Birth of the Green Goblin

After obtaining Harry Osborn's blood sample, Lin Hai began wrapping up the experiments already underway.

His research into the Osborn family genetic disease had reached its final step. Once he had Harry's blood sample, he could begin targeted research.

Everyone was tense in the days that followed. With Harry's consent, Lin Hai told Gwen and Peter, who had not yet become Spider-Man, about the Osborn family genetic disease. He wanted the two of them to help so the four could complete the research together, but he was also preparing them in advance.

That way, if the Green Goblin truly appeared later, Peter and Gwen could quickly get into the right mindset instead of panicking.

Amid their frantic race against time, mid-June arrived. All four were top students, so their research did not interfere with their final exams. If anything, considering the work they were doing now, even college courses were nothing special.

When the bell signaling the end of finals rang, Lin Hai was still holding his pen, writing out the final line of an equation on his paper. The other students cheered and rushed out of the classroom, while he merely set down his pen and rubbed his aching eyes.

"Another perfect paper, Lin." Gwen Stacy leaned against the doorframe, her blonde hair gleaming in the sunlight streaming through the windows. "Though I suspect you never took the exam seriously at all."

Lin Hai smiled and stuffed his stationery into his backpack. "The exam was just a formality. I bet you felt the same way."

"Not at all. I've been studying very seriously lately." Gwen smiled and blinked.

That was true. Gwen, the top student, was always so diligent. Still, exams really were no problem for her, because she was always first in her class.

The halls of Midtown High School were packed with students celebrating the end of the semester. Lin Hai and Gwen made their way through the crowd toward the parking lot behind the school. Peter and Harry were already waiting there, engaged in a heated discussion.

"But if we alter the base sequence, the side effects could affect neuronal synaptic transmission." Peter adjusted his glasses, his fingers sketching molecular structures in the air.

Harry folded his arms, his brow deeply furrowed. "Then we need a delivery system that targets only muscle cells."

The moment Lin Hai approached, their discussion came to an abrupt stop. "Is Plan B ready?" he asked directly.

"Freshly collected. I added anticoagulant like you said." Harry nodded and took a silver insulated case from his backpack. Inside was his blood sample.

"My father asked about my extracurricular research project again today." Harry's voice lowered. "I told him we were working on nanomaterials."

Gwen patted Harry on the shoulder. "Hang in there for a few more days. Once we complete the first phase of the experiment, we can tell him the good news."

"Assuming our theory holds up," Peter cut in. Under Gwen's glare, he shrank back. "I mean, it definitely will."

Harry's private laboratory in Osborn Tower.

Harry swiped his card to unlock the door. Once the four of them entered, Lin Hai immediately placed the blood sample into the analyzer. Complex genetic sequence data began scrolling across the screen.

Harry had already disconnected his laboratory from the Osborn Group's data network, preventing unrelated people from discovering that they were researching the Osborn family genetic disease. If outsiders learned that the central figure of the Osborn Group was seriously ill, it would certainly have a major negative impact.

Harry's reasoning was that if a few high school students made any operational mistakes, at least they would not drag everyone else down with them. And as the Osborn Group's heir, he had been allowed to do it with everyone turning a blind eye.

"Begin the cross-comparison," Lin Hai instructed. "Gwen, handle mitochondrial abnormalities. Peter, check the neurotransmitter receptors. Harry, monitor changes in enzyme activity."

The four quickly got to work. The laboratory was filled only with the tapping of keyboards and the hum of machinery. Lin Hai stood before the central control console, staring at the rotating DNA double helix projected in holographic form.

Lin Hai looked at Harry and asked, "Harry, how serious is your father's condition right now?"

Harry's fingers clenched tightly around the edge of the lab bench. "He's started talking to himself lately. Sometimes he suddenly flies into a rage, then returns to normal. The doctors say it's temporary schizophrenia caused by stress."

The four fell silent. Lin Hai knew Norman Osborn's condition was worse than Harry had described. The Green Goblin personality was taking shape.

An alarm suddenly sounded, and an encrypted message lit up Harry's phone. He glanced at it, and his expression darkened further. "It's from my father's assistant. He said the official test volunteers have all been used up, and they can't recruit another group anytime soon, so my father is planning to experiment on himself."

"What?" Gwen cried. "The experimental data hasn't even been fully verified!"

"What formula is he using?" Lin Hai asked urgently.

Harry tremblingly pulled up another file. "The Third-Generation Enhancer he developed. It's much safer than the first generation, but the side effects still exist!"

Lin Hai's mind raced. The effects of the Third-Generation Enhancer were still unknown, but he knew one thing: if nothing unexpected happened, Norman Osborn would completely transform into the Green Goblin after the experiment.

