Lin Hai VS Green Goblin

At this moment, in Harry's private laboratory.

An alarm suddenly blared from Harry's laptop. All four of them looked up at the screen. The surveillance footage showed that the access control to the top-floor laboratory of Osborn Tower had been forcibly breached.

"Someone has broken into the restricted area." Harry quickly pulled up more camera angles. "Wait... that's my father's security code!"

On the screen, a figure in a tattered lab coat was rummaging through the laboratory. The person moved unbelievably fast.

"He's already injected it." Lin Hai's voice was grave. "And the dose far exceeds safety standards."

Gwen sucked in a sharp breath. "He's moving faster than a national-level sprinter!"

Peter stared intently at the screen. "His pupils are visibly dilated, and his irises have turned an unnatural green. The Enhancement Serum has affected his nervous system."

The surveillance feed suddenly shook violently, then turned to static. In the final shot, Norman Osborn turned toward the camera and revealed a chilling smile.

"He found the cameras." Harry's face went pale. "My father never smiled like that..."

Lin Hai immediately shut down every terminal. "We need to prepare for the worst. If Mr. Osborn has already changed, the first thing he'll investigate is who has been looking into his genetic disease."

"You mean my father will come after us?" Harry asked in disbelief.

"Not us." Lin Hai quickly carried out one final Healing Potion experiment. "Everyone who knows his secret. The Enhancement Serum amplifies the user's aggression and paranoia."

The four had barely rushed out of the laboratory when an explosion sounded overhead. Thick smoke rose, and flames dyed the evening sky red.

"We're out of time. Harry, call your father. Make up any excuse and stall him," Lin Hai said.

Harry dialed with trembling hands, but unexpectedly, Norman's voice sounded unusually calm.

"Harry, my child, did you hear the explosion? Don't worry, it was only a controllable accident." Norman's tone was strangely gentle. "By the way, how is your project progressing?"

Harry glanced at Lin Hai, who made a quiet gesture. "It's... still underway, Father. It's all just basic research."

"Good, very good." Norman chuckled softly. "Bring your friends over for dinner tomorrow. I mean at home, not the company. I'd like to talk about what you've been researching lately."

After the call ended, the temperature around the four of them seemed to drop ten degrees.

"He's probing us," Gwen whispered.

"Worse." Lin Hai's expression was grim. "He's hunting."

Lin Hai immediately made arrangements. "Gwen and Peter, stay here and finish the final stage of the Healing Potion. At the same time, connect the surveillance feed from the top floor of Osborn Tower to Harry's computer and watch for anything unusual. Peter, give me the earpiece I used during our last operation. Keep the radio and report to me at all times.

Harry, does Osborn Tower have a backup security elevator? The two of us will go up and check the top floor. But once you're up there, find somewhere to hide and stay in contact with me through the radio. Do not come out unless I call for you."

After Lin Hai checked the seeds he was carrying, the backup elevator he and Harry had taken arrived on the top floor.

Suddenly, Peter's voice came through the earpiece.

"Lin, the surveillance footage here shows a figure in green metal armor landing on the roof of Osborn Tower. The armor looks hastily cobbled together, not like a finished product. The helmet's lenses are glowing yellow."

"The worst has happened." Lin Hai quickly checked his seed pouch. He told Harry to hide on the top floor as he ran toward the roof. He could not wait for the Green Goblin to enter Norman's private office on the top floor and check the surveillance footage.

Lin Hai violently forced open the stairwell door connecting the roof to the top floor. The sound of metal clashing and eerie humming came from one side.

"Liiin~ Haaary~, is that you? I heard both of your voices~" Norman's voice had been processed through a voice changer, making it inhumanly shrill.

The moment Lin Hai stepped onto the roof of Osborn Tower, he dodged sharply to the side. The next second, a spinning metal disc embedded itself in the wall where he had been standing, cutting deep into the concrete.

"Nice reflexes, kid." Norman—or rather, the Green Goblin—stood atop his glider near the edge of the roof, overlooking New York. His armor gleamed beneath the surrounding lights and the starlight above the city. "Looks like you know what happened."

Lin Hai stepped forward. "Mr. Osborn, we can help you. Your illness can be cured."

The Green Goblin tilted his helmet. "Oh? Do I look sick?" He suddenly burst into manic laughter, the sound like fingernails scraping glass. "I'm not sick! I feel amazing! Better than ever before!"

