The experimental base was right next to the Golden Gate Bridge, a prime location.
Carlton Drake had paid a huge price to secure the land, making countless promises to the San Francisco City Government.
From a business perspective, this location provided the Life Foundation with tremendous exposure.
"You might make a killing, but I'll always be in the clear."
It's worth mentioning that the base cost billions of dollars to build.
Including the interior construction and purchase of medical and experimental equipment over the years, it easily exceeded ten billion.
This was an astonishing amount of wealth.
However, for a behemoth like the Life Foundation, that amount of assets was just the tip of the iceberg.
As a leader in the pharmaceutical industry, the real wealth lay in its medical patents, a treasure trove that countless people coveted and desperately wanted to seize.
"Release the volunteers!"
"The homeless deserve human rights and freedom!"
"Damn the Life Foundation, damn Carlton Drake!"
"Boycott the Life Foundation, Drake must step down!!"
At this moment, people were blocking the main entrance of the experimental base, shouting loudly, their loathing for the Life Foundation evident.
Security personnel, armed with firearms, stood inside the gate, watching the protesting crowd outside, their faces full of helplessness, unsure of what to do.
For people like them, who were just doing their jobs for money, the lives of the homeless were worth next to nothing.
Carlton Drake stood high up in the base, looking through the floor-to-ceiling windows at the excited crowd of protesters, his eyes practically blazing with fury.
"A bunch of idiots!"
He gritted his teeth, admitting that he had underestimated the Daily Bugle.
The latter's advantage in guiding public opinion had reached a level that the Life Foundation could only dream of.
Moreover, the situation had escalated to the point where it was no longer a simple matter of public opinion.
Even the higher-ups in the San Francisco City Government had begun to question him.
The implication was that the Life Foundation could only resign itself to bad luck.
He could end up in jail himself if he wasn't careful.
"Eddie Brock."
He muttered the name a few times, clenching his fist, and asked his assistant, "Have you found out anything?"
The assistant replied, "Eddie Brock is currently the editor-in-chief of the Daily Bugle, but he hasn't been seen there for a month. We traced his last travel record to a plane ticket from New York to San Francisco."
"So, Eddie Brock should be in San Francisco right now."
Drake was thoughtful. "Then, the video was taken by Eddie Brock. This whole incident is probably connected to that bastard!"
He paused, then asked, "What's the Daily Bugle's stance on this?"
"Uh…"
The assistant hesitated for a moment, "They've rejected our request."
"Excellent."
Drake's expression remained impassive. "It seems this matter can no longer be resolved through conventional means."
Meanwhile.
Inside the experimental base, the Symbiote Research Center.
Eddie, locked in a glass room, had no idea what was happening outside.
He saw the homeless people around him, many looking listless, some even lying motionless on the ground. The fear in his heart was indescribable.
He suddenly felt a pang of regret.
Tap, tap, tap!
Suddenly, a researcher in a white lab coat walked towards him.
Eddie looked at the woman in front of him, swallowed hard, and guessed that she was going to take him for those illegal human experiments.
He was quite desperate.
The moment the glass door opened, Eddie wanted to escape, but the security personnel beside the woman subdued him.
"Tie him up."
The woman said casually, "This is a precious volunteer. In the current situation, we lose one for every one we use. Who knows if we'll have any more in the future."
"Don't worry, we won't damage your toy."
The security personnel chuckled.
Eddie's heart sank.
When Eddie arrived at another glass room, the security personnel seemed to anticipate something and scurried away, avoiding him. Only the female researcher remained.
"You won't get away with this, bitch!"
Eddie couldn't help but curse.
"Eddie, saying something like that in this situation, you should know who's really not going to get away with anything, right?"
The female researcher spoke with a mocking smile.
Eddie was stunned, dumbfounded.
"You...you...you..."
He couldn't even speak clearly, the shock evident on his face: "You know it's me?"
"Of course, Eddie Brock, the famous reporter, the first idiot to dare challenge Drake."
The female researcher stared at Eddie, and slowly said, "To be honest, I'm a fan of yours."
Outside the experimental base.
Phil was at the very front of the protesting crowd.
In his opinion, the Daily Bugle was in an absolutely dominant position, essentially having achieved a complete victory in this war of words.
From the moment the incident was exposed, the Life Foundation had been on the defensive, unable to fight back!
"Boss, we've blocked Carlton Drake at the Life Foundation's experimental base. Their reputation is ruined, and under immense public pressure, to salvage their reputation and losses, I think Drake will hold a press conference soon, promising to release the volunteers."
Phil was ecstatic, speaking on his phone with Anton: "This idea is brilliant! Using public opinion to pressure the Life Foundation, you're a genius."
It was on Anton's orders that he had started organizing the protest.
After the protest had taken shape, he had withdrawn, hiding within the crowd.
At this point, he had no control over the protesters, and revealing his identity would only put him in danger.
Don't forget, San Francisco was, after all, the Life Foundation's territory.
"Excellent. Stay safe, remain hidden, and don't let the Life Foundation realize you're a journalist. Report anything that happens to me immediately."
Anton patiently instructed.
Listening to Phil's report, he knew the Life Foundation should be preparing to wave the white flag and surrender.
After all, with Carlton Drake's intellect, it was impossible he wouldn't realize that the current abnormal hype wasn't solely the work of the Daily Bugle.
The smooth formation of the protest, while partly due to Phil, was likely also aided by other behind-the-scenes manipulators.
At least half of the protesters were actors hired by these shadowy figures.
Ring! Ring! Ring!
Suddenly, Anton's phone rang again.
The caller was Jonah Jameson.
"Old man, you can praise me now," Anton said with a laugh after answering. "I hope I haven't disappointed you."
"Don't get carried away, do you think all of this is your doing alone?"
Jameson didn't hold back, and chastised him, "Go downstairs now, I've sent a driver to pick you up, come with me to see someone."
"Huh?"
Anton was taken aback. "See who?"
"You'll find out when you get there."
Jameson didn't elaborate, simply hanging up the phone, not giving Anton a chance to ask more questions.
After Anton got in the car, the driver didn't say a word.
Soon.
To Anton's surprise, the car pulled up in front of Osborn Tower.
Jameson had been waiting.
"Let's go."
Jonah Jameson led Anton into Osborn Tower. "Someone wants to see you."
"Who?"
Anton realized it immediately after he spoke.
"Norman Osborn?"
He was quite surprised.
Even though he was already somewhat certain, he couldn't help but ask the old man, "The one who was stirring things up behind the Daily Bugle is Norman Osborn?"
------------------------
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