Chapter 58
Norman's Attempt to Steal a Chicken Backfires
When Riley realized that General Ross and Norman Osborn were the masterminds behind the incident, and in order to prevent the situation from escalating further, he began to discuss the next course of action in a flurry of activity.
Meanwhile, in Osborn's secret laboratory.
Norman Osborn, who was always aloof and superior, was now holding his phone, smiling broadly, and responding humbly to General Ross on the other end of the line.
"Yes, General, we are already working overtime to optimize the serum's effects. Just give us a little more time, and you will definitely have a perfect army of 'super soldiers'... Rest assured, Osborn will be your perfect partner, and you won't be disappointed."
Some might wonder how Norman, with his proud personality, could behave so humbly and tolerate General Ross's bossy attitude.
The answer is simple: dignity exists only on the edge of a sword.
No matter how vast Norman Osborn's assets were, he was ultimately just a "businessman".
For General Ross, who wields both military and political power, can mobilize troops at will, and even oversee S.H.I.E.L.D., and will eventually become president, Norman Osborn's prized wealth is nothing more than a money bag that can be readily accessed.
Therefore, cooperating with General Ross was both a rare opportunity and a crazy act of seeking help from a tiger.
Especially after the first serum experiment failed, accidentally creating monsters like lizardmen and causing them to escape from the laboratory en masse, Norman Osborn's heart sank to the bottom.
After all, his initial plan was merely to leverage the serum's ability to regenerate severed limbs to secure an investment from General Ross, and incidentally, to strengthen their relationship. This would allow him to try and join the military's attempt to revive the Super Soldier program, further enhancing Osborn's influence.
But everything changed when those volunteers, under General Ross's watchful eye, transformed one by one into thick-skinned, green monsters.
This was completely beyond Norman Osborn's expectations, and it also caused Norman Osborn's perfect plan to come to naught!
If General Ross hadn't intervened in time, threatening Sheriff George to pin all the blame on the so-called Spider-Man at the press conference, thus diverting public attention from Osborn, and bringing the volunteers who had reverted to human form back to the secret laboratory…
Norman Osborne is probably no longer groveling before General Ross, but is now dressed in prison garb and standing trial in court.
But precisely because of this, Norman Osborn was effectively given a handle by General Ross.
So much so that when faced with General Ross's repeated, completely unrealistic demands...
Norman Osborn, who dared not speak out against his anger, could only swallow his anger and respond politely.
After the call ended, Norman Osborn, his face ashen, strode into the laboratory.
Then, just as Dr. Connors heard footsteps and turned around to say something, someone grabbed his collar and slammed him against the wall!
"You did this on purpose, didn't you! Why didn't you tell me about such serious side effects in the first place! Do you know that because of your negligence, we almost ended up ruined!"
"But...but, Mr. Osborn, I clearly stated at the beginning..."
Looking at Norman Osborn, whose eyes were bloodshot and who resembled a raging beast, Dr. Connors shrank back in fear, his expression one of utter speechlessness.
Do you want to listen to what you're saying?
He had already emphasized to Norman Osborn that a period of observation was needed before human experiments could be conducted.
Norman Osborn, eager to recoup costs, insisted on ignoring all consequences and immediately mass-producing lizard serum for direct human trials.
Now that something's happened, they're blaming everything on me!
Dr. Connors, realizing he had been tricked, felt both aggrieved and regretful, and couldn't help but mutter complaints to Norman Osborn.
"Don't make excuses for your incompetence! You should be thankful that General Ross is interested in those monsters and thinks we still have some use... Otherwise, you could be waiting to say goodbye to your family forever!"
Unfortunately, Norman Osborn could temporarily bow to power for personal gain, but he would never admit his mistakes to those weaker than himself.
Therefore, before Dr. Connors could finish speaking, Norman Osborn interrupted Dr. Connors's explanation with a forceful and angry shout.
Then, considering that Dr. Connors is the key to breaking the deadlock, we can't really anger him to the point of quitting.
Norman Osborn calmed down a bit, put Dr. Connors down, and asked in a cold voice.
"So much time has passed, have you come up with a solution yet! Can you stabilize this process and maintain the user's intelligence level at a point where they can understand human speech?!"
"...It's hard to say. The rapid progress in serum development, reaching its current state, was only possible after years of research and the acquisition of the final crucial set of data. However, further advancements will require a significant investment of time for optimization. Unless..."
Fortunately, Dr. Connors, though furious, understood that no matter how much he regretted it now, he couldn't change the fact that from the moment the lizardman escaped the lab, he and Norman Osborn were already in the same boat.
Therefore, when faced with Norman Osborn's blunt questioning, Dr. Connors only pondered briefly before giving his answer.
However, Dr. Connors suddenly fell silent halfway through his sentence.
In fact, what Dr. Connors wanted to say was that since Peter claimed that the decay rate algorithm he brought was derived from an heirloom left to him by his father, Richard Parker.
So, with Richard Parker's brilliant mind, he might have foreseen this flaw and prepared a corresponding solution. Then, as a valuable legacy, he left it to his only son.
In this situation, if we can find Peter and get him to bring all of his father's belongings, and decipher the secrets within, it might offer Osborn, who is in a predicament, a way out!
But then he thought of how much Peter respected him as his mentor. Peter had never shown him any prejudice because of his disability. Peter was also the only blood relative left in the world after his dearest friend's passing…
Dr. Connors, who still had a conscience, would sternly rebuke Peter whenever he saw Peter asking him out of curiosity whether the lizard people really existed, demanding that Peter give up the idea and immediately arrange for him to go home and rest to avoid trouble for the time being.
How could they possibly bear to push Peter into this abyss and ruin his bright future?