Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Green Demon Returns

When dealing with a villain of the Green Goblin's caliber, Captain George felt uncertain. All he could do was assign his officers to crowded areas, just in case.

"Hey, Captain George, let's talk," said a voice.

George looked up to see Gwen hanging upside down right above him.

"I have nothing to discuss with you," George replied, drawing his gun and aiming it at Gwen.

Gwen had anticipated this reaction and remained calm.

"Captain George, we're not so different—you and I both want to protect the people. Why can't we work together?"

"I don't cooperate with criminals, Spider-Woman."

"I'm not a criminal. In fact, people call me a hero," Gwen replied with a smile.

George frowned, momentarily unsure of Gwen's intentions.

"If you're here to show off and mock us, then you win, but I won't play along."

"Oh, that's not what I meant. What I want to ask is, Captain George, can you give me a police position? Even if it's just a temporary post—then I won't be a vigilante anymore."

George considered it for a moment, then shook his head.

"Impossible. We can handle things here."

Gwen knew George wouldn't be easily convinced, so she dropped down to the ground to make herself more comfortable.

"Captain George, you know your resources aren't enough. There are some criminals you simply can't deal with—like the Lizard. Without my help, you would have faced far greater trouble."

"Of course, I'm not saying you're useless. You have your strengths and we have ours. Together, we could make this city better."

George pondered the possibility, but as soon as he remembered that Spider-Woman was actually Gwen, his fatherly concern for his daughter took over.

"No."

Gwen was speechless.

"If we work together, one plus one is more than two. But if you keep chasing me, we'll only wear each other out and delight the criminals."

"That's the police's duty. If you could just stay home, we wouldn't waste our time on you," George replied, his tone unyielding.

If Spider-Woman were someone else, perhaps cooperation would be possible. But since it was Gwen, things were different.

Just as Gwen was about to respond, an explosion erupted in the square, followed by panicked screams from the crowd.

Gwen immediately fired a web, preparing to swing over and investigate.

"Stop, or I'll shoot," George warned.

Gwen turned, looking at the stubborn George, and couldn't help but press her hand to her forehead.

What a headache.

"Watch her. The rest of you, come with me to apprehend the Green Goblin," George ordered.

"Yes, sir."

A young officer nervously aimed his gun at Gwen.

"Don't move, or I'll shoot," he stammered.

Gwen wasn't concerned; she could tell he was a rookie.

She smiled and said, "You're too nervous. Relax, I'm not going to hurt you."

"Captain said not to let my guard down..."

"Look—a flying saucer!"

Instinctively, the young officer turned his head. In that instant, Gwen kicked the gun from his hand. By the time he scrambled to retrieve it, she was already gone.

"Oww—" he groaned, frustrated to have messed up his first day on the job.

Gwen reached the rooftop of a nearby building and saw a small figure dressed like a goblin, standing atop a glider, shouting and cackling.

In his hand, he held strange grenades, which he hurled at the buildings in the square.

With such a terrifying attack underway, and the criminal armed with bombs, the police focused first on evacuating the civilians.

Chaos reigned in the square—no one paid attention to the Green Goblin.

"What is this guy doing?" Gwen wondered aloud as she swung on her webs and kicked the Green Goblin off his glider.

But the glider spun in midair and caught him again.

Noticing Gwen, the Green Goblin exclaimed excitedly, "Spider-Woman! What an interesting girl—you’re unbelievable!"

They stared at each other, Gwen standing on a balcony across from him.

"Are you insane? Do you have any idea how powerful those bombs are?"

The Green Goblin laughed maniacally, then said smugly, "You know, Spider-Woman, we're a lot alike."

Gwen retorted with disgust, "No, we're nothing alike. You're a murderer."

The Green Goblin replied with excitement, "No, we're both people with special talents. We just have different ambitions. I made my choice, and you chose to be a hero."

He eyed Gwen greedily; he had a particular fondness for the gifted—Tony Stark being the lone exception.

"You're truly insane," Gwen said, unable to stand his ramblings. She shot webs at him, but the Green Goblin dodged nimbly.

Clearly, with his glider, the Green Goblin held the advantage in the air.

Gwen realized this and stopped pressing the attack, instead searching for the perfect opportunity.

The Green Goblin seized the moment to toss a pumpkin bomb. Gwen sprinted along the wall, avoiding the blast, but the path she left behind was in ruins.

"The people of this city only care about heroes for three minutes. What they really want is to see heroes fail, fall, and die. No matter what you do for them, they'll hate you—so why bother?"

"Shut up," Gwen shot back, swinging along the building’s ledge, firing another web in midair and kicking the Green Goblin down.

He crashed into the fountain in the square, but quickly scrambled out.

The police had finished evacuating the civilians and now surrounded the Green Goblin, guns raised.

"Don't move!"

The Green Goblin stood at the fountain's edge and quietly raised his hands.

"Alright," George signaled with his eyes. A trembling officer approached, ready to cuff the Green Goblin.

But the Green Goblin seized the opportunity to take the officer hostage, laughing with exhilaration.

"Nobody move!"

None of the officers dared fire; they could only look helplessly at George.

At that moment, the glider swept in and carried the Green Goblin away.

In midair, the Green Goblin tossed the officer down, but Gwen swung in and caught him with her webs.

Seeing Gwen save the officer, George couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

But the Green Goblin circled back, making George’s heart leap into his throat.

"Fire!" George ordered—his only remaining option.

But the distance was too great, and the shots were ineffective.

The Green Goblin’s glider sliced through Gwen’s web, sending her plummeting from the sky.

If she were alone, Gwen had many ways to handle such a situation. But holding an officer meant she was effectively one-handed.

With no other choice, Gwen deployed her parachute.

It was far too low for a safe parachute opening, but she was lucky enough to snag a window.

She lowered the officer with her webs, then cut the parachute and dropped to the ground herself. But the Green Goblin was already gone.

"Thank you," the officer said.

George looked at Gwen with a complicated expression. If she hadn't drawn the fire today, who knows how many more would have been hurt.

"No need to thank me," Gwen replied, a sudden idea sparking in her mind. "How about this, Captain George—if I can take down the Green Goblin, you give me a spot on the force. That way, you can include me in operations, and we can work together. If you catch the Green Goblin, I'll never appear again."

George thought for a moment, then answered, "Deal."

"It's a promise."

"A promise, then."