While Ward was gathering information about World War II, a plane was flying from New York to the Chinese capital.
Six-year-old Harry Osborn sat in first class, surrounded by his nanny and bodyguards. Beside him sat a boy who looked to be around ten.
Harry had spent a lot of time persuading his father to let him visit China. He'd said he wanted to spend a week as an exchange student at a famous university.
There were plenty of activities like this, but people of Harry's social standing generally didn't take part. Osborn was one of the top companies in the United States, and it sold weapons, too.
With such a sensitive identity, every move the Osborn family made could have far-reaching consequences. Under ordinary circumstances, they wouldn't seek any contact with China, lest their competitors take notice and find something to use against them.
But with Stark out of the weapons business, the only other major player, Hammer Industries, was completely outclassed by Osborn. When it came to supplying the U.S. military with equipment on a large scale, there was hardly anyone left who could compete with Osborn.
On top of that, the Forgivers Alliance had emerged as a solid union of shared interests, and Osborn Industries was expanding at a frightening pace. Its comprehensive partnership with Stark Industries had begun to double both companies' assets, while their stocks continued to soar.
Together, the two powerhouses had swept aside the competition, monopolizing more than half the weapons business and over seventy percent of the new energy market.
As a result, Norman Osborn wasn't especially concerned about such sensitivities anymore. Harry was usually a very well-behaved child, and Norman always felt guilty that he didn't have enough time for him. When his son finally made a request, of course he