Restart, Spider-Man! [8]
In the dimly lit office, Norman, dressed in his Green Goblin armor, lay sprawled across the sofa, flailing his arms and legs like a mischievous child.
With a sudden movement, he tumbled off the couch, his phone falling onto the carpet.
"Oh, my dear little heart, please don't break. I'd be so sad if you did."
After carefully inspecting the phone and realizing it wasn't damaged, Norman sighed in relief.
"Good, it's not broken. My fun can continue a little longer."
In the darkness, a trembling figure spoke hesitantly.
"Mr. Goblin, I… I'm ready."
The pale-faced Betty had set up the camera, and the office lights suddenly brightened.
In the corner of the room were the bound and gagged board members of Oscorp.
Norman glanced at Betty, the demon mask on his face contorting grotesquely.
"You don't have to be afraid. I am the scariest demon, but I have no interest in hurting beautiful women."
Betty was on the verge of tears. Hearing this only made her more terrified.
Ignoring Betty's fear, Norman rose to his feet and looked down at the group of board members, his insane laughter filling the room.
"Gahahaha, are you all ready?"
The board members' faces were full of terror, their eyes filled with desperation.
Without waiting for a response, Norman instructed Betty to point the camera at them.
At the same time, the large screen in Times Square flickered briefly before switching to the live feed from the office.
"Now tell me, what did you all do to the great Norman Osborn?" Norman cackled.
Hearing this, the board members avoided the camera's gaze, their eyes darting in all directions, too afraid to speak.
In the next moment, Norman grabbed one of them by the throat.
Crack!
The lifeless body collapsed to the floor. Betty, horrified, covered her mouth and retreated to the corner, too afraid to make a sound.
The remaining board members were paralyzed with fear, some wetting themselves.
"Gahahaha, what a bunch of cowards, but I don't like cleaning up."
Norman flicked his wrist, and blades popped out, threateningly pointing to a random person. "You, start talking."
"I-I-I'll talk, I'll talk…"
The man trembled, drenched in sweat as he knelt and spoke.
"I'm Kurz, I own eleven percent of Oscorp's shares…"
"Get to the point!"
"Yes, yes, Oscorp was founded by Mr. Norman Osborn. He gave everything for the company, but after his experiments failed, we all worked together to force him out. We are guilty. We…"
"Not detailed enough. Next."
Norman cut Kurz off and mercilessly sliced off his head.
Gagging sounds
The decapitation, with the head rolling to the ground, caused the remaining people to vomit in fear.
Seeing their pitiful state filled Norman with joy.
"Hahaha, this is so fun, so much fun!!"
He clapped his hands in delight and ordered the next board member to recount his grievances.
Meanwhile, the live feed on the giant screen in the square quickly drew a crowd of onlookers.
"Oh my god, it's the Green Goblin again. What a terrifying guy."
"He's absolutely terrifying."
"What is he trying to do?"
"This is some sick game."
"Listen, they're saying those board members removed Norman Osborn from his position as chairman. How is that even possible?"
"What a horrible power struggle."
The crowd whispered among themselves, while police sirens blared across the streets, and numerous officers rushed toward Oscorp.
"Faster, get there faster!"
"This is turning into a terrible day."
In the police car, George's face was grim.
If they didn't handle this properly, the consequences could be even worse.
He glanced at the live broadcast on the large screen, his expression darkening further.
Ordinary officers wouldn't be able to handle this situation.
He silently prayed that the other team would be reliable.
Soon, the police cars sped past the square.
A red-and-blue figure swung down, landing steadily on a billboard.
Xia Luo narrowed his eyes as he looked at the screen.
Norman's condition was worsening. Otherwise, he wouldn't be doing something this crazy.
Xia Luo understood Norman's grievances.
He had dedicated his entire life to Oscorp, sacrificing time with his family and missing the chance to see his wife one last time before she died.
Norman had neglected his family, all in the name of restoring the Osborn family's glory. He wanted to cure the Osborn family's genetic disease, not just for himself, but so that Harry could live longer and happier without suffering from it.
But when the gene serum experiment failed, he lost everything.
All his efforts had turned to dust.
The board members were the final straw that broke the camel's back.
After squeezing every last drop of value from Norman, they discarded him, forcing him to take the risk of injecting the incomplete gene serum.
Norman had succeeded—he gained immense strength, and the genetic disease could no longer claim his life.
But he had also failed—he lost himself, becoming angry and deranged.
Now, he wanted revenge on everyone, to release all his inner pain and resentment.
He had unleashed the darkest part of himself, determined to bring fear to everyone.
In the broadcast, as each board member recounted the facts, Norman laughed heartily.
He had been exploited by these people his whole life because of Oscorp.
And he had willingly let them, because it was the work he loved most.
The journalists gathering below were doing much the same.
Before long, many police cars had arrived in front of the Oscorp building, and a large crowd had gathered as well.
Norman made no effort to conceal the location of his live broadcast.
"Mr. Goblin, please calm down. You can tell us what you need, and we'll try to meet your demands."
Standing by the police car, George shouted into a megaphone.
Armed officers quietly slipped into the building, ready to act at any moment.
A helicopter hovered above the building.
"Captain, we've confirmed it. The Green Goblin is Norman Osborn."
In the helicopter, Natasha spoke gravely.
Beside her, Steve Rogers gripped his shield tightly and took a deep breath. "I've been on ice for seventy years, but my body's fully recovered. I can handle this."
Natasha shook her head. "Norman used to be a high-ranking SHIELD agent, but for some reason, he left SHIELD early to focus on his company. He won't be easy to deal with."
Steve frowned. "Is that so? Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
"I just found out from Nick."
"Alright, I'll have to get used to your unreliability."
As Steve spoke, Clint Barton's voice came through the earpiece.
"I'm in position. As soon as he's in my sights, I can take the shot."
"Good. Barton, you're Hawkeye, right? I'm looking forward to working with you."
Atop the building, Barton, holding his compound bow, had locked onto Norman's office, his expression serious.
Suddenly, a red-and-blue figure appeared in his line of sight, and Barton nocked an arrow, aiming at the figure.
"I've spotted a red-and-blue bug. Should I shoot him down?" he asked.
"Bug?"
Steve was momentarily confused, but Natasha seemed to understand.
"It's Spider-Man. Looks like Norman didn't kill him after all."
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