Klein knew he had to remain calm and avoid falling into the same trap as Professor Connors.
Silas watched Klein's troubled expression, completely confused about what his teacher was thinking about now.
"Silas, you'll be fine waiting here alone, won't you? I need to go check on the other students," Klein said, turning toward him.
Silas nodded. "Don't worry, Teacher, I'll be fine by myself. I asked Peter to call Uncle Ben and Aunt May."
"Good." Klein lifted the tent flap and quickly left the area.
"What was that all about?" Silas wondered, scratching his head.
Elsewhere
"Hey! Spider-Man!" a rescue worker shouted, looking up.
Peter's reputation was already growing, with reports about Spider-Man occasionally appearing in the newspapers.
"No way. I thought Spider-Man was red and blue. Where did this homeless guy come from?" the rescue worker's partner exclaimed in surprise.
There was nothing Peter could do; his backpack containing his suit was buried under the debris, so he had to rely on his makeshift gear.
"I've got this!" Peter saw others attempting to move a stone and jumped down proactively. With a slight lift of his hands, the massive stone block was raised, and the person trapped beneath was easily rescued.
"Stop! Stop! Stop!" Peter was about to put the stone down when a person nearby stopped him.
The rescue worker explained, "If you drop the stone suddenly now, anyone still buried underneath could be crushed to death. Now, help us carefully set the stone aside, gently."
"Right." Peter complied, realizing that he was truly still a novice in this kind of situation.
"Are you Spider-Man?" The rescue worker approached Peter and extended his hand.
Peter shook his hand in return. "Yes, I am."
"Thank you so much for your help, but you superheroes should stick to fighting crime. Leave this to us," the rescue worker said gratefully, shaking his hand. Indeed, Peter wasn't much help here. Rescue workers had practiced coordinated movements, and Peter's insertion might only cause trouble. Besides, the rescue workers had heavy machinery; they didn't need Peter's super strength.
"It's fine, I'll just help where I can." Peter was too anxious to stop.
"Alright then." The rescue worker didn't press further, pointing nearby. "Perhaps they need you more over there."
"Got it!" Peter immediately ran over.
"He's certainly an energetic young man," the rescue worker remarked. Judging by his voice, they could tell Spider-Man was young and full of vigor. The worker clapped his hands and shouted, "Everyone, move faster! We are racing against death!"
A reporter broadcasting live quickly spotted Peter's red figure and immediately spoke into the microphone: "Now we have an unexpected special rescue worker on site. He is the superhero known as Spider-Man, though it appears he is not doing so well financially." Peter's current outfit was incredibly shabby, topped with a red plastic bag on his head, making him look like he had crawled out of a dumpster.
Freedom City (Tony Stark's HQ)
"Bombing a school? Whose bright idea was that?" Tony asked, seated in a chair.
"A search of the video footage identified the perpetrator as this individual known as the Green Goblin," J.A.R.V.I.S. quickly found the news about the popular Green Goblin and projected his image onto the screen.
Tony chewed his gum. "Hmm... it looks like he stole my idea. I should file for patent protection."
"Sir, that armor bears no resemblance whatsoever to yours," J.A.R.V.I.S. countered directly.
Tony rolled his eyes dismissively. "Oh, J.A.R.V.I.S., come on, try to have some tact."
"I was created by you, Sir. If I lack tact, it suggests you do as well," J.A.R.V.I.S. shot back.
Tony fell silent for a moment, then asked, "By the way, is my food ready?"
"It has arrived," J.A.R.V.I.S. replied.
A fresh steak was placed in front of Tony, along with the green liquid he detested.
"J.A.R.V.I.S., please investigate who is orchestrating this behind the scenes," Tony said, picking up his knife and fork and pushing the cup containing the green liquid away. Bombing a school severely threatened public safety.
"Yes, Sir. And please drink this," J.A.R.V.I.S. placed the green liquid back in front of Tony.
Tony forced himself to drink it, wincing. "I swear, once I find an element to replace palladium, I never want to see this stuff again."
"But it effectively controls the symptoms of palladium poisoning," J.A.R.V.I.S. stated.
Tony sighed. This was currently his biggest frustration. The shrapnel lodged near his heart required a constant supply of palladium to keep it magnetized and absorbed. Without the palladium, the shrapnel would have already pierced his heart. Furthermore, the device was internal, needing the palladium both to manage the shrapnel and to power his armor. Asking someone else to remove the shrapnel was out of the question; Obadiah Stane's betrayal had shattered his trust. Pepper didn't understand technology, and as for Rhodey, Tony figured he wasn't reliable enough. It wasn't that he didn't trust Rhodey, but Rhodey was simply too prone to making mistakes.
Oscorp Group Laboratory
"Oh? He's still alive, meaning the black-clad figure is also alive?" Norman's face darkened. He had thought Pace would be useful, but he turned out to be useless trash.
"It appears so," a subordinate confirmed.
Norman had no time to worry about Pace, who was already a dead man. He turned and asked, "How is the Human Enhancement Serum?"
"It is complete." A gloved subordinate took a vial containing the serum from a container.
Norman finally smiled in satisfaction. "Inject it now."
"But, Boss, I think we should test it further..." The subordinate was cut off.
Norman raised his hand to stop him. "I cannot wait any longer."
"Understood." The subordinate stopped arguing and began preparations.
Injecting the serum required extreme caution. First, they had to check the recipient's current physical condition to ensure they were suitable for injection at that time.
"All systems are nominal. Heartbeat is normal. Blood flow is normal. Commencing injection," the subordinate monitored the screen data.
The subordinate standing next to Norman nodded, picked up the syringe, and injected the serum into Norman's arm.
The subordinate rubbed Norman's injected arm and asked, "How do you feel?"
"I don't feel anything yet," Norman said, eyes squeezed shut.
The subordinate breathed a sigh of relief and told his colleague monitoring the screen, "Continuously observe the data for any changes!"
"Understood!" This time, he dared not be sloppy, as the subject was no longer Pace, but their own boss.
"It should take about an hour," the subordinate reported.
Norman did not reply. At that moment, he could already feel changes beginning within his body.
Suddenly! Norman's eyes snapped open. An evil gaze flowed through his eyes, and violence erupted from his body.
"No!" Norman struggled, but the surrounding subordinates managed to hold him down and activate restraints, strapping him in.
"What's happening!" the subordinate shouted.
The person monitoring the data screen yelled, "I don't know why, but the boss's body data is rising sharply! His heart rate is accelerating!"
"F*ck!"
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