Anthony also pointed out that the inheritance litigation against a behemoth kingdom like the Osborn Group, with assets totaling as much as 1.6 trillion dollars, would be an extremely long, expensive, unpredictable [war of attrition]; naturally, the litigation would also incur astronomical legal fees.
Finn also understood that Anthony was leaning toward another direction—settlement.
After all, once this lawsuit began, it would inevitably affect the image and stock price of the Osborn Group. Finn could completely use this as leverage to negotiate directly with Harry Osborn for a massive sum of money or other forms of assets.
"So, you really support.. me going against Harry Osborn?" The more Finn listened, the more he felt they were truly considering his interests, he looked at his serious-faced friends with some hesitation. He had originally thought that these "fair-weather friends" of his were just looking for trouble and would be cheering him on by his side.
Of course we support you! That's the entire Osborn Group. If you don't fight for it now, when will you ever get the chance?" Anthony said with wide eyes and an agitated tone. "No matter whose perspective you take, this is unfair, right? Both are sons of Norman Osborn, so why are you only left with such a small portion? If this happened to me, I wouldn't be able to stand it either.
Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars a month—how could that possibly be fair to Finn Osborn? It was like a basic living allowance specifically calculated for Finn Osborn, but how could a father leave all his assets to one son while providing only basic living expenses to another?
As Finn's closest friends, they liked Finn, naturally, they simply did not believe that Norman Osborn would intentionally mistreat him by disliking a son like Finn. Therefore, deep down, they were certain that behind this absurd inheritance distribution, there must be some hidden truth.
Finn fell silent, his mind flashing back to the way these friends had unconditionally supported his grand claims whenever he had tried to fight for the inheritance.
—So, you don't actually think I can take on Harry Osborn either?
—Am I really that capable in your eyes?
Finn, if you can prove that Harry used coercion to force Norman to make a will, or that Harry forged or altered the contents of the will," Noah, who had remained silent until now, suddenly spoke. "Then the court could also rule the will invalid, the heir who committed such acts might lose their inheritance rights.
[How could I possibly prove that? That will is one hundred percent authentic.]
Finn thought this to himself, only to find that his friends' eyes were staring straight at him, as if they were waiting for him to produce something.
Being stared at with such gazes made him feel a bit uneasy.
Finn was stunned.
He also suddenly realized something was wrong.
"Host, your friends truly believe that Norman Osborn's will is problematic, they believe you hold the key evidence." System PP's electronic voice carried a hint of helplessness, further confirming the suspicion in Finn's heart.
Finn froze. He suddenly realized that although his opponent was clearly Harry Osborn, he had always spoken with such confidence every time before, acting as if he were certain to fight Harry Osborn for the inheritance, deliberately putting on an air of solemnity as if victory were already in his grasp.
Did they think he actually had some kind of crucial evidence in his hands? That he just hadn't produced it yet!
Was he being too confident?
Help! They seem to think he actually has a brain!
I thought you all saw me as just some incompetent, loudmouthed, foolish rich kid, but do you actually think I'm hiding some crucial evidence and just holding back for a big reveal?
Don't look at me like that.." Finn gave a few dry laughs and spoke with difficulty, "I really don't have any evidence. If I did, I would have brought it out long ago; why would I wait until now?
Noah gave him a long, deep look, but he did not press him further.
There were many times when Noah asked Finn whether Norman Osborn had discussed the distribution of the inheritance with him before his death, but Finn's response was always ambiguous, clearly concealing something.
Then what exactly are you thinking?" Elias asked in a low voice, stating an astronomical figure, "This is our estimate, the bottom line for negotiations with Harry.
"I want shares in the Osborn Group." Finn shook his head immediately without a second thought.
"This is the part that Harry Osborn absolutely cannot yield on," Elias said, frowning as he offered a reminder.
Finn certainly knew that it was precisely because he could not relent that he had to cling to this point.
"Do you definitely want shares?" Noah remained silent for a long while before finally asking.
