Recently, Banner has put on a considerable amount of weight.
His face has become rounder, and his figure has gradually taken on a shape more typical of a middle-aged but slightly overweight man.
Banner brushed it off: "You must be jealous of my perfect figure!"
Arthur opened his mouth, then sighed, "I'm just amazed at your unfounded confidence."
After finishing his hamburger, Arthur returned to the small blackboard, occasionally jotting down values and then performing a series of calculations, only to shake his head in frustration.
"What are you doing?"
Seeing Arthur busy with calculations, Banner couldn't help but ask, "Does this equation have anything to do with our research?"
"Not much," Arthur replied. "But it's interesting. From the equation, it seems like a fascinating concept— using the characteristics of animal cells to supplement the incomplete aspects of human biology to achieve a perfect result."
"Perfect Serum?" Banner looked at Arthur.
Arthur shook his head as he spoke, "It's just an idea. It may not be useful. Can you not bother me?"
"Of course."
Banner then asked, "What do you want for breakfast tomorrow?"
Arthur remained silent for a while before finally responding, "Anything…"
The lab was left with only Arthur and the clicking of the computer keyboard, the occasional rustling of paper, and Arthur's sighs and occasional laughter.
He was very busy that night. The next morning, he stared at the scattered data on the paper and frowned deeply. "This doesn't make sense... Why is it like this?
He had spent the entire night calculating!
Calculating the possible effects of this set of equations, then applying them to Banner's and his own physical data from an ordinary person's perspective.
But the final results were still a failure.
Neither he nor Banner could perfectly integrate the serum into their bodies to achieve the miraculous abilities that Spider-Man did with the Spider Bite.
On the contrary, the calculations suggested that forced integration would have catastrophic consequences!
He rubbed his head, crumpled the paper in front of him into a ball, and threw it into the trash. "I have a feeling I'm stuck in an unsolvable deadlock. I probably need some special talents - an expert in cross-species genetics? Maybe I should get the Lizard to help with the research?"
But thinking about the Lizard suddenly reminded Arthur of the scene in the movie when he went to the school to find Peter.
"Maybe this is actually an opportunity!"
Arthur got up and left the lab...
When Banner walked in with a large plate of pasta and saw the empty lab, he sighed helplessly, ate Arthur's breakfast, and muttered, "That's how I got so fat..."
...
...
Peter's school is called Midtown High School.
During their casual conversations, this talkative kid had told Arthur almost everything about himself.
So Arthur was puzzled why Peter looked so shocked and almost dropped his eyes when he saw him at school.
"Why are you here?"
Peter looked at Arthur in surprise, "This is my school!"
"I knew it was your school, so I thought I'd visit today," Arthur said.
Arthur couldn't exactly tell Peter that the Lizard wanted to come over for some kind of intimate, friendly conversation and that he was just scouting ahead.
As he looked at the young men and women in the school, he couldn't help but smile, "This is quite a nice place.
"I guarantee, if you don't watch your eyes, a bunch of strong, young guys will come over to talk to you," Peter warned.
Arthur blinked, "You've learned to be quite cheeky."
"Well, whose fault is that?"
"Hmm, it's all Tim's fault."
"Who's that?" Spider-Man asked with a confused look on his face.
"An evil man, the evil of this world!" Arthur said solemnly.
"A supervillain? We can defeat him!" Spider-Man clenched his fist.
"It's all right, he's already been dealt with by other heroes."
The two continued to chat aimlessly as they walked around the school. The open layout of the school made things easy for Arthur.
However, Spider-Man seemed to really see him as a tourist, giving him a tour...
"This is the gym, this is the nurse's office, this is the girls' locker room..." Peter showed him everything.
Arthur was content to follow Peter and waste time, especially since he had no idea when the Lizard would show up.
"Hey, Peter!!"
A girl's voice interrupted Spider-Man as he was showing Arthur the girls' locker room.
They both turned to see a blonde beauty walking toward them.
"Gwen!"
Peter's face lit up with a broad smile. When the girl arrived, he introduced her, "This is Gwen Stacy, the one I told you about."
"Oh? What did he say about me?" Gwen asked Arthur with a smile.
Arthur thought for a moment and replied, "He described you as gentle, beautiful, kind and generous.
Spider-Man immediately gave Arthur a thumbs up, relieved that Arthur had not used his infamous tsukkomi skills in this situation.
"Oh my God!" Gwen's look at Peter was as sweet as honey.
Arthur, feeling like an awkward single person, decided it was best to leave.
The overwhelming scent of affection in the air was sickening. "You two chat. I'll go."
"Wait, I haven't introduced you properly. This is Arthur, my good friend."
"Hello." Gwen shook Arthur's hand. "If you don't mind, how about we have lunch together?"
Arthur found himself inexplicably drawn into a lunch with them. Throughout the meal, he felt like he was eating without enjoying it.
He was preoccupied with the thought of whether the school food was better or if the "dog food" was more satisfying.
It was agonizing!
Wasn't he here to wait for the Lizard? Why was he sitting here eating now?
Even though Gwen was a cheerful and talkative person, and even though she and Peter were obviously very close, she didn't ignore Arthur's feelings.
But the way they looked at each other made Arthur feel like he wanted to set something on fire!
"Glory to our great FFF team!!!!!!"
Struggling to control his burning desire to leave, Arthur quickly departed after finishing the meal. Not only did he want to avoid more "dog food," but he also suddenly remembered something important...
**(End of Chapter)**
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