Peter breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Aunt May unharmed, but upon seeing Uncle Ben, who was now spitting blood, he knew the worst had happened.
At this moment, all he could do was tightly grab the hand of the man who was like a father to him and place it on his forehead.
"Kid... it's okay. Remember... cough... with great power comes great responsibility."
"Take care... of... your Aunt."
After stumbling through these words to Peter, Uncle Ben finally closed his eyes peacefully. Peter's tears burst out instantly, and Gwen, who had arrived unnoticed, slowly embraced him without saying a word, offering comfort with her presence.
Aunt May, who had been holding the other hand of Uncle Ben, collapsed on her husband's lifeless body, sobbing uncontrollably. The police and doctors present gave them the space they needed, refraining from intruding on their grief.
Eventually, upon strong insistence from Gwen and Aunt May, Peter reluctantly endured his sorrow and disappeared into the night.
The conversation with Harry had taken place in the sky, and Peter had worn a mask throughout. Therefore, nobody knew Peter's true identity yet. Gwen and Aunt May, understanding this, asked Peter to leave first.
(AN: This passage is written with great difficulty. I initially wanted to portray Peter's transformation into Spider-Man in a gentle way, but found it impossible. It's hard to change someone's perspective without significant ups and downs. This part is quite painful to write, so please offer some comfort to my wounded soul with flowers or something.)
[TN: The author wrote this. And to be honest I as the Translator am the one truly wounded. I have severe inernal injuries and My Dao is almost collapsing so please give me some Power Stones(Spiritual Stone) to help me heal.]
Zane learned about this incident the day after through the New York Daily, and as for his reaction, well, there wasn't much of one.
According to the surveillance report, Peter had already cracked the transgenic grafting technology. Even if Peter no longer worked at Skynet Tech, Zane wouldn't suffer any loss.
A few days later, Zane, dressed in a pure black suit and tie, attended Uncle Ben's funeral with Lorna. Regardless of other reasons, Zane and Lorna felt obligated to be there due to their friendship with Peter.
At the funeral, Peter seemed to have lost his spirit, like a discarded child. He stubbornly knelt in front of Uncle Ben's gravestone, and no amount of persuasion could make him budge. Peter had isolated himself from the outside world.
When most of the attendees had left, Zane walked up to Peter and patted his shoulder.
"One has to depart someday. Although I don't know him personally he must have been a great person. Take care."[1]
Peter had no reaction, still bowing his head in contemplation. As Zane was about to leave with Lorna, Peter suddenly stood up.
"Zane!"
"Hmm?" Zane turned back, puzzled.
"I know you're the boss of Skynet Tech. Thanks for taking care of me during this time, but I might not have that privilege anymore."
Zane wasn't surprised that Peter knew about his true identity. After all, the company was registered under Zane's name, easily accessible information for anyone online.
"Sure about this?"
"Yeah!"
"No regrets? Keep in mind... cough... when you have great power, there comes great responsibility."
"I've thought it through, no regrets!"
Peter nodded firmly. Although it was regrettable, the words Uncle Ben spoke in his final moments about great power and responsibility echoed in Peter's heart. He had resolved to become the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man in New York, ensuring tragedies like his own wouldn't happen again.
Some may wonder why Peter decided to resign. As a scientist, it shouldn't interfere with being a superhero. However, in reality, scientists often engage in prolonged research and companies cut off all external contact at specific times, preventing leaks of their technology.
If Peter continued working at Skynet Tech, by the time he wanted to embark on his superhero journey, the opportunities might have passed.[2]
"Why?" Zane curiously asked. He never quite understood the behavior of superheroes—selfless, seeking no reward, and even putting themselves and their families in danger. Zane couldn't comprehend such actions.
Peter smiled and pointed to his heart, "It told me this is the right thing to do!"
In fact, Peter didn't know that Zane was already aware of his true identity. He believed Zane was simply expressing concern.
"Alright, I respect your choice. Finish the formalities with the company, and go your own way."
Zane shook his head. He still didn't understand why Peter chose this path—whether it was innate goodness or driven by destiny. He didn't bother exploring it further, as someone who came from a different world, he truly couldn't fathom it. Maybe Americans were naturally inclined towards individual heroism!
"Zane, are we still friends?" Peter hesitated, not having many friends, and didn't want Zane to distance himself because of this decision.
"Of course, work is work, life is life. We're still friends," Zane said with a smile. Having said that, he led Lorna away, leaving Peter and his family in solitude.
The next day, Peter went to Skynet Tech to sign the resignation and confidentiality agreements. Zane, not lacking in generosity, handed Peter a red envelope with $10 million. Although this amount was negligible compared to the value of the transgenic grafting technology, it was enough for Peter to improve his life and take care of Aunt May and Gwen.
After returning home, Zane didn't stay idle. He immediately called Skynet and instructed them to duplicate the technologies accumulating dust in Oscorp Tower's basement. While most of these products were useless, there were some elements worth exploring, such as the human-powered Green Goblin armor worn by Harry and the mechanical octopus tentacles inside.
At this moment, Osscorp Industries was in chaos. With Skynet's capabilities, obtaining these technological data was effortless for Zane. His financial foundation was still relatively weak, but the tech he gained was almost like picking up something for nothing.
This wasn't the end. Zane saw an opportunity during the turmoil at Oscorp Industries and decided to seize it!
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[1] (TN: I edited it to me more heartwarming.)
[2] This situation could be described with a Chinese proverb: "You can't have both fish and bear's paw!" removed this.
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