"Yes." Finn nodded with a firm tone.
He knew very clearly what his goal was.
Harry Osborn wouldn't need to give him anything to drive their relationship to a breaking point.
In the eyes of Noah, Elias, Anthony, the young man slumped in the sofa at this moment had shed his usual lively and flamboyant demeanor, enveloped in a rare layer of tranquility. The warm yellow light washed over his profile, but within those emerald eyes, not a single hint of the light's softness was reflected—
There was no greed for the Osborn Group's trillions in assets within it, nor was there any craving for immense wealth.
It was simply a form of near-obsessive paranoia.
“You know, no matter what you do, we will support you.” Noah and Anthony exchanged a glance with Elias, then suddenly smiled casually, “But there's no point in discussing this further right now; we're just establishing our direction for the future. It's about time to sleep; go to bed.”
Finn: "??" You change the subject so quickly.
Before Finn could even manage to retort, he was forcibly carried by Noah to the second-floor bedroom and then pressed down onto the bed to sleep.
"So early?" Finn didn't understand; his nightlife hadn't even begun.
"It's time for normal people to go to sleep," Noah said.
Finn: ".." But I'm not a normal person; at most, I'm just an intern human.
"I don't believe you and Elias go to sleep this early at night," Finn sat up and retorted.
His hosts and significant others all stayed up all night long.
If you go to sleep this early, it means there's something wrong with your abilities!
".. Discuss this with me once you have a partner." Noah was stunned for a moment, then said with a mix of exasperation and amusement, forcibly pushing Finn back down.
"Have you been taking your medicine properly lately?" Noah asked.
“.. I have,” Finn said, feeling a bit guilty.
Noah opened the drawer of the nightstand and checked the number of pills inside.
"Who are you trying to fool?" Noah gave a light snort. It was clear that he was indeed taking the medicine, but certainly not on schedule.
I take them too, I just forget sometimes." Finn certainly didn't think he was mentally abnormal; instead, he thought Noah was the one who was hypersensitive. "Actually, I think I'm doing quite well, even if I don't take the medicine—
"Did your psychiatrist say you could stop taking your medication?" Noah asked, his tone filled with disagreement.
".. That doctor is unprofessional," Finn frowned.
"Why?" Noah asked in confusion.
"He actually diagnosed me with schizophrenia." Finn could accept the other illnesses, but he truly didn't have that one.
Noah froze, his gaze fixed on Finn.
"No way? You think I'm schizophrenic too!" Finn read a sense of [identification] in Noah's gaze, looking shocked.
Don't even go there." Noah didn't say anything else; he just picked up the medication intended for before sleep, took it out, handed it to Finn. "Open wide and take your medicine.
Medicine Must Be Taken · Finn: ".." How should I put it?
This psychiatrist, you say he's professional, yet he actually misdiagnosed him with schizophrenia.
You say he isn't professional, yet he actually managed to diagnose schizophrenia.
Anyway—
"PP! I've been diagnosed with schizophrenia, you're one hundred percent responsible for it!" Finn raged inwardly for a moment.
As the exclusive System PP of the Host, there was nothing to say, but the professional code of conduct for a rookie system forced him to respond to the Host:
[System PP gave you a high five. gif]
Chapter 24: Villain Training
System PP and his first Host, Finn, had a generally pleasant cooperation.
It had now become not only Finn's little newbie system, but had even become what the psychiatrist perceived as Young Master Osborn's split personality.
"Host, have you noticed—" System PP's electronic voice carried a hint of contemplation.
"What discovery?" Finn stared at the computer screen, his fingertips tapping rapidly on the keyboard. Ever since he had earned his first pot of gold from the [Mr. Suit] series of memes, he had decisively launched several new series, had even taken the opportunity to enable a paid download mode.
“Part of your friends' support for you is because they see you as a friend, the other part is because.. they truly think you're sick in the head,” System PP said thoughtfully. He could clearly sense the attitude of Finn's friends, especially Noah Hart, who treated Finn with a kind of bottomless indulgence, as if he were afraid of upsetting his "fragile nerves"—for instance, his attitude after the last car accident.
