Lord of Cinder in American Comics

"You broke into a military partner facility and photographed classified information. You escaped initial arrest, and your superiors have not yet been apprehended..."

"But I only trespassed into a private community!"

"I had completely forgotten about it until you mentioned it!"

Ash took out a document, spread it on the table, and then signed it.

Ash showed the document to Peter, pointing to the keywords and saying, "Now it is!"

"But I only took the photo because I was offered a reward by the Daily Bugle."

With his hands outstretched, Ash said with an air of "what can you do about it?", "Who can prove it? Besides, the Daily Bugle will be investigated soon, so it wouldn't be surprising if they found something."

"What you're doing is illegal..."

"Then you're wrong about me. The Control Bureau only deals with supernatural events; it's the Investigation Bureau that investigates the Daily Bugle..."

This businesslike attitude left Peter speechless.

In the end, Peter gave up the fight and said, "What price must I pay for a pardon?"

Ash pulled out a contract and handed it to Peter Parker, saying, "You are being drafted as a field agent for the Bureau of Control. You will undergo twenty-six weeks of training, and then work for the Bureau of Control for ten years..."

Peter examined the contract, and in a sense, aside from the circumstances under which it was signed, the money it offered was enough to allow the Parker family to live a comfortable life.

However, Peter still found something unusual and pointed to it, saying, "Ten years? But it clearly says thirty years here!"

"Is there a problem? You alone have ten years, and there's Ben Parker and May Parker, who are also in the Control Bureau now. The three of them together make thirty years, right?"

Peter, having nothing to say, quickly signed his name on the paper and then completely relaxed.

Ash simply smiled and accepted the contract, then sat down opposite Peter Parker and waited just like Parker.

Peter, no longer as reserved as before, asked, "I'm waiting for you to take me out. What are you waiting for?"

Ash didn't answer directly, but instead asked, "Peter, how much destructive power can you exert against ordinary people?"

"Uh, I haven't tried it, but I did try fighting those orcs before, and they were no match for me..."

Ash counted on his fingers the abilities Peter had demonstrated: "You can climb cliffs at will, shoot organic spider silk from your body, and even sense danger. In addition, you have super strength and can break free from a restraint device with a pull of thirty tons, not to mention those hidden abilities that haven't been shown."

"If someone like that really commits a crime, what price would it take to catch or kill him?"

Putting himself in Ash's shoes as the villain, Peter thought about the destruction he had caused and then shook his head.

"See? You don't even know it yourself. The majority of the control bureau members are ordinary people. In order to protect themselves, they still need to have the necessary measures."

To this end, the control bureau has initially established a set of defensive measures, including procedures for escorting, interrogating, and detaining. Congratulations, you've experienced the first few steps.

"But I don't want to go through all this..."

Peter shook his head as he spoke. He had sold himself for thirty years, and although he was very satisfied with the contract terms, the process itself left him with a bitter taste.

"Who told you to do it! People have to be responsible for their own actions. Okay, they're here..."

To Peter's ears, a heavy chorus of footsteps approached from afar and finally stopped at the door.

Chapter 198: The Retirees in the Control Bureau

The interrogation room door was finally opened from the outside, but the people outside did not rush in. Instead, they used mobile shields to form a shield wall to block the doorway.

Even after Ash revealed her face from within, the defenses did not loosen in the slightest.

"Want to go hiking together this weekend?"

"Time management masters never spend time alone!"

Two seemingly random questions and answers served as Ash's coded message to the outside world to confirm her identity. This confirmation was essential to prevent the interrogation of a Skrull or someone with shapeshifting abilities.

Although Ash's strength is undeniable, no one in the Control Bureau believes they can take him down. However, the interrogators may not possess Ash's formidable abilities, making this confirmation a crucial step.

Ash slammed the contract down in his hand and handed it to Frank behind him, then pointed to Peter Parker inside the room and said, "Here you go, a thirty-year contract of servitude..."

Peter felt Frank's gaze and saw that inexplicable smile, and a chill ran down his spine.

When Peter left the interrogation room, he realized that he was completely isolated on an island.

On the vast open space, there was only one interrogation room, surrounded by blast sandbags, and further away, artillery positions were set up in a ring.

Peter's vision has also been enhanced, and he can vaguely see the M270 rocket launcher in the distance.

"Was that thing in the room really an aerial bomb?"

Looking at the contract and then at Peter Parker's somewhat timid appearance, Frank was furious.

Frank's fierce gaze made Peter unconsciously take a step back.

"Rookie, you'll be working under me for at least twenty-six weeks, so you'd better go back to your old fearless self!"

Upon seeing Frank, Peter Parker was filled with regret. If he knew the current situation, he would never have dared to take those photos without permission.

Having secured Peter Parker, Ash dialed Davelyn's number, determined to make the Daily Bugle the chicken that would warn the restless monkeys.

“Dafferin, Daily Bugle, it deserves a thorough, comprehensive investigation.”

However, before Ash could finish speaking, Deaflin on the other side also made a request to Ash.

"Ash, someone wants to see you, hmm... someone of considerable status and wealth..."

Davelin's ambiguity stemmed from his understanding of Ash's temperament. Once Ash got stubborn, he became even more difficult to reason with, but Ash was more responsive to gentle persuasion than force, so there was still a chance to reason with him.

This really piqued Ash's interest; he never expected that Daveline would act as a middleman.

"who is it?"

"Norman Osborn, the owner of the Osborn Corporation."

