"Sir, there's an intruder."
"Sir, there's an intruder."
Jarvis's voice was muffled, as if coming through several layers of glass, making Tony's head throb with an unbearable pain, like it was being split open by an axe.
"Ah..."
He reached out to cover his head, but it produced a crisp metallic sound.
It was only then that he remembered he was wearing his Battle Armor, his hands and head covered in metal.
As he regained some clarity, he felt an urge to urinate. Without thinking, Tony just let loose inside the armor. After a moment, he gave a satisfied shake, as if some of his drunkenness had dissipated.
Then, he heard a somewhat unfamiliar voice.
"You peed directly inside the armor? That's disgusting!"
Tony froze and quickly jumped up from the floor, knocking over several bottles of fine wine. But he paid no mind, instead warily looking towards a spot not far away.
There, a person in a tight black uniform sat in his chair, a giant white spider like a skeleton emblazoned on their chest. Gray chains were tightly wrapped around both of their arms.
"Spider-Kid?" Tony instinctively wanted to rub his eyes, wondering if he was dreaming. But as he reached out, there was another crisp sound.
"When did you change your outfit?" he asked.
Clearly, Tony hadn't paid any attention to the outside world during this time. Otherwise, he would have known that the person before him wasn't the Spider-Man from his memory, but Hacker.
He had been living in a drunken stupor, believing that the life he had snatched back from Death would eventually come to an end.
"Actually, I'm curious, how do you pee inside the armor?" Ben asked strangely. He clearly remembered Tony wearing clothes underneath.
"Do you just release it? Let the urine soak your thighs? Or did you install a catheter in the front?"
Tony's face darkened, clearly unwilling to continue the topic.
He took a deep breath and vented his frustration on Jarvis: "Jarvis, how did you let this guy in?!"
"Sir, I already alerted you that there was an intruder. He infiltrated my Security System..." Jarvis replied.
"What?"
This made Tony even more astonished.
He had specifically reinforced his Security System after it was once invaded by a certain Egghead Fury.
Tony was very confident that no one could break through his Firewall, yet now, this guy had done it.
He widened his eyes and instinctively said:
"If I recall correctly, you should only be 16 years old, right?"
This statement was partly to express his amazement at Ben's genius, and partly to warn Ben that he had his information completely under control and that he'd best not have any wicked ideas.
"I must remind you, sir, that he is not the same person as Spider-Man," Jarvis interjected habitually. "His alias is Hacker. Based on the information obtained, there is an eighty percent probability that Hacker's true identity can be identified as Ben Parker."
Although Tony Stark had been out of touch with the world recently, Jarvis had not been idle. He continuously gathered information from the outside world and had already begun investigating Hacker Spider-Man from the moment he first appeared.
Given that Spider-Man was confirmed to be Peter Parker, suspecting Hacker to be Peter's cousin was very reasonable. Furthermore, through comparison of data such as height, Jarvis believed this guess to be highly probable.
Ben didn't show any emotional fluctuation about his first alias being exposed.
To be honest, the value of the Hacker Spider-Man identity was to ensure the secret of the watch wasn't discovered.
I'm already Spider-Man, you're not allowed to guess I'm an alien anymore!
Therefore, upon hearing Jarvis's analysis, Ben decisively pulled off his mask and complimented, "Your Artificial Intelligence is very powerful. I only appeared once, and you detected me."
"Actually, it was twice, sir," Jarvis said. "A month ago, you appeared in another costume with Spider-Man. The person who saved Councilwoman Andrea's niece was not Spider-Man, but Hacker."
"You even know that."
Ben was somewhat surprised.
Indeed, for an Artificial Intelligence that could work tirelessly without rest, it was difficult for ordinary people's energy levels to keep up.
Tony was confused by their conversation but understood one thing: Ben was likely not an enemy.
Before his condition worsened, Tony had also investigated Peter.
That energetic little bug was tireless in doing good deeds. Since this guy was his cousin, he should also be a good person... probably.
Given that Ben had barged into his lab without a word and mocked him for needing a catheter to urinate, Tony reserved judgment on Ben's character.
Whether he was good or bad depended on his intentions.
However, he was more curious about something else.
"How did you break through my Firewall?" Tony's mask retracted, and he walked to the liquor cabinet, took out a bottle, and tossed it towards Ben. "Care for a drink?"
"He's underage."
