Chapter 74: The Conceptual Stage of the Dark Alliance, Peter as a Teaching Assistant at Gotham University

"It's over!"

Max gasped for breath, fine beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

"Punisher, thank you!"

He spoke sincerely to Peter:

"I used to think you were a lunatic, but now I see you're the real hero."

"Also, could you apologize to Spider-Woman for me? I lost my mind earlier, and anger clouded my judgment."

"Thankfully, you stopped me from making an even bigger mistake."

Peter nodded.

"Spider-Woman won't mind."

"Instead of saying meaningless words, why not fight for your rights?"

Max was stunned:

"But... Smythe is already dead."

"Max, some things don't need me to remind you. You should be able to figure it out yourself."

"Your patent ended up in Smythe's hands, and that's not something he could have done alone."

With that, Peter grabbed Max's arm and headed to Oscorp.

Norman Osborn was dead.

Harry Osborn was dead.

The massive company had no heir!

The shareholders were at each other's throats at the conference table.

Whether through schemes or tricks, everyone was vying for control of this $200 billion empire.

Even though it was late at night and the employees had all gone home, the company's leadership was still arguing at the conference table.

This was a war, and wars only end when the spoils are divided.

On the long conference table, candles were neatly arranged.

"I've been with this company for ten years. I helped Norman build this empire!"

"Now that he's dead, the company should be mine."

"Sorry, I don't agree. This company isn't about who's been here the longest."

"In terms of contribution, none of you here can match me."

"Stop arguing. Can't we discuss this calmly?"

A short-haired woman, clearly tired of the chaos in the conference room, spoke up.

She had already made enough money.

The only reason she was still here was to protect her shares.

Just then, the lights in the dim conference room suddenly turned on.

Along with the lights, two figures appeared.

Peter stood on the conference table.

The sudden turn of events shocked everyone, their eyes wide open!

Peter ignored their reactions.

Pointing at Max, he said to the group:

"I don't know who you are, nor do I care."

"This man invented the power grid, which has brought huge profits to Oscorp."

"But he never received the patent fees."

"I don't care who pays for it, but by tomorrow, his account must have an extra $10 million."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone fell silent, and the room was momentarily quiet.

Then came roaring laughter.

Clearly, these business elites hadn't been keeping up with the Daily Bugle's news.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have dared to mock the infamous Punisher like this.

"Harry Osborn is dead. Are the company's security guards not working anymore? Who let this guy in?"

"This is a high-level meeting. Who are you? Get out!"

Zap!

Two beams of light shot out.

The two who had spoken first had their heads instantly pierced!

"Ahhh!!!"

A woman screamed in terror.

Peter shot another beam.

Anyone who made noise would die.

After five or six people had died, less than half of the original group remained in the conference room.

"Next time, think before you speak!"

Peter glared fiercely at the remaining people.

Just then, one person stood up.

As a member of Oscorp's management, his net worth was already in the billions. He couldn't tolerate being humiliated like this.

"You thug, the law will punish you. The police will throw you in jail."

Peter chuckled:

"If you trust the New York police so much, do you think they'll save you from hell?"

With that, another laser beam shot out.

Another person fell to the ground.

"Don't worry, we'll transfer the money to this gentleman's credit card immediately," the short-haired woman said, her voice trembling.

Peter looked at her.

"How rare. It seems there's someone in your company who can understand human language."

Peter then addressed the others:

"Since that's the case, why don't we let this lady take charge of Oscorp?"

"If anyone else dares to cause trouble here, just let me know."

"I guarantee they'll stay quiet."

"Max, give your information to this lady."

"Oh! Yes, sir!"

After finishing this, Peter took Max to Gotham.

"From now on, you'll live in Gotham."

"Don't cause trouble. If you behave well, I might even help you by taking the arc reactor from Stark's chest and giving it to you."

Max was moved to tears.

"Don't worry, sir. I won't let you down."

"If you ever need anything, just ask. I won't refuse anything."

He was overwhelmed with gratitude. For the first time in his life, he felt understood.

Peter didn't say much more.

He left Max with a few hundred-dollar bills and returned to New York.

[You helped Max.]

[A decent, hardworking person shouldn't be bullied by bad people. You've earned Max's loyalty.]

[You've gained an enhancement opportunity.]

[Choose one of the following three options.]

[Steel Body]

[Heat Vision]

[Spider-Sense]

Peter didn't hesitate this time and immediately chose Steel Body. 

Heat Vision wasn't necessary for now, as the beams from his eyes were already a combination of Heat Vision and the Pig Talisman.

And the Pig Talisman had been upgraded.

As for Spider-Sense...

Any danger he could sense, he could handle.

Dangers he couldn't sense, well...

So upgrading Steel Body was the better choice.

Boosting his defense would significantly improve his ability to handle threats.

Just then, the mechanical voice in his ear sounded again.

[You've received a suggestion.]

[A true man should not live under others' control.]

[Whether it's the Justice League or the Avengers, neither is the best choice for you.]

[Instead of being controlled, why not control others?]

[Those you've saved are now loyal to you.]

[Oswald Cobblepot, Otto Octavius, Dr. Connors, and Max will become your most loyal subordinates.]

Peter's lips twitched. The system really knew what he was thinking.

Earlier, when Nick Fury invited him to join S.H.I.E.L.D., Peter had refused.

He didn't want to be constrained.

I'm already a Homelander. Why should I be controlled by others?

His previous plan was to earn more points, unlock the Silver Superman template, and then establish his own organization.