"Friends, I need your cooperation—not just to cure Mr. Osborn, but also to deal with any possible... other situations." Lin Hai looked at his three companions, especially Harry.

"You mean if my father's experiment fails..." Harry's voice choked.

Lin Hai nodded. "We need to prepare for the worst. Peter, Gwen, remember that 'extracurricular equipment' you designed? It's time to upgrade it."

Gwen's eyes lit up. "My biomechanical gloves can be modified to improve adhesion."

Peter was already sketching designs on his tablet. "My electromagnetic disruptor will definitely come in handy!"

Harry looked at his three friends, and the fear in his eyes was gradually replaced by determination. "I'll keep refining the Healing Potion—for my father, and for myself."

Lin Hai felt the energy within him stir. Whether it was his awareness of the approaching danger or his tension over the coming battle, time was running out. The Green Goblin was about to be born, and they had to create the antidote before it happened.

Or prepare to face an out-of-control supervillain.

Night had already fallen over New York. Norman Osborn stood before his computer, his trembling fingers tapping at the white keyboard. The monitor's blue glow reflected in his sunken eye sockets, making his once-handsome face look ghostly. Beneath his lab coat, his emaciated body could barely support his tailored suit anymore. The genetic disease was devouring him from within.

"Mr. Osborn, the Scientific Ethics Committee has rejected the volunteer application for human trials again," the assistant said cautiously. "They believe the safety data for the Third-Generation Enhancer is still insufficient."

"Get out." Norman's voice was soft, yet it made the assistant immediately fall silent and retreat.

After the laboratory door closed, Norman violently swept the instruments from the table. The sound of shattering glass echoed through the empty lab. He braced both hands against the metal counter, gasping for breath as sweat dripped from his forehead.

In the mirror-smooth metal casing of a nearby instrument, another Norman sneered at him.

"Look. They all want you dead." That Norman tilted his head, his lips twisting. "The moment the board discovers your condition, they'll take over your company. The investors will pull their funding too. Even your own son is playing little tricks behind your back."

Norman closed his eyes. "Harry is only working on a school project."

"A school project?" The voice at his side grew shrill. "Do you really not know what he and those little geniuses are researching? They're researching you! Researching your son! Researching how to cure the family curse that turned you into this hideous wreck!"

Norman opened his eyes. His reflection beside him was staring at him with a savage expression he had never worn before.

"They don't have time, Norman." The voice suddenly softened, taking on a seductive tone. "You know what your only chance is. It's in the safe right in front of you."

Norman's gaze shifted to the biometric safe by the wall. Inside was the last dose of the Third-Generation Enhancer.

"It could kill me!" Norman protested unwillingly, turning his head away.

"If you don't inject it, you'll definitely die." The glass reflected another Norman's grotesque, twisted smile. "Think about it. The super strength, super speed, super healing it will bring. Is anything more important than living?"

Norman's breathing grew increasingly rapid. Over the past few weeks, the hallucinations had become more frequent. Sometimes, he could not even tell what had truly happened and what his mind had fabricated.

Last night, he had seen spiders crawling across the ceiling. At this morning's board meeting, he had been certain that the chief financial officer's head had turned into a pumpkin.

The final stage of the genetic disease—neural degeneration—had begun.

Norman shakily entered the password and pressed his palm against the scanner. The safe slid open silently, cold air spilling from within. A syringe filled with fluorescent green liquid lay quietly on the velvet lining.

"For Osborn Industries," Norman murmured, picking up the syringe.

"For yourself," the Norman in the glass corrected.

Norman rolled up his sleeve and drove the needle into his arm. The instant the green liquid slowly entered his veins, a violent burning sensation spread through his body. He let out an inhuman howl and collapsed to his knees.

The laboratory lights began to flicker. Norman's vision was swallowed by green as he felt his bones restructuring, his muscles tearing and healing, and his nerve endings pricked as if by thousands of needles at once. The agony surpassed the limits of human endurance, only to abruptly stop at some critical threshold.

Norman slowly rose to his feet and found his vision clearer than ever before. He clenched his fist and felt surging power coursing through his veins.

Every faintest sound in the laboratory was crystal clear: his assistant breathing in the next room, a cleaner pushing a cart upstairs, even the mechanical hum of a distant elevator.

He looked toward the glass at the side of the laboratory.

The Norman in the glass smiled at him. It was a twisted, mad smile he had never made before.

"Finally... free~" Norman's voice carried endless relief and madness.

Norman punched through the glass. In the glittering shards, countless Green Goblins grinned savagely at him.