The warm chandelier hung from the ceiling.
The atmosphere in the villa's living room was slightly tense.
Peter's eye twitched slightly. He knew exactly why Natasha was here.
It was undoubtedly on orders from S.H.I.E.L.D., to assess whether Dante—aka Peter—could become a member of their organization.
After all, at this point in time, Nick Fury was in the process of assembling the Avengers.
But Peter had no intention of joining.
Joining the Avengers would mean being bound by rules.
He would no longer be able to act freely.
"Interesting," Peter, under the guise of Dante, spoke coldly.
"Miss Natasha, what makes you think I would be interested in the so-called 'alternative payment methods' you mentioned?"
He walked up to Natasha and handed her a glass of red wine.
Peter wasn't worried about Kingpin poisoning the wine, as he had a natural immunity to toxins.
Natasha was affected by his cold and steady demeanor. As a seasoned agent, she actually felt a sense of pressure.
This made her quite uncomfortable.
In her past missions, she had always been confident when dealing with both men and women.
This confidence came from her beauty.
But it seemed to have no effect on Dante.
"Alright, one million it is," Natasha, clearly thrown off her rhythm, said.
"One million dollars for an hour of psychological consultation.
"Mr. Dante, you really are a ruthless doctor."
"Don't say that, Miss Natasha," Peter sat down opposite her.
"You came to me, not the other way around. I didn't beg you to let me treat you."
Natasha crossed her legs, leaning back on the sofa, not hesitating to show off her curvaceous figure.
It seemed that Peter's indifference had sparked her competitive spirit, making her want to prove her charm.
Peter's mouth twitched slightly, barely managing to maintain his composure.
Clearly, he wasn't good at dealing with women.
Right now, he just wanted Natasha to leave as soon as possible.
"Mr. Dante, you mentioned my childhood when we were at Stark Industries..."
Natasha couldn't believe that someone could analyze her entire life just from a single meeting.
"Rather than talking about your childhood, let's talk about your present," Peter said.
"Being Miss Pepper's assistant sounds like a well-paid job, but in the end, you're just an employee.
"An employee who shows up in the middle of the night, wearing a tight suit, for a psychological consultation?
"And what's even stranger is that you're willing to pay a million dollars for it.
"Miss Natasha, aren't you being a bit too obvious?"
Natasha's mouth twitched in embarrassment.
Clearly, everything she had done tonight was out of the ordinary.
It could even be described as absurd.
Dante's voice rang out again.
"So I have reason to suspect that your real identity is that of a spy. I don't know which organization you work for, but your goal is clearly not to become Pepper's assistant.
"The reason you're here tonight is simply to gather information about the Punisher."
Natasha's face immediately showed a look of embarrassment.
Obviously, every word of his analysis was correct.
Even though she was wearing a tight combat suit, she felt completely exposed in Dante's eyes.
It was as if he had seen right through her.
With just one glance, he had discerned her true identity.
In her career as a spy, this was the first time something like this had happened.
Peter ignored Natasha's discomfort and continued.
"Now, assuming your identity is indeed that of a spy.
"What kind of person becomes a spy?
"Clearly, Natasha, your childhood wasn't a happy one.
"Although you try to hide it, some things still give you away.
"For example, your accent."
Natasha was stunned.
"My accent?"
Peter smiled.
"Your English is excellent, but when you say certain words, there's still a hint of a Russian accent.
"You've disguised it well, and most people wouldn't notice, but I'm not most people.
"Spy, Russian, American, female—your identity is like the answer hidden in the question.
"Red Room."
Natasha was completely stunned.
She swore she had never encountered such a terrifying person in her life.
With just a few words and some unnoticed details,
he had deduced her true identity!
Even within S.H.I.E.L.D.,
only Nick Fury, Agent Phil Coulson, and a few higher-ups knew her real identity.
And this man, after just one meeting, had analyzed her entire past!!!
Such a person couldn't simply be described as amazing!!
He was terrifying!!
A man with immense combat power who could also see through people's hearts!!
Too terrifying!
