Peter knew exactly that the Green Goblin was not joking.
Over the past month, he had already seen through this supervillain who would not let go of him. The man was a deranged lunatic.
Peter did not even dare imagine what would have happened if his mask had actually been torn off just now.
"He'd learn my identity, learn I live in Queens, learn about Aunt May and Uncle Ben.
He'd go after Aunt May and Uncle Ben, and he'd storm Midtown High, using those high powered pumpkin bombs to kill everyone I know.
Maybe Bant would stop him. No. Not maybe. Bant would stop him for sure."
Peter thought.
In Peter's eyes, Bant was the flawless standard.
He never left others a handle to grab. He never brought danger to his family's doorstep.
He could solve every problem Peter could not solve. When Peter forgot to pick up Aunt May after work, Bant was there. When Peter got cocky and brewed up the Lizard formula with Dr. Connors, Bant could produce an antidote. Bant could build a company, even conquer planets.
He could do anything.
But Peter also knew he could not use that as an excuse to drag Bant into more trouble.
Becoming a superhero had been Peter's choice. He had to take responsibility for himself, and for everyone else's safety.
Peter's gaze sharpened.
His voice had never been so solemn.
"Green Goblin, you lunatic. Don't you dare lay a hand on anyone!"
"And what are you going to do about it, Spider Man?" Seeing Peter this furious, the Green Goblin did not fear him. He found it entertaining.
"You're not thinking of killing me, are you?"
He laughed openly, looking at Peter like he was a fledgling bird that had stepped onto a battlefield, yet still did not dare to kill.
"Do you have the guts?"
"Will you do it, Spider Man?" His tone rose and fell, dripping with mockery. He pressed a palm to his chest. "Kill me, a man guilty of unforgivable crimes!"
The one who wanted to know the answer was not only the Green Goblin.
Bant wanted to know too.
A few minutes earlier, when he picked up Peter's call, he had already said goodbye to Mary Jane.
Mary Jane understood.
The news that supervillains were attacking the courthouse had already exploded across the internet. Once she learned Peter was on the scene, she and Bant had no mood left for shopping.
After splitting up with Mary Jane, Bant transformed into the Flash Star and rushed to the scene.
But he did not intervene.
He wanted to see how Peter would handle it himself.
With Bant's current strength, most villains on Earth were not his match.
But he could not personally deal with every enemy he encountered. If he did, he would end up like the First Generation Bant Bro, with no time of his own at all.
So even after hearing the Green Goblin threaten Peter, he did not immediately move to kill the man. He waited, to see what Peter would choose.
"I won't kill you," Peter shook his head.
Whether as Spider Man or as Peter Parker, he could not kill.
Bant understood that perfectly.
That was simply Peter's nature, and it was also how he had been taught for years. It was not something that could change overnight.
Unless someone Peter cared about truly died right in front of him. Only then might he change completely, becoming a cold, ruthless Spider Punisher.
"I'll defeat you, then lock you up."
Hearing that, the Green Goblin almost laughed out loud.
After all that, this was it?
But Peter's expression did not look like a joke, and the Green Goblin frowned, confused.
Then Peter continued.
"I can already tell. The law can't punish someone like you, because you can always find excuses to escape conviction, and there are always people willing to speak for money. Ordinary prisons can't hold you, because your allies will try to break you out…"
"But they rescue you because you still have value to them," Peter said.
"What?"
"Someone wants your wealth. Someone wants to use your power. But if you lose everything, who would still rescue you?" Peter asked back.
"I'll catch you, then develop an antidote that makes you lose your powers."
That was Peter's solution.
Naive, but also completely his style.
If he chose to kill the Green Goblin, then he would not be Spider Man anymore.
After speaking, Peter suddenly fired a web line at the Green Goblin. The move was so abrupt that without spider sense, the Green Goblin did not even react before he was stuck.
The next moment, a huge force yanked him toward Peter.
The Green Goblin tried to wrestle against it, but a Peter using his full strength was far beyond him. He was dragged in instantly.
Then a massive fist filled the Green Goblin's pupils.
Bang!
That punch sent the Green Goblin flying, just short of blowing his head apart.
Peter wanted to press the attack, but Matt's situation on the other side was not so optimistic.
The overwhelming number of ninjas, plus Bullseye, made it hard for him to cope. Using the courthouse's obstacles, he dodged bullets and kunai again and again. After a lot of struggle, he finally got his batons back, but his body had gained plenty of wounds.
