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Harry nodded upon hearing this, took a spoonful and put it in his mouth, his eyes widening instantly.
The smooth aroma of the eggs and the sweet and sour of the tomatoes exploded in his mouth, instantly awakening his taste buds. He couldn't help but take one spoonful after another.
Although the ingredients were as ordinary as could be, and even in terms of flavor—though Ryan had intentionally made it sweeter to suit Western tastes—it could only be considered average compared to the World-class delicacies Harry, a top-tier wealthy scion, had tasted.
But it was precisely this ordinariness that was the most suitable food for Harry's current low mood.
The sourness stimulated his lost appetite, and the sweetness healed his bitter heart.
As he ate, the sweet and sour flavor felt like Harry's own life, making the simple-hearted boy cry as he ate.
While stuffing food into his mouth, tears dripped into the plate, making the dish's flavor even more complex.
Ultimately, Harry was still just an eighteen-year-old boy... Ryan pushed a glass of warm lemon water to Harry's side and lightly stroked his hair, his tone softening:
"Harry, do you know? You and Peter are really alike..."
"After you left New York, Peter stayed at my house. Because he lost his parents and lost you, his only friend, he fell into a low point in his life for a while."
"Back then, when little Peter was at his lowest, he would often come back and cry in front of me like this after being bullied at school."
"But the only difference between you two is that when Peter was bullied at school, he could come back and talk to me, he could hide behind me. I could go and settle the score for him so that no one would dare bully him again, letting everyone know he had an older brother backing him up."
"It's just that you didn't have that brother who could protect you, so you had to endure everything on your own."
"So... if you don't mind, Harry, since you are Peter's best friend and I am Peter's older brother, you can also treat me as your own brother and tell me everything..."
Ryan's words fell into Harry's ears one by one like depth charges, setting off waves in his heart.
The bitterness in Harry's heart could no longer be suppressed and erupted!
He began to pour out all the great sorrows, hardships, and pains he had experienced since his return to Ryan.
As he spoke, he became so emotional that he not only poured out today's bitterness but also all his past grievances to Ryan.
For example, how much he hadn't wanted to go abroad to study, but his father, Norman Osborn, had forcibly sent him to the Royal Academy in England until now.
Or how little his father had cared for him since he was a child, barely seeing him over video calls a few times a month, and even then, only asking about his academic progress, completely unconcerned about how he was doing in a foreign land.
On the surface, Ryan acted like a gentle older brother, quietly listening to Harry's outpouring, occasionally offering affirmation and comfort.
But inwardly, Ryan had already deduced the better part of Harry's life based on the grievances he shared and formulated a corresponding plan for control.
That was... the Gentle Blade!
For a simple-hearted child like Harry who lacked love, nothing could control him better than the Gentle Blade...
Aizen, this World is just as you desired...
And based on Harry's outpouring, Ryan discovered that as the heir to the osborn family, Harry seemed to know even less than he had imagined, and his personality was even more naive.
Harry was completely unaware of the dirty business of Osborn Enterprises and his family's private affairs.
Seeing Harry's hand trembling unconsciously as he held the lemon water after finishing his emotional speech, Ryan suddenly asked, "Harry, do you want to know the truth? Do you want revenge? Do you want... to gain power?"
"Ah?" Harry sniffled and looked at Ryan, somewhat stunned.
He clearly hadn't expected Ryan to ask this all of a sudden.
But then Harry gave a bitter smile and shook his head: "Thank you for your kindness, Bro... Ryan, but my situation is different from when Peter was bullied by school bullies as a kid. This is much more complicated. I don't want to involve you in it..."
Although they had only spent an hour together, Harry truly considered Ryan one of his few friends, even... an older brother.
So, despite his naivety, he knew how disgusting the high-level board of directors of Osborn Enterprises were and didn't want to pull Ryan into this mess.
Ryan naturally understood Harry's meaning and shook his head slightly: "Of course I know that what you're facing isn't simple—I even know it better than you do—but did you think I was that simple?"
Harry was puzzled: "What do you mean?"
Ryan didn't speak. Instead, he reached out his right hand, and to Harry's surprised gaze, as the Symbiote surged in his palm, an isolation tube containing a black liquid appeared.
Harry stared wide-eyed at the active black liquid in the isolation tube: "This is?"
"A Symbiote, an alien organism that can cure any disease and grant people extraordinary power."
Ryan placed the isolation tube on the table and said calmly: "So you understand now, Harry. What I said just now wasn't a boast; I truly can give you the power to know the truth and seek revenge."
"And... it can also cure the genetic disease you carry."
Hearing this, Harry raised his uncontrollably trembling hands and looked at the black liquid in the isolation tube on the table, his eyes gradually becoming burning with intensity.
He picked up the tube and looked at Venom through the glass; both felt a mutual longing for each other.
But Harry still suppressed the urge, looking up at Ryan nervously: "For something so precious, what price do I have to pay?"
Ryan smiled slightly and shook his head gently: "Price? No, you don't have to pay any price..."
"If I had to say there's a price, it's that from now on, you'll call me 'brother' just like Peter does."
Ryan's words were like the last life-saving straw Harry grabbed after falling off a cliff, and he held onto it tightly, refusing to let go!
Putting aside how Harry fell off the cliff, facing the straw Ryan offered, Harry had no other choice.
"Brother!" Harry nodded firmly at Ryan, resolutely opened the isolation tube, and let Venom crawl onto his arm and enter his body.
This caused the corners of Ryan's mouth to curl up even more.
This move is called: no price is the heaviest price of all!
Once you're infected with something like Venom, it's hard to take it off...
Otherwise, if Venom were really that good, why wouldn't he give it to Ben and May, or to Peter and Gwen?
Because this Symbiote stuff is addictive, and the price of using it isn't something kind people like Ben and the others could accept.
And once Harry put on Venom, whether he liked it or not in the future, as long as he didn't want to die or lose Venom, he would have to obediently listen to him!