He abruptly hurled a pumpkin-shaped grenade. Lin Hai clenched an Ironwall Fruit seed in his hand, and an oval, dark-green shield as tall as a person instantly appeared before him, blocking the explosion.

When the smoke cleared, the Green Goblin was surprised to find Lin Hai standing unharmed behind a barrier that had appeared out of nowhere.

"Interesting... very interesting. It seems there's much more to your abilities that I don't know about. Then let me get to know you properly today!" The Green Goblin's helmet lenses narrowed as though focusing.

The Green Goblin let out an angry roar and charged at Lin Hai.

Lin Hai grabbed a handful of Heartbind Vine seeds and threw them out. He immediately pressed his palms together, and countless vines sprang from the ground and walls, wrapping around the green-armored figure.

But that could only buy time. He could see the Green Goblin and the glider beneath him tearing through those tough vines together. The enhancement had undoubtedly succeeded. In terms of physical ability, the Green Goblin was already an excellent super-soldier.

"Oh, Lin, another new trick. How many more tricks like that do you have?!" The Green Goblin's voice was crazed.

Lin Hai did not answer. His attention was fixed on the Green Goblin's body as he broke free, searching for any possible opening.

"Not talking? No matter." The Green Goblin drew an alloy longsword from his armor. "I'll slice you into pieces and study you."

Lin Hai knew the coming battle would determine the fates of even more people. Not only was he protecting his friends, he was also trying to save Norman Osborn—Harry's father, who had been consumed by the Green Goblin persona.

He assumed a fighting stance. Emerald energy gathered in his hands, and two half-meter wooden spikes instantly appeared in his grip. "Come on, green tin can. Let me see what the Enhancement Serum gave you."

Clang!

A crisp metallic collision rang out from the roof of Osborn Tower into the night sky.

Lin Hai's feet carved two deep grooves across the rooftop. The Green Goblin's strike had been heavier than expected. Even with Life Force reinforcement, both of Lin Hai's hands had gone numb from the impact.

"That's all you've got?" The Green Goblin stood on his homemade glider, his metal armor reflecting the moonlight. "I thought we could play a little longer."

Lin Hai tightened his grip on the wooden spikes. The emerald energy inside him spun rapidly within his Lower Dantian.

The Green Goblin's glider gave off a piercing hum and shot toward him. Lin Hai flicked his right hand, sending the wooden spike marked by the blade flying out. At the same time, he quickly reached for the Azure-Edge Leaf seeds in his pouch.

After the Green Goblin dodged the wooden spike, three incomparably sharp Azure-Edge Leaves followed. He avoided the first, the second sliced across the helmet lens, and the third struck the glider's right engine with perfect accuracy.

"Cheap tricks!" the Green Goblin roared as he dropped a string of miniature bombs.

Lin Hai slapped the ground with his left hand, and another Ironwall Fruit seed instantly grew. The blast wave threw him into the air, but the bomb fragments and flying rubble were all stopped by the plant barrier, which was as hard as iron.

As Lin Hai adjusted his posture midair, he hurled another wooden spike at the Green Goblin's head.

Disturbed by the attack, the Green Goblin's pursuit path shifted. His glider skimmed past Lin Hai.

Now! Lin Hai flicked a Heartbind Vine seed onto the glider. Vines instantly appeared across it and coiled like living snakes, shredding the left stabilizing wing in an instant. The Green Goblin lost his balance and spun toward the ground.

With a thunderous crash, the armored figure slammed into the rooftop barrier. Lin Hai did not pause. He kept throwing seeds toward the Green Goblin, and soon green vines formed a cage around him.

"You think this can hold me?" The Green Goblin's roar mixed with the sound of tearing metal. His alloy blade easily severed the vines, and the armored figure leaped free.

Lin Hai retreated, breathing heavily. Using his abilities repeatedly had already consumed a great deal of Life Force, while the Green Goblin seemed to grow stronger the longer they fought. He needed a larger-scale crowd-control skill—the move he had yet to fully master.

"Lin Hai, the Healing Potion is complete! I'm taking the elevator up to bring it to you!" Peter's voice came through the earpiece. "But it needs to be injected directly into the central nervous system!"

That meant he had to subdue the Green Goblin and restrain him for long enough. Lin Hai took a deep breath and slowly drew the opening form of Tai Chi with both hands. His master's teachings echoed in his ears: "Sink your qi into the dantian, keep your intent centered and upright, use softness to overcome hardness..."

