It was impossible for Ben to produce other technologies immediately.
He couldn't just transform into Grey Matter in front of Harry and the other customers at the Slush Shop, could he?
"Harry, I know this sounds hard to believe," Ben tried to persuade him, "It might even sound like a fairy tale, but trust me, I can make it a reality. I promise!"
He looked at Harry seriously. Although he couldn't explain it clearly, the solemn tone clearly reminded Harry of the Ben he remembered from before—steady, mature...
Perhaps, he really could do it? Harry couldn't help but wonder.
At this moment, even though Harry still found it absurd, an urge to believe welled up inside him.
He thought, what if?
What if it could really come true?
He couldn't understand those formulas anyway, maybe what was written on them was true?
After all, he was Ben!
He had never failed before!
"Alright," Harry took a deep breath. He seemed to have made a major decision and picked up the document Ben had given him again. "I'll show it to my dad. The Osborn Corporation has many experts. If it's really possible, I think Dad might be willing to start a new project."
Because the person in front of him right now was Ben, Harry was determined to deliver this document to his father's eyes, even if he might be looked down upon by his father, Norman Osborn, because of it.
"Don't!"
Harry felt a gust of wind suddenly sweep before his eyes.
Then, in the instant before he could react, a force pulled his arm. When he looked again, the document in his hand had been slammed onto the table by Ben!
The tempered glass on the table seemed to have been struck by something powerful, emitting a loud "crack" as it shattered into pieces the size of fingernail clippings!
"Benny...?" Harry was startled, staring blankly at his old friend, whom he hadn't seen in years and now felt somewhat unfamiliar with.
"Are you... alright?"
"I'm fine... the glass quality seems a bit poor..." Ben clearly hadn't expected this outcome either. In his excitement, he hadn't controlled his strength well and had directly shattered the tempered glass.
At this point, a waiter from the shop also rushed over in a panic, asking if they were injured.
No one suspected Ben's strength; everyone assumed the glass was of poor quality. The manager even intended to offer Ben some compensation, but they were dismissed by both Ben and Harry.
With the interruption, both Ben and Harry decided to find another place to discuss the matter.
So, they walked and talked along the riverbank.
"Don't show it to Uncle Norman," Ben said, the wind by the river ruffling his hair. "I don't plan to cooperate with Osborn, Harry. I just want to cooperate with you."
Ben had no intention of sharing his technology with Norman Osborn, who might become the Green Goblin in the future.
Even though the current Norman Osborn was still a decent elder, as a large corporation, Osborn Corporation wasn't run solely by Norman.
Those shareholders were vampires; if Ben actually achieved something, everyone would want to carve it up.
Ben could handle it, but why go through all that trouble?
"Understand, Harry? Just you and me," he said, pointing a finger at Harry's chest. "Maybe Peter in the future, but absolutely no involvement from Osborn Corporation or any other corporation."
"Just us?" Harry stopped by the riverbank, looking at Ben in surprise.
Ben nodded at him, leaning against the railing, and tactfully said, "Osborn Corporation isn't solely controlled by your father. I don't want anyone else interfering with my company."
After all, Ben intended to build Primus Technology into a behemoth that could rival or even surpass Stark Industries. It was best to avoid troublesome share issues from the start.
He didn't trust not only other investors but also Harry's father.
Of course, saying this in front of Harry would be impolite.
"I understand your thinking," Harry nodded. "To be honest, if those shareholders had the chance, they'd probably carve up Osborn Corporation itself, leaving nothing but bones."
"You're right, that's what I'm worried about. Moreover, if I succeed without the help of Osborn Corporation, I think Uncle Norman would be even prouder of you, don't you think?"
"You're right, but, Benny, if we want to develop nanotechnology, it's impossible without Osborn's financial backing," Harry sighed, shaking his head with a troubled expression. "Just building a nano-scale laboratory would cost a fortune."
"We don't have to go straight for nanotechnology," Ben said after some thought.
Highly Intelligent Nanorobotics Technology was indeed too advanced. His only advantage now was having existing research samples, so he wouldn't have to worry about going in the wrong direction, which could save a lot of costs.
"What are your thoughts?" Harry asked.
Ben naturally thought of Iron Man's battle armor. Much of the technology in the Mark 3 could be used for civilian purposes. More importantly, once Ben transformed into Grey Matter, it wouldn't take long for him to fully understand the technology of the Mark 3.
He could completely upgrade the battle armor and then sell the upgraded functions.
"It won't cost much. I think tens of millions of dollars will be enough," Ben winked at Harry, who shook his head helplessly.
