"Mr. Stark, Mr. Stark! It really won't do, this is completely against the rules, and if Nick Fury of the Central Universe found out about it, I'd be in big trouble..."
Spider Man chased after Stark and said, "The special channel of the Spider Totem is only open to Spider Man. If I allow others to use it against the rules, I will be blacklisted!"
Stark, who was walking ahead, stopped, pushed his sunglasses up, and pointed a finger, saying, "Listen, kid, I don't care how you do it, but I want to go where I need to go now. If you think we can't use your channel, then I'll use mine."
Spider Man looked up, took a deep breath, and put his hand on his forehead, saying, "Mr. Stark, you can't create a channel with antimatter particles. It's very dangerous to the universe and could possibly cause the collapse of the universe structure... "
"Then what do you want me to do?" Stark leaned forward and raised an eyebrow, "Peter, I'm not threatening you, but does Nick Fury of the Central Universe know about you and your clone, Riley, using the same identity to earn academic points?"
Spider Man stared at Stark and said, "Oh my God, Mr. Stark, you are threatening me! What's gotten into you? I've been feeling that you've been acting strange recently."
Scratching his head and looking left and right, Spider Man lowered his voice, telling Stark: "Besides, the most important thing for us right now is to complete the Universal Propulsion Engine as soon as possible, in case that supposed 'Transcendent' really decides to make a move against all universes, all universes should have the ability to control their own movement. This can save many people."
"We have a large amount of data that hasn't been processed," Stark began. "Even though enough resources are available, calculation always takes time. You should understand that the Transcendent won't act in the near future, and I have urgent business in the Central Universe."
Spider Man expressed a conflicted look and Stark advanced, leaning in closer, looking at him over the top of his glasses, "You should know that I can get there if I want, and if you don't help, the first thing I'll do when I get there is discuss with them about the optimisation potential of the cheating prevention system of this software."
Spider Man immediately became crestfallen, grumbling a few words and complaining as he followed behind Stark: "You can't do this, Tony, I'm just trying to juggle work and studies, and all Spider Men are... "
"You're really disappointing me," Stark turned his head to look at Spider Man. "It's not that I'm adamant about making you follow the rules, but you're breaking rules in one kind of way to profit illegally, and yet you are not willing to use the same decision-making principles with me."
Stark stopped again, backing towards Spider Man with his arms crossed. "I must remind you, if you're always as selfless as that guy with the shield, at worst it's just unpopular, but if you're heartless to those close to you, you will definitely hurt many people."
Staring in shock at Stark's back, Spider Man was saddened, watching Stark disappear at the end of the corridor without so much as a look back.
As he stood there, Spider Man felt all kinds of emotions surging inside, unsure of what had happened. The Mr. Stark he knew would never say such things to him.
Had he really done something wrong?
Spider Man started to feel regret again. He had always felt guilty when he had listened to Gwen Spiderman and shared an identity with a clone to earn academic credits, feeling like he had used underhanded tactics and taken away other people's resources.
But he also felt guilty towards Riley, thinking that this method could allow Riley to have a better life in the Central Universe. Faced with this dilemma, the Amazing Spider Man decided to prioritize humanity and help Riley have a better life in that universe.
In a way, this could be considered nepotism. So, what Stark said also made sense. If he could put aside some moral principles to help Riley, why couldn't he do the same for Stark?
Leaving Stark Group, Spider Man was in a daze. He tossed and turned all night in his apartment without being able to sleep. In the end, he opened the Spider App and found a familiar Spider Man profile in the list and sent a message.
"Are you there? Peter?"
This Spider Man's profile picture was very special, a group photo of Uncle Ben, Aunt May, Peter and Gwen, all four of them laughing brightly, a symbol of the Spider Man of the Central Universe.
Soon enough, the Spider Man of the Central Universe sent back a message: "I'm here, what's up? Need help with something?"
"Well, the Iron Man of my universe wants to go to the Central Universe. Could you help me ask Spider Silk if we can borrow the channel of the Spider Totem?"
Lying in his bed, Spider Man was typing quickly, trying his best to explain the situation here, and hiding certain guilty feelings. He didn't even bother to think about why he felt guilty.
With a "ding", Stark's phone on the table rang. He walked over and looked at the glowing screen. Spider Man had sent a short, affirmative reply.
Stark's mouth curled into a wide smile, his eyes sparkling with an indescribable light. He had a wicked grin on his face, completely different from before.
The welcoming banquet of the Millennial Leap Summit in the Ring Star Area was held within a massive disc-shaped spaceship. The banquet hall was fabulously decorated, with walls covered in exquisite gemstones and precious fluid metals, shimmering with a captivating glow. A huge ice crystal chandelier hung from the high ceiling, emitting dazzling rays of light.
The carpet covering the floor was woven from vine fibers, delicate and soft, with colorful patterns flowing like a scene from the stars. The seating was crafted from the same fluid metal materials, presenting a dreamlike silver hue.
