Norman Osborn's legs went weak, and he collapsed into the leather sofa, tilting his head back, closing his eyes, and letting out a long sigh—the most relaxed and enjoyable one in nearly a month.
The voice of the Green Goblin in his mind, seemingly having lost the soil that nourished it due to the disappearance of the host's physical pain, let out a low, unwilling growl before slowly sinking into slumber.
Ten minutes later, Norman Osborn stood up again and walked to the mirror. He turned on the light.
Under the bright light, the redness and swelling on his neck had completely subsided. Although the patch of green scales had not disappeared, it was no longer oozing pus or spreading, and the edges even showed signs of healing.
Most importantly, his eyes. Those eyes, once filled with madness and chaos, had now regained clarity. The sharp insight of a top-tier scientist, along with the greed and ambition of a business tycoon, had regained the upper hand.
He picked up the small silver bottle, now half-empty, and examined it carefully under the light. As a leading authority in the field of biology, Norman knew very well what had just happened.
"This is not just a skin-care essence; it is also an excellent gene stabilizer. It can neutralize the side effects of the serum and repair the cracks in my DNA. It can allow me to control that power instead of being controlled by it."
With this thought, Norman used his finger to scoop a bit more ointment and placed it on the tip of his tongue. Slightly bitter, with a sweet aftertaste. As the ointment dissolved in his mouth, a subtle but clear sense of energy flowed down his esophagus throughout his entire body, making every cell in him rejoice.
"What a wonderful taste!"
"Alice Mason?" Norman murmured the name, a cold smile of certainty curling the corners of his lips. "Harry has made a very interesting friend. It seems I must meet this genius hidden in the school."
The next day, after school. Alice walked out of the school gate with her backpack on, preparing to head to the factory to check on the installation of the new production line.
A stretched black Lincoln limousine, like a charging rhinoceros, suddenly rushed out from the side of the road, and with a screeching sound of brakes, arrogantly blocked the school gate, precisely cutting off Alice's path.
The surrounding students were frightened and scattered, pointing and whispering. The rear window slowly rolled down, revealing a disgusting face. Justin Hammer.
The head of Hammer Industries, the eternal imitator of Stark Industries. He was wearing an incredibly flashy custom pink suit, with tea-colored sunglasses perched on the bridge of his nose, and his hair combed to a greasy shine, like a fly that had just finished stealing paint.
He was eyeing Alice with a gaze that seemed gentlemanly but was actually extremely arrogant, as if he were looking at a pet waiting to be sold.
"Miss Alice Mason, two million dollars, in cash. That is a very large sum of money. For an orphan living in a dilapidated apartment in Queens, this is enough for you to squander for a lifetime."
Hammer took off his sunglasses, revealing an expression that said she didn't know what was good for her, his tone mocking. "Why did you reject my previous acquisition offer? Do you really think that with your little workshop, where even the premises are rented, you can truly survive in this biopharmaceutical industry monopolized by giants?"
Alice stopped and looked at this famous clown of the Marvel Universe, without even a trace of anger in her eyes. "Mr. Hammer, do you know why Stark Industries always has the upper hand over you?"
"What?" Hammer's face instantly darkened, and the fake smile at the corners of his lips froze. Mentioning Stark Industries in front of him was no different from cursing a monk for being bald. "What are you trying to say?" he asked through gritted teeth.
"Because although Tony Stark is arrogant, at least he knows how to respect technology. And you, you only know how to plunder like a bandit, and the most pathetic thing is, you don't even know how to rob effectively."
This sarcastic remark made even the driver in the front row couldn't help but look back.
"Umbrella Corporation is not for sale, even if you offer two hundred million or two billion, it is not for sale. Now, please move aside, you are blocking my bus."
"Refusing a toast only to drink a forfeit, very well." Hammer laughed in extreme anger, put his sunglasses back on, concealing the sinister and ruthless look in his eyes.
"Little girl, you are too young. You have no idea what it means to do business in this city. I hope that when the Health Department, Fire Department, and the IRS go to your dilapidated factory for joint enforcement tomorrow, you can still be this tough."
Hammer snorted coldly, his fingers tapping on the edge of the car window. "In New York, there is no small business that I, Justin Hammer, cannot destroy. Wait for bankruptcy liquidation; when that time comes, I will buy your patent for twenty thousand dollars."
The car window rolled up, cutting off the view. The stretched Lincoln roared and drove away.
Alice stood in place, watching the receding license plate, and gently brushed the dust off her pants. "Destroy me?" She repeated softly, a flash of sharpness in her eyes. "Hammer, you picked the wrong opponent."
Just then, rapid footsteps came from behind. "Alice, Alice, wait."
Alice turned her head and saw Harry Osborn running towards her, sweating profusely. Unlike the decadence of yesterday, today's Harry, although still sporting dark circles, seemed to have come alive, with uncontrollable gratitude and joy on his face.
"Hoo... hoo..." Harry supported his knees with his hands, panting, but his eyes were surprisingly bright. "Alice, your medicine is too magical, it's just like magic."
After finally catching his breath, he straightened up and said excitedly. "My dad slept very soundly last night, the first time in a month. Even though that damn green skin disease hasn't completely disappeared, his spirit this morning is excellent, like a different person, full of vitality."
"He said he must meet you, not as an elder meeting a junior, but as the chairman of the Osborn Group wanting to talk to you."
"It seems I don't need to wait for my bus." A meaningful smile curled Alice's lips.
------------------------
There are already 70+ chapters available on my Patreon!
The story will continue to update 1 chapter per day on Webnovel,
while early access chapters are posted on Patreon.
Maybe it's not worth it today but it could be later
[email protected]/Kazenova223
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"