Honestly, a small fry like the Green Goblin was nothing to Bant. He could deal with him effortlessly.
One move was all it took. Bant pinned him straight into the wall. The sheer force cracked the Goblin's helmet to pieces.
Under the mask, it really was Mendel Stromm.
But compared to what Bant had seen over a month ago, Stromm looked completely different now.
No scales had grown on him, but his skin had turned a pale green, and his formerly bloated body had become lean and powerful.
If Bant had to estimate, Stromm's physical limit was probably around ten tons now. Add in all that high-tech gear, and it was no wonder Peter kept suffering losses against him.
But Bant wasn't Peter.
Back when he'd first gotten Spider-Man's powers, the difference hadn't been obvious. Now, though, his stats in every category were higher than Peter's.
The little watch's gene optimization was shockingly effective.
You could say that, in his normal state, Bant's strength had already surpassed fifty tons, and it was still slowly growing as time passed.
He didn't know where that growth would end, but doing something like the first Spider-Man, stopping a runaway tram, shouldn't be a problem at all.
"If I can get as strong as that Auntie Four Hundred, I'll be invincible."
And honestly, that possibility was very real.
Bant set aside his daydreams. Right now, he stood on the rooftop, dragging the Green Goblin, dead or alive, with one hand, waiting for Peter to return.
He felt no sympathy for the Goblin.
Stromm had brought this on himself. He and Osborn founded the company together, yet in the end he colluded with other shareholders to kick Osborn out.
Of course, if it ended there, it would just be business. Backstabbing and scheming. After Norman was pushed out, he didn't do anything to Stromm.
But when Bant and Norman legally took Oscorp back, Stromm refused to accept his loss. He used stolen serum and equipment to launch attacks.
If Norman hadn't happened to be carrying the healing serum at the time, he might have actually died at Stromm's hands.
Even so, Bant didn't kill him immediately.
Not because he'd gone soft.
Simply because keeping Mendel Stromm alive was more useful than killing him on the spot.
"Even with the healing serum, the fallout from Oscorp creating that lizard monster hasn't completely faded. If we don't settle this for good, the media will keep digging at it forever."
That was Bant's thinking.
Leaving aside how much Norman Osborn had helped him, and Bant's friendship with Harry, purely on profit alone, Bant owned 25% of Oscorp.
And now, with the Green Goblin in his hands, the culprit behind all these incidents could be used to wash away the old stains for three parties at once: Oscorp, Norman, and Connors.
Once the truth came out, people would see a poor man who'd built a business from nothing, only to be kicked out of his own company by capital.
They would also see Dr. Connors, disabled yet unyielding, determined to improve human health, choosing to take a risk himself rather than letting innocent civilians become test subjects.
If things went smoothly, Connors might not even need his current fake identity anymore.
Plamos could simply announce that he'd been cured and his arm had regenerated, perfectly timed as an advertisement for the upgraded healing serum.
Everything would line up.
Now Bant finally understood why Norman had been so happy after getting attacked.
Once Mendel Stromm became the Green Goblin, every stain and dirty pot Oscorp had ever carried could be smashed onto his head.
He was a supervillain anyway. Who would listen to his defense?
Of course, Bant also wasn't going to send him to prison, only for some ambitious figure to pull strings, bail him out, and let him come back again.
Bant knew full well that part of the NYPD had already been infiltrated by Kingpin. As the emperor of the underworld, you couldn't rely on "black" methods alone. You needed influence everywhere.
"Good thing I have this."
He removed a Submission Disc from his web shooter, cut open the Goblin's skin, and stuffed the disc inside.
The Submission Disc worked through neurotoxin. That toxin was so strong that even an Asgardian physique had trouble with it.
Most of the time, the Red King used it to control slaves, so he wouldn't let the toxin spiral out of control. But in truth, using it to kill someone was extremely simple.
Bant planned to let the Green Goblin carry every last bit of blame first, then end his life.
As he was thinking, Peter dropped from the sky in his red-and-blue suit.
"You caught him?" Peter called loudly.
He let out a breath of relief, but he also felt a little let down.
Even as Spider-Man, Bant did it better than him.
"I let the other guy get away…" Peter admitted.
Bant patted Peter's shoulder and said, "My guess is you'll see him again."
He'd already noticed the assassin was Bullseye. A professional killer like Bullseye was excellent at disappearing during a retreat. Peter had only been a hero for a little over a month. He still had a lot to learn.
"Where did you go this whole month?" Peter asked. "I couldn't even reach you. If I didn't know you had spider powers like me, I'd be worried something happened to you."
He chattered nonstop.
"You know Mary Jane comes every night asking whether you're home yet? And Felicia Hardy, she came a few times too…"
"Oh right. I told Uncle Ben and Aunt May you were doing research with someone. Don't slip up…" Peter said as he spoke, then hoisted the Green Goblin onto his shoulder.
Only after a long while did he finally stop and give Bant a chance to speak.
"It's a long story," Bant said.
"Then tell it short."
"I conquered a planet."
Peter: ???
Peter's spider brain almost short-circuited. He'd expected Bant to talk about some vacation story on the Gold Coast.
Maybe meeting a few hot girls in bikinis and having some "deep交流"…
Or surfing, boating, that kind of thing…
His broke imagination pushed itself to the limit, trying to picture Bant's luxurious month. He figured it had to be thrilling.
Turns out it was still thrilling.
Just… maybe too thrilling.
"An alien planet! That's so cool!" Peter complained by reflex. "Why do you get to be a hero in space while I'm stuck in tiny New York dealing with gangs that rob old ladies?"
But he quickly pulled himself out of it. "Fine. At least you've got two big headaches waiting. Let's send the Goblin to the police first."
