[Marvel : Spoiling Spider-man] Chapter 306 - 310

Chapter 306: Return of the Hero

"Wow! He actually resisted the temptation? How surprising!" Scott exclaimed, looking at Spider-Man with a mix of admiration and disbelief. He knew that Spider-Man had always dreamed of joining the Avengers, even boasting to Ned that he was already a member.

"Someone has to help the ordinary people—now that’s a line worth remembering!" Sam Sam nodded approvingly. "Only by staying true to your original intentions can you truly achieve your goals. This kid is really something! What do you think, Cap?"

Sam had just arrived here yesterday after finishing his work. Since he was an Avenger , and Tony insisted that the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. should operate independently, he had been brought in by Nick Fury.

"Heh, I bet Stark never expected him to refuse!" Wanda smirked, glancing at Tony. "Just look at his expression—he looks so aggrieved!" Her tone carried a hint of sarcasm.

"I think Stark is actually proud that Peter turned it down," Steve Rogers said, crossing his arms with a look of satisfaction. "It means the kid has really grown up."

[Just then, the door behind them opened, and Pepper walked in, glancing around before asking, "Where's the kid?"]

[Happy replied calmly, "He's gone."]

["But everyone’s waiting!" Pepper looked confused. This wasn’t what she had expected at all.]

["He made a well-thought-out choice, and it caught us all off guard," Tony explained, his voice tinged with both admiration and regret.]

[Pepper narrowed her eyes at them and accused, "You two messed this up, didn’t you?"]

[Tony immediately deflected the blame. "It was Happy! He told the kid to wait for him in the car!"]

[Pepper instantly turned her sharp gaze to Happy, glaring at him. "Are you kidding me? I have a room full of people waiting for big news! How am I supposed to explain this to them?"]

[Happy opened his mouth but quickly realized he had no valid excuse. He could only accept the blame from his boss.]

["Use your brain, why not, uh…" Tony trailed off before suddenly turning to Happy. "Happy, do you still have the ring?"]

[Happy blinked, momentarily confused. He reached into his pocket instinctively. "I… I…"]

["The engagement ring!" Tony prompted impatiently.]

["Are you kidding me? I've been carrying this thing since 2008!" Happy exclaimed, pulling the ring out of his trouser pocket.]

[Pepper looked stunned, shooting a glance at Happy before turning back to Tony.]

[Tony's eyes twinkled as he smirked. "Perfect."]

["I think I can come up with a better idea," Pepper muttered, instinctively wanting to refuse.]

[Tony, however, looked at her with determination. "Using the ring saves us time."]

[Hearing this, Pepper sighed before stepping forward and kissing Tony. He chuckled self-deprecatingly, "As if we’re in a hurry."]

[Pepper, amused, turned to leave while throwing a parting remark to Happy. "You actually kept that thing in your pocket all these years?"]

["Let me get the door for you, dear!" Tony said as he rushed forward like a perfect gentleman.]

["I'll do it myself!" Pepper snapped back, pushing the door open. Tony quickly followed after her. Happy tossed the ring to him with a knowing grin before turning away.]

"He actually thought it was a test? He's overthinking it!" Gwen covered her face, feeling secondhand embarrassment for Peter.

"To be fair, I thought the same thing," Second Gen Peter admitted. "I was sure Tony was just testing him and planning to give him new equipment. I didn’t expect there to be an actual press conference waiting!"

"Hahaha! Happy’s been carrying that ring since 2008?" Helen made a disgusted face. "That’s kind of gross. If George had kept my engagement ring in another man’s pocket for years, I’d be furious."

"No wonder Pepper complained," Scott chuckled.

Pepper, who was sitting nearby, suddenly stood up and narrowed her eyes at Happy. "Happy, do you always carry the ring around?"

"Uh… Yeah!" Happy hesitated, but seeing her piercing gaze, he quickly pulled the ring from his pocket and showed it to her.

"Oh my God!" Pepper groaned. "Tell Tony to keep it with him and never let you hold onto it again!"

Happy looked like he wanted to protest but ultimately sighed and prepared to call Tony.

Meanwhile, Rhodey smirked as he turned to Tony. "So, how do you feel about letting Happy babysit your engagement ring? Think Pepper's mad?"

Tony shrugged, but before he could reply, Happy’s call came in.

