Norman's second personality finally erupted.
He could no longer stand the repeated failures of his carefully planned operations.
A fearsome demon should never be reduced to such a pathetic state.
This time, he had to defend the demon's pride!
"Die, you damned bugs!"
A streak of green flame tore across the night sky, several times faster than those stripped-down Green Goblin gliders.
Clearly, Norman had upgraded his glider after his previous defeat.
As the Green Goblin swept through the night sky, he left nothing behind but a dense shower of Pumpkin Bombs.
This was his entire stockpile.
And his enemies' death sentence.
"Oh, fuck, fuck, fuck! Get out of the way!"
Faced with countless bombs raining down on him, Steve cried out and scrambled to escape.
But the moment he turned, he froze.
Warned by their Spider-Sense, Mark and Gwen Stacy had already fled beyond the bombs' blast radius.
Steve stared blankly at them, then glanced up at the bombs about to fall from the sky.
He muttered, "Holy shit," then curled up on the ground with practiced ease and covered himself with his shield.
He knew he could no longer escape.
BOOM!!!
The next instant, the Pumpkin Bombs pouring down like torrential rain exploded, engulfing the entire area around Osborn Tower in terrifying flames.
BOOM!
Flames shot into the sky. Beneath the fiery clouds on the horizon, the building towering over the city finally began to sway, then slowly toppled.
Crack, crack...
BOOM!!
The building collapsed. Rubble flew everywhere as thick clouds of dust spread with the violent shock wave, quickly swallowing buildings for several kilometers around.
Above, a helicopter hurriedly climbed higher, barely escaping the devastating aftermath of the collapse.
Inside the cabin, Natasha watched in shock.
"Nick, this is bad." She tapped her earpiece.
The surveillance feed in front of Nick Fury had gone black.
Although he could no longer see what was happening, the slight tremor in the ground beneath his feet told him that the real trouble had arrived.
S.H.I.E.L.D. had failed to prevent all this, and those senators would once again put him under immense pressure.
The casualties and financial losses from this incident would all be laid at his door, too.
If they failed to capture the Green Goblin, this would be Nick Fury's last day as Commander.
At that thought, Nick Fury silently closed one eye.
Because he only had one eye left.
"Natasha, Phil, organize the rescue operation." He issued his final order.
Seemingly aware of Nick Fury's predicament, Natasha frowned.
"If we can catch the Green Goblin, we still have a chance."
Nick Fury shook his head. "We won't catch him. We don't even know whether Steve will survive. We lost badly this time. We failed."
He had already abandoned his plan.
Those senators would not give him any more chances.
But Natasha still believed there was a chance to turn things around.
"Nick, you're forgetting someone. We still have Spider-Man," she said.
Nick Fury opened his eye, hesitation crossing his face.
"But... even he might not survive."
If it had been Carol or an enraged Hulk, he could have been certain that either of them would survive a disaster like this.
But Spider-Man...
He was not sure.
He had never known where Spider-Man's limits lay.
So he could not be certain.
But it was precisely because Spider-Man's limits were unknown that Natasha still held out hope.
With the collapse of the Osborn Building, rescue teams mobilized immediately.
The incident also became one of the most horrifying disasters in New York's history.
Every major media outlet scrambled to cover it.
That night, countless reporters descended on the disaster site. George and the other police officers held the frenzied journalists back, refusing to let them approach.
Then came the early hours of the next morning.
Bleecker Street.
"Ugh..."
Peter woke from sleep, his head heavy and aching.
He had not slept well the night before.
Because he had had a dream.
In the dream, violent explosions had rocked the city, and green monsters were everywhere.
Before long, however, he noticed Ben Parker and Aunt May sitting in front of the television.
They watched the news in silence, their faces expressionless.
The sight made Peter curious.
"It's already time for work, but you're both still home. I don't think today's a day off," he said.
Ben Parker looked at Peter, his face drawn.
"Peter, I feel really unsettled, like something bad has happened."
"Something bad?"
Peter did not take those words to heart. He got up and stretched.
"If something bad happened, it must be Mark... oh, shit! Mark!"
He hurriedly opened the door to the spare bedroom.
Sure enough, Mark was not in the room.
"Peter, is Mark still asleep?" May asked just then.
Peter quickly closed the door and forced a smile. "Yeah. He seems really tired. Let him sleep a little longer."
He did not tell them the truth.
He did not know how to explain this, and he could not let them worry.
Besides, Peter was not worried either.
Because he knew Mark was Spider-Man, a hero with superpowers.
Nothing bad happened to heroes.
But Ben Parker's next words made his heart tremble.
"Peter, something terrible happened last night. You were fast asleep, but the noise woke us up."
Ben Parker looked toward the television.
The screen showed a stretch of ruins.
Judging by the surrounding buildings, this was what had once been Osborn Tower.
Before the camera, editor-in-chief J. Jonah Jameson was personally reporting the details of the incident.
"Hello, viewers. I have some bad news for you.
Following the Green Goblin's terrorist attack, Osborn Tower has been reduced to rubble.
Spider-Man appeared during last night's battle. This Unknown Evil Entity is a real menace. Wherever he goes, terrible incidents follow.
But according to the information I've received,
Another Spider-Woman appeared last night as well. I believe she stands for justice. I've always maintained a friendly attitude toward women..."
Before J. Jonah Jameson could finish, Peter had already changed the channel.
His face was anxious, and he had no patience left for this nonsense.
Soon, thanks to another channel's detailed report, Peter finally understood what had happened.
Last night's dream had been real.
The Green Goblin had attacked Osborn Tower, and Spider-Man had not escaped.
Peter glanced at Mark's bedroom door and felt every ounce of strength drain from his body.
He slumped helplessly onto the sofa, his face turning deathly pale.
It was over. Mark was done for.
His body trembled. Feeling as though he had plunged into an ice cellar, he instinctively wrapped his arms around his shoulders.
His secrecy had gotten Mark killed.
Beside him, the perceptive May noticed that something was wrong with Peter.
"Peter, are you feeling unsettled too?"
May patted her chest and exchanged a glance with Ben Parker.
"We both feel like something's wrong with our bodies. Especially... our hearts."
At those words, Peter abruptly stood.
He did not answer May's question. Instead, he silently left the house.
Although he did not have a driver's license, he took Ben Parker's car and drove toward the disaster site at Osborn Tower.
He had to find Mark.
Even if all he found was a body...