Back in the day, Emperor Qin Shi Huang only knew about the seven warring states and the Baiyue region.

Through the efforts of six generations, he built a vast empire.

Kublai Khan's cavalry swept across Europe, but he failed because he could conquer but not govern.

Peter felt it was his duty to carry on the legacy of these ancient rulers.

The world has been divided for too long. It's time for a single ruler.

But right now, he had some power, but not enough.

He had a plan, but it wasn't ready to be implemented.

Only after unlocking the Silver Superman template would he truly be secure.

[You have a new mission: Form the Dark Alliance.]

[Reward: 100,000 points, distributed in batches as the alliance forms.]

[You will also receive $1 billion.]

[Please choose your base of operations.]

The next second, Peter's bank account gained several zeros.

Peter stretched.

It seemed he was going to be busy from now on.

If he really formed the Dark Alliance, future conflicts with other organizations would be inevitable.

Who knows? Maybe we'll see Electro fighting Thor.

Who would win?

Would Max drain the electricity from Thor's hammer, or would Thor fry Max with lightning?

Peter was already looking forward to this thunderous battle.

Back home, Gwen had already returned and was freshened up.

"Peter, are you okay? Were you hurt?"

Gwen rushed to the door.

"I'm fine. Max's electricity had no effect on me."

"Phew!"

Gwen's worries eased.

"That's good."

"By the way, you didn't kill Max, did you? He's a good person."

Peter shook his head.

"Of course not. How could I ignore your request?"

"I sent him to Gotham."

"If he stayed in New York, he'd definitely be caught."

"After all, I have a police chief as my future father-in-law, don't I?"

Hearing this, Gwen blushed.

But she didn't argue.

In her heart, she was certain she'd marry Peter someday.

"Peter, you're so smart."

"Gotham is the place in America with the least respect for the law. I hope Max doesn't turn into a monster again."

Peter casually walked behind Gwen and gave her a playful slap on the butt.

"Still worrying about others, huh?"

"What about you? Are you okay?"

"Max couldn't really hurt me."

"But if he had hurt you, I wouldn't have hesitated to go back and finish him off."

"After all, it's because of you that I put on this suit and became the Punisher."

Gwen rubbed her wrist and smiled.

"I'm not that fragile, Peter. You're so good to me."

"It's just that my web-shooters got fried."

Peter chuckled:

"That's not a problem. I'll fix them for you."

"I'll even upgrade them to be shockproof."

As he said this, Peter's mind was already scheming how to mooch off Stark.

When could he get Stark to make a suit for Gwen too?

A multifunctional one!

The next afternoon.

Peter only had half a day of classes. Being a genius, and with his super brain, learning came easily to him.

He didn't need to work too hard to achieve excellent grades.

Gwen went straight home after class. She was exhausted these past few days.

The main culprit was Peter.

No superhuman body could withstand his energy.

Peter, on the other hand, went to Stark Industries.

Because of his familiarity with Stark, he could enter the company without an appointment.

At the moment, Tony was in the lab, repairing JARVIS.

This time, even if he had to turn JARVIS into a debater, he wouldn't let Peter outsmart him again.

Come on!

Who was he? He was Tony Stark!

Not just any genius, but a famous one!

His portrait still hung in the halls of MIT.

Losing to a high schooler was too embarrassing.

The glass door to the office slid open.

Peter walked in, lay down on Stark's couch, and started munching on his snacks.

"Mr. Stark, there's no need to be upset."

"After all, artificial intelligence isn't your specialty. You've already done a great job."

Tony glared at Peter.

"Do you have to rub it in?"

"Anyway, next time JARVIS won't be outsmarted by you."

"By the way, aren't universities busy these days? How did you just waltz into my office?"

"Besides Pepper, you're the only one with this privilege."

"Who's the first?" Peter asked casually, popping a chip into his mouth.

Tony shrugged:

"That person is already dead. I sent him to hell myself."

"Ah, never mind. Let's not talk about that."

"So, why are you here? Just to humiliate me and satisfy your competitive streak?"

"I'm not that bored, Mr. Stark."

"I'm here to see Nick Fury."

"I need to talk to him about the Punisher."

Tony put down his wrench, tossed his tools aside, and walked to the fridge, pulling out two bottles of Coke. He tossed one to Peter.

The label on the Coke read:

"Special Edition for Mr. Stark."

Peter: "..."

"What did the Punisher tell you? Can you share some info?"

Peter replied:

"He said he's not interested and hasn't seen any sincerity from S.H.I.E.L.D."

"His refusal to join the Avengers was expected."

"Why would he take on a job for free? S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't even offer any benefits. They couldn't even promise basic stuff like health insurance, could they?"

Tony took a sip of Coke.

"You're right. Nick Fury is a bit stingy."

"Wanting to be the boss but not paying his people? That's not how it works."

"So, Peter, what about you?"

Tony looked at Peter:

"I remember that one-eyed guy wanted to recruit you too."

"Any interest?"

Peter smiled:

"Mr. Stark, I'm still a college student. I should focus on my studies."

"I have no interest in being a secret agent."

"And I don't think I'm qualified for such a job."

"Unless Nick Fury can give me a new identity."

"What identity?"

"How about a professor of criminal psychology at Gotham University?"

Tony doubted his ears.

"You, a freshman in college, want to teach a bunch of graduate students?"

"That's the funniest thing I've heard since the 2012 doomsday predictions."

"I'll pass your request to Nick Fury the next time I see him."

"But I doubt he'll agree."