I'm working on Marvel's Spider-Man in American comics.

Chapter 354 The So-Called Pumpkin Bomb

"Good afternoon, Peter, it's been a long time."

"Long time no see, Mr. Osborn. How is Dr. Connors?"

Peter's mention of Connors was certainly not unfounded; in fact, it was an expression of his dissatisfaction.

According to what Gwen gathered, Otto's infiltration of Osborn Technologies was intentional on Norman's part, all to gain leverage over the Pentagon and secure more funding for Project Savage Force. Norman knew that if Otto truly wanted revenge, he would have to take Osborn Technologies from him, and the Pentagon was his only hope, so he had prepared accordingly.

As a result, Dr. Connors became a victim, injected with the lizard serum and temporarily transformed into a monster. Although Norman was unlikely to know the methods Otto used to target Dr. Connors, these events were ultimately avoidable, and Norman simply watched them unfold.

"Dr. Connors is recovering well, and the Savage Force project still needs his leadership. Moreover, despite some unexpected events, his research progress has been significantly ahead of schedule. In addition, the security upgrade of the laboratory has been completed, and it is now very safe here."

Osborne acted as if nothing was wrong with Peter's question, continuing with his friendly, neighborly smile.

It has to be said that shamelessness is also a skill.

Peter temporarily ignored this point; as long as Norman didn't become the Green Goblin, the only way to deal with him was through business means. Business matters were best left to Tony; no one else could handle them.

If Tony were to actually acquire Osborn Technologies someday, that would be a real game-changer.

"Although I didn't see what the equipment inside the sphere was, based on your description, I roughly guessed what the so-called pumpkin bomb was and completed the reconstruction."

"Hasn't Osborn Technologies tried doing this before?"

“I’ve made two versions of pumpkin bombs,” Norman admitted without hesitation. “But neither of them had such a small blast radius, so I only came up with the manufacturing method after you explained it to me. Actually, they’re not bombs in the traditional sense, but rather… incinerators.”

The two quickly entered a laboratory, which contained several 3D printers and several pumpkin bombs that had already been made.

Norman put on his goggles, handed a pair to Peter, and then had the robotic arm place the pumpkin bomb in the center of the testing room.

"The bomb will then be detonated using a laser, and we can see how the pumpkin bomb detonates."

Peter stared intently at the test room. After the pumpkin bomb was activated, it first flashed green light, then emitted a spherical shockwave that enveloped a spherical space less than three meters in diameter.

Then an explosion occurred, but the flames burst out from the spherical edge of the shock wave. Instead of rushing outwards, the flames contracted inwards towards the point of explosion, causing them to disappear completely. Only after the flames dissipated did an explosion-like impact occur.

"What's going on..."

“Osborn Technologies’ new high-performance material is designed for counter-terrorism operations, enabling blasting within a limited area.” Norman explained his company’s product to Peter: “Peter, as you can see, its function is very obvious. It can control the blast radius within a safe area, and the temperature within the blast radius will rise rapidly, theoretically capable of directly carbonizing the human body.”

Peter fell silent. Carbonized human body? Does that mean that without special protective measures, once hit, there's absolutely no chance of survival?

"This is a brand new invention, and Osborn Technology has not yet put it into mass production. But the enemy has already used it to mass-produce and manufacture weapons."

Norman looked genuinely helpless. This time traveler had directly leaked Osborn Technologies' trade secrets, and there was no way to stop him. What was even more troublesome was that the Avengers wouldn't let the public know that these were sent by a time traveler, so Osborn Technologies' stock was the one that suffered.

Peter remained unmoved by Norman's sob story. He was only worried about the effectiveness of the weapon. Theoretically, the high temperature of the pumpkin bomb wouldn't burn him to death in one go, but the cost would be that Venom would definitely be seriously injured. Venom's resistance was improved, but it still couldn't withstand continuous attacks from the opponent.

I can probably withstand three shots, that's about my limit. This thing can carbonize a human body directly. Even with the venom, I can only take three hits. The good news is that the damage radius isn't large, so hiding should be easy.

Peter then asked Norman, "Aren't there any flaws?"

“To be honest, the explosive is too stable, making it difficult to detonate prematurely. The fuse must detonate the bomb after a sufficient amount of time, so you can easily throw it away or shoot it back before it detonates.” Norman thought for a moment and gave an answer: “But there are also risks, such as the other side being able to set different detonation times for the fuse, or choosing to detonate it remotely.”

Peter scratched his head. This seemed much simpler, since he had spider-sense and could keep a precise sense of timing. But it still wasn't good news.

“I’ll send you the data on the enemy’s armor and aircraft right away, Peter, but these may not be the most important things.”

Peter knew what Norman was worried about: what if he really became the Green Goblin? A villain using pumpkin bombs had emerged, and he was already making his move. And because of his second personality, Norman couldn't be sure of one thing.

Could it be that I turned into the Green Goblin at night and went out to carry out my mission?

“We’ll find out, Uncle Norman. Your most important thing right now is to take care of your mental health, you know? Harry has never thought you were a good father, so maybe you can still salvage the situation a little.”

"I'll try my best, but it really isn't suitable for me to work overtime lately."

After receiving the data, Peter said goodbye. He needed to use the Ned family's data to conduct a test to verify its accuracy.

As for Norman Osborn, he simply watched Peter's departing figure, sensing the reproach and slight distance in the other's words—of course, Norman didn't care about that.

He was just thinking about what Peter had said about Harry.

“It seems I really need to take a break. But… if Harry could be as good as you, I’d definitely be a good father.”

(End of this chapter)