Oz

Osborn Corporation, CEO's office.

"Yes, General. As I've assured you before, the Oz serum's effects are excellent and have largely stabilized."

Norman Osborn sat smiling behind his transparent desk, a pale green holographic projection forming a virtual screen before him. On the other end, a general with a neatly trimmed white mustache and a stern military bearing listened expressionlessly to the CEO's report.

"So far, the serum has achieved considerable success in lab mice—their physical capabilities have increased eightfold on average, with even more pronounced effects in some individuals," Osborn said. "I believe there's reason to trust that Oz is now ready for human trials."

The general on the screen remained utterly impassive, his tone cold. "And yet I've heard there was a bit of trouble during one of your experiments."

Norman's smile froze for a moment. "Yes. But that was just a single trial—a fluke accident under random circumstances."

"So what kind of accident was it?"

"Nothing major. The mice displayed some aggression and hostility after being injected with the Oz serum. But I assure you, it won't be a problem. The serum has been fine-tuned to near perfection and is fully ready for human testing."

The general let out a cold snort, as if in disdain. He leaned closer to the camera, not bothering to hide his impatience. "Let's be honest, Mr. Osborn. I've never had faith in this project. It was my predecessor who took an interest in your serum. Times change. While you're still toiling away in your lab on this costly, half-finished serum that might turn people into madmen, Stark is already flying around the world in a suit of armor that can hold off an entire army.

So this is your last chance, Mr. Osborn. If you can't deliver results within the next two weeks, I'll have no choice but to pull your funding and look for other worthwhile investments."

With that, he ended the call without giving Norman a chance to respond. The screen went black with a soft whoosh, and the default interface's 3D Osborn Technologies logo soon popped back to the center of the virtual display.

Norman Osborn leaned back into his soft black chair, fingers interlaced, his face dark and his eyes flickering as he pondered something.

He sat brooding in the vast office for a long while, until a knock at the door broke his train of thought.

"Come in."

A chime of approval sounded from the electronic lock at the entrance, and the door swung open from the outside. A man in a black suit stepped in—bald, with a face full of hard lines, a burly and imposing build that practically screamed "don't mess with me."

"I'm in a bad mood right now, Shaw," Norman said impatiently. "So unless it's something important—"

"It is important, sir." The man walked in briskly, holding today's newspaper.

"Do you remember Peter Parker?" he said. "Your son's classmate. He was bitten by a sample spider in our lab, and you had me tail him afterward?"

"I remember. I also had you swap out his blood at the hospital, but our tests showed he wasn't infected in any way," Norman said flatly. "The Oz in the sample spider didn't affect that kid at all."

"I don't know, sir." Shaw stepped forward, opening the newspaper and handing it to Norman. "But I thought you might want to see this."

It was a copy of the Daily Bugle. The front-page photo showed several disheveled robbers with black socks over their heads, tied together with white webbing and dangling upside down from a lamppost. In the background sky, a blurry figure was leaping over a tall building.

The headline read: "Spider-Man Appears."

"Spider-Man?" Norman frowned at the name.

"Seems to be a superpowered individual who's been active in New York lately, stopping street crime," Shaw explained. "But before this, it was mostly just rumors—no solid proof he actually existed. Today's paper is the first real evidence. According to the rumors, this 'Spider-Man' can scale walls, shoot webs, cling to surfaces and climb rapidly, lift cars with his bare hands, and has reflexes fast enough to dodge bullets."

Norman set down the newspaper, his gaze sharp. "You're saying this 'Spider-Man' is that kid Peter?"

Shaw met his boss's eyes for a moment.

"I'm saying this 'Spider-Man' might be the perfect, successful case for human trials of the Oz serum."

***

S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters, the Tri-Wing Building.

Rolling thunder rumbled from the distant sky, dark clouds pressing down over the entire city, pale lightning snakes writhing within the black mass.

Fine raindrops began to patter down from the sky, quickly sliding along the building's glass curtain wall. Nick Fury sat in the Director's office, handling a slew of tedious, miscellaneous affairs on the holographic screen on his desk. Much of it was boring political nonsense—Fury never cared for it, but dealing with it was part of the job.

Two consecutive muffled thunderclaps rang out, and a pale flash of lightning illuminated the edges of the floor-to-ceiling windows. Fury paused, instinctively glancing sideways out the window. The rain outside had now turned into a curtain, cascading down like a waterfall.

For no clear reason, Fury's instincts began to stir a sense of unease.

The white fluorescent lights suddenly flickered and went out with a sharp pop, and the pale blue screen on his desk vanished with them. Darkness silently took over the entire room, danger lurking in its shadowy embrace.

If it were a power outage, the backup generator should have kicked in immediately—but it clearly hadn't. Fury's single eye scanned the darkness warily, his hand casually resting on the pistol under his desk as he tried to contact Deputy Director Hill. But his private comm terminal only displayed "No Signal" in response, meaning no one could reach him.

"Don't be nervous, Director Fury."

A cold, mechanical voice came from a dark corner of the room, and a figure stepped out from it. Black armor, white stripes, and a V-shaped visor that gradually lit up with a pale blue glow.

Fury frowned slightly. "You."

"Hello, Director Fury. I believe this is our first formal meeting." The armor stopped in front of his desk. "I've come here today with a proposal that I'm sure you'll find interesting."

(Thank you to reader Aiyou A Jun for the 500 Qidian coin tip, and reader Justice League's Young Captain for the 100 Qidian coin tip!)