Reality was always cruel.
It was never simply black and white, and the law was not purely a tool for upholding justice.
Especially in a society like this, a lawyer's silver tongue could very well win sympathy for a criminal and spare them from punishment.
The reason Matt kept working as a lawyer while also being a superhero was simple. He didn't just want to defeat his enemies physically. In court, he wanted them to be truly convicted.
"However, I must remind you, Mr. Matt Murdock, there is currently no evidence proving that Mr. Storm is the Green Goblin," the opposing lawyer said to Matt. Then he turned to the judge and explained, "The one who delivered Mr. Storm to the police station was a masked criminal known as Spider-Man."
He flat-out labeled Spider-Man a criminal, then produced a pile of Daily Bugle reports as "proof."
Everyone knew the Daily Bugle never said a single good word about Spider-Man.
What broke Peter's heart even more was that the photos in those reports were all taken by him...
The arguments raged back and forth. Both Matt and Norman found it extremely troublesome, because the Green Goblin looked confident and unafraid, and more importantly, the jury's attitude seemed to lean toward Storm.
Clearly, both of them had realized the Green Goblin had someone backing him.
And they weren't wrong at all.
The one standing behind the Green Goblin at this moment was none other than Kingpin.
After several days of being left to stew, Storm finally agreed to hand over the Lizard serum in exchange for his freedom.
It had to be said, even though he had become the Green Goblin, Storm still couldn't compare to the mad Norman. He was nothing more than a clown with strength wearing the Green Goblin's mask, and his temperament was far inferior to Norman's.
He was afraid Kingpin would really abandon him, leaving him to rot in a cell for the rest of his life, while everything he owned would end up becoming Norman's prize.
But at least Storm wasn't completely stupid. He didn't immediately reveal where the serum was stored. Instead, he demanded that Kingpin get him out first, and only then would he hand it over.
Otherwise, he would truly lose all value.
Because of that, Kingpin immediately arranged a lawyer to defend Storm.
Kingpin was a criminal, that was true. But at his level, he couldn't possibly solve everything with violence.
In fact, it was the opposite. Kingpin valued rules even more than ordinary people did.
The reason was simple. He was extremely good at using rules.
In a case like the Green Goblin's, as long as Storm won the lawsuit, Kingpin wouldn't need to make any big moves.
If he could help it, he didn't want to mobilize too much or draw attention.
Now everything was developing exactly as he wanted.
All he needed was for the Green Goblin to walk free. Then he could gather all the villains he'd assembled and launch an attack on Spider-Man together.
In court, Peter was deeply worried.
If this trial failed because Spider-Man's reputation was too awful, he swore he would never sell the Daily Bugle another photo for the rest of his life.
Fortunately, Matt had prepared thoroughly.
"Your Honor, the Daily Bugle is merely a private media outlet. Everything it publishes carries personal bias. Evidence like this is not enough to prove Spider-Man is a masked criminal, nor is it enough to remove the suspicion that Storm is the Green Goblin," Matt said. "We have a large amount of video evidence, enough to prove that Storm is the Green Goblin."
"Not only that, but the NYPD Commissioner is also willing to testify for us that Spider-Man is not a criminal."
Matt smiled. Before the hearing began, he had already received help from Captain Stacy.
"Captain Stacy?"
Peter nearly shouted.
He had never imagined there would come a day when Captain Stacy would speak for Spider-Man.
Before this, in every NYPD bulletin, Spider-Man had been described as a lawless, self-righteous guy.
Now, wearing his uniform, Stacy stepped forward. His solemn expression burned itself into Peter's memory.
Did he change his tune?
Peter thought so. He assumed that all the good deeds he'd kept doing lately had finally changed Stacy's view of him.
But in reality, George Stacy still hated Spider-Man.
He hated Spider-Man because he felt Spider-Man's actions disrupted police operations, and because Spider-Man had no authority to punish criminals, not because he believed Spider-Man was some vicious felon.
Maybe he disliked Spider-Man.
But compared to that, he was even less willing to watch a dangerous figure like the Green Goblin walk away innocent.
That would be a contemptuous slap in the face to the law and to justice.
A captain's testimony was far more trustworthy than a private media outlet's reports. After that, Matt presented one piece of evidence after another.
Slowly, Storm's arrogant expression turned ugly.
