Stark's Sky-High Psychological Treatment

Schiller saw that Stark was indeed on the verge of madness. His mental state was a mess, and with telepathy, even through the wall, Schiller was getting a headache from the man's chaotic and tangled thoughts.

Schiller took a deep breath and walked in. As soon as Stark looked up and rolled his eyes, he gave Schiller a huge, dismissive glare.

Although he looked a bit haggard, he wasn't disheveled. The consequence of being too proud was that Schiller could feel he was at the breaking point, just unwilling to show it in front of Pepper.

Schiller cleared his throat. Pepper gave Stark a worried glance before turning and leaving. Schiller sat down opposite Stark and said, "Mr. Stark, may I ask you a question?"

"What do you want to ask? Are you going to play mind games with me and talk philosophy? Or discuss those utterly useless psychological theories?"

"Ahem, neither. I wanted to ask about my hourly rate."

Stark was clearly stunned by the question. He said with utter disbelief, "What did you say?"

"I said I wanted to know the price of my psychological counseling, because I was drunk when Miss Pepper discussed the price with me and forgot it all when I woke up," Schiller said.

Stark was speechless at this point. He waved his hand and said, "You shouldn't choose abstract topics that you psychologists commonly use... like the meaning of life, the object of sorrow, and so on..."

"Yes, that's the next step, after we officially begin the consultation. But I need to confirm first if you can afford my psychological counseling fees."

Stark's eyes widened in shock. "What did you say?! Do you know who I am? My God, are you some kind of primitive man? Don't you recognize me? Don't you know this is Stark Tower?"

"Yes, I know you're very rich, Mr. Stark, but how much money you have and what price you're willing to pay are two different things."

"...How much do you want?"

"One million dollars an hour, non-negotiable."

"Take it! Take it! You mercenary mad doctor, are you crazy? One million dollars! I could hire a dozen beautiful women on a yacht..."

"I vaguely heard someone say he was very rich."

Stark was truly at a loss for words with Schiller. He said, "Did Pepper send you to mess with me? Very well! Go tell her! She succeeded! I've already explained that the party I threw last time was just to say goodbye to my ex-girlfriends, not to do anything else. Why doesn't she believe me!"

Schiller said, "A dozen beautiful women on a yacht won't make you feel any better, sir, especially when you feel like you're about to die."

Stark's exaggerated physical movements stopped. He stiffened for a moment, then turned back to look at Schiller, his gaze suspicious.

Schiller sat there calmly and said, "You're very afraid of death right now, but perhaps what truly scares you isn't death itself, but the lack of opportunity to rectify your mistakes..."

"Bullshit. Who are you? Who the hell are you?" Stark's emotions began to run high. He said, "Did Pepper tell you something... No, she doesn't know either, you..."

Stark stared directly at Schiller and said, "Don't play these mind games with me. I don't believe in any damn mind-reading in this world."

"There's no mind-reading in the world, only psychology," Schiller said.

He stood up and said to Stark, "You can continue to be evasive. Anyway, my consultation fee is one million dollars an hour. If we waste any more time, I'll be able to afford a new car."

Stark's head ached from Schiller's alternating between seriousness and rambling. He said, "How did you see through me? With that ridiculous psychology?"

"That's not important. What's important is that the only advice I can give you is to deal with the issue of death first. Of course, you might think I'm oversimplifying it."

"But the method is..."

Schiller paused. Stark stared at him with wide eyes. Schiller said, "Pay a 50% deposit first, and then we'll proceed with the rest of the treatment."

Stark was practically fuming, smoke coming out of his ears. He was so angry he laughed. He picked up the phone and called Pepper. "My darling, where did you find a vampire doctor? ... Yes, he's charging me a million dollars an hour..."

Schiller directly snatched the phone and said, "Miss Pepper, Mr. Stark's unit of calculation for a million dollars is a dozen beautiful women on a yacht..."

Then he hung up, shook his phone, and said, "It'll be in your account in five minutes."

Stark continued to stare at him.

Stark crossed his arms and said, "Go on, I'd like to see what you have to say."

"What have you been avoiding?"

"What? What have I been avoiding?"

"You'd better ask yourself. The answer is hidden within this. I'm not talking about Miss Pepper's death-threat calls or ambiguous texts from ex-girlfriends. I'm serious..."

Schiller leaned on the table, arms crossed, and pushed his glasses up. "I've never seen such a peculiar case. It's unique, very rare..."

Stark shivered and said, "Hey, I don't like men. Stay away from me."

