Norman Osborn was stunned.
He hadn't expected Carl to find out that he'd once profited off the Superman's name — let alone confront him about it.
But even knowing that, Norman had no intention of halting his plan.
Missing out on government investment wouldn't bankrupt Osborn Group…
but official funding was far too tempting to give up.
Norman Osborn wanted that money badly.
In his mind, the experiment had already succeeded.
The Human Enhancement Project had proven effective — the serum could amplify a mouse's physical abilities several times over.
Sure, there were occasional side effects.
But it wasn't as though every trial failed.
And research—especially cutting-edge research—burned money fast.
Norman's ambition was boundless.
To secure that government contract, he had poured a massive amount of capital into the project.
Now they were telling him to restart or cancel it entirely?
Impossible.
Even if the one asking him to stop was Superman himself — and a major shareholder in Osborn Group — Norman would never agree.
『Norman Osborn』: "I'm sorry, Mr. Carl," he said firmly. "I've invested too much into this project to simply scrap it."
Then, his tone shifted. A sly smile crept onto his face.
『Norman Osborn』: "I've heard you own quite a few shares in Stark Industries. If you really want me to shut this project down, that's not out of the question."
『Norman Osborn』: "Sell your Stark stock and reinvest in Osborn Group. Or better yet—convince Tony Stark to collaborate with us."
『Carl』: "Heh."
Carl chuckled softly.
『Carl』: "Tony probably doesn't even know who you are. And if he does, I doubt he'd take the meeting."
『Carl』: "After all, OsCorp doesn't exactly have anything worth Stark Industries' attention."
Carl couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity.
Sell his Stark shares to fund this company?
Only an idiot would make such a trade.
The two corporations weren't even on the same level.
Stark Industries' market value was climbing steadily. Osborn Group, on the other hand, had been shrinking year by year.
True, compared to when Carl first invested, it had improved somewhat — but that didn't mean he'd make a losing deal now.
Carl wasn't a philanthropist.
Norman's previous stunt — hyping OsCorp's stock using his name without permission — Carl had chosen to overlook.
He didn't mind. After all, he was still a shareholder.
But now Norman wanted him to sell his Stark shares to buy more of OsCorp's?
Carl almost laughed out loud.
『Carl』: "You must be out of your mind."
As for convincing Tony to invest in Osborn Group — that was barely worth considering.
Carl could do that as a favor, but Norman's arrogance had left a sour taste in his mouth.
So Carl ignored his suggestion altogether.
Norman's grip on the phone tightened. His breathing grew heavy.
That bastard.
He'd just been humiliated by a government general, and now Carl had mocked him too.
His fingers turned white around the receiver as fury simmered beneath his skin.
But Norman had been in business too long to let rage cloud his mind.
He forced a smile, hiding the storm brewing behind it.
『Norman Osborn』: "What a pity, then. I suppose the Human Enhancement Project will have to continue as planned."
『Carl』: "Do whatever you want," Carl replied calmly. "I'm just giving you advice."
『Carl』: "But you'd better make sure this doesn't spiral out of control. Otherwise, don't blame me for being… less than merciful."
『Norman Osborn』: "Of course, of course. I'm a respectable businessman. I'd never cause a mess I can't clean up."
『Carl』: "See that you don't."
Carl's tone was cold. Then—click.
He ended the call.
Norman stared at the silent phone, his chest heaving.
That man!
Didn't even give him a shred of respect.
Damn it!
And that Tony Stark
If it weren't for him and his flashy humanoid armor, no other company would've bothered developing similar tech!
Without those competitors, the government would've had no choice but to fund Osborn Group's armor project.
For a long moment, Norman stood there fuming.
If he weren't in his own lab, he might've started screaming curses right then and there.
Seething, he stormed out of the lab, muttering under his breath. He needed to think.
Meanwhile
Carl put down his phone and chuckled quietly.
『Carl』: "Norman Osborn… you really don't know what's coming."
『Carl』: "I tried warning you. But if you won't listen, that's your problem."
He hadn't called to pick a fight — their relationship had always been professional, even friendly at times.
Norman had sent him gifts before, fine wine, dinner invitations, always polite and deferential.
Carl didn't dislike the man — just found him overly ambitious.
But after seeing Osborn's current experiments, Carl knew exactly what would happen next.
Norman Osborn would test the serum on himself.
The serum would grant him immense strength… but also fracture his mind.
One half would remain rational — the other, uncontrollably violent.
And from that fracture, a new villain would be born.
The Green Goblin.
Carl sighed. He'd tried to warn him.
Norman's earlier publicity stunts using his name — Carl had let slide because it wasn't worth the trouble.
But this time, he wouldn't look the other way.
If Osborn really turned into the Green Goblin…
Carl would end him himself.
No hesitation.
With that thought, he pulled out his phone again and made another call.
『Carl』: "Hello, this is Carl Smith."
A respectful voice answered immediately.
『Law Department Rep』: "Good afternoon, Mr. Smith. How may we assist you today?"
『Carl』: "I want to sell all my shares in Osborn Group."
『Carl』: "As soon as possible."
There was a pause on the other end.
『Law Department Rep』: "Sir, OsCorp shares are quite valuable. Are you sure you wish to liquidate all of them?"
『Carl』: "Yes."
『Law Department Rep』: "Understood. We'll handle it immediately."
『Carl』: "Good. Thank you."
『Law Department Rep』: "Goodbye, Mr. Smith."
『Carl』: "Mm."
He hung up.
That call had gone to Stark Industries' legal department, which had always managed Carl's investments for him.
Now that Osborn Group was on the brink, it was time to cut ties
before the whole thing went down in flames.