Because he realized that in a large portion of those accusations, he hadn't done the things at all.
Storm exploded in anger.
Accusing him of stealing serums and equipment was one thing. Fine, he really did do those. But claiming that he, a major shareholder of Osborn, had attacked an elderly cleaning lady? Wasn't that going too far?
"Norman Osborn, this is slander!"
A furious Storm slammed his fist down onto the table in front of him. The force shattered it on the spot, splinters flying everywhere.
Seeing that, Norman looked pleased.
"The evidence is conclusive, Storm."
"You can say you're not the Green Goblin, but your powers don't lie."
As long as they could prove Storm was the Green Goblin, it wouldn't be hard to make the other charges stick.
At the same time, watching through a hidden micro-camera, Kingpin's expression darkened.
He respected rules only as long as the rules benefited him.
But now, because of Matt's arguments, Captain Stacy's testimony, and Storm's idiotic self-sabotage, the chances of getting him cleared were becoming slim.
Honestly, if it weren't for the fact that he still wanted the serum Storm had hidden away, Kingpin would have had Bullseye put a bullet through that brainless fool long ago.
But now, he had no choice but to use special means.
The enormous white brute first used his tiny eyes to memorize Matt and Stacy's faces. Then he turned his head toward Bullseye.
"Tell them to get ready."
"Yes," Bullseye replied, nodding as he turned and left.
Dozens of minutes later, on the rooftop of a building several blocks away from the courthouse, several super-criminals gathered together.
As Kingpin's direct subordinate, Bullseye naturally held the most authority among them.
"Saving the Green Goblin gets us one million dollars, right?" A monster-like figure wearing a purple cloak asked before the operation, looking at Bullseye. His hands were fitted with claw-like weapons.
"Don't worry, Prowler. Kingpin keeps his word when it comes to money," Bullseye said.
That was the truth.
Money was Kingpin's law. Everything he did was for money and profit.
Because of that, he valued the power and restraint that money brought. If he broke his word casually, the fortune he'd worked so hard to gather would lose its meaning.
"I don't really care about money," another man spoke up at that moment.
He looked completely different from the others, who were hiding themselves. Instead, he wore very little. His hardened face was fully exposed, and he had almost no protective gear. A necklace of beast fangs hung across his chest as decoration.
Kraven the Hunter.
A world-famous, powerful hunter whose current target was the hero who had appeared in New York: Spider-Man.
If he could hunt that prey, this trip would be worth it.
Still...
"I heard there are two Spider-Men? Will both of them show up this time?" Kraven asked.
"I can't guarantee that," Bullseye said. "But relax. Spider-Man is in Kingpin's way. No matter what, Kingpin will eliminate him."
"Then there's no problem," Kraven said with a slight smile, like a beast baring its fangs.
He was like a powerful lion, the fur vest on his back trembling in the wind.
Over the long years of hunting, he had gradually stopped being satisfied with fighting beasts. Those animals simply weren't his opponents anymore.
When Kingpin came to him and told him about Spider-Man, Kraven's interest was sparked immediately.
If beasts no longer entertained him, then what about superhumans?
A strong Spider-Man was a rare piece of prey.
So unlike Prowler, who only wanted to finish quickly and collect the money, Kraven didn't care about that little payout at all. He couldn't wait for Spider-Man to appear, and the more the better.
Just then, the wind stirred all around them.
Bang!
After a burst of smoke, a group of ninjas in purple-red outfits appeared abruptly around them, their faces completely covered.
The Hand's ninjas had arrived as well.
Meanwhile, inside the courthouse.
After Storm was consumed by rage, court security immediately shocked him with batons, leaving him barely able to move.
Matt pressed his advantage, throwing charge after charge and accusation after accusation at the opposing counsel, leaving him struggling to keep up.
The other lawyer was helpless.
He was the lawyer Kingpin had hired. Professionally, he was not inferior to Matt.
For the evidence of crimes Storm had committed before, he could respond to each one. But that idiot had blown himself up in court, and on top of that, many of Matt's accusations were things he had never even been informed about beforehand.
Without preparation, there was no way he could beat Matt.
At that moment, the judge struck the gavel.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The sound echoed through the hall, but for some reason, it made people uneasy.
Peter frowned, the hairs on his body rising.
