American comic book: Absolute Spider-Man

Peter said sternly, "A true warrior is one who dares to face the great terror between life and death. Don't imagine me as a coward like you."

What a joke! Injecting yourself with the Extremis virus just because you can't satisfy your girlfriend? What's the difference between that and taking medication on the spot? Is he that kind of person?

He handed the incubator containing Harry's blood sample to Tony: "This is Harry's blood sample. Can you analyze it for me to see if there are any family genetic diseases in his family? If so, can it be cured with the Extremis virus?"

Tony took the table from the side and asked Jarvis to put the matter on the agenda: "From what you're saying, does the Osborn family have some unspeakable secret that I don't even know about?"

"It might be possible, it might not, that's why I need you to help me confirm."

Tony asked curiously, "Was this also deduced through your prophetic magic?"

"Yes." Seeing that Tony had already made up his own story, Peter didn't bother to explain further.

"Did your prophetic magic tell you anything about those aliens during the Battle of New York?"

Tony asked, "Thor was vague, only saying that the Chitauri army was sent by Loki to help him conquer Earth. But obviously, this muscle-headed guy isn't good at lying; I can tell from his expression that he's hiding a lot from us."

Peter didn't answer directly, but instead asked Tony, "The price of knowing the truth is often the heavy burden of that truth. Are you truly aware of that?"

Tony said nonchalantly, "Look at how I was struggling with anxiety before. Could any harsher truth have been more agonizing for me than that?"

All he wants now is to know what kind of nightmare he's been having for the past six months is.

"You'll regret this." Peter then told Tony some of the information.

"The Chitauri army can at best be considered as pawns or cannon fodder of their master."

The entity behind it is a cosmic warlord named Thanos.

For some unknown reason, Thanos was obsessed with creating carnage throughout the universe.

Wherever his army went, planets inhabited by intelligent life were plunged into seas of blood.

Thanos's Chitauri army invaded Earth for the Infinity Stones contained within the Tesseract.

Loki was merely a pawn, or rather, a stepping stone.

"Infinity Stones? What are those?" Tony asked.

"Yes, the Infinity Stones. The crystallization of six primordial forces left over from the beginning of the universe: space, reality, power, mind, soul, and time. Each one possesses the power to distort reality and rewrite the rules."

Peter paused.

"The Tesseract contains the Space Stone, while the Mind Stone is in the scepter that Loki left behind."

Thanos' ultimate goal is to collect all six Infinity Stones and then snap his fingers.

Peter said, snapping his fingers: "At that moment, half of all life in the universe will turn to ashes in this snap."

Tony's expression grew increasingly grim. He asked, "Then why didn't he come and steal it himself, instead of sending a bunch of cannon fodder? And why did he lose an Infinity Stone on Earth?"

"Because he dares not," Peter replied.

"Thanos and his entire force are among the most powerful in the universe, but there are still many beings in this world that he cannot afford to offend."

This includes Odin, the nominal ruler of Earth and Thor's father, as well as the Sorcerer Supreme, Earth's guardian on the magical side.

Both of them possess overwhelming power compared to Thanos, so Thanos only dared to send some grunts, using Loki, the second in line to the throne of Asgard, as a tactic to skirt the law.

"Then why didn't they intervene during the battle in New York?" Tony asked, puzzled.

"Perhaps the Chitauri army is too low-class to warrant their intervention."

Hearing that his long-standing nightmare wasn't even qualified to sit at the table in the eyes of these big shots, Tony's pride was severely damaged.

But then he thought that if Earth were to face an intractable crisis, these big shots would be there to back it up, and Tony immediately felt relieved.

He sank into a sofa, a rare look of relaxation on his face: "Now that you mention it, I realize my previous worries and anxieties were completely unfounded."

"Quite the opposite," Peter said bluntly, throwing cold water on Tony's hopes. "Your concerns are valid."

Tony sat up straight on the sofa and looked at Peter with a puzzled expression.

"Although the Sorcerer Supreme and Odin, the King of Gods, are powerful, their lives are actually nearing their end."

If you think about it, it's been about two years.

Once they pass away, Earth will face a long period of time with a lack of stable top-level combat power.

At that time, all the major forces and entities in the universe that covet Earth will compete to launch an attack on it.

What awaits us is only war, and endless war.

Tony's expression shifted from relaxed to one of extreme pain, and he slumped helplessly onto the sofa: "I regret my curiosity."

Instead of comforting Tony, Peter began to tell his own story:

"I've known Harry since I was very young."

We studied together from childhood to adulthood. He was Osborne's only heir and enjoyed immense prestige, yet he never looked down on me because my family was poor and I had a withdrawn personality.

Instead, we became very good friends.

For various reasons, I was always bullied by bad students, and Harry always came to my rescue.

Uncle Norman didn't treat me coldly because of my family's circumstances, nor did he tell Harry to stay away from me, a poor kid.

On the contrary, he liked me very much.

He supported Harry and me being friends, and he always asked me if my family was having any difficulties and if I needed any help.

After I entered high school, Gwen came into my life.

Harry saw Gwen's feelings for me, so when I was being bullied by the school bullies, he remained silent and gave Gwen the chance to save me.

Peter spoke, a gentle expression appearing on his face.

"That's really touching," Tony said, lying half-dead on the sofa.

He was clearly still reeling from the brutal truth Peter had told him.

"What I want to say is that you are not the only one who is fighting with all your might to protect someone, nor are you the only one accumulating strength for the future."

"Work hard and don't leave any regrets, but don't exhaust yourself."

Even if you fail one day, there are so many people there to face it with you.

After Peter finished speaking, he ignored Tony and left on his own.

He was going to find a biochemist, geneticist, and herpetologist named Kurt Connors.

While the improved Extremis virus could indeed cure disabilities, the cost of a single injection, amounting to millions of dollars, and the immense power it grants to the recipient, clearly make it unsuitable for the general market.

Tony and Maya are still trying to reduce costs and control the drug's efficacy, while Peter is also trying to recruit more talent to participate in the project.