Kapitel 66: Chapter 66 Not Over Yet

Hearing the exchange between Norman Osborn and Anton, Eddie and Phil exchanged knowing glances.

The group arrived at Oscorp's "Limb Regeneration Technology" department, where the NYPD officers were wrapping up their investigation.

"Mr. Osborn, would you like me to introduce you to the Lizard's true identity?"

George Stacy greeted Norman Osborn before gesturing to Dr. Curt Connors, who sat slumped on the floor, his face devoid of any spark of life. Shrugging, George continued,

"I suppose there's no need. You must already be familiar with your employee, especially one as brilliant as Dr. Connors."

Norman gave Connors a long, measured look. His tone was friendly. "Captain Stacy, could I have a moment alone with Dr. Connors?"

"Of course."

As if anticipating the request, George waved off the officers guarding Connors. He wasn't worried about Connors lashing out—without his Lizard form, Connors was just a physically disabled professor with no means to harm anyone.

Anton and the others respectfully stepped back, avoiding eavesdropping on the conversation.

From their vantage point, it appeared Connors didn't respond to anything Norman said. Instead, Norman seemed to speak on his own, his expression tinged with regret.

After a short while, Norman nodded to George, who ordered his men to escort Connors away. It became clear that Norman visit to Oscorp was solely to have this conversation with Connors.

Anton suddenly understood.

George hadn't immediately removed Connors because he was waiting for Norman to arrive—capital's influence at work!

Anton smirked inwardly as Norman approached him, smiling warmly. "Anton, I must thank you for your assistance this time."

"We're friends," Anton replied tactfully, knowing Norman would understand the underlying sentiment.

"Yes, we are," Norman agreed, nodding. "But even between friends, there must be proper gestures. Oscorp will cover all the losses your film crew incurred. For your upcoming shoot, I'll ensure my staff provides you with the best resources available."

He paused for effect before continuing, "Additionally, the investment Harry made in your film—if it fails, you won't owe any remaining profits. Oscorp will absorb the full cost. But if it succeeds, you'll only need to repay the principal. Any remaining profits will go directly to Harry, and I'll personally match the amount to ensure his expectations are met. But don't let him know—it's important he feels his investment is purely his own success."

"Understood. You're incredibly generous!" Anton smiled.

Although the Lizard incident had been unexpected, Anton couldn't deny the massive rewards it had brought him.

System Notification:

Captured the Lizard: Justice Points +1,000,000

Justice Points Balance: 13,000,000

The system's reward brought Anton closer to his ultimate goal. However, he noted that the points gained from the Lizard incident were significantly lower than those from dismantling the Continental Hotel's criminal network.

Anton deduced that the system calculated Justice Points based on a character's threat level, the potential damage of an incident, and its overall impact. The Lizard's influence simply wasn't deemed significant.

This was likely because the Lizard had barely begun his rampage before being stopped. Even so, the points were a welcome addition.

Moreover, Norman Osborn's financial promises effectively meant Anton had secured $150 million in film investments for free. If the movie turned a profit, it would further fuel the growth of DC.

A true windfall.

Norman glanced at Eddie and Phil beside Anton and smiled. "If you want to conduct interviews, you'd better hurry. I won't have much free time later!"

"Of course!" Phil quickly raised his camera and approached Norman eagerly.

Eddie, on the other hand, looked conflicted but said nothing. His personal grievances with Norman had dissolved after Norman had handed him a million-dollar check following the Carlton Drake incident.

In a society driven by interests, past enmities could be settled with enough money. As long as Norman didn't provoke him further, Eddie was content to leave things as they were.

Soon after, Oscorp's senior staff and board members arrived for an emergency meeting.

Anton and the others politely took their leave. George Stacy, eager to return to the station to interrogate Connors, left a few officers behind to secure the scene, ignoring Oscorp's internal proceedings.

Phil was ecstatic as they left. "This is big news!"

He felt that joining the Daily Bugle was the best decision he had ever made.

Just think about everything he'd witnessed:

The Life Foundation and the symbiote incident, where he learned about extraterrestrial life.The fall of Hell's Kitchen's underworld empire and Wilson Fisk's arrest. While he hadn't been directly involved, he'd covered the events through Eddie's firsthand accounts.Now, the Lizard incident, which he'd captured in its entirety on camera.

Few could claim to know as much about these events as he did.

The Daily Bugle, home to unsung heroes like Batman and Venom, felt like the perfect place for Phil's thrill-seeking nature.

Eddie and Phil returned to the Daily Bugle office to prepare their groundbreaking report, scrapping the originally planned front page. Such last-minute changes had become a regular occurrence at the Bugle.

Meanwhile, Anton returned home to sleep soundly. He had no interest in the grind of working overtime—the struggles of the working class had nothing to do with a capitalist like him.

Everyone assumed the Lizard incident had concluded.

But that night, as the NYPD transferred Connors to a prison outside New York, several black SUVs ambushed the police transport on an empty stretch of road.

Rat-tat-tat!

A hail of bullets forced the transport to a halt.

The armed assailants split into two groups: one disabled the police's communication devices and restrained the officers, while the other whisked away a wheelchair-bound Connors, who appeared indifferent to the chaos.

The convoy of SUVs disappeared into the night, leaving the officers bound and gagged inside their disabled vehicles, shivering in fear.

Connors was taken to an estate on the outskirts of New York, where he encountered someone he never expected.

His lifeless gaze wavered as he processed the figure standing before him.

"Connors," the man said, spreading his arms wide. "I told you we'd meet again."

It was Norman Osborn. He embraced the wheelchair-bound Connors and laughed heartily.

"Limb regeneration is a groundbreaking achievement. Yes, there are side effects, but your research into genetic engineering has pushed humanity one step further into the future!"

"Norman, you…" Connors' eyes widened as he began to piece together Norman's intentions.

"That's right," Norman confirmed. "I will continue to support your research—providing personnel, materials, and equipment."

His voice grew firm. "But there's one condition. You must ensure that your work not only enables limb regeneration but also addresses genetic defects and cures genetic diseases. Connors, this will be the focus of your future research!"