Seeing that, Peter could only set the Green Goblin aside for now and turn to help.
Against the ninjas, Peter had far fewer concerns.
These guys did not "die," or rather, even if you killed them, they would only disperse into smoke instead of truly dying.
Peter punched and kicked his way through, breaking their perimeter in one burst and reaching Matt.
And watching this through the cameras, Kingpin also began to consider retreat.
Like everyone else, he had never imagined Spider Man was this strong, so strong that even Kraven and the Green Goblin together were not his match.
If this dragged on, not only might they fail to extract the Green Goblin, they might lose all their other fighting strength as well.
"The most important thing now is to ensure the Green Goblin's safety. Once I get the serum, I can create more superpowered killers. I won't be afraid of not being able to kill Spider Man!"
Kingpin made his decision decisively.
He gave Bullseye the order from afar.
After receiving the retreat command, Bullseye glanced at the Prowler, then, with the ninjas at his back, passed instructions to the other criminals.
The Prowler understood immediately.
He might not get one hundred million, but he was not going to miss out on one million. He spread his cape, grabbed the Green Goblin, and flew out.
"Spider Man, the Green Goblin is being taken away!" Matt shouted.
Even through the chaos, he had caught Kingpin's plan, but at this moment, endless ninjas wrapped around them like a dense swarm of crabs, sealing them in without a gap.
Even though the ninjas could not withstand Peter's punches, Peter only had two hands.
The super criminals came fast and left just as fast. In the blink of an eye, they vanished completely.
Even the Hand ninjas, after the others withdrew, disappeared one after another as they performed ninjutsu.
Peter supported Matt, his expression grim.
"They still got away. If the Green Goblin hands the Lizard serum to the Hand or Kingpin, we're in trouble," Matt frowned.
To be fair, he and Norman had not planned to take the serum back anyway, but it was still extremely dangerous for villains to obtain it.
Those people did not care what side effects the serum had. As long as it served their goals, there was nothing they would not do.
But now, they were powerless to stop it.
After the villains left, the people who had been hiding began to emerge again.
Both Spider Man and Daredevil understood. Now was the time for them to disappear and merge back into the crowd.
The two exchanged a glance, then walked in different directions without a word.
A few minutes later, Peter supported the dizzy Harry and found Norman.
"Peter, why did I pass out?" Harry rubbed his head, still feeling foggy.
He looked at Peter with confusion, trying hard to recall what he had done before losing consciousness.
But the fragments of memory that surfaced only made him more baffled. How could Peter possibly have attacked him?
He shook his head and forced that ridiculous thought out of his mind.
"Uh, you fainted. A rock hit you," Peter hurriedly explained.
Luckily, Norman jogged over at that moment, interrupting Harry's train of thought.
"Are you two alright?"
Norman did not look discouraged. He glanced over Harry and Peter, confirmed they were fine, then looked around.
"Attorney Murdock is gone."
"I'm right here, Mr. Norman," Matt appeared from somewhere, adjusting his clothes.
Seeing that, Norman smiled. "Mr. Murdock, are you alright?"
Matt shook his head.
At this moment, Peter hesitated, then still asked, "Uncle Norman, the Green Goblin was rescued. Why don't you look upset at all?"
Hearing that, Norman wore a gentle smile and looked at Peter. "Peter, you're smart. You've got research talent, but in other areas you're not as quick on your feet as Bant."
He did not drag it out. He explained immediately.
"Because my goal has already been achieved. Whether it was Kingpin or someone else who came to rescue Storm today, it has completely proven Storm's identity as the Green Goblin. And they made a scene in court. That is basically the same as losing the case outright on every demand I filed. Naturally, all my requests can now be satisfied."
"But the Lizard serum…"
"Peter, from the very beginning we couldn't take the serum back," Norman said indifferently. "That serum was made by you and Connors together. If we want it, we can have as much as we want, and we can even make something better!"
But Peter's expression was still tangled.
Because he knew that if the serum fell into bad hands, nothing good would come of it.
Norman saw what he was thinking. He shook his head and said earnestly, "It doesn't matter whose hands the serum ends up in, Peter."
"Anyone who wants that serum will be doing it for an unspeakable purpose." He patted Peter's shoulder and sighed. "And who can say that letting something like that fall into the military's hands is any better than letting it fall into Kingpin's hands?"
If it fell into Kingpin's hands, it might only create a few villains.
But if it fell into the military's hands, it could very well usher in a war of mutants.
/-\
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