It wasn't just him. Matt seemed to have sensed something wrong as well. His ears twitched slightly, like radar, gathering every bit of information around him.
Within the echoing gavel strikes, another sound rang out.
Someone was trying to break the Green Goblin out of court.
The thought flashed through Matt's mind. His hand tightened around his cane.
In an instant, Matt spun around and lunged toward Norman, shouting, "Watch out!"
The next second, a massive explosion roared through the air!
Boom!!
The courthouse wall was blasted apart by powerful explosives. Firelight and thick smoke surged inward, swallowing everyone's vision.
Peter had already thrown himself over Harry a second before the blast went off.
Now he lifted his head and looked over. In the hole torn open by the explosion, several silhouettes stood together, backlit and ominous.
He was just about to tear open his outer clothes when Harry's worried voice rang out.
"Peter, are you okay?"
Peter glanced at him, guilt all over his face. "Sorry, Harry!"
"What?" Harry froze. Then he saw a shadow rushing toward his head.
Peter lightly awakened the sleeping mind within him and knocked Harry out. Then he scooped Harry up around the waist, preparing to find somewhere safe to put him down.
In the blink of an eye, the whole courthouse fell into chaos. The jurors and even the stern-looking judge had never seen anything like this. They screamed and shouted, crawling on the ground in a frantic attempt to escape.
"Hahahaha!"
Seeing this, the Green Goblin threw his head back and laughed wildly. "You came to save me, Kingpin!"
The idiot actually shouted Kingpin's name in this situation, making Fisk, watching everything from behind the scenes, seethe with anger.
A so-called underground emperor was someone who could not be dragged into the open.
Even if it was just a title, now everyone knew Kingpin was the one who had hijacked the courthouse. You could imagine what would happen next. His organization was going to be targeted hard for a long time.
"Kingpin?"
Matt frowned slightly. Even though he couldn't see, he still instinctively turned toward Osborn.
"Are you alright, Mr. Osborn?"
"I'm fine," Norman said, pushing him aside.
His expression was grim, because Norman had heard of Kingpin's name.
Or rather, very few top-tier capitalists knew nothing about Kingpin. Even Stark Industries had heard of him back when Obadiah was still there.
Only Tony knew nothing about such things.
The more Norman understood Kingpin, the more uneasy he became.
But he didn't hide. Instead, he immediately searched for Harry and Peter.
He looked up and saw Peter carrying Harry and taking cover. The two boys were fine, and he finally let out a breath.
But then he realized this was no time to relax.
Because after blasting down the wall, those supervillains didn't stop moving.
Prowler, like a purple ghost, charged toward the center of the courtroom. He had only one goal: take the Green Goblin and claim the bounty.
"Not a chance!"
At that moment, as a police captain, George Stacy naturally didn't retreat. Without hesitation, he drew the pistol from his waist and fired at Prowler.
Bang!!
Gunshots echoed again and again, but Prowler had already sensed it coming.
The tech on his body greatly increased his speed. He wasn't faster than bullets, but he was far faster than Stacy's aim.
In an instant, George Stacy's magazine was empty, and Prowler hadn't been hit once.
With someone pointing a gun at him, Prowler immediately changed direction and rushed at George. The metal claws sliced through the air, stabbing straight for his heart!
"Die!"
The claws expanded rapidly in George Stacy's pupils, the air itself stinging his eyes.
"Sorry, Gwen. Looks like I won't be coming home for dinner tonight."
He closed his eyes, that thought flashing through his mind. But even after waiting a long time, he still didn't feel any pain.
So he opened his eyes.
And saw a figure that shocked him.
"Spider-Man?"
Author's Note: Thanks to "Random Passerby Who Likes Novels" and "Wanna Become a Demon, Crying Like a Dog" for the 100-point tip.
So much happened today. I went to view the place and planned to move quickly, but halfway there my electric scooter broke down. I waited under the blazing sun for the repair guy and found out the air switch and controller were broken, but he didn't have a controller on hand. I could only push the heavy scooter all the way back.
After that I dragged a suitcase with some clothes and left.
When I arrived, I realized another screw on the back of my computer had come loose and disappeared. The base cracked, and I almost thought it was done for. Luckily, I tested it and it still works normally.
I'm in a really bad headspace from all of it. I'm still short about a thousand words, so I won't be doing a ten-thousand-words update today.
/-\
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