As Peter Parker entered the room, he spoke directly to the board, making it clear that Norman Osborn would not be leaving.
"Who said Mr. Osborn must be forced to retire, huh?"
He shut the door behind him with his foot. The sharp sound echoed through the room as the board members turned their attention toward him.
Their eyes studied Peter carefully, some confused, others clearly irritated.
A few of them exchanged glances, silently questioning whether this teenager was actually relevant or just another interruption.
In their minds, the idea was impossible. No teenager could have bought that much stock.
"Hey, author, are you telling the story, or am I?"
Author: Depends on whether you want a narrative view or a POV view in your story.
"How about both?"
Author: Both?
"Both."
Author: ..., both is good.
"Great. Now let's start from my point of view."
Author: Meh. Try me.
Peter's POV
Okay, where do I even start with this wall break? Am I breaking the matrix, or am I just like Deadpool, ripping straight through the script? Either way, it feels natural enough.
Meh, can't go wrong with it. As for the author, who somehow agreed to do both narrative and POV, that's their problem now.
I walked over to the CEO chair without asking for permission and took my seat like it was already mine. "I came for the deal."
The board members asked if I was the one who bought Oscorp's falling stocks. The way they said it made it sound like an accusation rather than a question.
"Why, yes. Yes, I did."
They immediately thought I was faking it. Typical board members. Always scheming, always assuming they're the smartest people in the room.
Anyway, I showed them the proof, clear as day, and then placed additional evidence on the table. Documents, numbers, trails that led straight to their little secret.
Embezzlement.
The room went quiet after that.
Hehe. I gave them that glare I'd seen in every manga story I ever read. The kind that doesn't need words to say, I win.
Honestly, it was kind of fun trampling on rich, arrogant brats who thought money made them untouchable.
I finalized the paper signing and all the necessary documents. At last, the ownership was settled. Instead of keeping the pen for myself, I handed it to Norman Osborn.
"What?"
Well he looked stunned and confused by the gesture. His eyes shifted from the pen to me, clearly unsure of what was happening.
"What do you mean, what?" I said. "It's your company. Take back what's yours, Norman, sir."
His hand trembled as he accepted the pen. After a brief pause, he signed the papers. The room fell into an awkward silence.
The board members looked as if they had just been gaslighted. They knew, deep down, that I was trouble for them.
The truth was simpler. I did it to make sure Norman never went down the path of the Green Goblin.
The next issue to address would be his medical condition. His split personality. That was something I understood better than anyone else. I could make a cure for him, just like I did the last time in my past life.
Although, back then, he died in the process. In his final moment of sanity, the Goblin personality had coordinated the glider to stab me in the back.
This time, things were different.
I performed a backfilp, altering the outcome. The glider stabbed Norman instead. As he lay there, his final words to me were a simple request. He told me not to tell Harry.
Of course, I respected his wish. I took him back to his mansion and quietly laid him to rest on his bed, making sure no one else knew what had happened.
I made my way out of the building, pushing through the revolving doors and into the open street.
Norman thanked me wholeheartedly before I left, though he still asked how I managed to get the money.
I told him to forget how I did it and focus on perfecting the serum instead, this time without deadlines breathing down his neck.
With that done, I stepped away from Oscorp Tower and looked up at the sunny blue sky, letting out a slow breath. For once, things had gone exactly as planned.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Ah yes. Yuri Watanabe.
I pulled my phone from my pocket while walking and answered the call.
"Hey, Yuri."
"Spider Man, we've got a bank robbery at 42nd Street."
"On it."
That was the arrangement. Yuri and I became partners not officially, but effectively.
I introduced myself properly, and we made a deal to protect the city. She fed me information. I handled what they couldn't.
I got my hands dirty so theirs stayed clean.
I broke into a sprint and cut into a narrow alleyway, footsteps echoing between brick walls.
I shrugged out of my business suit while moving, tossing the jacket aside first, then the shirt.
The whole thing was rented anyway. I reached the dead end of the alley, vaulted off the wall, and pulled the Spider Man suit from my pack.
One smooth motion later, the mask snapped into place.
