Marvel's Iron Lady

As someone who had been fighting in the business world for decades, Norman had a thorough understanding of both money and power.

Money—though it might seem glamorous and extravagant—could easily be rendered worthless by power.

Becoming the mayor never meant he could rest easy, for Norman had a clear understanding of his position.

The reason he had become the most powerful man in the city was because he had a group of people behind him profiting from his success.

In this position, he had to be extremely cautious and perform his duties well to maximize his value.

If those backing him ever found him worthless, they could replace him in a heartbeat.

Currently, Norman was the mayor of New York City, and addressing the city's current disorder was his top priority.

Nevertheless, after leaving the headquarters of the Disaster Management Company, he didn't head straight back to City Hall.

He had a more pressing matter to attend to—meeting an old friend, Olivia.

Once, Olivia had been the chief researcher of Oscorp Pharmaceuticals, and also Norman's most trusted subordinate.

Norman admitted that he had many dirty secrets that couldn't be made public, but he never let Olivia see too much of it.

When Norman was fixated on the hereditary disease project to save his family, neglecting other matters, Olivia noticed his unethical experiments and expressed extreme outrage.

This ultimately led to her departure, and she left Oscorp Industries, causing Norman to lose a key scientific talent.

Even after becoming the mayor of New York, Norman Osborn still held onto some special research projects.

These projects were kept secret, so much so that even Miss Stark didn't know about them, for Norman had hidden them well.

Currently, according to the report from Oscorp Pharmaceuticals, those projects had run into difficulties.

Thus, Norman was desperate to find talented individuals—people with real capabilities—to get the project back on track.

Without Olivia, the research department was left with a group of worthless loafers, and Norman had long regretted approving her resignation.

If he truly wanted Dr. Olivia Octavius back, he feared he might have to resort to some unsavory methods.

Meanwhile, in a laboratory in downtown Brooklyn, Peter Parker was trying to stop two men in black suits from barging in.

"Hey—hey, what do you think you're doing? This is a private lab! What are you after?!"

From behind the two men emerged a familiar figure—the female government employee from the budget oversight committee who had visited the lab before.

"This area has been assessed as a risk zone. We're here to shut the lab down—"

"Stop! These are delicate instruments; you won't be able to pay for the damage if you break them!"

Dr. Olivia, fuming with anger, snatched the equipment from the hands of one of the men in black and set it down on her desk.

She had gone through a lot of effort to delay the closure of the lab by less than a month, but now they were back again.

This time, the budget committee had even brought evaluation documents, determined to shut down her tech lab.

With less than a month to go, Dr. Olivia had wanted to produce some results, but nearly everything had been ruined.

Last time, she had swallowed her pride, begged numerous people, and finally managed to postpone the lab's closure.

But this time... was she really going to watch her lab be shut down at the most critical moment in her research?

It was too much—this wasn't the first time she had lost her job, but this was just bullying from the government... Wait, the city government?

Dr. Olivia suddenly remembered something: the head of the New York City government had recently been replaced by someone she knew.

Although their relationship wasn't great, at this moment, that person might be her only hope of saving the research project.

"Enough! Stop everything! I'm going to call the mayor's office."

She took a few steps back and pulled out her phone from her lab coat, intending to call Norman Osborn.

But before she could make the call, a figure burst into the lab, accompanied by several others.

"No need, I'm already here, Olivia—hey, Parker?"

The sudden appearance of Mayor Norman Osborn clearly surprised everyone in the lab.

That imposing figure no longer resembled the Norman Osborn they had once known.

Even Dr. Olivia found it hard to believe that the man standing before her was the same person.

Seeing Peter Parker in his white lab coat, Norman looked a bit surprised.

Peter, of course, recognized Norman, as he was good friends with Norman's son, Harry Osborn.

He had been to their house many times, so naturally, he was familiar with Harry's father.

"How have you been, Peter? Have you been hanging out with Harry since you graduated?"

"Heh, right on cue."

Norman greeted Peter, while Dr. Olivia frowned, and Peter looked a bit awkward.

"Mr. Osborn, I... I didn't expect to see you here..."

"Come on, Peter, we've known each other for years. Just call me Norman."

Norman shrugged slightly, smiling as he patted Peter on the shoulder.

Then, his gaze shifted to another person, the real reason for his visit—Dr. Olivia.

"Olivia, the grant agreement you signed has very strict safety regulations. This isn't the first time you've violated them."

"Norman, are you seriously talking to me about violations?"

Dr. Olivia's face turned cold as she stared at Norman, her words full of resentment.

Even though he might be the only one who could save her lab, it didn't change how she felt about him.

