Chapter 98: Television Speech
2023-05-02 Author: Yue Shang Xintou
"My apologies, that was just a little joke..."
After his wild laughter subsided, the Green Goblin looked at the reporter in front of him, suppressing his laughter as he explained.
"In truth, I am merely an innocent victim, trapped here by accident. So, could you possibly help me get out?"
His gaze fell upon the camera on Colin's chest as the Green Goblin spoke with an innocent tone.
"My good Mister Reporter."
As the Green Goblin said this, he had clearly forgotten the mask he wore on his head. With that vicious, clawing expression, no sane person could possibly believe his explanation.
"No, you're deceiving me."
Not believing the Green Goblin's explanation, Colin feigned fear, retreating several steps until his back hit the wall behind him before stopping.
He was impersonating Clark, the reporter, not idiot Clark; how could he possibly be fooled by such a lie?
"Did I fail? What a pity, I thought it might work, hahahaha..." Seeing Colin constantly retreating, the Green Goblin shook his head. There was no hint of disappointment in his tone despite being exposed. As he let out mad laughter, he struggled to poke his head out from the webbing and stared at Colin as he spoke.
"What are you afraid of?"
"Is it because of my appearance? Ah hahahahaha..."
If you knew I had Super X-Ray Vision, you wouldn't be so happy.
Leaning against the wall, he quietly watched the Green Goblin perform.
From the perspective of Super X-Ray Vision, Colin could clearly see Norman Osborn's twisted face beneath the Green Goblin's distorted mask.
Of course, on the surface, he still cooperated by feigning a terrified expression.
After all, given how professionally he was acting, practically turning himself into a schizophrenic, Colin had to show some reaction, right?
Otherwise, letting him perform alone, how awkward would that be?
Meanwhile, while Norman Osborn was vigorously performing his 'face-changing' act for Colin, on the other side, Super Hearing detected the belated sirens of police cars and the hurried footsteps and shouts of the police coming from below the News Building.
Quietly waiting for a few minutes, until the police activity was loud enough to be heard on the floor where he and the Green Goblin were, Colin then finally put on a 'panic-stricken' expression.
"Hahaha, you seem quite flustered..."
Noticing the panic on Colin's face, the Green Goblin's laughter became a few shades sharper.
"How about this? As long as you help me get out of this damned webbing, I'll help you get rid of these guys. It's rare for me to be so benevolent."
The Green Goblin's proposal, if made to any other person caught in panic, might truly have fooled them.
But, unfortunately.
Colin was not at that level. Just as he was hesitating, wondering what excuse to find to leave the scene...
Suddenly, the Green Goblin, who was wildly laughing in front of him, began to twist violently, as if someone inside its body was fighting for some kind of dominance.
What is this?
Seeing the Green Goblin's sudden change, Colin, under the ability of Super X-Ray Vision, more directly witnessed the change in its facial expression.
He saw that beneath the mask, Norman Osborn's face showed an unusually twisted expression.
The left half of his face still maintained a ferocious expression, but the expression on the right side became painful.
"Quick... quickly leave here... don't be... fooled... It doesn't have any..."
Trapped tightly in the webbing, the Green Goblin, or Norman Osborn, let out a hoarse roar at Colin.
Seeing this, Colin immediately turned around without a word and stumbled out.
"Damn it, damn it..."
As he ran, he could still hear the Green Goblin behind him letting out a sharp, piercing roar of rage.
"Osborn, you idiotic, cowardly fool! If it weren't for you, we would have successfully escaped by now."
"And you, reporter boy, I've remembered you. Do you think you can escape from the Green Goblin's grasp like this? Ah hahaha, I'll find you, I'll find you, I promise... Ah hahaha..."
If that's the case, then nothing could be better.
Listening to the Green Goblin's threats and roars, Colin felt no fear in his heart; in fact, he welcomed them immensely.
After all, who could refuse a Time Shard that came knocking?
...
"You took all these photos?"
At the Frontline Newspaper Office, Ben Urich looked at Colin's submitted photos, especially the close-up of the Green Goblin, and couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
"How did you do it, Kent?"
"A bit of luck."
Under Ben Urich's gaze, Colin briefly described how he took the photos.
"You are bolder than I imagined."
After hearing Colin's explanation, even Ben Urich, a veteran reporter, couldn't help but gasp.
Such an act of sneaking into a battle scene was no less than betting one's life, as no one could guarantee the situation on the battlefield at the time. Even a slight mistake could very likely lead to fatal danger.
Especially as his gaze swept across the Green Goblin's ferocious mask in the photo.
Merely by looking at the photo, Ben Urich could imagine how dangerous this guy was.
"So, about this photo, boss?"
A hint of pride appearing on his face at the right moment, Colin looked at Ben Urich in the office and asked a question he already knew the answer to.
"Without a doubt, it's tomorrow's Front Page of Frontline!"
As he spoke, Ben Urich's gaze inadvertently swept over the Green Goblin photo, and then to another photo beneath it, which bore The Daily Bugle logo, and a familiar face couldn't help but flash through his mind.
...
"...Just a moment ago, New York experienced yet another explosion..."
On Television, the newly appointed Mayor of New York City, Wilson Fisk, or rather, Kingpin, was delivering a speech in a solemn tone.
He sat in the Mayor's office, a large desk concealing his massive physique, dressed in a white suit with a solemn expression.
"I am deeply saddened, sorrowful for the New York citizens harmed in the explosion, but at the same time, I am filled with immense anger. This is not an isolated incident; in fact, since the emergence of Superheroes, a large number of innocent people have been victimized. These Vigilantes, under the guise of salvation, are in reality causing harm..."
"These Superheroes, unwilling to undergo Superhuman Registration Act, only willing to operate in the shadows, carrying out their so-called justice. But is this truly justice?"
"The safety of New York City rests on the efforts of countless good and brave citizens, police, and firefighters, not on that group of 'Vigilantes' who only know how to hide in the shadows, forever unwilling to show their true faces. We have our own police force, so why do 'Vigilantes' still need to exist...?"
(end of chapter)