After entering the school, the principal directly led Merlin to his office.
"Xiao, have a seat first." The principal was named Ant-Sauce, a mixed-race man in his fifties wearing a suit. He looked fit and sturdy, his face full of kindness and gratification as he looked at Merlin.
"Please, have a seat as well." After Merlin sat down, the principal invited the representatives from the other tech companies to sit.
A teacher came in carrying tea and poured everyone a cup.
Once the room had quieted down, Principal Ant-Sauce swept his gaze across everyone present. However, when his eyes landed on a middle-aged man in a black suit and glasses, looking every bit the successful businessman, he could not help but look surprised.
"Justin Hammer, you came in person?"
Justin Hammer, president of Hammer Industries. A military technology company famous for knockoffs and cheap products.
Though its reputation was not particularly good, the company had still managed to survive under the pressure of Stark Industries, which meant it had some remarkable qualities of its own.
The first thing Merlin thought of when he saw the man was fireworks—Ex-Wife missiles.
Of course, he did not mean to underestimate him.
"This kid is a genius. He is worth a personal trip. As long as he joins Hammer Industries, I will definitely train him to become even stronger than Tony Stark."
Although Tony Stark was often seen in all kinds of entertainment venues and constantly surrounded by tabloid scandals, earning him titles like playboy, no one dared underestimate the intelligence behind the military products Stark Industries released time and time again.
As long as Tony Stark was around, Hammer Industries would never be able to turn things around.
But last night's Tech Expo had given Hammer hope.
Merlin felt nothing as he listened to the grand promises being spun for him. Instead, he was considering whether he could draw Hammer Industries into the game.
Beyond that, he also wanted to recruit one of the most important NPCs in the game: a mechanic.
Justin Hammer's daughter, Justin Hammer—the future Scarlet Cloak—was not only capable of spatial teleportation through her cloak, but was also a shrewd businesswoman and negotiation expert.
She would be perfectly suited to serve as both a mechanic and at Common Prosperity Insurance.
"Then why not join Stark Industries? You could join forces with Tony, and the two of you would make a powerful team." A representative from Stark Industries could not help standing up. He had received Obadiah's orders to recruit this high school student into the company at any cost.
Obadiah clearly wanted to cultivate someone to replace Tony, someone who would work for him wholeheartedly.
"If you go there, Tony Stark will only keep you down. Only Hammer Industries can give you the best stage."
"Stark Industries is willing to offer our utmost sincerity. If you are willing, President Stark can personally teach you. You will grow much faster that way."
Merlin secretly scoffed. From what he knew of Tony, the man did not seem like the type who enjoyed teaching others.
Hammer and Stark Industries began arguing in the office, but neither side offered any concrete terms, only one enticing promise after another.
The other tech companies also tried to join the discussion.
"Gentlemen, please quiet down. I think the person you should be speaking to is my guardian. This is not something I can decide on my own."
"If there is nothing else, I am going to class." Watching the chattering group gave Merlin a headache. Ignoring their pleading looks, he picked up his backpack and swiftly left the office.
"Th-This..." The people in the office stared blankly at the person at the center of it all, who had suddenly left.
Merlin was already an adult, and any contract he signed would be legally binding, so they had wanted to tempt him in advance with their lofty promises.
Yet he had left without the slightest hesitation.
"George Stacy..." Hammer and the others wore pained expressions. They truly did not like dealing with the police, especially not an upright and incorruptible police captain. People like that were the hardest to deal with.
They could not help looking toward the principal...
"Our school respects the students' wishes." Ant-Sauce smiled at them. In truth, even if Merlin had been tempted, he would have stopped him.
The main reason he had allowed them to come was to promote the school.
Major tech companies gathering at Midtown High School, all to compete for one student...
Once that news got out, would Midtown High School's reputation not rise even further?
Merlin had just returned to the classroom when Gwen, seated behind him, happily waved at him.
Merlin smiled in response, then looked toward someone who surprised him somewhat: Peter Parker.
Peter's face was pale, as if he had just recovered from a serious illness. When he saw Merlin enter the classroom, his eyes lit up.
"Peter, are you all right?" Merlin asked casually, taking the chance to probe why Peter had kept chasing him last night.
As he approached, a faint stench made him frown instinctively.
"I'm fine, just a bit of a cold." Peter shook his head, then enthusiastically began chatting with Merlin.
"Do you know anything about the Cross-species Regeneration Gene Experiment?" Peter suddenly asked as they chatted.
"The Cross-species Regeneration Gene Experiment? Lizard? Salamanders?" Merlin raised his brows and asked uncertainly.
"Yes. After visiting Professor Connors's experiment at Osborn Industries last time, I realized the problem might lie in the experimental algorithm."
"But I can't work it out for now, so I wanted to ask whether you have done any research in this area."
Merlin: "..."
All right, now he knew why Peter had tried to grab him last night. Peter had probably noticed that he was too smart.
The old Merlin had indeed done some research in biology and gotten along well with Peter.
But after the game appeared, he had rarely researched that field.
Unless games like Resident Evil or Prototype came out, he would not continue studying it.
"Send me an email. I'll take a look when I have time." Now that he understood the situation, Merlin no longer dwelled on it. Instead, he looked at Peter thoughtfully.
Having Peter serve as a minor boss supporting a city storyline quest would not be bad either.
When the time came, he could pay him a salary. With Merlin and Gwen keeping an eye on him, along with Peter's powerful physique and healing ability, nothing too serious should happen.
A full day of classes left Merlin drowsy. Later, he simply took out his Notebook and began building the Onion Website.
He would probably finish setting up the platform in three days. Then, once Saturday came, he could recruit a few players to test the waters.
After school, Merlin and Gwen returned home. Seeing that there were not many vegetables left in the refrigerator, they had no choice but to head back out to the supermarket and buy some groceries.
Gwen came along as well.
However, on their way home, a heavily made-up woman in revealing clothes called out to him from the street.
"Hey, buddy, need some service? Just thirty dollars, and I'll do anything you want." With a cigarette hanging from her lips, the woman gave Merlin a seductive wink.
Merlin stopped and pondered for a moment. "Sure. Come with me."
Gwen behind him: "???"
Before you continue