Sure enough, Spider-Man and Green Goblin are a perfect match; Spider-Man was barely secured before Green Goblin was delivered to him.

"How could it be him? And why would you act as his advocate?"

On the other end of the phone, Davelin said with a hint of helplessness, "The biochemical expert the FBI brought in is Norman Osborn. With his assistance, the FBI has only managed to initially control those infected blood slaves. Now, finding a way to rescue them depends on him..."

Ash touched his chin, which had no beard, and then he made up his mind and agreed.

Half an hour later, a low-key yet luxurious Acura RLX arrived at the Control Bureau's base, and Norman Osborn and his son Harry Osborn got out of the car.

At this moment, Harry lacked the domineering presence he had when he was in charge of Osborn; instead, he appeared somewhat weak in front of his father, Norman Osborn.

Following behind their father, the two Osborns, guided by the soldiers, found Ash, who was processing documents.

Looking at the window that had been broken and left unrepaired, I thought it was some kind of peculiar habit of Ash's.

Once the two had entered his office, Ash put down his pen and waited for Osborne to speak first.

Seeing his son still standing behind him, Norman, who was sitting on the sofa, coughed.

Startled by his father's cough, Harry still forced himself to walk over to Ash's side.

As if reciting a prepared script, Harry suppressed his inner trembling and spoke in the calmest language possible: "Mr. Ash, a friend of mine has been taken to the Control Bureau. Is there some misunderstanding?"

"There's no misunderstanding. He hacked into the Control Bureau's partner facility and took photos of me performing a spell. After that, he fled to avoid capture and was then arrested at his home. The Control Bureau has all the evidence. Peter Parker faces at least thirty years in prison and will be in the Control Bureau's black jail."

Every word Ash said sent a shiver down Harry's spine. The prepared script hadn't been rehearsed for this situation at all. The moment Ash took out the camera, Harry completely gave up on negotiating with Ash.

Harry looked at Norman Osborn behind him with a pleading expression, looking rather pitiful as he stood in front of Ash's desk.

Norman shook his head, feeling nothing but disappointment and frustration with his child.

Norman continued, picking up where Harry left off: "Peter Parker was only arrested by the Bureau of Control; he hasn't been tried. He's not a criminal... There must be some misunderstanding here..."

Norman was practically asking for a price to secure Peter Parker's services.

Harry, standing between the two, understood what they meant, and his eyes began to look eager.

However, Ash's tone turned hostile: "Norman Osborn, do you know what you're saying! Are you threatening or bribing a military commander!"

The exchange between the two forces made Harry, who was in the very center, tense up and dare not make the slightest move.

However, this Cold War situation was disrupted by Stark flying in through the window.

"Ash, the young man you just hired is quite interesting..."

Stark, who was talking as he removed his armor, noticed that there were other people inside the room.

"Oh, what are you doing here, you old goblin? Shouldn't you be dealing with those vampire viruses? Why didn't the military want your performance enhancers anymore, and are you planning to try them out here?"

Stark's words shattered the peace, nearly causing the previously composed Norman to drop his water glass. Upon hearing Stark's words, Harry quickly connected them to Peter Parker.

“Stark, I’m probably six years older than you! Don’t you have any respect? Don’t worry, Osborn has received orders to process the virus and won’t go bankrupt and disappear like Stark Industries!”

Norman put down his water glass and quickly retaliated against Stark's attack.

Ash rubbed his forehead, watching the two people in front of him begin to confront each other. Harry Osborn took a step closer to Ash.

Seeing the look in Harry's eyes, Ash knew she couldn't keep up the act any longer.

“Go find the guard at the gate, he will take you to see Peter Parker.”

After Harry left, Ash looked at the two noisy people in the office.

Norman Osborne is not much older than Stark, but he looks much older due to his physical condition.

Both companies are facing similar crises. Osborn's business strategy was forced to shift after its military-grade performance-enhancing drugs were discontinued. Stark, similarly, saw its stock price plummet after restructuring and the elimination of its weapons production division.

In the midst of their heated exchange, Ash finally understood the information and data they were exchanging.

Norman subtly warned Stark about a series of policy warnings regarding the handling of the vampire issue, while Stark informed Norman of the development dilemmas he must avoid in his future restructuring and management.

Osborne's business does not conflict with Stark Industries. Previously, one was engaged in biotechnology and the other was an arms dealer. Osborne's main business is still the same. However, the military has cut off the previous physical enhancement products, and Osborne has inevitably lost a large source of funding. However, due to the vampire incident and the emergence of the water virus, Osborne's biotechnology has once again attracted the attention of the Bureau of Investigation.

Stark sold its arms production line and will be moving into the energy industry, which has absolutely nothing to do with Osborne's business.

During the exchange, both sides confirmed their future development direction to avoid conflicts of interest.

Who says only tacticians have a heart? These people who work on alliances have one too.

Unable to bear it any longer, Ash left the office, allowing the two to communicate more freely.

After many twists and turns, Ash finally arrived at the training ground, a territory that originally belonged to the Bureau of Control, but now had several elderly figures.

Ash summoned Anderson, the head of the Control Bureau, and pointed to Moses and Marvin, who were having a blast on the training field, and asked, "What are they doing here?"

"These elderly people who participated in the previous vampire incident? They say they're your helpers, and they want the Bureau of Control to arrange accommodation and provide protection for them..."

Ash naturally didn't believe Anderson's words and tilted her head to look Anderson over again.