Now that the school was just a pile of ruins and the students and teachers were gone, even if he went to the school, it wouldn't draw out the Man in Black.
"Oh, I almost forgot," Norman said, picking up the newspaper detailing the explosion that resulted from Pace's self-destruction, which collapsed the school. The Man in Black must only assume that Norman was simply the Green Goblin who had survived the previous explosion.
"If I cause trouble now, will that draw you out?" Norman said, putting on his Green Goblin armor, crumpling the newspaper in his hand, and stepping onto his glider.
"Today is the day I say goodbye to you, Man in Black! Heh heh ha ha ha!" Norman activated the glider and flew away, tossing the crumpled newspaper aside.
The closet mirror slowly closed after Norman departed.
Soon after Norman left, Harry opened the front door and returned home.
"Dad?" Harry frowned. Where had his father gone?
Just as Harry walked into the room, he heard a bang! sound. Startled, he quickly turned to see the closet mirror briefly shaking.
"What was that?" Harry rubbed his eyes. Had his mirror just moved?
Slowly approaching the mirror, Harry reached out a trembling hand and touched the surface, finding nothing wrong.
Knock, knock, knock!
Harry carefully tapped on the mirror, and it sounded hollow. He placed both hands on the mirror, and just as he was about to try pushing it open, the mirror suddenly swung inward by itself!
It revealed a hidden space inside, displaying the Green Goblin gear, various weapons, and detailed battle plans.
"Oh no~" Harry knew he had stumbled upon a huge secret. His father was not who he seemed.
Norman, having left the house, had no idea that his son Harry had returned so early, much less that his son had discovered his secret.
He was currently soaring between skyscrapers, laughing wildly, when he spotted a crowd below holding a party.
"Do you mind a surprise guest joining the celebration?!" Norman pulled out a Pumpkin bomb and threw it down.
Boom!
The bomb instantly exploded. The party, which had been filled with joy, was immediately covered in terror. People began running away in panic.
"That's right! Let the game of wolf versus sheep begin~ If the wolf catches you, you die!"
The glider under Norman's feet suddenly fired bullets, sweeping across the crowd below. Many people were hit and fell to the ground.
"Congratulations! You're out of the game!" Norman said, spotting a person trying to run away from the danger zone, and tossed a Pumpkin bomb at them.
Boom! The person trying to escape was blown to bits.
"Bang! Ha ha ha~ Out! Out!" Norman roared with laughter.
"You're out too!" A voice suddenly rang out. Peter, swinging on a web, flew beside Norman and kicked him off the glider, sending him crashing to the ground.
Thud!
Norman landed hard on a wine table set up for the party, sending wine splashing everywhere. The wooden table couldn't withstand the impact and shattered into pieces.
Peter was about to press his advantage when he heard a cry for help.
Peter looked toward the sound and saw a person desperately hanging onto a banner, dangling over an upright, pointed spear. The spear had been part of a costume or decoration but was now a deadly threat.
"Hold on! No!" Peter was about to jump to the rescue when the glider suddenly attacked from behind, slamming into his back.
Smash!
Peter fell to the ground. Ignoring the pain, he tried to shoot a web to save the person, but Norman blocked him again.
"Oh? Spider-Man? I didn't lure out the Man in Black, but I caught a little bug instead." Norman brushed the debris off himself and sprang up effortlessly.
Peter had no time to deal with Norman and shot a web, intent on saving the person.
Seeing this, Norman raised his wrist and controlled the glider. The glider, which had been hovering steadily, suddenly extended its hidden blades and, whoosh, sliced through Peter's webbing as easily as a knife cutting tofu.
"Spider-Man, let's play a game. The stake is him," Norman said, pointing to the person waiting for rescue on the banner.
"I don't have time to play games with you, green thing!" Peter sprinted toward the person calling for help. The distance was only twenty meters, which was plenty of time.
"Look at this." Norman's glider had already flown right next to the banner. If it moved just one more step forward, the banner would be severed.
Peter stopped. He knew he had to play this game, or the person would certainly die.
"What do you want to play?" Peter turned and asked Norman.
Norman spread his hands. "The game is simple: a race."
"A race?" Peter didn't understand Norman's trick.
Norman beckoned Peter. "Come here, come closer to me. I'll count one, two, three, and we'll start running. Whoever reaches the person underneath first wins."
Peter looked at the person hanging above, the spear threatening their life, and the menacing glider. He sighed and reluctantly walked over to Norman.
"Don't worry, the race will be fair," Norman said when Peter reached him.
"Three!"
"Two!"
"Go!" Norman didn't even count one, running off immediately.
Fortunately, Peter reacted quickly and followed suit. Spider-Man's physical condition was no joke. Even with the super-soldier serum Norman had injected, Peter easily caught up.
"Well done." Norman pulled a hidden dagger from his wrist and lunged at Peter.
Peter quickly dodged, returning a kick to Norman.
Just as Norman was about to lose his balance and fall, he grabbed Peter's ankle, stopping Peter from moving forward.
"Very fair indeed," Peter said, looking at Norman, who was holding a dagger and dragging his ankle.
"The initiative is in my hands." Norman tried to use the dagger to slash Peter's ankle.
Peter wouldn't let him. He quickly squatted down and grabbed Norman's dagger hand, and the two began to wrestle for dominance.
But the person hanging on the banner couldn't wait for them. Already exhausted, he began to slowly slip down.
"No! Save me! Save me!" He screamed, terrified of being impaled by the spear.
Peter was frantic, but Norman relentlessly tangled with him. For Norman, keeping Peter stalled was a victory. Peter needed to win the race and reach the hostage before the drop.
"Let go!" Peter used his free hand to punch Norman in the head.
The tremendous force momentarily blanked Norman's mind for a second. Peter seized the chance to break free and ran toward the hostage.
"You lose." Norman knew he couldn't catch Peter, but the remote control was still in his hand!
The glider hovering near the banner suddenly sprang into action. Its blade sliced through the banner as easily as a knife cutting tofu.
"Ah!" The person fell.
"No!" Peter was too late!
Just then, a black shadow appeared and caught the falling person. It was one of the Shadowkhan.
"Phew~" Peter sighed in relief.
Norman's eyes lit up. Shadowkhan! Does this mean the Man in Black has arrived?
Unbeknownst to Norman, back at home, Silas instantly stood up. Norman had finally revealed himself!
Freedom City
"The Green Caterpillar has appeared." Tony put on his armor. He was not the kind of person to simply swallow his pride after being wronged.
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