But System PP knew better than anyone that his Host was not only not fragile, but was actually so broad-minded that he could hold an entire ocean within him.
For some reason, System PP sometimes felt that he seemed even more human than Finn.
But this was understandable, after all, he was just a newly appointed rookie system, while his Host was already a battle-hardened veteran system.
This made System PP feel that, at times, Finn seemed to lack a basic sense of empathy.
I see," Finn replied nonchalantly. "So the situation has evolved into—I'm sick, so I'm right. Even if Noah and the others feel that what I'm doing is wrong, they'll end up having to tolerate and support me simply because they've concluded that I'm sick.
This understanding wasn't entirely wrong, but the point System PP originally wanted to emphasize was clearly that—the Host's friends truly cared for him from the bottom of their hearts.
"But looking at it now, my mental illness isn't even that much of a misery, is it?" Finn frowned slightly. He didn't feel like he had any mental issues; at most, he was just hyperactive, at night, he simply didn't want to sleep and only wanted to tinker with other things.
—But when he was the System PP, he never slept at night either!
When he first arrived in this world, when Finn chose these debuff personas, some were added based on his own past experience, while others were chosen because the prompts indicated they had the highest compatibility with him and would better drive the development of future missions. Looking back now, "I'd have been better off switching to some kind of cancer instead."
System PP really knew how to play his Host: 【Cancer is very painful. Doesn't the Host want to enjoy the pleasures of a rich second generation with a healthy body?】
Although—
System PP looked at the seven "sickness" tags listed on the Host's panel, truly unable to judge whether Finn's current state could even be considered healthy.
".." Finn fell silent for a moment, recalling the series of unrestrained play and indulgence he had indulged in since arriving in this world.
Why was the Misery Value stuck? It was because he was just too, too, too, happy!!
"I shouldn't be this happy!" Finn began to reflect deeply and seriously on himself.
Thinking back to the dear Hosts who had constantly struggled, risen, made their comebacks, Finn felt that his own lack of ambition was quite shameful.
But after only a few seconds of depression, he quickly adjusted his mindset. After pondering for a moment, Finn felt that these debuffs were ultimately just auxiliary; the core of the Misery Value still depended on his actual actions. As long as he followed the current plotline steadily, there would certainly be no problem—after all, his Misery Value was rising at a slow but steady pace.
After only two days of rest, Finn's foot injury had already completely healed, but his two butlers still insisted on suspending his dance classes, requiring him to rest for a full week before he could continue dancing. Furthermore, when Finn prepared to return to the Osborn Group for work, Catherine insisted that Finn continue to wear his ankle brace and slippers to work.
"That doesn't fit my vibe." Accustomed to dressing like a second-generation rich kid every day, Finn was now burdened by his own OOTD standards.
These slippers are also a METAL limited edition, very trendy." Catherine had been prepared. "Noah has already coordinated an outfit for you.
Finn: ".." Then what am I supposed to say?
The current Misery Value progress had reached a critical 9.5/100, it never quite reached the level of 10, which was starting to trigger Finn's obsessive-compulsive tendencies.
Moreover, Finn was thinking about another matter, which was that Harry had given him one week to think things through before negotiating with him.
Sitting at his workstation in the Osborn Building, Finn Osborn began to think further about how to deal with his direct superior, Harry Osborn—
[If I insist on demanding shares, we certainly won't be able to reach an agreement; with Harry's personality, he will definitely give me another cold, harsh scolding.]
Then I arrived. I had to enter the stage of being overcome with shame and anger, begin plotting some wicked things to persecute Harry Osborn.
Peter is already my good friend now, he even comes to find me on his own every day. So this is a great opportunity; I will pretend to accidentally leak flaws to let him discover my wicked intentions, giving Peter something to catch me on. Once my plan is implemented, Peter will transform into Spider-Man and step up at the critical moment.