Rhodey chuckled knowingly. "See? I knew she’d be pissed. You’d better go calm her down!"

Tony groaned, rubbing his forehead. "Ugh… What a mess." He turned and trudged upstairs.

[Spider-Man returned home, tossing his backpack onto the floor as he called out, "Aunt May, is dinner ready?"]

[There was no immediate response. Shrugging, Peter made his way to his room. The moment he pushed open the door, his gaze landed on a small bag placed neatly on his bed.]

[It had a note attached: "This belongs to you — Tony."]

[Peter blinked in surprise. Removing his headphones, he called out again, "Aunt May?"]

[Still no response. Assuming she had gone out, he walked over to the bed and picked up the bag.]

[The scene shifted, showing Peter in his Spider-Man suit, standing in his dimly lit room. He held his recovered suit in his hands, feeling its familiar weight before slowly removing his mask.]

[At that moment, a figure emerged behind him.]

[Aunt May stood frozen in the doorway, her eyes wide in absolute shock. "Oh. My. God!!!"]

[Peter’s heart nearly stopped. His eyes widened in pure horror.]

"Wow… how many people know Peter Parker III’s identity now?" Otto shook his head in disbelief. "Back in my world, Spider-Man’s identity was one of the best-kept secrets. But this Peter? His cover’s practically nonexistent!"

"Do you think Aunt May will stop him from being Spider-Man?" Rose asked, a hint of concern in her voice. "I mean, she’s always told Peter to avoid danger whenever possible. If she knew he nearly died multiple times, she’d be terrified!"

First Gen Spider-Man shook his head. "No, I don’t think she’ll stop him outright. At first, she’ll probably be scared and against it… but eventually, she’ll understand why he does it."

"Yeah, I agree," Second Gen Peter added. "Besides, Peter is Spider-Man. He can’t just walk away from it."

Otto nodded in agreement. "No matter the universe, Spider-Man always finds his way back to being a hero."

Chapter 307: Secrets and Surprises

[In prison, Toomes followed the crowd as they were led back to their cells.]

["Look who we have here!" Mac Gargan, sporting a fixed brace on his injured hand, smirked at Toomes from a distance. His injury was a direct result of the car Toomes had thrown at him during the ferry incident.]

[He walked up to Toomes, his tone laced with mockery. "How lucky are we to end up at the same summer camp, huh?"]

[Seeing Toomes remain expressionless, Gargan realized he might have misunderstood something and quickly added, "Relax."]

[He pointed to the scar on his forehead and sneered, "This? You’re not the one to blame for it. That honor belongs to our dear little Spider-Friend."]

["I’ve got some guys on the outside who would love to meet him. You know, take his picture… and then cut his throat before tossing his head in the dryer."]

[Gargan made no attempt to hide his hostility towards Spider-Man. He practically seethed with vengeance as he spoke.]

[Then, he fixed his gaze on Toomes, his eyes narrowing with suspicion. "I also heard a rumor… that you know who he really is."]

[Toomes smirked slightly before letting out a short, amused chuckle. "If I knew his identity, he’d already be dead."]

[Gargan scrutinized Toomes' expression, trying to decipher whether he was lying. But Toomes remained perfectly composed, revealing nothing.]

[At that moment, a prison guard called out, "Toomes! Your family's here!"]

[The guard’s voice cut through the tense atmosphere, giving Toomes the perfect excuse to walk away from Gargan. As he left, Gargan remained standing there, watching his retreating figure, wondering—did Toomes really not know, or was he just playing dumb?]

"Toomes is actually pretty decent. Even though Peter was the one who put him behind bars, he didn’t seek revenge," Second Gen Aunt May observed, feeling a newfound respect for the man.

"Yeah," Uncle Ben agreed. "Part of it is protecting Peter, but more importantly, if Peter's identity got exposed, Liz would be in danger too. Keeping his mouth shut protected both of them."

He paused before adding, "Toomes might even feel a bit grateful to Spider-Man for saving his life, but more than that—he knows how dangerous it would be if people found out the truth. Once they do, Aunt May and Liz would immediately become targets. He wasn’t just looking out for Peter—he was looking out for his daughter too."

George Stacy nodded in agreement. "Toomes' reasoning is similar to mine before I died in the screen. A father never wants his daughter to be dragged into danger."

