Andrew grew nervous, fearing that Finn's close friend would find out that it was his sudden appearance on the road that had caused the accident that befell Finn.
Finn: "Looking for a dog buddy."
Andrew: ".."
"Let's go, I'll drive you home." Noah didn't care about finding a dog-walking buddy anymore. Taking a deep breath, he grabbed Finn and pulled him toward the car, silently telling himself over and over not to get angry. This energetic and carefree fellow was hiding many illnesses; he had to show a little more tolerance and care toward the sick in this world.
"Here—" Finn hesitated.
"Elias will handle it here," Noah said.
"Don't worry." Elias nodded, signaling for Finn and Noah to leave first, as he would handle things here.
Thanks," Finn said dryly, then suddenly remembered something and looked at Andrew. "By the way, give me your phone number.
Andrew immediately recited his phone number.
I've sent the digital invitation to you." Finn didn't forget the newly unlocked side quest, his tone carrying a hint of deliberate anticipation. "Remember to come early to the next party; I'm looking forward to your performance.
Looking at the embarrassed and helpless expression on Andrew's face, Finn was suddenly overcome by a strong sense of guilt.
I'm really wicked, but it doesn't matter," Finn encouraged himself in his heart. "Anyway, I'll get what's coming to me.
"Still thinking about the party?" Noah snapped, raising his hand to smack Finn on the head in frustration.
"I'm sorry." Finn apologized again, acting quite cowardly.
After Finn was picked up by his friend, there was nothing left for Andrew to do at the scene, so he left on his own.
The young man walked alone along the pitch-black path leading home, his solitary shadow stretching and shrinking under the moonlight.
He just wanted to help a wealthy second-generation rich find a stray dog and then receive a reward.
But it seemed that since he was a child, everything he wanted to do had, without exception, ended in failure.
—The stray dog wasn't found.
—Instead, he was caught up in a car accident worth two million seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars.
—Always the one ignored, he was even asked by Young Master Osborn to perform a show at a party.
Why make him perform a show?
Andrew felt a headache coming on from such immense pressure.
Could it be because Montgomery had happened to mention to Young Master Osborn that he had performed magic at a school party before? That was possible; the social Montgomery was skilled at bringing up topics that would pique the other's interest. However, thinking back to that night, Andrew did not consider it a pleasant experience.
Especially when thinking about how Finn's friends were all people who could drive luxury cars worth millions, Andrew felt like a dish that simply didn't belong on the table, yet was forcibly placed upon a top-tier feast filled with delicacies that he was utterly unworthy of, feeling out of place to the point of being jarring.
Andrew felt both miserable and ridiculous..
But why?
Andrew looked down at the four hundred dollars in his hand.
It was just a casual tip for Finn, but for him, it was already a very large amount.
—He was truly desperate for money.
He couldn't count on his alcoholic father at all; at least this money would be enough to buy better medicine for his mother to help her get through this period of time.
Even if Finn wanted him to perform a show, Andrew did not feel the same sense of humiliation he felt at school, being maliciously mocked by classmates and treated as a joke for their amusement.
Moreover, it was merely a performance, but the cost was a luxury car worth two million seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars being totaled.
This was already the luckiest possible outcome.
Andrew took a deep breath, telling himself it wasn't too bad, pulled out his phone to stare at the page in the invitation, where a galaxy flowed across his screen.
The young man's footsteps suddenly came to a halt.
A night so dark that not a glimmer of light could be seen—
His phone, however, now contained a.. digital invitation that shone so brightly.
Chapter 10: Rat Rise
Finn has a fever.
This fever clearly didn't affect him, but it certainly infuriated Noah.
And the result was—
Noah went straight to complain, seeking out Finn Osborn's two butlers, Catherine Wilson and Joseph Wilson. This couple were both gentle and considerate, looking after Finn Osborn's daily needs with such meticulous care that even when Finn wanted to sneak out in the middle of the night, he had to exert all his wits to hide it from them.
After the Wilsons found out that Finn had a cold and a fever, yet he still held a party, even went out to the countryside to look for stray dogs after the party ended instead of going home, eventually resulting in a car accident..
The next day, Finn could not leave the house.
The great Young Master Osborn was being held under house arrest by the very butler he had hired at a high salary.
He even helped him take a leave of absence from his Master Dance Class.
"Are butlers' authority this high nowadays?" Finn muttered while lying in bed.
Even with a cold and fever, Finn actually felt it had little effect on him; his mental and physical condition was excellent.
But since he was a people-pleaser, he simply couldn't withstand the Wilsons' earnest and worried requests, he just couldn't bring himself to refuse them.
Finn and his System PP continued to discuss the progress of the latest mission, but System PP suddenly dropped a bombshell of a piece of news.
System PP retrieved high-definition footage of the car accident scene from back then, there were unusual discoveries.
—At that time, it wasn't that Andrew had suddenly "run" out, but that he had "flown" out.
Finn: "??"
System PP simultaneously pulled up a freeze-frame, the image of Andrew's legs hovering in mid-air as he moved through the low altitude was incredibly clear on the screen.
System PP: [Clues are limited; the source of the superpower cannot be investigated, but it can be confirmed that Andrew possesses short-range flight capabilities at the very least.]
"He's that capable? And yet he's using his powers to find a dog for me?" Finn was shocked; this was truly a waste of talent.