"You're not as absurd as you appear. I know someone very much like you. He disguises himself as a playboy, like a carefree fool who never thinks about tomorrow."

"But he's very smart, too smart, so he's been waiting for someone to give him an answer, an answer that comes from... his past."

Stark looked at Schiller, and Schiller looked back. Stark said in a low voice, "I'll give you two million dollars. Leave here, and I'll tell Pepper your treatment was very effective. I..."

"If I'm not mistaken, Miss Pepper is listening right now," Schiller said.

Stark fell silent. Schiller said, "Two million dollars, and I'll tell you a truly effective method."

"Deal."

"Your past, the part you avoid the most, holds all the answers you seek. I saw it in the news, the founder of Stark Industries, your father..."

"Enough," Stark said.

He turned away, and Schiller couldn't see his expression. Stark's voice trembled slightly. "Pepper will transfer the consultation fee to you. Leave here."

"...He will be willing to give you a second life. God bless you."

"Get out of here!!!"

After Schiller left, Stark smashed a wine glass on the table. Meanwhile, in a S.H.I.E.L.D. office, Nick Fury pressed his earpiece and said, "Investigate a psychologist named Schiller immediately. I need all his information right now."

After Schiller left, a large sum of money was quickly deposited into his account. He thought gleefully, although Stark was difficult to deal with now, you get what you pay for. He was still happy to help the rich guy solve his problems.

And soon, there was another surprise: Schiller discovered he could replicate Spider-Man's abilities.

It turned out that the previous lack of this function wasn't a system malfunction, but rather that Peter hadn't been bitten yet. Now that his spider abilities had manifested, Schiller could naturally replicate them.

Schiller clicked to replicate and obtained "Spider-Sense (Low-Level)". Compared to the shock he felt the moment he gained Telepathy, this felt rather unremarkable. Schiller felt his senses had slightly improved; he could see further and hear more clearly. As for intuition, Schiller hadn't felt anything yet.

He felt a bit regretful, wishing he could have the Spider-Man's physical abilities. But since it was a weakened version, it would probably only slightly enhance his athletic capabilities, nowhere near enough to fly through the sky or burrow through the earth.

Spider-Man didn't have that much strength initially either; his spider abilities developed gradually. From what he could see now, it was likely just slightly beyond that of an ordinary person, not too exaggerated.

However, now that Spider-Man's story had begun, Peter's uncle might also be in trouble. Schiller thought for a moment and then sent Peter a message: "How are you? Do you want to come to the hospital? I'm a doctor, and I can introduce you to a reliable trauma surgeon."

Peter's reply came quickly. He said, "Whoa! You're a doctor? That's so cool. Which hospital do you work at? What kind of doctor? Are you an orthopedic surgeon? But I don't think I need a surgeon anymore. I'm really happy right now, I feel like Gwen is going to agree to my pursuit any second now..."

Schiller said, "I still advise you to get checked out. Being bitten by an animal is no joke. We could also meet up then..."

Peter clearly hesitated. After all, meeting someone you met online at this time wasn't a good idea. He had just gained his spider abilities and was incredibly excited, not wanting to do anything else. Schiller said, "I think you can bring Miss Gwen along. I'm at Presbyterian Hospital, and I can arrange a free comprehensive physical for you both. Afterward, you can go to a coffee shop nearby..."

Peter was a little tempted. Firstly, his family situation wasn't great, and he didn't have the opportunity for check-ups. Moreover, no New Yorker hadn't heard of the prestigious Presbyterian Hospital. He said, "Thanks, but I'd like to bring my uncle and aunt too. They're older. Of course, this might be too much to ask. If it's not possible, just pretend I didn't say anything."

Schiller thought about it and figured this might be even better. He said, "Sure, I'll help you book it for this weekend. You can also try inviting Miss Gwen and her family. I can secure plenty of appointment slots."

Peter happily went to call Gwen. You see, he had always received help from Gwen. Because his family's financial situation wasn't good, Gwen always brought him snacks and yogurt. Peter always felt he couldn't help Gwen in any way, and thus felt guilty.

However, this was a good opportunity to repay her. Presbyterian Hospital wasn't easy to get into. Even though Gwen's father was the Chief of the New York Police Department, they would still have to wait a long time for a comprehensive physical, or might not be able to get one at all.

Peter felt like everything had been going incredibly smoothly for him lately. First, he had gained superpowers. Then, the friend he met online turned out to be a doctor at a major hospital, seemingly a attending physician. Now, his uncle and aunt wouldn't think he was wasting his time chatting online.