Meanwhile, Second Gen Peter furrowed his brows as he finally placed Gargan’s face. "Oh, that guy? The one who tried to make a deal with Toomes on the ferry before getting thrown into the ocean? No wonder he’s pissed off."

"Honestly, I’m surprised he doesn’t blame Toomes for his injury," Gwen added. "Maybe he does, but his hatred for Spider-Man outweighs it."

[The camera shifts, and suddenly, Steve Rogers appears on-screen, standing tall with his hands on his hips. "Hey! I'm Captain America! And I'm here to talk to you about one of the most valuable traits a soldier or student can develop—patience!"]

["Sometimes, patience is the key to success. Other times, patience won’t get you anywhere, and it’s utterly worthless."]

["You might be wondering—why are you still waiting for something that turns out to be so disappointing?"]

[Steve Rogers then glances off-camera, shifting his weight before sighing in frustration. "How many more of these do we have to record?"]

"Oh my God! Captain America, did you just complain about patience in a patience PSA?!" Scott burst into laughter, clutching his sides.

Wanda, Sam, and Pietro laughed along with him, their amusement only growing as they rewatched Steve’s exasperated expression.

Meanwhile, the real Steve Rogers sat there with a look of pure regret, rubbing his temples as if trying to erase the memory. "I knew this was going to come back to haunt me."

Peggy Carter, still lying in her hospital bed, chuckled softly. "I never knew you had this side to you, Steve. For all those years, I thought you were always composed."

Steve groaned, waving his hands dismissively. "Please, Peggy, don’t remind me. That was the worst decision I ever made."

Rhodey smirked. "Cap, I gotta say—I never expected this from you."

"Yeah, that last line completely ruined the whole message," Bruce added, shaking his head in disbelief.

Back in prison, Gargan’s face twitched as he watched the footage of himself ranting about Spider-Man. He hadn’t expected his own thoughts of revenge to be broadcast to the world like this.

The surrounding inmates sneered at him, mocking his arrogance. One of them laughed, "You really thought you were gonna take down Spider-Man? You?"

Gargan clenched his jaw, resisting the urge to lash out. He knew the truth—he couldn’t touch Spider-Man. Not while he was locked away, and not while Tony Stark was watching over Peter. He could only sneer to himself and sit back down.

Meanwhile, in another room, Natasha gently ran a hand through little Peter Parker’s hair. The young boy was practicing combat techniques under her guidance, his eyes brimming with determination.

Natasha had even given him a pair of Widow's Stings for self-defense. However, she had also issued a strict warning.

"Don’t you dare go showing this off to your classmates," she said, narrowing her eyes at him. "If I find out you did, I’ll take them back—just like Tony did with your suit."

Little Peter immediately nodded, holding onto the Widow's Stings as if they were the most precious things in the world. There was no way he’d let them be taken away!

[At that moment, the narrator’s voice cut through the scene: "Tony Stark and Pepper Potts have finally come together after many years of trials and tribulations."]

["But how did they end up together? You’ve already seen glimpses of Tony Stark’s past… now, let’s witness the crisis they endured after this!"]

"What do you mean by crisis?" Tony frowned, looking up at the screen. "What else did we go through after Ivan Vanko?"

Pepper, standing beside him, paled slightly. "A crisis? What kind of crisis?"

The screen offered no response. The narration faded into silence, leaving the question lingering in the air.

At that moment, people all over the world leaned forward in anticipation.

Whatever it was, it sounded serious. And as long as it wasn’t their crisis, they were more than happy to sit back and enjoy the drama.

Chapter 308: Iron Man 3

["A famous person once said that we always sow the seeds of our own misfortune! Now, who said this? And what does it mean?"]

[Tony’s voice rang out as the screen remained dark. Suddenly, the sky lit up, revealing several Mark armors floating in the air.]

[A second later, one of the suits suddenly exploded into flames, followed by another… and then another.]

["But does it really matter? I only said it because he said it first. And since he was a famous person, that means two famous people have said it now!"]

["I don’t… I’ll start over! Everything began at the very beginning!"]

[The screen darkened once more before transitioning to a new scene—Bern, Switzerland, on New Year's Eve in 1999.]

[Tony was attending a technology conference, champagne in hand, while the lively crowd buzzed around him.]

["There’s only half an hour left until New Year’s Day," Happy reminded Tony, looking around warily.]