He had initially thought he was just supporting an old friend's startup, perhaps spending a hundred thousand dollars to establish a small company. He hadn't expected it might now involve tens of millions...
"Looks like I'll have to sell a few cars," he shrugged.
Then, the two discussed company shares further, which turned out to be simpler than expected.
The young Harry wasn't a shrewd businessman at all, or rather, in this matter, he wasn't treating it as a business deal.
In the end, he only asked for a very small portion of the shares.
"Money isn't that important to me," Harry said, shaking his head. "You came to me for help, and I helped you. It's that simple!"
"Besides, I'm going to inherit the Osborn Corporation sooner or later. Even if Dad is unhappy with me, I'm his only son," Harry said with a smile, patting Ben's shoulder. "The best way you can repay me is to make the company successful and make my dad look at me with new eyes!"
"Don't worry, Harry, I won't let you down."
With the funding issue resolved, Ben was about to say goodbye to Harry, but Harry stopped him.
"Wait..."
"What is it? Do you need something else?" Ben asked.
"No way, Benny?" Harry exclaimed in surprise. "I just decided to give you all the money I've saved up since I was a kid, and I might even have to sell my car, and you're just going to leave me on the street?"
"Why are you making me sound like a scoundrel who turns his back on someone after getting what he wants?"
"You are!" Harry said. "At least you should invite me over for dinner, right?"
Without another word, he slung an arm around Ben's shoulders and pulled him towards Queens. "It's been a while since I've seen Peter anyway. I finally got out of boarding school, and I don't want to go back so soon!"
After all that talk, it turns out it was all about Peter. I knew you two were the real deal, right?
Ben rolled his eyes but didn't say anything. Harry and Peter did have a very close relationship. They had known each other longer, and compared to the more mature Ben, Peter and Harry could have more fun together.
When the two of them returned home, Aunt May and Uncle Ben hadn't gotten off work yet.
To help make ends meet, especially to raise two children, they clearly had to work harder. Especially a few years ago, Uncle Ben would often be busy until late at night before coming home, and Aunt May worked several jobs by herself.
For a long time, Ben and Peter had planned to get part-time jobs after school, but Ben was too young at the time, so Uncle Ben had never agreed.
However, Peter was home.
A few days ago, because of Aunt May, Peter realized that he had been putting too much thought into his deceased parents. It wasn't that it was bad, but he shouldn't have neglected the family still by his side because of it.
This made him feel a bit guilty, so he hadn't gone to see Dr. Connors recently.
Of course, on the other hand, he thought he had solved the serum problem last time by bringing the formula his father left behind, so there was no need to go again.
"I'll just wait a while longer before checking on how the doctor's research on the serum is going," Peter muttered to himself as he half-crouched, adjusting a small gadget on the table.
—Web Shooter!
Ever since receiving Ben's suggestion, Peter had been pondering the matter of the battle suit and the web shooter.
For some reason, he felt it was like an instinct. In his mind, he clearly knew how to create a special enzyme and synthesize it into spider silk.
And he succeeded.
The rest was the battle suit and the shooter.
"I wonder where Benny is. He said he wasn't going to be a superhero, and now he's not helping me at all," Peter sighed, but quickly cheered up.
He thought of a good idea.
"Even though you said you don't plan on being Spider-Man, I won't forget about you if I have something good. Who else would I share it with if not my cousin!" Peter chuckled and flipped open the drafts Ben had given him earlier, picking out another battle suit design.
"This one looks good—" Peter picked up the design sketch with one hand while holding the half-finished spider suit in the other, thinking about how to alter the style for Ben. It was at this moment that he heard the sound of a door opening downstairs, followed by a jolt of electricity that spread across his scalp.
"Benny's back? Perfect, I can ask him which one he likes." Peter then grumbled about that inexplicable sense of premonition and prepared to take the sketches to find Ben.
Just then, a voice from outside the door, which sounded somewhat unfamiliar to him, called out.
"Peter?"
Harry shouted upstairs before even stepping onto the stairs. He then stepped onto the somewhat old staircase, which immediately let out a grating creak.
"Your stairs look like they've seen better days, huh?" Harry quipped, afraid he might break them by stepping on them.
"By seniority, you could call it Uncle Stairs," Ben said casually. "But don't worry, it doesn't have osteoporosis, so it won't collapse."
"I hope so."
Harry reached Peter's room door and was about to knock when the doorknob turned on its own. Peter, holding the drawing full of Spider-Man suit designs, walked out.
"Long time no see, Peter!" Harry greeted him excitedly at first, then his gaze fell on the sketchbook in Peter's hand.
"What's this?"
Thanks to HaiDi CangLong for the 100-point reward, thank you boss.
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