"Threat neutralized, sir. What were those things?"
JARVIS's voice rang through the villa, his tone as flat as ever, but Tony detected curiosity in his words.
Turning toward the bedroom, he said with a smile, "Just a bunch of creatures from the darkness."
"You'll see plenty more in the future."
With that answer, Tony closed his bedroom door and went to rest. What had just happened left no impression on him whatsoever.
The night passed quickly. The next day, Tony didn't go to the office as he had before. He had promised himself a vacation, after all. How could he go back on his word?
After breakfast, he drove his silver sports car out of the villa, leaving Happy and the others behind again.
Happy could only sigh helplessly.
Ever since his boss had returned from his disappearance, he had become even more unpredictable. He never took them along wherever he went, leaving Happy at a loss.
At a coffee shop downtown.
Tony sat by the window, a steaming cup of coffee on the table before him. Suddenly, someone walked in through the door.
"Order thirty-six. Hey, could you hurry it up, please?"
The young man urged the staff at the counter, glancing at his watch every so often and looking rather anxious.
Just then, a familiar voice came from behind him. "Hey, little Peter. Long time no see."
Peter whipped his head around. The moment he saw Tony, his expression changed.
Tony watched him with a smile, raising his coffee cup toward him. "Want to sit down for a drink?"
Peter hesitated, then finally walked over and sat down across from Tony.
"Sir, what do you want from me?"
"Our deal should be finished, shouldn't it?"
He looked resigned. Peter had no fondness whatsoever for the man who had forced him to kill someone.
But with his life still in the man's hands, he had no choice but to submit.
"Tsk. The great Spider-Man, New York's guardian, reduced to delivering food. What a surprise."
Tony sighed theatrically and took a satisfied sip of coffee, looking thoroughly deserving of a punch.
Taking a deep breath, Peter suppressed the urge and spoke again. "Sir, if there's nothing else, I'm leaving. I have a delivery to make, and I'm going to be late."
"Don't rush." Tony set down his coffee.
"I have another deal. Interested in hearing it?"
"Not interested."
Peter rejected him without a second thought.
But Tony continued in his unhurried voice, completely ignoring his refusal and leaving Peter looking utterly helpless.
"Help me capture someone. The head of the Osborn Group, Norman Osborn."
"Capture him alive and bring him to me."
"Shit, I refuse!"
Peter shot to his feet.
His reaction was understandable. His good friend Harry Osborn was Norman Osborn's son. How could he go after his best friend's family?
Seeing his reaction, Tony kept smiling. "Ten million dollars."
"Bring him back to me, and I'll give you ten million dollars."
"Think about the life you're living now. You're broke, and you don't even dare confess to the girl you like."
"But with that ten million, you could change all that."
"You could buy your family a big house. You could take off on a spontaneous trip with the person you love."
"You'd never have to scramble to make a living again. Think about all those wonderful things. Does it still seem so hard to accept?"
At that moment, Tony was like a devil, whispering temptations to Peter and luring him into corruption.
Peter, who had been so agitated just moments ago, sat back down, his expression shifting uncertainly.
As Tony spoke, his imagination ran wild. Images of Mary Jane and Aunt May kept flashing through his mind.
At that moment, he hesitated. His earlier resolve was gone.
"B-but I... I can't hurt Harry. He's my best friend!"
Peter's face was full of conflict.
Still smiling, Tony made a new offer. "Twenty million. Besides, I don't intend to hurt him, so you don't need to feel guilty."
"If I wanted to kill him, he wouldn't survive tonight. Don't you think?"
Thinking of Tony's abilities, Peter fell silent. That silence also meant he was tempted.
After an unknown stretch of time, Peter finally nodded. "All right. I agree."
"But I want to know why."
"You clearly have the ability to do it yourself. Why come to me?"
Peter's expression was serious.
Tony's smile widened. "Don't misunderstand. I just want to improve your life."
"The great Spider-Man has to struggle to make a living like everyone else. Don't you think that's ridiculous?"
"You have superpowers. You're beyond ninety-nine percent of the ordinary people in this world."
In the past, Peter would certainly have argued against that. He believed he was no different from anyone else, except that he had a few special abilities.
But now, he felt as though he had suddenly seen the light. That's right. I'm superhuman. Why should I still have to struggle to make a living?
"Order thirty-six is ready."
A call came from the counter.
The voice that would once have sounded perfectly normal now grated on Peter's ears.
The man before him could sit there quietly enjoying his morning coffee. Why did he have to keep running around?
The thought filled him with irritation.
Still, he forced that irritation down, went to the counter, picked up the coffee, and left.
Through the window, Tony watched Peter climb onto his little electric scooter and ride away, a trace of amusement flashing in his eyes.
Crossing a moral line was something you did either once or countless times. Peter's earlier killing of Ivan Vanko could still be blamed on Tony forcing him, but this time, Tony hadn't pressured him at all.
Besides, he could sense the resentment that had welled up inside Peter when he stood.
Clearly, their Spider-Man had gone astray. That passionate, kindhearted Spider-Man would never return.
At that thought, Tony couldn't help sighing. "What's happened to this world? More villains every day, fewer good people. How interesting."
Leaving a dollar bill on the table, Tony walked out of the coffee shop, climbed into his sports car, and sped away.
The roar of the sports car echoed through the street, drawing envious looks from many passersby.
Some said a person's character was something they were born with, but Tony believed it was shaped by the environment they grew up in.
The things you experienced determined the person you became.
Once Peter experienced things he had never gone through before, whether willingly or under duress, he was destined never to become Spider-Man again.
His path to darkness was assured.
So, who should my next target be?
As Tony drove his sports car, numerous figures from his memories flashed through his mind.
Before you continue