[Nearby, a woman flirted with Tony, playfully blowing on a party horn. Tony, however, was focused on Maya Hansen. "Do you want to—"]

[Before he could finish, an unfamiliar voice interrupted, "Tony Stark! What a great speech!"]

[Happy immediately stepped in, pulling the man away. "Leave it to me!"]

[Tony, amused, asked, "Wait, did I give a speech? How was it?"]

[Happy laughed, "A complete disaster!"]

["Absolutely nonsensical," Maya added with a smirk.]

[Tony raised an eyebrow, feigning surprise. "Really? That’s my signature style—it always works!"]

["Where are we headed now?" Maya asked.]

["Well… let’s have some fun," Tony grinned. "How about we go to your room? I want to check out your research."]

["Alright! I can show you my research, but…" Maya held up a finger and warned, "Don’t even think about anything else."]

[At that moment, another familiar face appeared on the screen—Yinsen.]

[The man who would one day save Tony Stark’s life.]

[Of course, at this point, the two were still strangers.]

[Yinsen approached Tony and extended a hand, greeting him, "Mr. Stark, I’m Ho Yinsen."]

["Oh! Finally, someone named ‘Ho!"Tony quipped.]

[Yinsen, already familiar with Tony’s sharp tongue, ignored the remark and instead pulled him toward another guest. "Come, let me introduce you to Dr. Wu."]

["Oh! This guy?" Tony said casually.]

[Dr. Wu greeted him in Mandarin, "Hello."]

["Let me guess… you're a cardiologist?" Tony smirked before turning to Maya. "She’s going to be so thrilled—she’ll need medical attention soon!"]

[With that, he turned and walked away, blowing a party horn. Dr. Wu, clearly unimpressed, rolled his eyes.]

["We’ll talk another time," Yinsen said awkwardly, watching Tony’s retreating figure.]

"Oh, Tony… you were so obnoxious back then," Pepper sighed, shaking her head.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Tony admitted, throwing up his hands. "I wasn’t exactly Mr. Congeniality. But hey—didn’t stop you from falling for me, did it?"

Pepper rolled her eyes and turned away. "Ugh. Please, Mr. Stark, get out of my sight. I have actual work to do!"

"Hey, come on, Pep!" Tony tried to smooth things over, but she wasn’t having it.

"Yinsen saved your life, and this is how you treated him when you first met?" Pepper scolded.

Tony’s usual cocky demeanor faltered for a moment. His expression darkened.

"Yeah… I regret that," he admitted quietly.

For a long time, he had hoped The Sky Screen would resurrect Yinsen. He would have paid any price. But it had told him that Yinsen refused.

The screen had once reassured Tony that Yinsen had reunited with his family in death. But Tony, ever the realist, found it difficult to imagine what lay beyond. All he knew was that Yinsen was gone, and he would never get the chance to thank him properly.

Pepper noticed the change in his expression and softened.

"Tony…" she murmured.

She reached up, cupping his cheek gently before straightening his tie. "Yinsen wouldn’t want you to dwell on this. He wanted you to live. To be better. You carry a lot on your shoulders, but you don’t have to do it alone. I’ll take care of things at the company."

Tony exhaled slowly and nodded.

Then, unable to resist, he leaned in, capturing her lips in a kiss.

Happy, standing nearby, quickly averted his gaze and quietly shut the door behind him.

[“It all started in 1999, in Bern, Switzerland. Those old times…"]

[Tony walked through the party with Maya, reminiscing. "I never imagined that my actions back then would lead to such consequences. How could I have known?"]

[Suddenly, a man with a cane pushed through the crowd, calling out, "Mr. Stark!"]

[Tony didn’t react at first, but the man rushed up to him and introduced himself excitedly, "I’m Aldrich Killian. A huge fan of your work!"]

[Maya raised an eyebrow. "My work?"]

[Tony, naturally assuming Killian was talking about him, smirked. "Well, of course! I do have a lot of fans."]

[Killian quickly corrected him. "Actually, Ms. Hansen, our organization has been following your research since your sophomore year at MIT!"]

[Everyone entered the elevator. When Happy wasn’t paying attention, Killian slipped in as well.]

[Tony was impressed. "Oh! He’s good—managed to squeeze in!"]

[Happy, unimpressed, placed a firm hand between Tony, Maya, and Killian. "What floor, buddy?"]

