The Green Goblin Appears

"I want to go to the Carnival Parade too!"

In the apartment, Mindy pouted, looking pitiful with tears welling in her eyes. Today was New York's carnival celebration, and countless residents would be leaving their homes to gather in Central Park for a grand festive parade.

The little girl had been looking forward to this day for a long time. Sean had also received an invitation from Harry. He had not wanted to attend such a lively occasion, but when he thought about witnessing Spider-Man and the Green Goblin's first showdown in person, he agreed to Young Master Osborn's request.

"I want to take you too, but you have an appointment with Teacher John today. You need to go to the school for your interview on your own—this will decide whether you can go to school at all!"

Sean shrugged helplessly. After discussing it with the little girl, he had decided to let Mindy attend school and live the life of a normal girl.

He had introduced Mindy as his cousin, whose parents had died in a car accident, leaving her to come from Australia in search of relatives. Her tragic background and the enticing sum of money had moved the dean of that private school. After some arrangements, the blonde little girl had successfully become a member of an elite private school. Of course, the prerequisite was that she had to pass interviews with several teachers and prove that she had no intellectual deficiencies.

"I'll make it up to you with Burger King, or I'll take you out for Chinese food. Chinatown finally opened an authentic Chinese restaurant. That's probably the happiest thing that's happened in a while."

Sean comforted the sulking Mindy. He felt as though he had entered middle age ahead of schedule. He had adopted a little girl, yet it felt like he was raising a daughter, worrying about every little thing for her.

"Oh, right. Remember to act as much like a normal girl as possible. Don't scare the teachers!"

The young man reminded her uneasily. Mindy's previous education had been far too abnormal, leaving her thought process completely different from that of other children her age. He was now worried that when the teachers asked what talents she had, the little girl would pull out a butterfly knife or demonstrate a set of grappling techniques. That would certainly be extremely awkward.

"Okay, okay! You're so annoying!" The proud little girl slung on her small backpack, flicked her ponytail, and walked out without looking back. She was clearly still resentful that Sean had left her behind to attend the Carnival Parade alone.

After dealing with his little burden, Sean changed into a neat, well-fitted suit and hailed a taxi toward Central Park.

Maybe I should buy a car.

Central Park was known as New York's "backyard" and had always been the preferred place for residents to relax. As the largest urban park in New York, it boasted beautiful scenery, vast lush groves, spacious lawns, and open-air theaters.

Today, the plaza in the open area was already packed with people, with more residents constantly pouring in. Brilliant streamers and balloons filled the sky, Disney cartoon mascots could be seen everywhere, drawing the interest and attention of children. The festive, cheerful atmosphere infected everyone. People cheered and played to their hearts' content, their happy laughter echoing overhead and merging into a roaring sea of noise.

Harry brought his girlfriend Mary Jane to the reserved hotel suite early. This historic luxury hotel happened to be located near Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. From its observation deck with an excellent view, one could take in all of Central Park at a glance. It was the best place to watch the Carnival Parade.

"I wonder if Father will come. And Peter and Sean, why aren't those two here yet..."

Harry realized that he and his girlfriend were the first to arrive, and he could not help feeling a little depressed. Peter had recently hit a low point in life. The uncle who had raised him had been shot to death. Young Master Osborn wanted to help his best friend emerge from the pain of losing a loved one. As for Sean, ever since entering university, he was hardly ever seen outside of class, as though he had been busy with something.

Still, it was worth mentioning that Sean had actually joined the independent laboratory of Dr. Connors, a visiting professor at the State University of New York, as an intern assistant. This had greatly surprised Harry. He had never heard that Sean possessed any particular talent or interest in genetic biology.

As for his best friend Peter, he had heard that Peter was also working hard to become the Daily Bugle's chief photographer. Every Spider-Man photograph published in that newspaper had been taken by him alone, providing the cash-strapped Parker with a considerable income.

Both of his good friends had their own lives. Harry, on the other hand, had no idea what to do besides spending time alone with Mary Jane every day. He had little interest in inheriting his father's company. The hypocritical socializing of the business world and the dull, tedious industrial production both gave Young Master Osborn headaches. For a moment, Harry, with his arm around his girlfriend, felt lost about the future, as if he did not know which direction to take.

"Harry, your father didn't come?" A voice interrupted Harry's thoughts. He turned around and found two of his father's business partners, Mr. Barr and Mr. Fay.

"He promised he would come, but I haven't seen him yet," Harry said dejectedly. Perhaps his father was busy with some work. He had always been like that.

"We were planning to inform him of some good news."

Mr. Barr and Mr. Fay wore strange smiles. Osborn Industries, having lost its last lifeline—the Department of Defense contract—would soon be sold at a high price to Wall Street bankers. Enormous profits would fall into their pockets. It was truly something worth celebrating.

As for Norman Osborn, who cared about a loser? Mr. Barr and Mr. Fay had always wanted to carve up Osborn Industries like a giant cake, but Norman had stubbornly stood in their way, attempting to transform the company into a defense procurement enterprise and turn it into a military-industrial giant like Stark Industries.

"What a joke." Mr. Barr and Mr. Fay exchanged looks, then turned and walked to the other side to enjoy Central Park's carnival spectacle.

Waves of boisterous cheers surged into the sky. On the enormous stage, a Black woman in red sang passionately, swaying her plump body. Her high-energy rock song, accompanied by a powerful rhythm, instantly ignited the crowd's enthusiasm. Applause rolled in wave after wave.

A taxi pulled up at the edge of the area. The ever-growing crowd had blocked the road ahead. Sean got out and looked up to see streamers and hot-air balloons floating overhead like multicolored clouds, nearly covering the sky.

"I wonder whether Harry has arrived yet?" Sean looked at the sea of people and felt a headache coming on.

Not long afterward, he spotted Peter amid the crowded throng. The young Spider-Man held a camera and kept snapping photographs, looking completely absorbed in it.

Sean was about to go over and say hello when a string of shrill laughter sliced through the air. The singer onstage stopped involuntarily, and the lively, festive atmosphere came to an abrupt halt. People raised their heads to look upward—a strange man in green armor rode a bat-like flying device through the streamers and balloons, occasionally letting out mad laughter.

"Ha ha ha! Happy holidays!"

The strange man piloted the uniquely shaped aircraft. From the green eyes of his hideous demon helmet shone a vicious glint. He looked down at the surging crowd below and scattered several pumpkin-shaped bombs.

"These are gifts for you!"

Several deafening booms rang out as brilliant flames shot skyward, accompanied by massive explosions. The people attending the Carnival Parade panicked and fled in all directions. The scene instantly became chaotic. Everyone screamed as they ran, while the erected stage collapsed under the impact of the crowd. Countless wires tangled together, bursting into clusters of fire.

Sean stared at the strange man in the sky. Just as in the original timeline, the Green Goblin had made his grand entrance by wreaking havoc at the Carnival Parade.

P.S. Just because I wrote a little girl, you esteemed readers have classified me as a pervert? That's too harsh...

Actually, I'm into older women. (ω)