Chapter 366
Tony Stark never expected Norman Osborn to insert himself mid-plan into what he and Peter Parker had discussed so carefully.
Peter had already disconnected communications. Tony had no idea whether this was part of that guy's arrangements. He chose to steel himself and attract nearly all of Kingpin's attention first.
"Working with him? No, no, no." Tony Stark's face still wore that devil-may-care smile. "Though I'm Iron Man, and it sounds like Batman and I might be familiar... I don't know him."
Kingpin's massive bulk loomed before Tony, completely blocking the crystal chandelier overhead and casting vast shadows.
Tony Stark could even see the muscle definition bulging beneath Kingpin's taut white suit.
"Then it's Daredevil?" Kingpin advanced on Tony step by step.
Kingpin's ferocity was fully exposed. Every part of his body tensed with force, as though he genuinely intended to seize Tony Stark right here in this crowded celebration.
Tony's heart lurched. He instinctively retreated two steps.
Kingpin gave no quarter. Tony retreated one step, Kingpin advanced one step. The two maintained a distance of less than a meter.
To the surrounding photographers, this became prime exposé material. They frantically clicked their shutters.
Just as Tony Stark's mind raced searching for countermeasures, a hand pressed against Kingpin's chest, blocking his forward progress.
Tony Stark glanced over. The intervening party was still Norman Osborn.
An inexplicable sense of security washed over Tony. He watched Norman Osborn's hand pressing against Kingpin, veins bulging prominently on that hand, even carrying a hint of barely-perceptible green.
"You really intend to stop me?" Kingpin's mouth twisted at Norman Osborn, displaying white teeth in a grin.
Norman Osborn met Kingpin's smile. His mouth stretched wide as he looked up, returning an equally broad grin.
Half his face illuminated by crystal chandelier light, half shrouded in Kingpin's shadow—when Norman Osborn's mouth spread wide, the somewhat crooked teeth made him appear even more sinister.
"Mr. Stark doesn't seem to possess any substantive illegal evidence against you. But Kingpin, you seem to have forgotten that I do."
"How you took advantage when my Osborn Industries faced crisis, frantically purchasing shares from the board? You know better than I where that money came from... and I happen to still retain some of that evidence."
Kingpin froze for half a second, staring at Norman Osborn's sinister, terrifying visage.
Clearly a man with half-white hair, practically one foot in the grave, yet Norman Osborn's chilling aura in this moment somehow scattered Kingpin's ferocity completely.
"That's old evidence. I've reformed now, become a legitimate businessman." Kingpin kept the phrase "legitimate businessman" practically glued to his lips, mentioning it constantly.
"Seems you haven't truly reformed." Norman Osborn's mouth stretched nearly to his ears, eyes bending into grotesque angles.
From Tony Stark's perspective, he almost questioned whether human features could actually contort like Norman Osborn's.
"Formal introductions. I'm head of Osborn Industries, Norman Osborn. You'd better shake my hand, or tomorrow's papers will be full of various narratives."
Norman extended his hand toward Kingpin. Kingpin hesitated one second, glancing around at photographers with cameras raised eagerly, then grasped it.
Norman Osborn's smile broadened. He gripped Kingpin's palm tightly and pulled in his own direction, bringing them closer and closer together.
To the photographers, it looked like the two were embracing.
Norman Osborn's voice dropped extremely low as he completed his final self-introduction:
"Additionally, I have another identity you should have heard of."
"They call me the 'Green Goblin.'"
Instantly, Kingpin's pupils dilated. Tony Stark, listening with pricked ears nearby, looked equally incredulous.
Besides Batman himself, virtually no one outside knew that Norman Osborn was the Green Goblin who'd bombed Manhattan Police Headquarters, slaughtered scientists on Osborn Tower's underground third level, and driven the Spencer family to death.
Even with Tony's extensive intelligence network, he only knew Norman Osborn had been committed to a psychiatric hospital in the northern suburbs due to mental issues. He hadn't known the Green Goblin was actually Norman himself.
Tony Stark's hand behind his back trembled slightly—not from fear exactly, but tension.
He held a remote control. If the Green Goblin and Kingpin started fighting, Tony planned to summon his Mark VI immediately.
Kingpin's eyebrows drew together until they almost merged. Seeing Norman Osborn's expression of ultimate evil, he knew this man wasn't lying.
"We could join forces. You have the Green Goblin identity and Osborn Industries, I have government-backed policy support, we could—"
Kingpin's first instinct was recruiting Green Goblin Norman Osborn.
But Norman Osborn interrupted before he could finish: "No, no, no. I don't need cooperation with you. My goal isn't becoming some underworld emperor like yours. Honestly, your ambition strikes me as somewhat laughable."
Norman Osborn's naked mockery immediately extinguished Kingpin's nascent cooperation thoughts.
"Laughable? ...No, wait. How do you know—"
Kingpin couldn't continue.
He could neither deny his goal of becoming New York's, America's, even the world's underworld emperor, nor acknowledge it.
However he answered, Norman Osborn would seize the opening.
The situation reached stalemate again—only this time, Kingpin was the one being targeted.
Tony Stark knew he had to do something now. He couldn't let Green Goblin and Kingpin continue this standoff. He had to step forward.
"Listen," Tony began. "Kingpin—"
The moment Tony opened his mouth, Kingpin glanced at him. This time without any hesitation: "I'll release Luke Cage and Jessica Jones."
With that, Kingpin turned and left. Every guest and server along his path stepped aside, watching as Kingpin heavily pushed open the celebration venue's main doors, got into a Range Rover parked at the curb, and drove off.
Only after Kingpin's vehicle completely vanished from view did Tony Stark turn toward Norman Osborn beside him.
His hand remained behind his back, not relaxing in the slightest despite Kingpin's departure.
Kingpin was gone, but someone far more threatening remained—Green Goblin Norman Osborn.
"You needn't worry." Green Goblin gave Tony Stark a slight smile, then discreetly lifted his suit pant leg, letting Tony see clearly the green-lit ankle monitor with its dark bat symbol.
"Like Kingpin, I'm currently a legitimate businessman. And I'm far less stupid than Kingpin," Norman Osborn said.
Tony Stark stood frozen. He felt his worldview receiving a severe shock in this moment.
"You're... Plan B?"
Norman Osborn smiled faintly, then left Tony behind and walked away.