[Killian remained unfazed. "That’s the right question! I want to start a business, and I have a brilliant proposal."]

["It’s a privately funded think tank called Advanced Idea Mechanics!"]

[Killian eagerly handed business cards to both Tony and Maya.]

[Tony took a moment to inspect them before tossing them back to Maya. "Here, take both. Keep one and throw the other away—it’s just going to collect dust anyway."]

[Maya sighed and pocketed them.]

["Advanced Idea Mechanics—AIM for short!" Killian gestured to the acronym on his shirt.]

["Got it. It’s written on your T-shirt," Tony replied nonchalantly.]

Chapter 309: The Extremis Virus Unveiled

[At this moment, the elevator arrived at the floor, and Tony’s sharp tongue flared up again. “Ladies, follow the mullet! Ladies first!”]

[Hearing Tony’s sarcastic remark, Happy shook his head helplessly. If anyone knew what it was like to have a boss with a sharp tongue, it was definitely him.]

[Maya waved her business card at Killian. “Thank you, I’ll be in touch.”]

[Seeing this, Tony, feeling a little jealous, stopped Killian and decided to tease him. “It would be really exciting if we could work together!”]

[Killian looked at Tony, somewhat flattered. “Really?”]

[“Yeah! I really like to work with you! I’ll see you on the roof in five minutes! I have to go get the meat wet now! Do you understand me?”]

[Tony pressed the elevator’s door-close button and walked out.]

[Killian, overjoyed, thought Tony genuinely wanted to work with him. “Okay! See you on the rooftop later!”]

[“See you there!”]

Aldrich Killian stared at the screen, his expression darkening as he recalled that humiliating night—freezing on that damned rooftop, waiting all night for Tony Stark, who never showed up!

But what did it mean for this scene to be broadcasted on the Sky Screen? Given that everyone featured on the screen had a significant role, his presence here was no coincidence.

His hatred for Tony was undeniable. If this was foreshadowing, it meant he would inevitably stand against him.

Killian started analyzing what about him might be worth such attention. After some thought, only one thing stood out—the Extremis virus!

He knew better than anyone how powerful yet unstable the virus was. If mishandled, it was nothing short of a walking bomb!

Recalling what the Sky Screen had previously revealed about Tony and Pepper’s impending crisis, it wasn’t hard to conclude—his future self would most likely launch an attack on Tony Stark… and fail.

Realizing this, Killian knew he couldn’t sit idly by and wait for his downfall. If the entire world learned about the Extremis virus, his own safety would be in jeopardy.

Maya Hansen, watching alongside him, had similar thoughts. She was well aware that the overheating issue of the Extremis virus was still unresolved. If this broadcast was showing Killian, it could only mean trouble.

She suddenly felt a sense of unease. She had seen glimpses of Killian’s ambitions before, but now, she feared just how far he was willing to go.

[“Come on! I thought it was just a hypothesis!” Tony’s eyes widened in surprise as he examined Maya’s research.]

[“Well, it turns out to be real! If my calculations are correct, we can access the area of the brain responsible for self-healing functions and chemically reprogram it!”]

[Maya explained as she showed him the data.]

[“Incredible! That means you can crack the genetic operating system of an organism!” Tony immediately grasped the essence of the research.]

[“Operating system! That’s right!” Maya nodded excitedly.]

[Happy, growing bored, absentmindedly fiddled with the leaves of Maya’s potted plant. Maya quickly pointed at him. “Could you—sorry—could you please not touch my potted plant?”]

[Happy frowned, confused. “What?”]

[“She doesn’t like this… She prefers… not to be disturbed.” Maya hesitated before finding the right words.]

[Tony, much more direct, quipped, “She doesn’t like being touched! Come on! Go to the bedroom! Happy, don’t touch her potted plants!”]

[Tony then walked into the room, carrying Maya’s laptop.]

[Maya, feeling a little awkward, added, “Because… you’d better not touch it.”]

[Tony glanced back. “So you started with plants?”]

[“So far, yeah! I call it the Extremis virus.”]

[She had intended to explain how she had already injected the virus into the potted plant, but Tony’s question interrupted her train of thought.]

[Happy, still a little annoyed, yanked a handful of leaves from the plant and tossed them aside in defiance.]

[Tony frowned. “But…”]

[Seeing his hesitation, Maya asked, “What’s wrong?”]