Ben pushed the fine wine away with his hand and said, "Jarvis's security programs are very powerful. It took me quite some effort to crack them. And soon, it regained control."
The actual situation was that he first transformed into Grey Matter and then, along with Eunice, launched an assault on Jarvis.
The name Hacker was actually more fitting for Grey Matter.
With a smirk, Tony raised an eyebrow provocatively, taking a swig of his drink. "I'm the best! But you're not bad either, just a little short of my level."
Tony Stark had only two things he refused to do in his life: first, admit anyone was better than him, and second, admit he was inferior to his own father.
"So, after all your trouble hacking into my system, what exactly do you want? Looking for a job with your skills? Fine, I'll give you a hundred... five million a year. Report to HR."
He waved his hand, signaling that Ben could leave.
But Ben didn't move. Instead, he leaned back in his chair and said casually, "Tony Stark, I'm here to negotiate with you. No, to make a deal."
Tony frowned. "Five million isn't enough? You're a bit greedy. Alright, ten million."
At this point, Jarvis chimed in, delivering a critical blow: "Sir, I'm afraid Mr. Parker isn't interested in ten million dollars. According to publicly available information, Mr. Parker is the CEO of Primus."
"Primus?"
Hearing the name, Tony sobered up a bit.
Before he had completely fallen into despair, he had also done a lot of research into his treatment options.
Since replacing the palladium element was out of the question, surgically removing the shrapnel was another option. The surgery was originally very risky, but after Norman Osborn announced the Self-Healing Serum a month ago, the risk had become minimal.
However, Tony was unwilling to try it.
Because the Self-Healing Serum was invented by someone else, and it was being sold by the Osborn Corporation.
And he hated that company the most!
If he used Osborn's Self-Healing Serum, wouldn't that be admitting that he, and even Stark, were inferior to Osborn?
With such twisted stubbornness, Tony had rejected Jarvis's proposal at the time.
But he hadn't expected the head of Primus to be so young, and Tony's mind began to churn.
Although he would rather die than use someone else's technology to uphold his principles, the situation hadn't been as dire then as it was now. Right now, he was truly on the verge of death.
Under these circumstances, Tony's bottom line naturally became more flexible.
Buying the Self-Healing Serum directly felt a bit humiliating, but if the other party begged him for help and delivered the serum to him, then he wouldn't be admitting defeat, right?
So, Tony put on a facade of nonchalance and generosity, asking, "Kid, what do you want with me?"
At this moment, he was like a genie emerging from a lamp, having his own desires but still acting as if to say, "Speak, and I shall grant you three wishes."
Seeing this, Ben shook his head and chuckled. "Look at you, Tony Stark. The renowned genius, reduced to this state. How much more life do you have to waste?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"Don't play dumb. Everyone smart knows you don't have long to live. The palladium element is a double-edged sword, isn't it? You need it to hold the shrapnel in place, preventing it from flowing into your heart through your veins, but at the same time, the toxins are corroding your body."
Ben stepped forward, tapped the Arc Reactor on Tony's chest with his index finger.
That's right, he had come to Tony this time to discuss this very deal.
Readers who have traveled through time know that it's easy to get something from Tony, like Stark Industries stock, or New Elements...
It might be unoriginal, but who wouldn't want to get something for nothing?
Besides, even if Ben didn't do it, Egghead Fury would. Since that was the case, he might as well do it himself!
Tony's expression turned grim as his condition was exposed.
Being weak was one thing, but being seen through by someone else was another. He felt like a lost wanderer in a desert of death, with vultures circling overhead and hyenas lurking around.
If he died, could Pepper protect Stark Industries?
It would be difficult, wouldn't it?
Tony thought, remembering that Norman Osborn had almost lost his company even when he was alive.
"What do you want?"
Therefore, Tony asked directly.
Since it was a deal, Ben clearly had something he wanted, and Tony would naturally have to pay a price.
"A small favor, very easy for you."
Ben didn't rush to state his objective, instead thoughtfully considering Tony's perspective.
"I know you dislike Osborn and biological sciences, so I won't ask you to use the Self-Healing Serum."
Tony was somewhat surprised by this, but not entirely.
If Ben's solution involved the serum, he wouldn't have needed to make this trip.
After all, the Self-Healing Serum was already a commercially available product. If Tony wanted it, he could just buy it. Why would he need to make a deal with Ben?
So, he raised an eyebrow. "Then what is it?"
"New Elements!"
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