In Dr. Otto's laboratory, the World-renowned nuclear physicist was intently staring at the Squid Man in the Daily Bugle.
From his school days to his career, Dr. Otto had always been the most outstanding and excellent individual, so much so that he developed an 'idiot-phobia,' unable to tolerate clumsy people working with him.
Even though those who could become his assistants were already one in a hundred, Dr. Otto still held them in considerable disdain, to the point that when he focused on conquering clean energy through nuclear fusion, there was no one else in the laboratory.
The only things that could routinely help him were a few mechanical arms installed on wheeled bases, similar to those commonly used in factory workshops.
But for Dr. Otto, these mechanical arms could only barely meet his needs, far from achieving the level of being as responsive as his own limbs.
On the front page of the Daily Bugle, the Squid Man's photo was like a pillow arriving just as he was falling asleep, letting Dr. Otto know what he should do next.
"If I also had four mechanical arms attached to my body, driven by my nerves, my experiments wouldn't have to be forcibly paused when an alarm sounded; instead, I'd have the energy to quickly troubleshoot any issues that arose during the experiment!"
The more Dr. Otto looked, the brighter his eyes became. He quickly grabbed paper and a pen and began designing blueprints for mechanical arms. Soon, behind a small figure symbolizing himself, four retractable, radiation-resistant, multi-functional mechanical arms sprang to life on the paper.
Describing them as mechanical arms wasn't quite fitting; these four were more like octopus tentacles.
To solve the problem of the mechanical arms' own weight and the potential weight during operation possibly being too much for his body, Dr. Otto designed a simple but reliable support system for the small figure's back, waist, and legs.
This was just a draft, with many things needing refinement, but Dr. Otto still couldn't help but laugh aloud as he looked at the blueprint.
The smile on his face hadn't lasted more than a few seconds when a knock on the door interrupted Dr. Otto. Then, Harry Osborn pushed the door open and entered, followed by a young man Dr. Otto found somewhat familiar.
"I remember you, Peter... Parker, right?"
Dr. Otto quickly recalled who the young man in the plaid shirt was and smiled kindly at him.
As long as they didn't disrupt his experiments, Dr. Otto wasn't a difficult person to get along with.
"Yes, Peter, my good buddy."
Harry Osborn clapped the shoulder of the person next to him forcefully.
"I cannot abandon the identity of Peter Parker; I need this identity to do many things that Batman cannot, just like the identity of Bruce Wayne."
"So I cannot completely abandon Peter Parker's past social connections; in fact, I need to actively maintain them, for example, here with Dr. Otto."
"This way, when I later improve the nuclear fusion formula as Peter Parker and profit from it, it won't seem abrupt."
Thinking of this, Batman's face showed a somewhat forced smile as he greeted Dr. Otto.
Dr. Otto still returned a benevolent smile and nodded: "Neither of you are here for the first time; as long as you don't disturb my experiments, feel free to do whatever you wish."
Then he found an opportunity to call Harry Osborn over and asked in a low voice: "Peter seems a bit off? Three days ago, he suddenly seemed... lost his soul in my lab, and he doesn't seem to have recovered even now."
Harry Osborn also said in a low voice: "About a month ago, Peter lost one of the people who loved him most in the World."
A month ago was the time Uncle Ben was murdered. Harry Osborn thought it over and over, and the only thing that could cause such a change in Peter was this event.
Dr. Otto was also somewhat surprised to hear this answer. He understood why the smile on the young man's face earlier was so forced:
"As his friend, Harry, you need to comfort him well. Peter is a good lad; he must pull himself together and move forward."
"So I brought him back here to you, hoping it would help him redirect his energy elsewhere," Harry said.
Dr. Otto had no complaints about this. When he was a child, he and his mother were often beaten by his father, but his mother would always shield him fiercely behind her.
When his mother passed away, Dr. Otto's mental state was even worse than Peter's current state.
Therefore, his gaze towards Peter became a bit softer:
"It seems Peter is very interested in nuclear physics."
At this moment, Batman was already standing in front of an experimental instrument, looking intently at the various data displayed on it.
While Harry Osborn and Dr. Otto were conversing, Batman suddenly spoke as if he had just discovered something:
"Dr. Otto, I've found the error that caused the lab alarm last time."
This immediately caught the attention of Dr. Otto and Harry, and they quickly walked over to Batman.
The last lab alarm even triggered his 'Spider-Sense.' Batman took this opportunity today to resolve it, laying the foundation for future formula corrections.
"I told you Peter was a genius." Harry and Dr. Otto exchanged a smile.
They didn't linger long in Dr. Otto's laboratory; Harry and Batman left the lab together.
"Peter, I know you miss Uncle Ben very much." Standing on the street, Harry Osborn said, "I miss him too, but you can't go on like this forever. You still have Aunt Mei, and you have me. You have to live well, carrying Uncle Ben's expectations."
"I will," Batman said.
Harry said no more and got into a Cadillac that was unpretentious in appearance but which Batman recognized at a glance as being very expensive, and drove away.
"Now, to the black market factory to make nitrogen springs and build my first piece of equipment."
Batman watched the Cadillac disappear around the street corner, then turned and began walking in the direction of the Williamsburg Bridge.
Near the Williamsburg Bridge, beneath an ordinary old building.
Several Underground Rooms here had been opened up and converted into a small factory. The unique smell of metal shavings mixed with oil and sweat, making Batman furrow his brows as soon as he stepped inside.
"Hey! Who are you? Get out..."
A Black man whose clothes were as black as his skin, making him look like a naked man at first glance, bared his snow-White teeth and was about to use a crowbar to drive Batman out.
Before he could finish his sentence, Batman's fist had already added a touch of red to his face.
"Damn it, a madman!"
The Black man shrieked, and with a clatter, several other workers in the factory surrounded them, holding poorly designed but absolutely lethal guns.
"Five thousand U.S. dollars, for one hour of factory use."
Before these people could say anything, Batman directly threw out a wad of cash, silencing them.
Unlike ordinary cylindrical nitrogen springs, Batman needed to make flat ones with a certain curvature, similar to military canteens.
An hour later, Batman quietly left with three completed nitrogen springs, filled them with high-pressure nitrogen at another factory, and then returned to the Abandoned Shipyard.
Next, he just needed to assemble the web-shooters with the nitrogen springs, and his first piece of equipment would be complete.