[Then, simultaneously, Maya and Tony said, “Apply it to humans!”]

[“Exactly! It can activate necrotic tissue!” Maya beamed, delighted that Tony shared her vision.]

[She continued enthusiastically, “It could prevent diseases and even regenerate severed limbs!”]

[A revolutionary breakthrough—if successful, it would change the world.]

[Lost in conversation, neither of them noticed that the part of the potted plant Happy had plucked had started regenerating at an alarming speed, sprouting fresh branches and leaves within seconds.]

[Tony looked at Maya and praised, “You are the most talented woman I’ve ever met!”]

[“Wow!” Maya hadn’t expected such high praise. Though, in hindsight, she should have guessed Tony wouldn’t let it go without adding something else.]

[Sure enough, he smirked and added, “Only in Switzerland.”]

[“That’s more like it.” Maya chuckled, amused by his teasing. She reached up to remove his glasses. “You’re cute.”]

[“You’ve got good taste! You almost bought into it, didn’t you?” Tony laughed.]

[Maya placed his glasses on her head. The two of them locked eyes, and Happy, understanding the situation, tactfully moved to close the door.]

[Just as they leaned in for a kiss, the potted plant behind Happy suddenly exploded!]

[The room shook as they all recoiled in shock. Maya glanced at the destroyed plant and sighed. “That’s the little problem I was talking about.”]

[“Have you checked the telomere algorithm?” Tony asked, still lying on the floor from the explosion.]

[Maya, slightly disoriented, turned to him. “What?”]

[Happy finally snapped out of it and rushed forward. “Get down! Don’t move!”]

[Tony, pinned under Happy’s weight, groaned. “It’s okay! You’re lying on top of me, I’m not dead!”]

[After checking the area and confirming there was no immediate danger, Happy got off him. The two of them exchanged confused glances.]

[“What the hell just happened?”]

[“Just a minor issue in my project,” Maya explained nonchalantly.]

[“She was talking about this little problem!” Tony spread his hands in exasperation.]

[At that moment, cheers erupted from outside. Happy looked toward the window. “It’s the year 2000 now!”]

[“No way! Happy New Year!” Tony blinked, momentarily thrown off by the realization of how much time had passed.]

[The group exchanged “Happy New Year!” wishes, but the moment was short-lived as Tony kicked Happy out of the room.]

[Maya, meanwhile, stared at the remnants of the exploded plant, deep in thought.]

Chapter 310: The Prodigal Son's Armor

“Wow, this is very similar to my research!” The second-generation Dr. Connors muttered as he analyzed Maya’s findings. He immediately saw the parallels between her Extremis research and his own regeneration technology—both aimed at achieving self-healing.

The key difference was their approach. Maya sought to enhance the body’s natural regenerative functions, whereas Connors attempted to achieve similar results by implanting genes from other species.

Both methods had their merits, but each also carried its own inherent flaws. Maya’s research had a critical overheating issue, leading to volatile explosions, while Connors’ method carried the risk of genetic instability—turning people into monstrous hybrids.

So far, Connors had been unable to prevent foreign DNA from permanently altering human genetics. Likewise, Maya had yet to resolve the overheating problem in the Extremis virus.

Maya glanced up at the Sky Screen, a frown forming on her face. The fact that her research was being broadcasted meant it was of significant importance. Should she seek out Tony Stark?

Her thoughts drifted to Tony’s cryptic words—he had spoken about "planting the seeds of evil." That phrase immediately brought her mind to Killian. She knew Tony had tricked Killian back then, but if one had to pinpoint the root of the so-called "evil," Killian was undoubtedly connected to it.

Maya reached for the business card Tony had left for her that morning, a relic of their brief encounter. She had held onto it all these years.

Meanwhile, Tony was also beginning to remember Maya. It had been so long that he hadn’t recognized her at first. Now, his attention shifted toward Killian—the man leaning on a cane.

Seeing Maya's research reminded Tony of Connors’ work, piquing his curiosity. He wondered whether she had succeeded in overcoming the challenges she once faced.

As for Aldrich Killian—the man he had invited to the rooftop all those years ago—Tony wracked his brain but couldn’t recall him at all. That meant he never actually went to meet the guy. Could that oversight be the root of his impending troubles?

He shared his theory with Pepper, who agreed. Without wasting time, the two decided to investigate both Killian and Maya.

