"This is all I could find. I've texted Happy to go buy some burgers," Pepper said, handing over a few snacks.
"What are you doing here?" Tony took the snacks blankly, blinking.
He felt like something was off about his surroundings.
"J.A.R.V.I.S., why are you projecting your source code?"
"Sir, you instructed me to display the code," J.A.R.V.I.S. replied.
"Did I?" Tony looked dazed, feeling as if he'd just woken from a dream.
"That's because you need to rest!" Pepper said, exasperated. "Three hours of sleep in three days? You're insane! If you work yourself to death, I'll just have to find a new boss!"
"Am I really that tired?"
Tony patted his head, puzzled. He did feel extremely fatigued.
But he also felt things weren't quite that simple.
"It must just be the exhaustion. It can't be... ghosts, right?" He shook his head and laughed.
J.A.R.V.I.S.: …
"Sir, I strongly advise you to rest immediately."
J.A.R.V.I.S. shut down the virtual projection.
It had considered telling Tony about the shadowy figure, but seeing how exhausted Tony looked, it decided against it for some reason.
Besides, it hadn't activated the high-precision cameras in time. While there was a recording, it was blurry. Even after image enhancement, it was hard to make out. It was dark, probably just a trick of the light and shadows.
It couldn't actually be a ghost, could it?
J.A.R.V.I.S., an AI built on scientific principles, naturally didn't believe in ghosts.
Outside Stark Tower.
Ben slid down the glass facade of the tower. Bio-static electricity gave him a powerful adhesive ability, allowing him to support his weight even on smooth glass.
"Too bad the spider-abilities are minimal after transformation. Otherwise, this bio-static electricity could solve XLR8's problem with slippery surfaces."
Ben leaped across to the roof of another building.
Then he dropped down into a dark alley and emerged onto the main street.
Looking back at the towering skyscraper, the bright "Stark" logo glowed in the night. He didn't linger, turning instead towards the subway station.
It took him about an hour to get back to Queens.
He didn't use the front door, instead climbing up to his window just like when he left.
Before entering his room, he glanced at the window opposite his—the room of Mary Jane Watson.
This universe's Mary Jane was different from the Tobey Maguire version. She had moved in with her aunt not long ago.
"Peter's not back yet."
Ben returned to his room. He didn't go to sleep but immediately turned on his computer and transformed into Greymatter.
"This old thing can't handle an AI on J.A.R.V.I.S.'s level." Ben's frog-like hands flew across the keyboard.
As he'd anticipated, his memory was vastly improved as Greymatter. J.A.R.V.I.S.'s source code flashed before his eyes like a series of photographs. Even the parts he'd originally forgotten, he could roughly reconstruct using the knowledge inherent to a Galvan.
He quickly began typing, replicating the code.
"Next, just wait for Harry's money to come through and buy a supercomputer."
Looking at it this way, Ben's initial investment needed to be huge. A single supercomputer would likely cost close to ten million dollars.
"Buying components would be more cost-effective," he thought, stroking his chin.
Buying a finished product was too expensive. He could buy a slightly outdated supercomputer and modify it himself, saving a significant amount.
But no matter how he calculated, the money still wasn't enough.
Harry could personally come up with, at most, a few million dollars, and that was only if he sold some of his prized collectibles.
But Ben needed more than just a supercomputer.
"If the first product is a smartphone, I'll need several production lines. Marketing costs are also huge."
Even if he saved on R&D, Ben still had a headache.
He still needed more money!
"But besides Harry, who else do I know with enough cash?"
His mind raced, and he suddenly landed on a certain blonde girl.
"Felicia?"
Felicia Hardy was indeed from a wealthy family.
Most of the Hardy family fortune was left by her father, the world-renowned cat burglar Walter Hardy. He later set up a foundation to ensure the wealth could be inherited.
"Do I have to offer myself up to be a sugar baby?"
Thinking of Felicia's pretty face and性感 (xìnggǎn - sexy) figure, Ben felt it might not be so bad.
More importantly, Felicia had two sides after becoming Black Cat—the gentle, quiet blonde and the wild, captivating silver-haired vixen...
Beautiful and rich? Who wouldn't be tempted?
In the end, though, Ben dismissed the idea.
The truth was, Felicia probably couldn't access much money to fund him. After the cat burglar disappeared, the person currently controlling the Hardy Foundation was Felicia's mother.
Ben had seen this woman a few times at school. She was greedy, harsh, and utterly snobbish. She would never invest in a nobody like Ben. Even if she did, she'd demand the lion's share of the profits.
"What a difficult woman."
As Ben was thinking this, the Omnitrix core on his back started flashing red again. He quickly jumped off the desk, transforming back into himself mid-air.
After saving the files, he shut down the computer and lay on the bed.
Just then, his Spider-Sense tingled.
Ben immediately looked towards the window to see Peter plastered against the glass like a giant frog, peering in. Seeing Ben was awake, Peter didn't hesitate. He opened the window and climbed in.
"Phew, you're awake?"
Peter said, panting. Before Ben could answer, he spilled everything that had happened tonight.
"You are not going to believe this, but I ran into a Lizard Man!" He reached for the zipper on the back of his suit. "You should have seen the size of his claws! And his teeth!"
After taking off the spider-suit, he looked immensely relieved.
He looked like someone who had just taken off a pair of shoes that were two sizes too small after walking ten miles in them.
"A Lizard Man? I know Zuckerberg is a lizard person," Ben joked from his bed. "Are you telling me the lizard people have taken over America already? Your little brain must be overheating."
After all, everyone knows it's not lizards running America, it's squids, right?
(Doctor Octopus: Are you thinking about me?)
The majestic Statue of Liberty is just someone else's dog, after all.
"No, I'm serious! You should have come with me. We could have caught him together," Peter said, rubbing his chafed skin. "But I let him get away."
"Seriously though, I need to use some baby powder before putting the suit on next time. I'm getting a heat rash."
Speaking of squids running America, it suddenly reminds me of when Doc Ock became Mayor of New York. Isn't that a kind of prophecy in itself?
/-\
~ PLEASE! don't forget to leave a REVIEW!
~ +20 Advanced Chapters Available on my Patreon!
https://p-atreon.com/Its_Zack
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to access Patreon normally.)
/-\
~# Keep the chapters coming - Support with Power Stones!
~# Every 50 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter