Chapter 5
"What the hell are you saying?"
Peter turned and kicked.
He didn't need to look to know who it was—none other than Kraven the Hunter, whom he'd knocked out.
This guy's physical resilience and willpower were impressive; he'd recovered from the dizziness caused by such intense pain in such a short time.
But those qualities were meaningless in the face of overwhelming strength.
Crash—
Kraven was smashed into the nearby glass container, shattering it.
"Aaah!"
He let out a terrified scream.
The spiders in the container swarmed over him, quickly covering him entirely, injecting venom.
In just moments, Kraven stopped moving.
His face, clothes, and even his body were likely crawling with venomous spiders, looking utterly horrific.
"Hey, listen, Spider-Boy, I think you should learn some decisiveness from these black widow spiders," Jonah said from behind. "I often badmouth you in the papers, but you know, that's my job. I actually admire you, but today, you're honestly a bit disappointing!"
"Mercy is for the kind. Showing mercy to villains is violence against the kind!"
Peter was silent for a moment before turning to chase the Green Goblin.
He wasn't foolish—quite the opposite, he was very smart.
He understood Jonah's reasoning.
He just couldn't accept it right away.
Emotionally, he leaned toward what Aunt May had said.
But the rationality from merging with the Shadow Spider-Man told him Jonah was right.
That was the true way to deal with villains!
To prevent good people from being hurt, villains must face their due punishment!
Some thoughts began to take root in Peter's mind.
One day, they would grow into towering trees!
The factory had an underground passage, and though he didn't come here often, Osborn thought he was familiar with it.
His profession was doing "odd jobs" for various capitalists and even government officials.
Like killing the Shadow Spider-Man's uncle.
Ben Parker helped organize protests that led to the closure of three sweatshops owned by Adolphus Crane. To retaliate, Crane hired the Green Goblin, bribed the deputy police chief to ensure the police wouldn't interfere, and paid off the New York mayor.
The relationships were complex.
As a sort of "white glove," if the Green Goblin ever became a problem or was abandoned by any of these parties, he'd face a thunderous blow.
The Green Goblin foresaw this day and prepared this escape route.
Unexpectedly, this route wasn't used for that but for escaping Spider-Man's pursuit.
At this moment, Felicia, held by the Green Goblin, launched a psychological attack.
"It's useless, Osborn. It's all over!"
"Do you think your buddies in City Hall will bail you out after this?"
"No, they won't!"
"Everyone connected to you will make sure you're silenced forever before you can rat them out!"
"You're done for!"
Felicia's words were sharp, cutting into the Green Goblin's heart like knives.
The Green Goblin's face darkened. "Shut up, Felicia!"
He struggled to find the exit in the dim light.
The truth was, though he'd memorized the paths down here many times, without a light source, he couldn't find the route he remembered.
"Felicia, run!"
Crash!
A figure lunged forward, grabbing the Green Goblin and pinning him to the ground before he could react.
"Surprise?"
Peter sneered.
But the Green Goblin didn't seem afraid, instead saying mockingly, "So, the cute little spider caught the big bad wolf and thinks he's won?"
"Well... before we end this farce, why don't we see who's under the mask!"
With that, the Green Goblin reached for Peter's mask.
"No!" Peter quickly moved to block. Whether in this world or his own, he didn't want his identity under the mask exposed, as it could bring unimaginable consequences to his loved ones.
Slap!
In his panic, Peter's hand struck the Green Goblin's face.
Rip!
The Green Goblin's face made a tearing sound, like cloth ripping apart.
Beneath the torn skin was an ugly face covered in greenish bumps!
"This!" Peter was shocked, not understanding why the Green Goblin's face was like this.
But at that moment, the Green Goblin's quick and accurate grab pulled off Peter's mask.
Looking at the face beneath, he snarled, "So it's Urich's useless little sidekick?"
"What, kid, never seen a freak show?"
Peter was still in shock. "Green Goblin... so this is..."
The Green Goblin's eyes burned with intense hatred and killing intent. "My whole life... since I was a kid, other children threw stones at me... I could only survive in freak shows, gawked at as a deformed monster for a piece of black bread."
"But things are different now!"
"When they say the name Osborn now, I hear respect, fear!"
"And the very few who've seen this face... they know one of us has to die!"
"So, are you ready to die, little spider?"
The fully unleashed Green Goblin seemed to have endless strength, beginning to break free from Peter's hold!
While Peter was stunned, he was pushed off and nearly fell on his butt.
Buzz~
At that moment, his spider-sense triggered.
Peter instinctively tilted his head.
Bang!
A bullet flew past his head.
The Green Goblin stared in shock, unable to believe he dodged a bullet at such close range.
As if he could predict the future!
The gunshot and spider-sense snapped Peter out of it.
He lunged forward again, binding the Green Goblin with webbing.
"Come on, kill me!" The Green Goblin struggled a few times, unable to break free, knowing he was done for.
Peter slowly raised his gun, images of Uncle Ben's and Urich's bodies flashing through his mind, with Aunt May's and Jonah's words ringing in his ears.
"...I don't want to live in a world where people kill each other like animals."
"Mercy is for the kind. Showing mercy to villains is violence against the kind!"
"What should I do?" Peter murmured, unsure if he was asking his high school self or the Shadow Spider-Man whose body he'd fused with.
An idea gradually emerged in his mind.
It seemed to come from the Shadow Spider-Man's response.
Peter suddenly looked up, lowering the gun.
Bang! Bang!
In the Green Goblin's stunned gaze, Peter threw lightning-fast punches, breaking the Green Goblin's arms and legs.
Then, he leaned down, staring into the Green Goblin's eyes. "You'll face trial. You'll confess to the public for everything you've done!"
'And if they don't kill you, I'll finish the job!' Peter added silently in his mind.