[The crowd below erupted in cheers, celebrating the arrival of the new millennium. Meanwhile, Killian stood alone on the rooftop, shivering in the cold wind. He glanced at his watch—it had been nearly half an hour since Tony had promised to meet him.]

[“So why am I telling you this? Because, at that moment, I unknowingly planted the seeds of my own misfortune!”]

[In a flashback, Tony scribbled a note on a card beside the bed before leaving: You know who I am!]

[After setting the card down, he exited the room. Maya turned to watch him leave. The two parted ways, a brief but unforgettable moment in time.]

[“Yeah! Those were great times!” Tony mused. “Then I moved on. After my little vacation in an Afghan cave, I never went to a party again! Completely forgot about that night in Switzerland.”]

[Cut to present-day Malibu—Tony stood in his basement workshop. "Now I’ve been reborn. I’m not the same as before! I am… well, you know who I am."]

[The camera panned to show Tony testing his latest Mark Armor. "Trial number forty-six!"]

[He injected something into his arm, letting out a sharp hiss of pain with each dose.]

[Jarvis chimed in, "Sir, may I suggest a few hours of calibration—"]

[Tony cut him off immediately. "No! Forty-eighth attempt! Micro-transponder injection complete!" He shook his arm, wiping away the small trace of blood.]

[“As you wish, sir! I have also prepared safety protocols for you to ignore!” Jarvis quipped.]

[Tony didn’t even glance up. “Then ignore them and start the test!”]

[He turned his attention to a small robot sweeping the floor nearby. "Hey, Dum-E! You know what you did. That hat suits you perfectly."]

[The little robot, wore a white cap with "FOOL" written on it.]

[Still receiving no response, Tony sighed and walked past it, even throwing a few Wing Chun moves at the wooden training post in his workshop.]

[“What are you standing there for? You know what you did. Clean the blood off the mat!” Tony ordered Dum-E, pointing to the spot where he had been sitting.]

[Jarvis, seeing that Tony was about to push forward with his experiment, felt the need to remind him: "Sir, might I point out that you haven’t slept for nearly seventy-two hours?"]

[Tony playfully jabbed at one of Jarvis’ cameras before clapping his hands and admiring his display of Mark armor suits—lined up from Mark II to Mark VII.]

"Oh! That’s the robot that saved Tony Stark!" The second-generation Spider-Man pointed at Benben.

Harry, standing beside him, nodded. He recognized it too, but his attention was drawn to the Mark armor on display. Unfortunately, the Sky Screen only gave a brief shot of them, making it difficult to identify all the models.

To be honest, Harry had always been fascinated by artificial intelligence and advanced armor, but Oscorp’s internal turmoil had halted many of their research projects.

The reason the second-generation Spider-Man had come today was that, after seeing Maya’s research, he thought of Connors’ regeneration technology. He wanted to discuss with him whether there was any potential overlap between the two fields.

Connors explained the key differences in their approaches but admitted that there was potential for collaboration.

[“Alright, ladies and gentlemen, good evening! Welcome to the delivery room! I’m proud to announce the birth of a lively, cool, and absolutely awesome little brother!”]

[Tony gestured dramatically before instructing Jarvis. "Start with a close-up, then zoom out. Add a timestamp!"]

[With that, the test began.]

[“Mark 42 self-assembly propulsion suit test, initiating program!” He spread his arms in anticipation.]

[A pile of armor components lit up on a nearby table.]

[“Jarvis, play some music.”]

[A song kicked in, and Tony swayed to the rhythm, looking smug as he enjoyed his own performance.]

[After indulging in a little self-absorbed dancing, he struck a pose toward the table of armor components. When nothing happened, he repeated the motion. Still no response.]

[Tony frowned. “Damn it!”]

[He wondered if he had injected the transponder too deep, preventing the signal from working. Taking a deep breath, he patted his arm and tried again.]

[This time, something moved. A gauntlet from the table flickered to life, lifting into the air before shooting toward him at high speed.]

[The force of the impact caused Tony’s arm to recoil slightly before the armor snapped into place, locking around his forearm.]

[Moments later, more pieces came to life. The left shoulder guard and elbow armor swiftly flew over, seamlessly attaching to his body.]

[He extended his other hand, and the right-arm armor pieces launched from the table, heading straight for him.]