Natasha forced herself to stay calm. As a professionally trained agent, she should remain composed, but the current situation was beyond her expectations.
"Mr. Dante, have you been watching me?"
In the end, this was the only explanation Natasha could come up with.
"You really are narcissistic. I admit you're beautiful and have a great figure, but who would bother observing you?
Well... in a way, you're not wrong, since I've seen your file."
Peter internally mocked her a bit before speaking coldly.
"Miss Natasha, I admit you're a beauty, but let me give you some advice: don't be too narcissistic.
"Tonight, you came to me.
"And I'm just here to do my job."
"Here's a piece of advice: don't be bound by your past.
To quote Gabriel García Márquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude:
'Memories are false, a road with no return. All the springs of the past cannot be restored, and even the most passionate and faithful love is but a fleeting cloud.'
If I were you, I'd quit whatever spy organization you're in and enjoy life.
That's all I have to say. The choice is yours."
After hearing this, Natasha fell into silence.
Tonight, every word from Mr. Dante had struck a chord in her heart.
Her past life seemed to have never been her own.
As a child, she lived in a fake family. As a young adult, she was selected for the Red Room, subjected to inhuman training, and even had her uterus removed, making it impossible for her to have children.
Later, she became part of S.H.I.E.L.D.
But she also longed for a peaceful life.
She hoped for a normal job, to stroll through the bustling streets of New York with friends on weekends, to watch a movie at the cinema, and then enjoy a delicious meal.
"Miss Natasha, if you're satisfied with this conversation, you can pay now."
Peter didn't need the million dollars.
He just wanted to use the high price to deter any future interference from super spies.
Peter's goal was to grow stronger, but on that path, he would inevitably expose himself. That's why he created the Dante persona to help him deal with trouble.
"Someone will deliver the money later."
Natasha just wanted to leave now. She felt completely exposed.
Staying here made her very uncomfortable.
"You'd better keep your promise, or I might have to come collect it myself."
Natasha's heart skipped a beat.
She didn't want to be targeted by a cold-blooded psychologist who killed with the most brutal methods.
Natasha left the villa.
She let out a sigh of relief, her tense nerves finally relaxing.
Peter also breathed a sigh of relief.
At this stage of his growth, he couldn't avoid dealing with superheroes.
Though he didn't want to, there was no other choice.
Back at the S.H.I.E.L.D. New York branch, it was nearly 11 PM.
Natasha took a shower and looked at herself in the full-length mirror in the bathroom.
She couldn't help but feel a bit of anxiety about her appearance.
"Am I really getting old?"
She had always been confident in her looks, but Mr. Dante seemed like an emotionless machine.
After her shower, Nick Fury found her.
"Miss Natasha, I'm eager to hear your thoughts on Dante?"
"My thoughts on him?
"No, no.
"He almost saw right through me."
Natasha shook her head and sighed.
"He's too powerful, and not just in combat—it's like he's good at everything.
"Can you believe it? After just one meeting, he deduced my entire past based on a few details!!!
"He even knew about the Red Room!
"He's like Sherlock Holmes!"
Natasha had never been so frightened before. She wasn't afraid of someone who could fly or shoot lasers from their eyes.
What truly scared her was being seen through.
Nick Fury rubbed his bald head.
"If that's the case, then we need to recruit him even more."
"Is that really necessary? He seems uncontrollable." Natasha was still shaken by her earlier experience.
"You don't understand, Natasha. In the universe, humans aren't the only civilization. There are many others, some of which are aggressive.
"If we don't want this planet to be colonized, we need to prepare in advance and unite all the forces we can.
"In a while, I'll need to go to Gotham. Batman is someone we must recruit as well."
"Whatever," Natasha waved her hand.
"By the way, prepare a million dollars for me. That's Dante's consultation fee. I don't want to be targeted by such a cold-blooded guy."
Nick Fury's voice rose an octave.
"A million dollars? Consultation fee?!!!
"You want me to pay?
"This is official business. Don't try to weasel out of it.
"Why don't you just sell the entire S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
The next day, morning.
Oscorp Headquarters.