Finn thought for a moment and then sent some more messages to Steve Montgomery, subtly inquiring about Andrew's situation.
It was no surprise; Andrew was also a young man with a story. His father was a chronic alcoholic, his mother was gravely ill at home, forced to rely on a ventilator to stay alive, with no means to receive better care in a hospital. Currently, their family was living entirely on the government relief funds provided after Andrew's father lost his job due to a work-related injury.
"It all matches up." Finn felt that this plotline was becoming more and more similar to the experiences of his previous Host, including the appearance of a rich second-generation heir like himself.
—Besides, Andrew actually has an ability as well.
Just taking a random drive around the block could lead to bumping into an Awakened.
Finn felt that this was clearly an inspiration from the world's mission line.
Then I only need to keep throwing money at Andrew, using wealth to crush his dignity, forcing him to do things against his will, pushing him to the point where he can no longer endure me," Finn thought to himself. He didn't even need to bother with any complex planning; he could simply replicate the same oppression his previous Host had suffered, without changing a single detail. "Then wouldn't this plotline become even simpler? Andrew won't even need to use others to strike me; he can use his powers to attack me himself.
System PP: 【Host, your financial situation isn't very good either.】
Finn: "I get 300,000 US dollars in allowance every month."
System PP: [However, the Host currently has no savings left, there are many fixed expenses, such as party costs, the salaries of the butler and the family doctor, the daily expenses of the villa, the purchase of haute couture clothing.. Furthermore, you crashed Noah's car last night.]
".." Finn looked at the budget and cost control that System PP had just demonstrated on the card.
Clearly—the funds he could use to insult people's dignity by throwing money around were quite limited.
That's a good thing, too." Finn thought for a moment before saying optimistically, "System PP, you don't understand. It was because I was too rich before. Although money isn't everything, money really can buy happiness. It was precisely because I was too happy that my mission progress had difficulty making any major breakthroughs. Everything before was just buildup; now, the mission is finally getting on the right track.
But there's a problem—" Finn sighed heavily. "In my plan, I will inevitably resort to any means necessary to fight for the family fortune. I will deliberately orchestrate a situation to trap Harry Osborn in a crisis. A villain as insidious and cunning as that will certainly need to be defeated by the righteous Spider-Man. However, now that Andrew also has superpowers, it means he can use them to fight me as well. Furthermore, even though Harry lacks combat prowess, he has money; he can use the power of cash to hire people to fight me.
But he.. is only one person.
It's fine, no need to rush, everyone~
—After you're done with yours, you're mine! After you're done with yours, you're mine!
—I'll definitely make sure everyone gets to hit this bastard:)
"PP, do you have pain shielding?" Finn suddenly became serious, thinking of something very grave.
System PP: 【?】
You really don't have any plugins at all!" Finn took a deep breath. "You just showed up for work empty-handed!?
System PP: [..] I don't have hands either.
Finn immediately switched into "Senior Mode" and began to give the novice System PP a crash course on the "equipment plugins" of the system world—ranging from combat assistance to the ability to view favorability—explaining the functions of various practical plugins with absolute clarity. At least in the past, he had been an all-around, high-spec system packed with high-level plugins, capable of arranging every aspect of a Host's life perfectly. He was not like System PP, who had nothing to offer for any question asked, a pure "nothingness product."
System PP fell silent for a moment before finally squeezing out a sentence: [If I understand correctly, these plugins can only be exchanged after helping the Host complete missions and earning points, right?]
Finn: "Yes, that's right."
System PP: 【In that case, Host, when you were the very first Host for a System, you didn't have any plugins either.】
Finn: ".. Systems don't ask about the path taken." If he were to answer, he would only remember himself as an all-powerful, high-spec version of himself, covered in plugins.
It's all because the first mission is always at a novice level, so don't worry, I'll definitely pass this mission easily. Besides, I'm quite experienced." Finn changed the subject somewhat awkwardly, even comforted System PP, "In the future, you'll become a very powerful system too.
System PP: 【Alright.】
[System PP high-fived you. gif]
Finn had nothing to do at home, so he could only devote himself to painting.
He also discovered something quite inexplicable—
Ever since his Mr. Suit was uploaded.
This cold and arrogant chibi-style Mr. Suit IP suddenly became an overnight sensation for some inexplicable reason.
Finn frowned as he looked at the entire series of emojis he had painstakingly drawn before, then at the Mr. Suit he had sketched on a whim during a sudden burst of inspiration in the conference room.
A complex mixture of emotions surged in his heart instantly—a sour sensation tinged with a sense of grievance and envy.
Finn was so furious that he directly added several more memes of Mr. Suit, then simply enabled paid downloads.
Yes, the arrogant younger brother wanted to make his first pot of gold by infringing on Harry Osborn's portrait rights and using his chibi image without his permission!
Noah and Elias had also naturally come to visit Finn, but since Noah was busy preparing for an upcoming brand fashion show and Elias's band had performance arrangements, neither of them could stay for long. Fortunately, as soon as Anthony heard that he was sick, he made a special trip to visit him to chat and keep him company, bringing along a brand-new game show proposal—
Rat Rise: The Great Human Challenge.
At the very least, judging from the detailed proposal, Anthony placed a high value on this project, it had already been in preparation for some time.