The sun rose, and Harry Osborn lay in bed, switching on the massive television mounted on his bedroom wall.
"…Osborn Enterprises has suffered a devastating tragedy. Multiple researchers were found dead overnight.The police are going all-out to catch the perpetrator., but based on the extent of damage to the walls and equipment, some claim the killer isn't even human…"
"What?!" Harry Osborn stared at the TV screen, where seven or eight bodies, draped in white sheets, were being carried out of the Osborn Tower.
The news reporter continued speaking into the camera, but Harry was no longer listening. He scrambled out of bed and rushed out of his room, intending to head for his father Norman Osborn's bedroom, but his steps faltered abruptly.
Norman Osborn wasn't in his bedroom. Instead, he was sprawled shirtless on the hallway floor, fast asleep.
"Father, are you okay?" Harry hurried forward, shaking Norman gently.
"I… I don't know. What's going on?" Norman Osborn stirred awake, groggy and confused, as his son shook him.
"I just got up and found you lying in the hallway, Father. You must be overworked," Harry said. "Something's happened at the company."
"What? What happened?"
At the mention of the company, Norman Osborn shot up from the floor, his face etched with anxiety.
Harry opened his mouth to explain but realized words wouldn't suffice. Instead, he grabbed his father's arm and led him back to his bedroom, pointing at the massive TV screen still broadcasting the news.
"It happened last night."
The news was now listing the names of the deceased, all of whom were veteran researchers who had worked at Osborn Enterprises for over a decade. Their research was integral to the company's progress—core members of the core.
Even the bodies of fifty homeless individuals from the second basement level had been exposed to the public due to the police and media presence, and General Ross's military influence could no longer suppress the news.
Huff!
Norman Osborn's breathing grew ragged, his eyes bloodshot with disbelief.
"Who did this? Who?!"
In an instant, Norman's mind raced through the faces of executives from rival companies, only to dismiss them one by one.
"No, they wouldn't resort to such brutal tactics to compete. They don't have the guts…"
"Spider-Man? I sent the Spider-Slayer after him. Is this his revenge?"
Norman's face contorted as he gripped Harry's arm tightly.
"Harry, get dressed and come with me to the police station."
"Father?" Harry looked at his father, puzzled.
"I need to see Spencer Smythe," Norman said. "I think I know who the killer is."
In an abandoned shipyard, Batman continued to push Peter Parker's body through grueling training. He could feel this body growing stronger with each session.
Since Peter Parker's height was notably shorter (compared to Bruce Wayne), Batman had even tailored a diet plan to gradually reshape his physique closer to that of Bruce Wayne.
There was no television in the abandoned shipyard, but Batman had purchased a radio as a substitute. At that moment, the radio was broadcasting news of the bloody massacre at Osborn Enterprises from the previous night.
"Who's the killer?"
Batman kept both his body and mind in constant motion.
Last night, he had scoured Osborn Enterprises from top to bottom and found no sign of Norman Osborn. The researchers weren't conducting human experiments either; they were engaged in heated discussions.
"All I can confirm is that it happened after I left Osborn Enterprises. I'll need to visit the scene myself to investigate the details."
"The news reports massive destruction at the site, unlike anything a human could cause… It's possible Osborn Enterprises' human experiments have produced another monster like the Squid Man."
Thud!
A twenty-five-ton weight crashed to the ground with a dull thud as Batman dropped it.
Changing into a checkered shirt, he made a quick stop at Peter Parker's rented apartment. The landlord's daughter, Ursula, was waiting at the door—again.
"Hey, Peter."
"Harry Osborn just called. He said he won't be able to attend school for a while… I knocked earlier, but you didn't seem to hear."
Batman nodded, maintaining his outward identity as Peter Parker, the nerdy college student.
"Ursula, I was sleeping too deeply… What happened?"
Ursula handed him a copy of that day's Daily Bugle, its front page dominated by the tragedy at Osborn Enterprises.
Batman's impeccable acting convinced Ursula that he was hearing the news for the first time. The kind, simple girl quickly offered comfort.
"I know Harry's your friend. I hope this doesn't affect his studies."
"I hope so too," Batman replied.
It was Monday, and Peter Parker was supposed to be at school, but Batman had no time for that.
Osborn Enterprises was now sealed off by the police. Going as Peter Parker would be unsuitable for investigating, and going as Batman risked being mistaken for the killer.
He'd have to visit the scene at night. For now, he needed to head to Dr. Otto's lab.
"Osborn Enterprises, which funds his experiments, just had a massacre. Dr. Otto will likely assume his project is indefinitely postponed…"
Batman's thoughts drifted to Gotham's scientists who had turned to extremism for various reasons: Mr. Freeze, Scarecrow, Professor Pyg, Man-Bat…
No matter how slim the possibility, Batman refused to let Gotham's tragedies repeat in New York.
"Brooklyn," he said to the taxi driver, closing his eyes to rest briefly during the ride.
"Contact the Brooklyn precinct. Don't tip anyone off."
At the Manhattan precinct, George Stacy issued orders with calm authority.
The violent gang attack from the previous night was still unsolved, and now, Osborn Enterprises employees arriving for work had discovered a massacre on the third basement level due to the overwhelming stench of blood.
Meanwhile, the human experiments on the second basement level had been exposed to the public, leading to a complete lockdown of Osborn Enterprises.
"Based on interviews with Osborn employees, the company halted nearly all funded research projects, redirecting most of its resources to the so-called 'Super Soldier' program… Could this be connected to the murders on the third basement level?"
As George Stacy juggled a barrage of phone calls and cases, the New York Power Authority called.
"There's abnormal electricity usage in Brooklyn."
Meanwhile, the Brooklyn precinct received a report of a loud disturbance at Dr. Otto's lab the previous night. When police arrived, they found Dr. Otto and his equipment gone, with only massive, inhuman claw marks left at the scene.
Dr. Otto's nuclear fusion experiment was funded by Osborn Enterprises—one of the projects that had been canceled.
The claw marks at the third basement level matched those found in Dr. Otto's lab. The murders from last night, Dr. Otto's mysterious disappearance, the canceled experiments, missing equipment, and abnormal electricity usage…
George Stacy zeroed in on Dr. Otto as the prime suspect in the murders and coordinated with the Brooklyn precinct for a joint operation.
Woo-woo!
A fleet of police cars, loaded with heavily armed officers, roared toward Brooklyn.
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