Peter had been invited by Harry and arrived at the company early.
The last time the two had met was before Dr. Connors turned into the Lizard.
There was no denying that they had been best friends up until the third grade.
But after that, they lost contact.
Even though they had reconnected now, their relationship was far from what it used to be.
A sad barrier had formed between these once-close friends.
When Peter saw Harry, he was shocked.
The healthy, wealthy young man from a few months ago was now emaciated.
His hairline had receded, and he had lost half his hair. He looked like he could barely stand.
"Sorry about this, Peter.
"What happened to you..."
As a time traveler, Peter knew exactly why Harry had become like this.
But it had happened much faster than he expected.
After all, Norman Osborn didn't develop the illness until he was in his forties or fifties, while Harry wasn't even twenty yet.
"My family has a deadly genetic disease.
"Now, it's come for me.
"I had hoped Dr. Connors' cross-species genetics experiments could save me, but they failed too."
Peter sighed.
There was nothing he could do. A few months ago, when Aunt May had low blood pressure, he had tried to buy medicine from the system store.
But it was useless.
The items in the system store couldn't be used on anyone other than Peter.
"Help me, Peter.
"I need to capture Spider-Woman.
"Only her blood can save me!"
Peter was stunned.
Spider-Woman was Gwen, his girlfriend.
How could he help someone else target his own girlfriend?
Besides, even if Harry got Gwen's blood, it wouldn't cure him.
Peter clearly remembered a comic from his previous life, where in one parallel universe, Harry captured Spider-Man and injected his blood.
As a result, Harry turned into a spider monster.
A giant humanoid spider with multiple eyes.
"Give it up, Harry. Maybe you can put yourself into cryosleep and wait until the future when this disease can be cured."
Peter tried to comfort him. In any case, he would never go after Gwen.
He knew where his loyalties lay.
As for the solution he offered Harry, it wasn't just empty words.
Previously, Oswald had mentioned that one of his territories had been taken over by Mr. Freeze.
He had even asked Peter for help.
But since Mr. Freeze hadn't shown up for a while, Peter hadn't dealt with it yet.
Mr. Freeze was an expert in cryogenics. His wife, like Harry, suffered from an incurable disease.
Mr. Freeze had frozen her to preserve her.
If Harry agreed to this plan,
Peter could immediately go find this icy man.
"Don't talk nonsense, Peter!
"We're friends. You have to help me capture Spider-Woman. Superheroes are just meddlesome fools.
"If we cause a little trouble, we can definitely lure her out."
"You're crazy, Harry!"
"Peter, are you going to help me or not?!! We're friends!!"
"Not anymore."
Peter turned and left.
Watching Peter walk away, Harry slammed his fist on the table.
"Even you won't help me!!"
Harry's face twisted in despair.
In his desperation, he suddenly thought of his father, Norman Osborn.
"Maybe he can help me. I need to ask him!!!"
Without hesitation, Harry rushed to Norman Osborn's sanatorium.
Norman's location was quite remote, with police officers stationed there for security.
But with the help of some green bills, Harry easily entered the sanatorium.
However, there was a pane of tempered glass separating him from his father.
"Harry?"
Norman Osborn was clearly shocked to see his son.
The joy in his eyes was hard to conceal, but in the next second, it turned to pain and sorrow.
Harry, in his early twenties, should have been in the prime of his life, full of vitality.
All of this was because of the genetic disease!
"Long time no see, Father. I never thought we'd meet like this."
Harry forced a bitter smile.
Suddenly, Norman's expression turned fierce!
His hunched body straightened, and the sorrow on his face disappeared!
In an instant, he displayed two completely different personas.
One was calm, the other—manic!!!
"Harry, Harry, Harry!!!
"I've been waiting for you!!!
"I know what you're thinking!!!
"We're facing the same predicament!!!
"Back then, one Green Goblin wasn't enough to take on the Punisher and Spider-Woman!
"But this time!!!
"We'll join forces, father and son!!!"
With that, Norman punched the tempered glass!
With a loud crash, the glass shattered!
This sanatorium had never been able to hold him!!!