The Green Goblin scoffed disdainfully. "Tai Chi? You're going to use an old man's exercise routine against me?"

The armored figure shot toward him like a cannonball. Lin Hai neither dodged nor retreated. His arms traced a circle like the ward-off posture of Tai Chi. Just as the Green Goblin's fist was about to strike his face, he turned and redirected the force, lightly resting his right hand on the other man's wrist while supporting his elbow with his left—a perfect use of four ounces to deflect a thousand pounds.

The Green Goblin discovered in shock that his full-force blow had been redirected into empty space, and his body lurched forward from inertia. Lin Hai seized the chance, hooked his right foot behind the Green Goblin's legs, and drove with his waist and hips.

Bang! After a deafening impact, the green-armored monster was hurled hard to the ground.

"This isn't ordinary Tai Chi." Lin Hai spoke while breathing lightly, fine sweat beading on his forehead. "This is Tai Chi that can knock you down."

The Green Goblin roared as he rolled to his feet, but Lin Hai had already opened the distance and swiftly pressed his palms together. It was time to use that skill he had not yet fully mastered. He had to try!

"Deep Forest Emergence!" Using his ultimate skill for the first time, Lin Hai involuntarily shouted its name in Chinese. It was a little embarrassing, but as the saying went, youth was wasted without a little chuunibyou spirit.

Emerald energy erupted from every pore of Lin Hai's body like burning green flames. The area within thirty meters shook violently as countless shoots burst from every seed he had thrown before, along with seeds naturally scattered across the rooftop, growing wildly under the catalysis of Life Force.

In the blink of an eye, the rooftop of the Osborn Group had turned into a miniature forest. Trees and vines twisted around one another to form a natural cage, while the vines crawled like living creatures in search of their target.

"What the hell is this?!" The Green Goblin's armor was trapped by suddenly growing tree trunks as vines rapidly coiled around him.

Lin Hai dropped to one knee, his mouth open as he panted continuously. Sweat the size of soybeans kept dripping from his head.

Even a scaled-down version of Deep Forest Emergence was enough to leave Lin Hai reeling. The move consumed far too much for him at his current level. He felt as though every meridian in his body was burning, but successfully using it at all was already no small feat.

"Lin!" Peter's voice came from behind him. When Lin Hai looked over, he saw Peter staring in astonishment.

"The fight got this intense! I didn't even know you could do that. When did you develop a new move? Still, I have to say it—this is not scientific!" Peter's chatterbox mode kicked in, but he did not forget the important matter.

He hurried over to Lin Hai and handed him the freshly made Healing Potion. "Can you still do it? Should I inject him instead?"

"No, Peter. You're still just an ordinary person. Be careful with everything. I'll go." Taking the syringe from Peter, he staggered to his feet and slowly walked toward the trapped Green Goblin.

"Let me go!" The Green Goblin struggled madly, snapping vines one after another. "I'll kill every last one of you!"

"No, you won't." Lin Hai approached, panting. "Because those aren't the words of the real Norman Osborn."

He seized his chance. As the Green Goblin roared again, he precisely drove the syringe through a gap in the neck armor. The instant the potion was injected, the Green Goblin let out an inhuman shriek.

"Now, the final step." Lin Hai pressed his palm against the Green Goblin's chest, where the armor had shattered and exposed flesh. Emerald energy flowed in like a gentle stream.

A blinding green light erupted. The figure within the armor convulsed violently as two forces battled inside him.

On one side was the violent rage created by the Enhancement Serum and the second personality. On the other were the purification of the Healing Potion and Life Force. Lin Hai could feel Norman Osborn's true consciousness struggling beneath the Green Goblin persona.

Harry and Gwen arrived on the roof at that moment.

"Harry..." A weak human voice suddenly came from within the green helmet. "I'm sorry... my son..."

"Mr. Osborn, hold on." Lin Hai increased his energy output. "Think of Harry. Think of how much you love him!"

The green light grew brighter and brighter before finally bursting like fireworks. When the radiance faded, the armor lay quietly on the ground, and the eyes behind the helmet lenses had regained their clarity.

"I... what did I do?" Norman Osborn's weak voice was filled with fear and regret.

Utterly exhausted, Lin Hai collapsed onto the ground. "Sir, that isn't what you need to worry about right now. Get some proper rest."