Chapter Forty-Nine: The Technological Prowess of Osborne Enterprises

“Are you alright?” Gwen looked at Michael, whose hands were stained with blood.

“I’m fine.” Michael took out a handkerchief and wiped the blood from his hands. “Did you call the police?”

“Yes, I was worried something might happen to you.” Gwen studied Michael and realized he seemed unharmed.

“How did they get here so fast?”

“They were worried the Goblin would show up today, so they set up security in advance. You know how he likes crowded places.”

Michael nodded. It was true—the Goblin always killed in full view of others, then vanished without a trace. But why hadn’t he gone after the military for revenge this time?

“Let’s go.”

“Alright.”

“Um… could you take me home?” Felicia asked softly.

Michael and Gwen turned to look at Felicia, then glanced at each other and shrugged. They had almost forgotten about her.

Meanwhile, Tony hurriedly boarded a plane overnight, heading to Washington State to attend the hearing.

The next day, Tony made a flamboyant, dramatic entrance, relentlessly mocking Justin Hammer, leaving him utterly humiliated and the butt of every joke. The hearing ended in a storm of mutual insults between Tony and the governor.

Elsewhere, Michael rose early and headed to the Osborn Tower. He had planned to watch the shareholders tear each other apart, but to his surprise, he saw Norman Osborn as soon as he entered the building.

Norman met his gaze with a healthy smile, then entered the elevator.

Michael immediately dialed his father-in-law’s number.

“Mr. George, I just ran into Norman.”

He had figured Norman would get out, but not this quickly.

George sounded weary. “Sorry, Michael. Norman was bailed out right after I left.”

“Why?”

“First, we can’t prove he was behind the previous attacks. Second, this time he didn’t cause any real harm. And also, some big shot from the military vouched for him.”

The military.

It made sense—Norman hadn’t attacked them this time.

“So there’s nothing else we can do?”

George sighed helplessly. “We can try to prosecute, but the evidence is too flimsy. Norman’s lawyers can easily get him off. For now, we’re just keeping an eye on him, waiting for him to slip up…”

Michael ended the call without hesitation.

“Damn it.”

The Goblin always wore a mask; no one could prove that Norman was behind the first two attacks. And this time, since Michael wasn’t injured, at best it was attempted assault. Even if the evidence was airtight, Norman wouldn’t spend much time behind bars.

But there was another show about to begin: the shareholders would soon unite to force Norman off the board and try to sell the company. In turn, Norman would become desperate, and at the carnival, he’d wipe out the board in one fell swoop.

Michael smirked and took the elevator to the roof.

Norman was in his office, drinking. When Michael entered, he nodded in greeting.

Michael walked straight over. “Norman, don’t think you’re untouchable.”

Norman glanced at Michael. “Don’t do anything rash, Michael. There are cameras everywhere. If you try anything, the world will be watching your ‘heroic deeds’ live.”

Michael shot a look at the camera, contemplating whether he should just rip it out and beat Norman up to vent his anger. But he decided against it.

“Michael, you’ve always kept secrets from me. Your powers are far beyond mine, and you have some rather strange abilities.”

“Norman, your ambition is too great. That’s why I hold back around you.”

Norman sneered. “Don’t be naive, Michael. We’re the same kind of people—born to rule this world.”

He poured another glass of wine and handed it to Michael.

“Michael, let’s join forces. Take down Spider-Man, and this city will be ours. With our talents, not just the city, but this entire state—even all of America—would be at our feet.”

Michael shot Norman a mocking look.

“Norman, do you really think you’re the only one with special abilities in this world?”

Norman stared out the window. “I know there are many with superpowers, but few are truly clever. The world belongs to the capable, the intelligent, and the wealthy. But in the end, it belongs to those with ambition.”

He turned back to Michael. “And as it happens, you and I possess all those qualities. The world is ours.”

Michael regarded him coldly, giving no reply.

He swirled the crimson liquid in his glass. Some say this stuff is power, but all Michael saw was blood, dark and deep.

After drinking, Michael smiled and said, “Why don’t you sort out your boardroom troubles before talking to me about partnership?”

With that, he strode out.

His plan was simple: goad Norman into killing under police surveillance, then seize the chance to kill him. As long as Norman donned the Goblin suit, Michael would have the justification to eliminate the Goblin once and for all.

Besides, as long as Norman wanted to win Michael over, he wouldn’t target his family—unless he was truly desperate.

Norman didn’t quite understand what Michael meant—what troubles could the board possibly cause? But the meeting was about to start.

Norman entered the conference room to find all the shareholders already assembled.

“Sorry I’m late.”

One shareholder, unable to hold back, furrowed his brow. “Norman, what have you done?”

Norman’s expression turned cold. These bloated parasites—if not for their history of working together, he’d have kicked them out long ago. Now they dared to question him?

But what happened next truly rattled Norman: they were planning to oust him from the board.

This was beyond tolerance. Osborn Industries had been built from nothing by his own hands over more than a decade. These people had only invested some money—otherwise, they were nothing, and now they wanted to reap the rewards? They must be dreaming.

Seething with rage, Norman decided to wipe out these useless fools.

He glanced at the security monitors, checked the police stationed below, and began planning his next move.

Seeing Norman leave the top floor, Michael slipped into Norman’s office, broke the lock, and plugged a flash drive into Norman’s computer.

Once connected to Osborn Industries’ database, Michael first copied all the research files. Then, deciding to go all the way, he planted a virus to ensure the entire company would be paralyzed by tomorrow.

Afterward, he returned to his own lab to design a new suit for himself.

The greatest prize this time was the Osborn research data. Just how powerful was Osborn Industries? Put it this way: in the multiverse, not every universe has Tony or Iron Man. In the universes of the Amazing Spider-Man and the second Spider-Man, there is no Stark Industries—Osborn Industries fills that void.

And it’s a perfect replacement. For example, Doctor Octopus’s arms can fuse with Spider-Man’s nanotech suit because his mechanical arms also utilize nanotechnology, allowing them to merge seamlessly.

Everything Stark Industries can do, Osborn can match, though their areas of expertise differ. Stark Industries once specialized in advanced weaponry, now in new energy. Osborn, meanwhile, develops weapons, biomedicine, nanotech, and new energy, maintaining a balance across all fields.

So while Osborn may lag behind Stark in some specialties, it surpasses it in others—like at this point in time, Tony still knows nothing about nanotech.