Chapter 52: Shifting Blame Is an Art

What kind of person is Tony Stark?

In Alvin’s view, he was more like a lonely man.

Although to outsiders, Tony Stark was arrogant, selfish, and conceited—just as his father had judged him, placing his own preferences above collective interests.

Even S.H.I.E.L.D.’s comprehensive evaluation of Tony’s personality, character, and abilities concluded: he was an extreme instability risk.

Precisely because of this, S.H.I.E.L.D. never showed any sign of wanting to recruit him before he developed the Iron Armor.

But one thing could not be denied: Tony Stark... possessed a warm heart!

“No matter what kind of person I am, I’m still your friend, aren’t I?” Alvin’s words struck Tony’s heart like a hammer.

In that moment, the deep longing within him to escape loneliness cracked open a fissure in his forcibly sealed soul.

Gazing into Alvin’s sincere, utterly pure eyes, Tony’s lips twitched slightly, as if he wanted to say something—but finally turned his head away, muttering in a forced harsh tone: “Disgusting. You just looked like you were about to confess your love to me!”

Saying that, he immediately rose from the sofa—but no matter how you looked at it, his back seemed unmistakably like that of someone fleeing in panic.

“Hey, Tony, I started a company. Want to join?”

Alvin called out to stop Tony, grinning: “Vortech Biopharmaceutical. I guarantee you’ll be shocked.”

“That’s it?” Tony sneered, curling his lip: “I already knew. You went behind my back to Osborn? You think I can’t afford to invest?”

Sss... where did that sour tone come from?

Alvin scratched his head and replied honestly: “I just figured you’re into weapons and energy, not biopharmaceuticals, so I went to Osborn.”

“Not skilled?” Tony whirled around, jabbing his own chest like a startled cat: “I, Tony Stark, have nothing I’m not skilled at, understand?!”

Alvin instantly saw through it—this guy was just jealous. He comforted him: “Relax, I’m just messing around with him. With you, I’m serious.”

“That’s more like it...”

After confirming his weight in Alvin’s heart, Tony finally felt satisfied.

But when he returned to his room and replayed those words in his mind, he suddenly felt something was off.

“Damn it, isn’t this the exact line I use to cheat on women?” Tony’s temple throbbed with veins—he felt tricked: “JARVIS, freeze his black card. Now. Immediately. Right now!”

“Sir, I must remind you: Mr. Vorthus is not short on funds. This action would be meaningless.” JARVIS whispered.

Tony fell silent for two seconds, then asked: “How much did Osborn invest in that Vortech company?”

“According to available records: two billion U.S. dollars.”

For JARVIS, this information was trivial.

“Invest fifty billion for me!”

Tony immediately demonstrated his reckless spending: “What crap Osborn—two billion? He dares to show that up against me, Tony Stark?”

He wanted Alvin to know who the real “money daddy” was!

Near midnight, as Alvin was about to sleep, he received a private call from Norman.

“Strange. Why is Norman calling me at this hour?” He frowned—it was nearly three a.m. Didn’t this old man sleep?

Out of politeness, Alvin answered: “Mr. Osborn, it’s three in the morning. What do you need?”

“I’m sorry!”

Suddenly, Norman’s sincere, heartfelt apology came through the line.

“???”

Alvin was baffled.

Wait—you call me at three a.m. and open with “I’m sorry”? That’s seriously misleading!

But thinking again, Norman wasn’t the type to act without reason—he must have encountered something. Alvin asked: “Mr. Osborn, calm down first. What happened? Did someone steal Compound Five?”

“No, no, no—Compound Five is still safe. Not stolen.”

Norman hurried to explain, but Alvin grew even more confused—if not Compound Five, then what?

“Ahem, this matter requires a full explanation.”

Norman seemed nervous, cleared his throat twice, ready to speak—when Alvin cut him off.

“Mr. Osborn, it’s three a.m. If possible, I’d appreciate a concise summary. Can you do that?” Alvin, his sleep disrupted, grew impatient at the roundabout approach.

“At Osborn Pharmaceutical Lab, a researcher, facing the lab’s imminent closure, planned retaliation.”

Norman no longer danced around—he laid it all out: “Just now, he broke into my room and nearly killed me... God, he’s become a monster. I never imagined that experiment was so dangerous. I regret investing in him!”

“...Sss!”

Listening to Norman’s account, a familiar sensation rose in Alvin.

Then, cautiously, he asked: “The experiment you mentioned—was it the one combining human genes with biological organisms to achieve bodily regeneration?”

“How do you know?”

Norman on the other end was genuinely stunned.

Though the experiment wasn’t top-secret, Alvin seemed to know it intimately—this was unsettling!

“...So the attacker was Dr. Curt Connors?”

Alvin rubbed his forehead. No wonder he’d seen a lizard-man tonight—the source was Norman all along!

“It seems you know a lot. It’s almost frightening.”

Norman fell silent for several seconds, his voice unconsciously tinged with reverence: “Since you know about Connors, I’ll be direct—he turned into a disgusting lizard, broke into my room, demanded to know why I cut funding, and claimed he was close to developing the true regeneration serum.”

“And then?”

Alvin already guessed what this shameless old man had done.

“Er... you know, I’m just an ordinary man, so I...” Norman hesitated, embarrassed: “I told Connors it was because of your Vortech Group that I withdrew investment. But I swear—I didn’t mean to! Respectful Mr. Alvin!”

Fine, fine—you’ve mastered the art of shifting blame!

Alvin nearly laughed in rage. No wonder the lizard-man didn’t strangle him—he’d just dumped the blame on him!

“Mr. Alvin, I know you’ll be furious at what I did.”

Norman suddenly spoke: “But I had no choice. I must survive to continue researching Compound Five. To compensate, I offer 5% of Osborn Group’s shares and reduce my stake in Vortech Group. If that’s still insufficient, I can...”

He paused a long time, as if wrestling with inner turmoil, then said: “I can share with you a fragment of the Super Soldier Serum research data!”

Norman’s actions somewhat cooled Alvin’s anger.

No wonder he’d survived decades in the business world—he knew this move would anger Alvin, so he cut off his own flesh to pay!

“Mr. Alvin, I hope my compensation satisfies you?”

Norman’s low voice came through the line: “We are partners. I don’t want this incident to damage our relationship. This is the maximum I can offer. I swear, in the name of the Norman Osborn family, I beg your forgiveness.”

He offered compensation. He lowered his stance. What could Alvin say now?

“Fine. I forgive you.”

Alvin lowered his eyelids, a faint glint of cold light passing through: “But I hope this is the first—and last—time. Understood, Norman?”

“Yes. I swear by my family’s name: this will be the last time.”

Norman’s heart, which had been hanging in his throat, finally dropped into his stomach.