Before Anton could speak, he saw Eddie leading April toward him at the end of the street.
Eddie was fine, calm, and relaxed.
April, who had been dragged along by him, was panting, her chest rising and falling rapidly.
"Captain Stacy, the turtles are not the enemy!"
Eddie, unable to reveal his Venom identity, had been chasing after George for a while. Now, he quickly explained, "The turtles are here to help. They're not accomplices of the Lizard!"
"What?"
George recognized Eddie.
As New York's self-styled No. 1 star reporter, Eddie was now the editor of the well-known Daily Bugle, and George was no stranger to him.
George's tone was full of doubt: "You're saying that some of them are Batman's helpers?"
This confusion stemmed from George's belief that the four turtles were of the same nature as the Lizard.
This was also the main reason he suspected the turtles were connected to the Lizard.
If the people here were all nicknamed after animals, why wouldn't he suspect Spider-Man and Batman too?
After all, although Batman, Spider-Man, the Turtles, and the Lizard all had animal associations, George saw the turtles as actual animal-human hybrids—just like the Lizardman Connors had become.
Spider-Man and Batman, on the other hand, only symbolized animals through their battle suits, not through their physical forms.
"Just ask Batman!"
Eddie couldn't explain everything to George, but he knew Batman would vouch for the turtles.
"Yes, they are my helpers," Anton answered affirmatively. As he spoke, he glanced at the fallen Green Goblin and shrugged. "Although it's a bit late."
"Okay."
George was relieved.
After this battle, his trust in Batman had grown to an unimaginable height.
Because he knew that if it hadn't been for Batman turning the tide during both the Lizard and Green Goblin incidents, the entire city of New York would have faced a serious crisis.
Not only New Yorkers, but the New York Police Department also owed Batman their thanks.
"The Green Goblin..."
George grinned, rubbing his hands together—it was time for the New York Police Department to get all the glory.
"Sorry, I must take the Green Goblin."
Anton's answer took George by surprise.
George felt uneasy. This time, things seemed different from before; Batman had a different approach.
"He's more effective in my hands."
After saying this, the Batmobile flew overhead. Once the battle was over, Anton gave a command, and the Batmobile began driving itself.
Everyone could see that the Lizard, still immobile, had been tied up and was hanging from the back of the Batmobile like a "stick."
Of course, the Lizard had begun to regrow some of his hands and feet, looking terrifying.
"Lizard!"
George Stacy saw this and finally understood why Batman was unwilling to hand over the Green Goblin and the Lizard to the New York Police Department.
Even if he did, George couldn't keep them.
"Damn it!"
George felt frustrated but couldn't find any reason to persuade Batman to leave the Green Goblin with the New York Police Department.
"In that case, I'm leaving now!"
Anton entered the Batmobile and took off.
Before he left, he glanced at Spider-Man, who understood immediately. He shot a web to the Oscorp Building and took the lizard antidote.
The turtles, seeing this, felt their trip had been in vain. They exchanged looks, then rushed into the sewer one by one, disappearing in front of George and the others.
Eddie didn't rush back to the sewer dojo with the turtles. He stayed with April, intending to report on the aftermath of the Green Goblin incident for the New York Police Department. This was hot news!
At the same time, Eddie called his apprentice Phil and asked him to quickly bring the professional equipment from the Daily Bugle to cover the aftermath in Manhattan.
…
A while later, Anton and Spider-Man met on the first rooftop.
"Give him an injection."
Anton nodded at Spider-Man, then glanced at the lizard, still tied to the Batmobile, whose hands and feet had regrown by more than half.
"No, Spider-Man!"
The lizard was full of fear and resistance, refusing to allow himself to become a disabled man.
"Professor, this is for your own good!"
Spider-Man was also reluctant but determined. He looked at the lizard with a mixture of anger and animal-like hatred in his eyes before gritting his teeth and injecting him with the antidote.
Soon, the lizard transformed back into Connors.
This time, Connors had reverted to his original form, missing his right arm but not yet fully "stick-like" as Anton had imagined. This probably had to do with his hands and feet during his time as the Lizard.
Seeing this, Spider-Man sighed with relief.
At that moment, a helicopter approached the rooftop where Anton and the others were.
The two looked up.
A man, carrying a bow and arrow on his back, quickly slid down from the helicopter on a rope.
Hawkeye!
Because of his distinct appearance, Anton recognized him immediately.
At this point, anyone walking around with a bow and arrow on their back could only be Hawkeye.
"Batman, Spider-Man!"
Hawkeye saw the two on the rooftop without any surprise on his face.
Long before he arrived, he had already learned about the Green Goblin incident in Manhattan from the news.
He had rushed to help, but now, it was over. The Green Goblin incident had ended.
His thoughts quickly shifted as he glanced at the unconscious Green Goblin and Curt Connors, who had returned to his original form.
"My name is Clint Barton, but you can call me Hawkeye."
Hawkeye quickly introduced himself and nodded at Batman. "Leave them to me."
"Connors, take him away yourself."
Anton understood what Hawkeye meant, and he immediately replied, "The Green Goblin can't be handed over to you."
"No way!"
Hawkeye's tone was firm, facing Batman's refusal without any hesitation.
Although he hadn't communicated with Coulson, as a senior agent, Hawkeye had the authority to make decisions.
In his eyes, whether it was the lizard Connors or the Green Goblin, they should both be under S.H.I.E.L.D.'s jurisdiction.
"Hawkeye, I am not an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. Strictly speaking, we only have a cooperative relationship, and it is S.H.I.E.L.D. who asked me to cooperate. You have no right to order me."
Anton frowned, glaring coldly at Hawkeye.
After that, neither of them spoke, and the atmosphere became tense as the air thickened.
Spider-Man looked left and right, sensing that something was wrong.
One of the reasons Anton rejected Hawkeye was because, before contacting Coulson, the Green Goblin incident hadn't yet erupted, and there was no agreement between them regarding the Green Goblin.
Connors was handed over to S.H.I.E.L.D. purely because Anton was too lazy to deal with the aftermath.
To some extent, isn't S.H.I.E.L.D. an organization designed to "recycle waste" and handle the aftermath?
The purgatory established overseas, after discussions with Coulson during the Kingpin incident, serves as a "garbage recycling station" managed by S.H.I.E.L.D.
Moreover, the Green Goblin's mood was still unstable.
In addition, Norman Osborne had a personal connection with him—Harry was even an investor in his movies and a small fan of Batman.
Out of sympathy for the Osborne family's genetic disease, Anton sided with his friend. From that standpoint, he intended to try to cure Norman's mental illness and genetic disease.
Afterward, if it proved impossible, Anton would consider how to handle the mistakes Norman, as the Green Goblin, had made.
At that point, it wouldn't be impossible to hand Norman over to S.H.I.E.L.D.
As for how to cure hereditary diseases, Anton already had a preliminary idea in mind.
To be honest, if the person wasn't Hawkeye, but Coulson—someone with whom he had a friendly relationship—things could have been discussed.
However, Hawkeye's tough attitude made Anton extremely unhappy.
"If you still want to take the Green Goblin, then don't worry about Connors. I'll handle it myself."
Anton stared at Hawkeye, a sneer tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"You'll regret this."
Hawkeye gave Anton a long, hard look, then removed the bow and arrows he was carrying, preparing to use coercive measures.
….
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