Doctor Otto, on the rational and responsible side, realized the danger and horror of the out-of-control mechanical arms, intending to take them with him and drown himself.
But it was already too late...
The artificial intelligence of the mechanical arms fully awakened, completely taking over his dominant consciousness. Doctor Otto, in a classic turn of events, went from a responsible scientist dreaming of benefiting all humanity to a villain attempting to rob a bank.
Seeing this, Peter Parker shook his head, puzzled. "Why would artificial intelligence turn evil? Mr. Stark's AI seems pretty normal."
Bruce Wayne glanced at him. "It's probably not just the fault of the mechanical arm's artificial intelligence. Everyone has some dark thoughts, but normal people suppress them. Criminals or psychopaths, on the other hand, completely indulge in their dark thoughts. Clearly, the evil thoughts in Dr. Otto's heart, under the influence of the mechanical arm's AI, have been amplified!"
Commissioner Gordon frowned. "Honestly, when I saw those four mechanical arms, I had a bad feeling. These dangerous experiments should be monitored and supervised!"
While they discussed, the video paused, presenting a question: [Question: After Doctor Otto's dark transformation, what title do people give him?]
[A: Doctor Octopus
B: Mad Scientist
C: Doctor Strange
D: Tentacle Menace]
This time, it wasn't a simple two-choice question. Peter Parker raised his hand. "We can eliminate option c! I know Doctor Strange, and he's not a villain; he's a good person protecting the Earth, skilled in magical arts."
Commissioner Gordon shrugged. "I think Doctor Octopus should be the most fitting title, right?"
Bruce Wayne gave him a look but remained silent. He also believed option a was more likely the answer, given the earlier mention of Doctor Octopus in a previous question. Even though that question was about the first villain Spider-Man faced after debuting, and the answer was the Green Goblin, it indicated that Doctor Octopus might be another adversary Spider-Man encounters. Looking at the four mechanical arms behind Doctor Otto, the title of Doctor Octopus seemed appropriate.
However, there was a problem. Among the four players, Bruce Wayne, Commissioner Gordon, and Peter Parker, to some extent, didn't want Arthur to win this game; it would be better if he scored low and got eliminated.
They had to strategize a bit. Commissioner Gordon noticed Bruce Wayne's subtle hint and quickly changed his response. "No, Doctor Octopus sounds not so fitting. The b option looks more like the answer. Dr. Otto is a scientist with a good reputation, and he isn't hiding his face, making it easy for people to find out his real identity."
"Is that so?" Peter scratched his head. "But I think Tentacle Menace also sounds cool..."
He didn't notice Bruce Wayne's subtle hint and genuinely thought option d was the answer. Arthur, with a big smile, said to Commissioner Gordon, "Great, you choose b, Peter chooses d, so I'll go with a. Bruce, you're going to choose c, right?"
Bruce Wayne crossed his arms, pretending not to hear him. Peter finally sensed something and was about to speak when the countdown for answering started.
They all focused on the answer, hastily pressing the answer buttons. This time, the luck goddess favored Arthur again. He said happily, "I choose A!"
Obviously, he saw through Commissioner Gordon and Bruce Wayne's intentions. Gordon felt a bit regretful for speaking too fast, letting Arthur guess the answer. However, it was too late to regret now, and he quickly made a choice before the countdown ended.
Bruce Wayne also chose a. This made Arthur burst into laughter again. Only Peter made a different choice, going for what he thought was cool: d, Tentacle Menace.
The correct answer was revealed: A
[ Player Arthur Fleck answered correctly, gaining 4 points. Players Bruce Wayne and Player Jim Gordon both answered correctly, earning 1 point each.]
[Player Peter Parker answered incorrectly, losing 1 point.]
"Ah... I'm the only one who got it wrong." Peter scratched his head.
Commissioner Gordon felt uneasy under Arthur's strange gaze. He turned his head and said to Peter, "You saw it too; there were four mechanical arms behind Doctor Otto in the video. It has nothing to do with Tentacle Menace, understand? "
Peter Parker innocently blinked his eyes. "Okay, I just thought Tentacle Menace sounded cool."
The quiz ended, and the video continued, shifting to the Daily Bugle, Spider-Man's number one hater. The boss of the Daily Bugle J. Jonah Jameson was discussing with subordinates about Dr. Otto's title.
Dr. Otto had gone on a killing spree in the hospital and then appeared on busy streets, easily recognized by people. Now, everyone in the relevant circles knew that the once-renowned scientist Otto was probably insane.
The news was being compiled, waiting only to crown this mad scientist with a catchy title. The Daily Bugle's boss and staff deliberated, finally settling on the title of Doctor Octopus.
He also had someone find Peter Parker. Without much preamble, he scolded him, blaming him for not capturing a photo of Dr. Otto, and informed him, "You're fired!"
Peter Parker, who already disliked the Daily Bugle's boss for constantly smearing Spider-Man, didn't bother arguing. He turned and walked away.
He never liked J. Jonah Jameson, who denigrated Spider-Man every day. But for a living, he had to sell pictures of Spider-Man. What's even more nauseating is that Jameson made it clear from the beginning: Peter had no official job at the newspaper; he was just a temporary freelance worker.
Since he was just a small temporary worker, what was the point of talking about firing or not firing?
Many viewers, seeing this, couldn't help but criticize and curse the Daily Bugle and Jameson. They sympathized more with Spider-Man. A superhero facing these unfortunate circumstances. A superhero, once admired, had fallen to such a state, truly evoking a sense of pity.
However, they soon realized that, so far, the challenges and difficulties Spider-Man faced were just appetizers. The real scene of Peter's downfall was about to unfold.