Standing before the cell, Sebastian frowned and said: "This guy's mind has been tampered with. If I try to forcibly read his memories, he'll probably die instantly."
"So what do we do? Still send him to the military? Those guys, as soon as they heard he was the Green Goblin, didn't care if there was a conspiracy or not. They agreed right away to take him off our hands. Of course, I could back out and refuse. They're desperate to please us right now, hoping we'll supply them with more magic potion injections. They wouldn't dare cross us over this."
Listening to Tony's words, Sebastian shook his head and said: "No need for that. Just send him over. I keep feeling like some people are itching for him to die in our custody. There's definitely something wrong here. Keeping him with us is like holding a ticking bomb. Handing him to the military is the right move."
"Alright, then I'll arrange for the Iron Soldiers to deliver him to the military now."
Having made the decision, Sebastian and Tony didn't delay. Tony immediately ordered his Iron Soldiers to act, taking the still-unconscious man from the cell, loading him onto a prisoner transport, and swiftly sending him out of Avengers headquarters toward the nearest military base.
After this, Sebastian and Tony went to the laboratory together. They looked at the Green Goblin's glider and armor, undergoing scans and tests with various instruments, and approached the computer to review the data and results already obtained.
"It's all Earth tech, slightly more advanced than current standards, but not by much. This glider and armor are indeed just defective junk. He's not the real Green Goblin. If the real Green Goblin's armor and glider were only this level, he'd be weaker than the Chitauri soldiers back then. The Shadow Council wouldn't even glance at him."
"As expected, it's fake. Looks like sending that guy to the military was the right call. There's definitely a conspiracy here."
Setting down the documents, Tony sat in a chair, turned to face Sebastian, and looked up, saying: "Sebastian, what do we do next?"
"Just sit back and watch how it plays out," Sebastian replied.
The next day at noon, a large crowd of reporters suddenly gathered at the gates of Avengers headquarters. Since it was a military-controlled zone, they didn't attempt to enter. But that didn't mean they gave up on their interviews. The reporters clustered at the gates, and whenever someone entered or exited, they immediately aimed their cameras and mics, firing off questions.
"Hello, what's your take on the online rumors? Since this morning, it's been widely spread that you captured a suspect, tortured him, and caused his death. Is this true?"
"We've got reliable information that the suspect you captured was manipulated. He was a law-abiding American citizen, a retired war hero, a good husband, and a good father. Such a person—you executed him without a proper investigation. Who gave you the authority to enforce justice?"
"How do the Avengers plan to handle this? The suspect's wife and daughter are demanding to see him. Will you allow them to meet him?"
"The Avengers' private execution has violated the law. Will you take responsibility for your illegal actions?"
"Please comment…"
Sebastian and Tony stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows, looking at the reporters swarming the gates of Avengers headquarters. Their faces weren't exactly pleased. If they hadn't been vigilant enough, they might have fallen into the trap. The mastermind behind this was undeniably cunning, nearly pinning a massive crime on the Avengers.
Heavy rock music blared suddenly. Tony picked up his phone, saw the incoming call, and answered on speaker. Immediately, a furious, booming voice roared from the other end.
"Tony Stark, you did this on purpose, didn't you? Dumping this mess on us military folks while you Avengers stay clear! If you don't give me an explanation this time, I'm not done with you!"
"General, don't get so worked up. I didn't know it would turn out like this… But, that suspect we sent over—he's really dead, right?"
The person on the other end exhaled heavily and said in a low voice: "He was fine when you sent him over, but at midnight, the guy suddenly stopped breathing. Died without a sound. This whole thing is abnormal. I've seen what's going online—it's clear someone's deliberately trying to screw you over."
"General, how about a favor?"
"Stark Industries' potion vials, price cut by thirty percent!"
"We'd be losing money at that. The price we offer you is already dirt cheap… Ten percent! If you help, it just saves me some trouble. Honestly, even if you don't, I can handle it myself, right?"
"Deal! The military will hold a press conference soon. Also, send me the video of you capturing that guy. I know you've got it."
"Done!"
After hanging up, Tony looked at Sebastian and said: "It's handled. Next, I just need to deal with those media folks. Sebastian, want to come along?"
Shaking his head, Sebastian said: "I'm not interested. You go ahead."
"So what are you going to do? Head back to your magic school to keep training the teachers?"
"That's someone else's job. I've got plenty of things to craft. The magic school isn't as simple as it seems… Also, when you go deal with the Inhumans again, make sure to call me."
With that, Sebastian nodded to Tony and cast Apparition, vanishing from Tony's sight.
Watching Sebastian leave, Tony whistled, returned to his room, and changed into a new outfit. Flanked by two Iron Soldiers, he calmly strolled to the gates of Avengers headquarters, expertly handling the media while conveniently shifting all the blame onto the military.
…
Oscorp Tower, Chairman's Office.
Norman Osborn sat in his chair, looking at the computer on his desk. It displayed the military's press conference, where the military spokesperson was being hounded by a swarm of reporters, groveling pathetically. The gist was that the military's medical capabilities were inadequate, misjudging the suspect's condition, leading to his death from severe injuries. However, they insisted he was a criminal who attacked Stark, not an innocent man, and played the video recorded by Tony's armor as proof.
In one fell swoop, the Avengers were cleanly extracted from the quagmire of this incident, while the military bore a small but manageable share of the blame.