Norman wasn't here to help Dr. Olivia save her research project. He was here to find a way to bring her back to Oscorp.

So, when Dr. Olivia snapped back at him, Norman's face darkened.

"Honestly, Olivia, the government should have shut down your project long ago."

"I've made significant breakthroughs. If you shut my lab down, it's your loss."

As she spoke, Dr. Olivia pointed to a man in tattered camouflage standing in the distance.

When everyone turned to look, they noticed that the man had a black mechanical arm.

Under their gaze, the retired soldier became a bit self-conscious.

He quickly adjusted his stance, raising his mechanical arm in a salute to the newly appointed mayor of New York.

The arm was incredibly flexible, with joints that moved smoothly, even down to the fingertips.

Norman's eyes flashed with surprise; he could hardly believe that Olivia had created something like this under such difficult conditions.

But he quickly masked his surprise, replacing it with a fervor—for Olivia.

This woman possessed incredible scientific talent. She was an irreplaceable asset to Oscorp, and Norman had to find a way to get her back.

"Thank you—thank you for your service to the country. I see your arm, and it's truly unfortunate."

As he spoke, Norman stepped forward and, in front of everyone, took the mechanical arm of the wounded veteran.

"Listen, they'll take you to Oscorp Industries. You'll receive a new, free prosthetic arm. I guarantee it."

Only then did Dr. Olivia realize that Norman was trying to undermine her research.

"Damn it, you're not here to shut down my research, are you, Norman?!"

Years of working together had made Dr. Olivia keenly aware of Norman Osborn's true nature.

He was the epitome of a self-serving businessman. Even as mayor, he hadn't changed.

How someone like him became mayor of New York was a mystery, but it certainly wasn't good for the city.

"I'm just trying to help you. You can absolutely continue your research—just in a safer environment."

After having his bodyguards escort the retired soldier out, Norman looked at the furious Olivia, spreading his hands and shrugging.

"You want me to return to Oscorp? To help you with whatever you're up to?"

Dr. Olivia glared at Norman, her expression contorted with anger.

She knew exactly the kind of person Norman Osborn was and what shady deals he had been involved in behind the scenes.

Had it not been for those very things, she wouldn't have resigned from her cushy job as Oscorp's chief researcher.

But those things—the filthy things she discovered—were constantly tormenting her conscience.

Olivia didn't want to be an accomplice to such evil, which was why she had been more than willing to leave her job.

"You've always been so clever, Dr. Olivia."

"You haven't changed at all. You still disgust me, Norman."

Peter Parker watched the clash between his mentor and his best friend's father but didn't know what to say.

Both were important people in his life—one was his closest mentor, and the other was his best friend's father. He had ties to both.

So, as the confrontation between Dr. Olivia and Mayor Osborn unfolded, Peter found it hard to intervene.

However, while Peter couldn't say a word, it didn't mean others would treat him as invisible.

"Peter, Harry will be back from Europe early next year. Maybe you two could consider starting your own business?"

"If you need help, I can give you a hand. It's a fantastic opportunity."

Soon after, Mayor Osborn and his entourage left, leaving behind only a document officially shutting down Dr. Olivia's lab.

They gave her two days to pack up her things and vacate the premises.

The lab fell silent once again. Dr. Olivia sat at her desk, her hand propping up her cheek while her other hand absentmindedly twirled her hair.

Clearly, Norman Osborn's visit and the closure of her lab had left her overly anxious.

"They haven't taken everything yet. Maybe we still have a chance to start over..."

Peter tried to comfort her, but he wasn't even sure how he managed to say those words. He lacked confidence.

"Hey... sweetheart, there is no more 'we'..."

"Without government funding, I won't even be able to pay your salary."

Dr. Olivia lifted her head, her hair falling over her eyes, making it hard for Peter to discern the complex emotions behind her gaze.

"I need some time to think about what to do next, but I suggest you... find another job."

For Peter, the situation was pretty bad, but the phone call he received next forced him to leave.

Two weeks ago, he had sent Shocker, Herman Schultz, to jail, but now he had escaped once again.

And this time, his escape proved that someone was indeed helping him.

At this very moment, Shocker was robbing a bank at a branch of J.P. Morgan Chase.

The police certainly couldn't handle a villain with a high-powered vibration device, so it was time for Spider-Man to step in.

Without wasting any time, Peter suited up and swung towards the bank in Manhattan.

Soon, a battle erupted in the bank's lobby. Clearly, if Peter could defeat Shocker once, he could defeat him countless times.

Herman Schultz was once again beaten, and Peter managed to extract a key term from his mouth—"Inner Demon."

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