were eating, a man in a sharp suit walked in. He was spirited, energetic, and his head was as smooth and hairless as a polished egg. It was Norman Osborn. The fire had burned him clean. Though Gwen had healed his injuries, she couldn't restore his hair.
He walked over to them with a smile, pulled out a chair, and sat down. "We meet again, Miss Kent."
Gwen said politely, "Hello, Mr. Osborn."
A wide smile broke across Norman's face. "Let's order two more dishes."
"No need! This is already enough!" Gwen insisted.
Norman nodded and opened a box he was carrying, sliding it toward her. Inside was a beautiful diamond necklace with a large pink diamond heart as the centerpiece.
"Thank you for saving me, Miss Kent. This is a small token of my appreciation. Please, you must accept it."
"You're far too kind, Mr. Osborn!" Gwen smiled, her eyes lighting up at the sight of the jewelry. It really was beautiful.
Norman handed the necklace to Harry. "Help Gwen try it on. If it doesn't fit, you can take it back to be adjusted."
A wingman! Harry thought excitedly. He took the necklace and moved behind Gwen.
What they didn't see was a familiar figure standing across the street, staring at the scene through the restaurant window in a daze.
It was Mary Jane...
(End of Chapter)