66

Chapter 66: Big Resolution Upgrade

Despite Tony's earlier declaration, death wasn't imminent. He now regretted his vulnerability and revealing his emotions to Pepper. If only he could have kept those feelings buried deep within himself!

But now, with his life restored and Pepper by his side, he had everything he wanted. Yet, he couldn't shake the feeling of having compromised his moral integrity.

"Damn it, what about iron will, passing on wisdom, and benefiting mankind... I..." Tony's lips trembled with emotion.

"Mr. Stark, are you alright?" Peter asked, concerned.

"I..." Tony hesitated, unsure how to respond. Instead, he changed the subject, diverting attention away. "Alright kid, you've done a tremendous job. Do you understand what you've achieved? You've ushered in a new era for humanity and... saved my life."

"I think credit should go to Mr. Howard. His World Expo model was surprisingly accurate," Peter remarked.

Tony fell silent at those words. Unaware of the video message Howard had left him, Tony couldn't grasp his father's expectations, leaving him frustrated and blaming Howard, even after 20 years of his passing.

"With all due respect, sir, current technology cannot synthesize new elements," Jarvis reminded him timely.

But Tony scoffed in response, "I'll do it. I'm more capable than him."

Grabbing Peter, Tony exclaimed, "Boy, let's take a ride in my luxury sports car!"

The two sped through the city, covering 160 yards in a blink before returning to Tony's mansion.

"Hurry up, let's renovate my villa," Tony urged Peter as they entered.

Controlled by Jarvis, robotic arms waved at Peter, "Hello, Peter."

They began demolishing the house without much chatter.

"Pick up that hammer and hit where marked... Impressive strength you've got there," Tony observed as Peter smashed through a wall.

"I work out regularly, Mr. Stark," Peter replied.

"Good... have your trainer call me tomorrow. Now, let's get to the wiring."

"Is the electrical box underground?"

"Yes, break up the floor. We're upgrading it," Tony instructed.

"No problem, I'm good at this," Peter assured.

"And the coils. Be careful with them... Move this debris here. The coils need to be perfectly aligned for the prism accelerator to function," Tony explained.

"Understood," Peter confirmed. "Is that right?"

"Yes, excellent. Construction's complete. Now, let's fire it up..."

Under Tony's guidance, everything was finally set.

Tony eyed the large prism accelerator before him, understanding its success or failure hinged upon this moment.

"I will succeed," Tony declared, taking a deep breath and opening the valve.

Electricity surged into the coils, layer upon layer, condensing into a laser beam refracted through the prism, striking the triangle at the device's center.

In an instant, the triangle transformed, radiating a dazzling light.

Using tweezers, Tony lifted the triangle, its new element glowing beautifully.

"Congratulations, sir. You've created a new element," Jarvis congratulated.

"Yes, indeed. I've done it..." Tony called Peter over. "Kid, this is half yours."

...

Meanwhile,

Returning to the legal department, Natasha found herself increasingly out of touch with Tony. Instead, she relied more on Pepper, her immediate boss, for information.

Today, Pepper's demeanor was peculiar, exuding a bittersweet sadness.

"What's wrong, Miss Pepper?" Natasha casually inquired while passing over documents.

"It's nothing..." Pepper couldn't divulge Tony's situation. She replied vaguely, "I might need to take a leave of absence."

"A leave? With due respect, as CEO, your absence will stall a lot of our operations..."

"Don't worry, I'll make arrangements. You might have to take on extra work for a while," Pepper assured.

"No problem," Natasha responded with a smile, hiding her disdain. Once out of the office, her cold expression returned.

Contacting Nick Fury, director of SHIELD, she reported, "I think we can close the net."

"Oh?"

"Tony Stark has been in a bad state, giving up on himself lately. Today, Pepper suddenly took leave. Something has changed, and we can't afford to wait any longer."

"Where are the others?"

"Bruce Banner remains mysterious. Since arriving at Stark's, he's secluded, rarely seen beyond time with his girlfriend, Betty. He's deep in meditation, controlling his emotions much like before."

"I see. And Connors?"

"Beyond his green skin, there's nothing noteworthy. We can likely ignore him," Natasha concluded.

"I understand," Fury acknowledged. "I'll try reaching out to Tony. His father left something significant with me."

...

Gwen swung onto a rooftop using her spider silk, alert as ever after her encounters with Kraven.

Squatting down, she surveyed the city lights, a hint of worry etched on her face.

Without her vibranium suit, Gwen faced tougher challenges and needed to be cautious against Kraven's attacks.

Their numerous battles had mostly ended in Gwen's defeat. While Kraven lacked Gwen's physical abilities, his decades of experience honed his skills and tactical acumen to a level she struggled to match.

Kraven's hunter instincts, akin to Spider-Sense, were heightened, making him a formidable adversary.

Gwen's growth and knowledge absorption from their encounters weren't enough.

Suddenly, Gwen's spider sense blared, and she instinctively threw a punch. Blocked mid-air, she recognized the figure: Batman.

"Black Superman?" Gwen exclaimed, releasing her grip.

Peter released Gwen's wrist and remarked, "Not bad. You've made progress."

"I-I'm sorry, Black Superman... I didn't know it was you," Gwen stammered apologetically.

Unfazed, Peter continued, "You seem to be in trouble."

"Y-yes," Gwen hesitated, then confessed, "I've encountered a tough opponent."

Puzzled by Batman's sudden appearance, Gwen asked, "Why are you here?"

Ignoring her question, Batman persisted in stimulating her spider sense, intensifying its warning signals.

Peter intensified his bio-force fields, further pressuring Gwen's Spider-Sense.

Gwen felt the urge to flee, but Batman urged her to stand firm.

"Do you want to defeat him?" Batman queried.

"Him? Kraven? Of course, but..." Gwen started, perplexed.

"Then hold on," Batman instructed.

Enduring the heightened spider sense, Gwen finally felt the tension break, the overwhelming danger dissipating.

Her body felt light, almost as if floating.

"What did you do?" Gwen asked, her spider sense still alert but more focused.

Inexplicably, Gwen's senses seemed sharper, her perception clearer. Though her vision and hearing were unchanged, she felt attuned to the world around her.

Wind, gravel, potted plants—even the mice—appeared clearer, like upgrading from 720p to 4K resolution.

Despite the newfound clarity, Gwen remained confused. "Thank you, but... why? I mean, why help me? We're not exactly close..."

Chuckling softly, Peter replied, "You're one of my chosen."

"What?" Gwen blinked, taken aback. "Chosen? What does that mean?"

"You'll find out soon. For now, focus on winning this hunt," Peter encouraged.

As he spoke, a distress call blared from Gwen's communication, reporting an attack on a prison van carrying Rhino.

"Requesting support! Requesting support! The van's been hit with heavy firepower and a concussion cannon..."

Simultaneously, in Murdock's office,

"Thriller (Shock Wave) has commenced. Are you ready?" Murdock asked Kraven.

Donning various weapons, Kraven prepared his traps, planning to ambush Spider-Woman.

"This will be our final hunt," Kraven declared confidently.

...