Peter walked to the edge of the building and was about to swing away, when Bant stopped him.
"You're really going to deliver him like that?"
"Otherwise what?" Peter scratched his head. Wasn't that what you did with criminals?
"What happens after you drop him off?" Bant asked. "Nobody knows the Green Goblin's been caught. Anyone with connections can just get him bailed out."
"No way…" Peter said uncertainly. "At least the police captain I know wouldn't do that."
"The police station isn't something one captain can control," Bant said.
"Then what should I do?"
"You need all of New York to know Spider-Man defeated the Green Goblin. That way, if the Goblin shows up again, the NYPD will be under massive public pressure."
Bant was teaching him.
The Goblin was going to die anyway, but using this to help Peter grow was a good thing.
He didn't lecture Peter about eliminating evil at the root, because he knew Peter wasn't that kind of person.
In the comics, when Kingpin's assassin shot Aunt May and she was on the verge of death, Peter raged that he would kill Kingpin, but he still didn't go through with it.
"Do I really need to go that far?" Peter felt awkward. To him, it felt like boasting, like putting on a show.
But Bant nodded immediately.
"Yes. You have to pull everyone's attention over to guarantee criminals get the fairest trial. I suggest you carry the Goblin to the Daily Bugle and the major newspapers, then take off his mask so everyone can see who he is."
"Wait, me?" Peter pointed at himself. "But you're the one who beat him."
"I've got other things to do," Bant said, shaking his head.
He didn't care about fame. To Bant, operating as Spider-Man was only an occasional bit of fun.
After splitting up with Peter, Bant swung on his webbing and arrived at the Osborn mansion.
Harry sat in his room, head lowered, staring at his phone.
In just that short time, blurry footage of the Green Goblin being captured, and of a second Spider-Man, had already been uploaded to YouTube, and the popularity was climbing fast.
"Dad, Spider-Man caught the Green Goblin!" The moment Harry saw the news, he nearly jumped up from excitement.
Norman was even happier. He strode over, snatched the phone, and started watching.
But since the videos were private uploads, the quality was poor, and the Goblin's real identity couldn't be seen clearly.
Still, no matter who the Goblin really was, Norman knew he had to move quickly.
Author: I'm Really Not Cao Aman
Just then, the butler walked in quickly, knocked, and reported, "Mr. Osborn, someone is here to see you."
"Tell them I don't have time right now," Norman said.
The butler didn't leave immediately. His hand rested on the old-fashioned doorknob. He hesitated for a few seconds, then said, "But it's Mr. Bant Parker."
Swish!
Norman and Harry both looked up at the same time.
"Then why aren't you letting him in? No, I'll go myself!" Norman tossed Harry's phone back and hurried out. As he passed the butler, he added, "Next time he comes, don't announce him. Bring him straight in."
"Yes, sir."
A few minutes later, Norman saw Bant at the entrance.
"Good news after good news today!" Norman laughed, looking as happy as if he were seeing his own son.
Which made Harry, following behind, feel like he should be under a car.
"I brought even better news, Uncle Norman." Bant smiled faintly and pulled a stack of documents from his backpack.
"These are?" Norman asked.
"Evidence of Mendel Stromm's crimes."
Hearing that, Norman smiled even wider.
He immediately wrapped an arm around Bant's shoulder and pulled him inside. When he turned and saw Harry, he even glared at him in disappointment, thinking how nice it would be if this brat were a girl.
Harry: ???
Bant didn't know what Norman was thinking. If he did, he'd definitely tell him that even if Harry became a girl, it still wouldn't work. Peter was Bant's true love.
The three of them returned inside.
"Xiao Bant, you really know how to surprise me the moment you come back! Sit! Have dinner here tonight!" Norman said as he got Bant settled, ordered the butler to prepare dinner, and began reading the documents Bant brought, line by line.
"I won't stay for dinner. I need to go home," Bant said quickly.
"Then bring Ben, May, and Peter over too. Harry, call Peter…"
"Don't." Bant pressed down on Harry's hand as he reached to dial. "I've been back in New York for a while and I still haven't gone home. If Aunt May finds out my first move after returning wasn't going home, she'll be really hurt."
Norman nodded.
"You're a good kid, Xiao Bant," he said with genuine approval. "After everything I've been through, I finally understand. Family is the most important."
Bant agreed.
Then Bant explained his plan.
Clearly, it matched Norman's thoughts perfectly.
"That's exactly what I planned too," Norman said. "But my evidence was too thin. Stromm works clean. I can't believe you collected this much. While you were missing, did you go play detective?"
Bant only smiled.
Norman thought Bant spent a month gathering all this, but in reality, Bant had only told Eunice to investigate after he suspected Stromm might be the Goblin.
From the start of the investigation until now, only a few hours had passed, yet most of the evidence was already complete.
Bant paused, then added, "Besides this, I suspect Mendel Stromm might have done some things people don't know about…"
He didn't say it directly, but recognition flashed across Norman's face.
If it was "unknown," then it could be shaped however they wanted.
Stromm was like a bank robber. He decided how much he stole.
But how much the bank claimed was stolen was not up to him.
More importantly, even if Stromm had become the Green Goblin and lost his Oscorp shares, his personal assets were still enormous.
If nothing else, Bant had paid him plenty when buying Oscorp equipment from him.
So Norman nodded seriously and said, "True. I remember there were some issues with Oscorp's bills recently. And the amount of stolen property seems to be more than this…"
A quick calculation showed it should have been just one set of Goblin gear and a few tubes of flawed serum.
But now, the bill suddenly jumped into the hundreds of millions.
Watching the two of them collaborate so smoothly, Harry, who had always idolized his father, felt like some filter in his mind had completely shattered.
/-\
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