Vibrant dishes atop the banquet tables exuded enticing scents. Some were strangely shaped, rendering guests hesitant to take a bite. The utensils, equally diverse in shape and made from peculiar crystal material, were clear yet solid. When filled with hot soup, they would sparkle with overlapping warm and cool polarized lights.
Various alien plants adorned the area around the banquet hall. They towered high and were splendidly diverse. Some emitted a unique glow like celestial bodies within the nebula. Others emitted a fragrance that gently swayed with the music.
Shiller stood by the dance floor, holding a crystal wine glass adorned with seashells. He made small talk with an alien who had purple skin. Judging by the alien's appearance and dress, he appeared to be royal of some kind, his face beaming with a gentle smile.
"The Mutants are thriving recently. I heard that your leader, Magneto, with the Mutant Brotherhood, is transporting cargo at Centaurus, greatly suppressing those arrogant interstellar pirates. Honestly, interstellar security hasn't made such great strides in a long time."
Shiller shook his head with a smile, modestly stating, "We're simply a less advanced race trying to make do, nothing compared to the Uatulu Kingdom's impressive performance at the Shi'ar Empire's distant star expo…"
The alien across him laughed heartily, and his tentacles began to sway from side to side. After exchanging pleasantries for a while, the purple-skinned alien finally broached the subject: "Honestly, Doctor Schiller, how is my sister doing? My mother has requested your presence numerous times to comfort her, is she feeling better now?"
"Your sister's condition is somewhat complex. The radiation from the planetary engine has made her brainwaves quite chaotic…"
Shiller mentioned some technical terms which had the alien prince nodding frequently. Finally, he praised, "I never expected your mutant ability could be used to heal others, Doctor Schiller. Your race truly is blessed…"
Indeed, Shiller still operated as a doctor in the interstellar community. He has claimed to be a doctor with molecular reconstruction and restoration capabilities using the Mutant Banner, able to cure many hard-to-treat diseases.
However, this was in fact the ability of the Gray Mist, which is indeed capable of repair body damages. Although not all life forms in the cosmos are carbon-based, the Gray Mist's ability to manipulate things at a microscopic level allowed it to not only reorganize cells but also repair inorganic matter.
Furthermore, Shiller is also a psychologist. Emotional sentient beings are always prone to psychological issues, so he also conducted psychological therapy and emotional counseling.
Shiller was indeed no quack; his treatments were remarkably effective and produced immediate results. This was the primary reason that he could establish himself here so quickly despite numerous conflicts, the so-called quality demonstrating itself in one's craft.
The more conflicts and wars there were, the more casualties there would be. The more casualties there were, the more opportunities Shiller had to help, which garnered him even more attention.
Shiller always managed to create a multitude of employment positions for himself in a diverse range of environments. However, this time, Shiller usually declined or demanded little compensation; instead, he asked them to help him find his long-lost brother.
According to Shiller, his brother was abducted by aliens not long after birth. Although a blood connection assured him that his brother was still alive, he couldn't find him in any galaxy around Earth.
He had almost given up, but when Mutants ventured into the cosmos, the thought of finding his kin rose again. However, due to their long separation, it was hard to provide physical information. The only significant clue was that the two mutant brothers had very similar mutant abilities: they could both decompose and restructure organisms at a molecular level.
In truth, there were many who sought lost relatives every year. The old-fashioned interstellar civilizations in the Star Area knew well that two of the Three Great Empires had a penchant for searching the cosmos for unique races for experimental purposes. They also had some of their own people abducted.
However, because it wasn't large-scale looting and did not affect the normal social structure, most civilization leaders turned a blind eye to it. Nonetheless, inevitably, relatives of the abducted experimental subjects were still investigating the issue in the cosmos.
Those in the know were well-aware, but they wouldn't disclose the truth. On one hand, the chance of survival for the abducted experimental subjects was slim. Telling would only add to the heartache. On the other hand, revealing the truth risked offending the Three Great Empires, a lose-lose situation.
Luckily, Dr. Shiller didn't seem overly anxious. Although those who were aware of the true circumstances knew that they were not likely to find lost relatives, they would still try to make an effort as commanded by him and in an attempt to gain favor.
Shiller didn't really expect them to find any significant results. Mixing with these small nations was not his goal. Ultimately, he aimed to use the power of the Three Great Empires. But, to not alert people who knew him, he needed to lay the groundwork step by step.
After discussing his lost brother with the alien prince and noticing his slightly perfunctory expression, Shiller took a sip of his drink and grinned, unperturbed.
But at that moment, Shiller spotted a somewhat familiar figure on the opposite side of the banquet dance floor. The figure, clad in a highly glossy silver-white war armor, was looking around as if searching for something.
The moment their gazes met, the figure walked towards Shiller.