I fired a web line upward and launched myself into the air. The city rushed beneath me as I swung from building to building, momentum carrying me forward in wide arcs. Traffic blurred below as my comm crackled to life.
"Spider Man, now at 3rd Street."
I released my web and flipped through the air, landing on the edge of a nearby skyscraper.
I crouched low on the narrow ledge, one hand gripping the concrete as I steadied myself, eyes scanning the streets below.
"Wait, I don't follow you, Yuri," I said. "What do you mean by 42nd to 3rd Street?"
"Well, let's just say—"
The ground below suddenly trembled. A deep vibration rolled through the building beneath my feet. My spider sense flared violently, sending a sharp warning through my skull.
I pushed off the ledge instantly.
A split second later, a helicopter roared past the spot where I had been crouching, its rotors clipping the side of the building and spraying debris into the air.
I twisted midair and fired a web to stabilize myself, swinging out wide as chunks of concrete crashed down onto the street below.
I turned my head upward and locked eyes on the helicopter. It was tilting hard to one side, rotors screaming, barely under control.
"Please don't tell me it's a helicopter bank robbery," I muttered.
"Yes, it is, Spider Man," Yuri replied through the comm. "Yes, it is."
I flexed my fingers and aimed my web shooters.
"Alright," I said, launching myself forward. "Let's do this the loud way."
I chased the chopper as it headed straight toward the city center. Damn it. There were too many citizens down there.
Crowded streets, traffic backed up for blocks, people looking up without knowing what was coming.
Gotta make this quick.
The helicopter weaved between skyscrapers, rotors screaming as it dipped lower, using the buildings as cover.
I fired a web line at the tail, but it clipped an antenna and snapped free. The chopper lurched, corrected itself, then accelerated.
Beep. Beep.
"Hey, Yuri."
"Heads up, Spider Man. It's not just one bank. It's two robberies."
That made my stomach drop. Well, this is new. Never happened in my past life.
Unless… I needed to confirm something.
"Yuri, are they wearing masks?"
"Well, yeah."
"I meant are they wearing a mask. Singular."
There was a pause on the line as she checked. "Oh. Well, yeah. They're wearing a mask that resembles Asian culture."
"I see. I'll call you back."
I cut the line and focused ahead. The helicopter suddenly banked hard, clipping a glass building. The impact shattered windows outward.
CRASH!!!
The chopper lost altitude fast, spinning as smoke poured from its side. I shot two web lines, anchoring them to nearby buildings, and yanked, trying to slow its descent.
"You've gotta be kidding me…"
The helicopter slammed into the street below, skidding and tearing through parked cars before finally coming to a stop.
Flames sparked, debris flying everywhere.
Before I could breathe—
Beep. Beep.
"Spider Man, the second chopper!"
"I know," I said, already moving. "Working on it, Yuri."
I launched myself off the building and swung hard, pushing my speed to the limit.
The second helicopter was higher, faster, and clearly more controlled.
It opened fire, bullets ripping past me and chewing into concrete.
I flipped midair, webbing the gun and ripping it clean off the mount. The chopper veered, trying to shake me. I landed on the side door, ripped it open, and kicked the gunman back inside.
The pilot panicked.
The helicopter spun out of control.
Too low. Too fast.
The engine exploded in a burst of sparks, and the entire chopper broke apart midair. Flaming wreckage rained down toward the street packed with civilians.
"Not today," I muttered.
A sudden flash of blue lightning tore through the sky.
A figure surged upward in a crackling burst of electricity, catching the falling wreckage piece by piece.
Metal froze midair, wrapped in glowing arcs of power as the debris was gently lowered away from the crowd.
I landed nearby and looked over.
"Sparkles," I called out. "You're late."
Electro hovered for a moment, electricity dancing around his hands as he set the last chunk of wreckage safely on the ground. He glanced at me and smirked.
"Hey, web-head. Traffic was bad."
Civilians stared in shock as the danger passed, unharmed.
I turned back to the street, exhaling slowly.
Alright, me. That could've gone worse. One down, another to go.
---
Chapter 22 — End.