Dr. Curt Connors was a visiting professor at Empire State University who occasionally lectured on topics related to biological genetics for students.
While serving as an instructor, he also maintained his own independent laboratory established with funding from Oscorp Industries.
The company's owner, Norman Osborn, had shown particular interest in Connors' ongoing research.
This research focused on limb regeneration technology, which held trendous promise and market potential in dical applications.
It was precisely because of this that Norman Osborn had allocated substantial annual research funding to Connors, hoping to complete this groundbreaking scientific project.
Erging from his office with a deeply troubled expression, Connors had once served as an army dic drafted into service during warti and sent to the front lines to treat wounded soldiers.
During a massive explosion, he sustained severe injuries that ultimately required the amputation of one arm to save his life...
After returning to academia, he devoted himself to studying reptilian regenerative systems and delving into the field of biological genetics, all in pursuit of restoring his own physical disability.
After years of painstaking research, Connors had finally begun to see glimrs of hope. Many scientific hurdles had been successfully overco, and he firmly believed that with just a little more ti, he could complete his limb regeneration research.
Yet at this most critical juncture, Oscorp Industries abruptly terminated funding for his laboratory...
Upon inquiry, Connors learned that this rising industrial giant was facing significant troubles... its stock prices were in freefall, and rumors swirled about potential dismantling and acquisition.
With Norman Osborn preoccupied with saving his own company, continuing to provide substantial research funding beca impossible.
This left Connors in an awkward predicant.
Despite being on the verge of success, insufficient funding threatened to halt his research, which was a devastating blow to his life's work.
The thought that decades of effort and dedication might dissolve into nothing brought a flush of anger to Connors' pale gaunt cheeks.
Clenching his fists, he looked around at the busy student researchers in his lab, his initially stormy expression gradually giving way to helpless dejection.
"Good morning, Dr. Connors." A young man stood before Connors, his face bright with a warm smile.
The taciturn middle-aged professor snapped out of his thoughts and recognized one of his research assistants.
A strained smile appeared on Connors' face, "Hello, Sean. I read your paper on cross-species genetics and biological DNA. Quite the innovative thinking."
Connors held considerable regard for this seemingly bright young man. No matter the task assigned to Sean, he always completed it exceptionally well, demonstrating remarkable patience even for tedious work like cleaning lab equipnt.
As such, Connors had long intended to formally recruit Sean into his research team once his project succeeded, entrusting him with so of the core research work once the anticipated honors and recognition ca through.
Now all those plans seed like empty talk. Without Oscorp's financial backing, there was no possibility of continuing the unfinished research.
The future he had envisioned had beco as fleeting and fragile as the moon's reflection in water or flowers in a mirror... illusory and unattainable.
Watching Dr. Connors' despondent retreating figure, Sean couldn't help but wonder if he had just triggered the Lizard storyline...?
In the original tiline, this reserved one-ard middle-aged man would eventually test his experintal serum on himself like the desperate Norman Osborn, resulting in a horrific transformation into a giant humanoid lizard.
Sean had joined Connors' lab primarily to establish a plausible justification for his future achievents.
Without a systematic education or formal scientific background, suddenly producing groundbreaking research would inevitably raise suspicions.
After all, Tony Stark's reputation as a genius was built on the foundation of Stark Industries and his MIT credentials... So Sean couldn't afford to lag behind in this regard.
He had been waiting for the right opportunity to secure his first stepping stone, and the recently plumting stock prices of Oscorp Industries had beco one of his primary targets.
The anonymous tip to the Daily Bugle about the Green Goblin's high-tech equipnt originating from Oscorp had co from Sean himself...
Norman Osborn's risky human trials with the enhancent serum had unleashed the violent and murderous persona of the Green Goblin... a persona that, barring unforeseen circumstances, would eventually lead to his death at Spider-Man's hands.
This would leave Harry to inherit the bankrupt company, perfectly setting the stage for Sean's plans.
Everything that followed had already been carefully plotted. To transform from an ordinary New York youth into a figure like Tony Stark would require more than just the power granted by his System...
This world contained far too many terrifyingly powerful individuals. Believing he could rely solely on his System to overpower every superhero would only lead to being surrounded and overwheld.
Sean had no intention of following in the footsteps of superheroes and taking orders from that one-eyed director at SHIELD. Nor did he wish to lurk in the shadows like Hydra, scheming against the Avengers in pursuit of world domination.
He sought to carve out his own path between superheroes and supervillains free from SHIELD's constraints and Hydra's threats.
To achieve this, Sean needed not only formidable power, but also a stable position of influence, a foundation built on wealth and authority.
Thus, from the shadows, he had orchestrated Norman Osborn's downfall, confident that the Green Goblin was currently drowning in corporate crises.
"If Spider-Man fails to eliminate the Green Goblin, should I intervene?" Sean mused while tapping his chin.
Should the butterfly effect alter the tiline, allowing the Green Goblin to survive, it would significantly complicate Sean's plans.
Compared to the easily influenced Harry, the shrewd and calculating Norman Osborn would prove far more troubleso to manipulate.
"Don't disappoint , Peter," Sean muttered as he changed into his lab coat, preparing for another day of work.
Noticing the approaching blonde girl from the corner of his eye, he imdiately masked the cold calculation in his gaze and replaced it with a cheerful smile that made him appear like nothing more than a harmless, sunny young man.
"Hey Gwen. I thought you'd be resting at ho for a while longer," Sean greeted the wide-eyed blonde with apparent concern.
Peter Parker's first love now stood before him holding a bag, her pretty face tinged with a faint blush. An inexplicably subtle atmosphere seed to settle between them, carrying a hint of ambiguous intimacy.
"I washed your clothes... thank you," the girl murmured so softly, that only Sean's enhanced hearing could catch the words.
Taking the bag, Sean realized it contained the suit jacket he'd draped over her during the rescue... an act he'd completely forgotten about afterward.
"Ah, I just did what anyone would have done in that situation," Sean replied modestly, unaware that this very humility only deepened the girl's favorable impression of him.
Gwen found herself increasingly drawn to this seemingly dependable and 'unpretentious' young man, an unfamiliar warmth blossoming in her chest.
As the two exchanged light banter and entered the bustling laboratory, behind the closed door of Dr. Connors' private office, the one-ard scientist wrestled with an agonizing decision, his face contorted in tortured hesitation as he contemplated a dangerous gamble that could alter his fate forever...
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