Chapter 51: The Employer

However, Peter Parker underestimated the immense momentum of his fall. Although the friction with the glass greatly slowed his speed, he still didn't stop and continued to fall towards the ground.

In the classroom, Maverick stretched his arms and loosened up his waist. Professor Connors' class had just ended, and Maverick had learned a lot.

As he was packing his books and getting ready to leave the classroom, he suddenly saw a figure rapidly descending outside the window, breaking branches and landing on the ground.

*Bang!* The heavy thud made Maverick's heart skip a beat. Was this a classmate who couldn't handle the pressure of studying and jumped?

Thinking this, he hurriedly opened the window and looked down. Fortunately, the person seemed okay, now standing up while leaning against the wall.

'Wait a minute, a red and blue suit—that's Spider-Man, Peter Parker. Why did he fall from up there?' Maverick had already recognized the figure standing on the ground.

"Are you okay?" Maverick asked, looking at Spider-Man who was leaning against the wall holding his back.

"Oh! My back! My back!" Peter, engrossed in his back pain, was startled by Maverick's sudden question.

He immediately looked up and saw his classmate, Maverick, looking at him through the window. Although they weren't particularly close, Peter still felt a bit embarrassed, whether as Spider-Man or as Peter Parker.

"Ahem!" Peter forcibly suppressed his back pain, placing one hand on the wall, and tried to speak casually and confidently, "I'm fine. I just fought with a freak for a long time, but he got away. No worries, next time I'll make sure to put him in jail."

"Well, see you later. Don't hang out the window for no reason; you might fall." Before Maverick could say anything, Peter left.

Once he found a deserted spot, he leaned against the wall and whispered in pain, "It hurts so much. My back, I might need some rest."

By the classroom window, Maverick, watching the now-vanished Spider-Man, spoke to Venom, "He must be in a lot of pain. I saw his muscles twitching involuntarily."

Venom responded, "A fall like that must hurt even for a superhuman like him, but it probably wasn't as painful as when your bones and spine were shattered last time."

Hearing Venom's words, Maverick's face darkened, "Thanks for reminding me of that pain again."

"Next time, remember to block my pain receptors in time. I don't want to endure that kind of pain a second time."

Venom, hearing Maverick's displeased complaint, could only respond with an awkward laugh and full agreement. Last time was indeed his fault; he focused too much on the repair and forgot to block the pain.

"Being a masked hero must be tough. What just happened? Another weirdo showed up? New York really is full of weirdos." Maverick shook his head, chatting with Venom as he walked out with his packed bag.

He had been focused on class all day and had no idea what was happening outside. Maybe he could catch up on the news when he got home.

°°°

In the top-floor lab of OsCorp, Norman Osborn stood there frowning, seemingly waiting for someone.

He was alone in the lab, where he often conducted experiments by himself. Today, he was there to wait for someone, to receive an explanation for a failure.

*Click!* A square steel plate on the top floor slowly opened, and a strange man on a glider flew into the lab. It was the Goblin, who had just attacked Empire State University.

"You messed up, Goblin. This isn't what we agreed on," Norman Osborn said coldly, looking at the Goblin who kept circling.

The Goblin chuckled and replied, "No, no, no, this isn't my fault. You never mentioned that Spider-Man would be involved. Without him, Wilson Fisk would already be a corpse."

"I can kill him for you again, but this time, the price will double."

Listening to the Goblin negotiating, Norman Osborn's voice turned stern, "How dare you negotiate with me? You should know that everything you have is because of me. Without this equipment, you would just be a low-level crook, a worthless wretch."

He then walked over to the large screen in the lab and displayed some footage.

Norman Osborn threatened, "Don't forget, I know everything about you. If you dare to keep raising your demands, I'll release all of this information."

The Goblin fell silent at Norman's words, but the cold look in his eyes betrayed his inner turmoil.

"What? Thinking of killing me?" Norman mocked, staring at the Goblin. "All this information is set to be automatically sent out. If I don't enter the password every three days, it goes public. Do you actually dare to take your chance?"

Norman Osborn's gaze was locked onto the red eyes of the Goblin's mask. To him, the mask wasn't frightening; it was almost comical because he knew exactly who was behind it and how insignificant he once was.

After a moment of silence, the Goblin suddenly laughed again, raising his hands in a mock gesture of surrender. "Alright, Mr. Osborn, you win. I'll find another chance to deal with Fisk."

Hearing the Goblin's words, Norman Osborn smiled, a look of complete control on his face. "Good. That's the attitude we need for a productive partnership, isn't it? I provide you with equipment to make you stronger, and you handle my problems. It's beneficial for both of us."

"Hehehe! Exactly, Mr. Osborn," the Goblin replied with a chuckle. "But you should realize something. After this incident, Wilson Fisk will definitely increase his security. Plus, there's that pesky wall-crawler always interfering. My current equipment is a bit inadequate."

"So what?" Norman Osborn asked, staring at the Goblin.

The Goblin laughed and continued, "I need better gear to do my job more effectively. If it weren't for the open space today, I might not have escaped Spider-Man."

Norman Osborn pondered the Goblin's request, remaining silent as the Goblin waited patiently.

After a while, Norman finally spoke, "I understand your needs. I'll upgrade your equipment and get it to you as soon as possible. But," Norman stared intently at the Goblin, "you'd better remember our agreement. It's for both our sakes."

The Goblin chuckled, "Hehehe! Of course, Mr. Osborn. I wouldn't risk my identity."

With their agreement reached, the Goblin didn't linger. He stepped onto his glider and flew out through the square steel panel in the ceiling.

Norman Osborn watched the Goblin leave before exiting the lab himself. He had other matters to attend to.

°°°

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