Kamen Rider ZZZ, the American comic book spiritual mentor

"Haha, he looks like a villain from a comic book!"

“I think it’s pretty cool, Shadow! Lin, put your hand up here.”

Lin Nan had no choice but to place his hand on top as well, and the three of them ended up with their hands stacked together.

Harry yelled, "For the Shadows!"

Peter chimed in, "For the Shadows!"

Then the two of them looked at Lin Nan, their eyes sparkling with anticipation.

Lin Nan got goosebumps and had no choice but to cooperate, saying, "For the sake of Shadow!"

"Wuhu!!"

While the three cheered under the starlight, the atmosphere in the biotechnology laboratory on the top floor of the Osborne Building was completely different from that at the observatory.

The air was thick with the pungent smell of disinfectant. Under the cold, dark lights, several cylindrical containers stood tall, filled with various unidentifiable biological organs, some of which were still wriggling slightly.

Norman Osborne stood in front of the control panel, wearing a lab coat, thin and upright, with his gray hair neatly combed, staring intently at the readings on the screen.

A researcher nearby said, "Yesterday, young master Harry experienced abnormal fluctuations in his body, almost to the point of collapse, but he returned to normal after thirty-six minutes..."

“This pattern of decline is different from our methods. We retrieved the young master’s contact records and found that he only had prolonged contact with Peter Parker and Lin Nan, but there were no abnormalities.”

Norman didn't turn around, his tone calm: "The Parker family kids...and that transfer student?"

He tapped his fingers on the keyboard and brought up the information of two high school students.

“Neither of them is anything special, Mr. Osborn,” the researcher said.

Norman scoffed, "Hmph, nothing special? The biggest difference is that it can restore my son to normal!"

"Move Harry's full physical exam and potion experiments to next week. Also, investigate that Lin Nan; the cleaner he seems, the more abnormal he is!"

"I want to know everything about him!"

“Yes, Mr. Osborne.”

The researchers left, leaving Norman alone, standing there, staring intently at the screen with a complex expression.

“Harry, my son, you cannot afford to have any accidents. You are the only hope of the Osborn family and the key to the Green Blood Project. I will not allow any variables to exist!”

"No one can!"

Chapter 23 The Plan Begins

Lin Nan returned to her apartment, locked the door, and her causality value remained unchanged. It seemed that this confession had not caused any major plot changes for the time being.

There are still 79 points left before the next draw. He needs a significant variable to drive the process forward.

A few days after the planetarium incident, Lin Nan's life remained regular, but she became more vigilant.

The top-tier financial conglomerates are all formidable forces, and the calming of Harry's uncontrolled internal turmoil will undoubtedly attract attention. He subtly hinted to Harry and Peter to be vigilant for any unusual surveillance.

At the same time, he also used his time working at the used bookstore to gather some peripheral information about the Osborne Group in preparation for what might happen later.

On Wednesday afternoon, Lin Nan was organizing her notes when her phone suddenly vibrated slightly in her pocket.

"Lin, if you need anything, talk to old John."

Old John? The old man from the secondhand bookstore? Through these days of interaction, Lin Nan discovered that behind this old man's old-fashioned and rigid exterior lay a heart full of kindness and warmth. If he called outside of working hours, it must be something important.

Lin Nan got up and left the classroom, found a corner, and returned Old John's call.

The call was answered quickly, and old John's aged voice came through: "Lin? Have you gotten into some trouble lately, son?"

Old John's straightforwardness surprised Lin Nan.

"What happened?"

“Two people came into the bookstore just now and asked me some personal questions. I didn’t pay much attention to them at first, but when they left, I saw that they had bulging things on their backs, like guns.”

"Lin, have you offended someone recently?"

Lin Nan felt a chill run down her spine and quickly analyzed the situation in her mind.

Armed men are investigating him. Is it S.H.I.E.L.D.? S.H.I.E.L.D. wouldn't contact him like this; they have their own channels of communication with Lin Nan.

It was Norman? Sure enough, the last anomaly caught Norman's attention, and he made his move!

"Lin, are you listening?"

“I’m here, John. I can’t say much to you, but I suggest you go back to your son’s house for a few days to avoid getting involved.”

"What? My shop..."

"John, I'm sorry to involve you. I'll take responsibility for the losses these past few days, but listen to me, go into hiding for a few days."

Old John was silent for a moment before saying, "Son, I don't know what happened to you, but be careful!"

"it is good!"

After hanging up the phone, Lin Nan knew that Norman was watching her. She couldn't go back to the bookstore for the time being, and her apartment was definitely being monitored.

He needed a new place to stay, so after thinking for a moment, he went outside, found a public phone booth, and called Peter.

“Peter, listen to me, I might be in trouble. Tell Uncle Ben and Aunt May that if any strangers knock on the door or call to ask me about this, they should say they don’t know anything.”

"Also, you should be careful not to go to places with few people with Harry."

"Lin, are you alright? What happened?" Peter asked anxiously.

"It's alright for now. Norman Osborn seems to have his eye on me. I'll contact Harry about it."

"it is good."

After hanging up the phone, he went to a supermarket, bought some daily necessities, changed his route several times, used the flow of people to confuse his surroundings, and after confirming that he was not being followed, he rented an apartment on the edge of Queens where there was frequent turnover of tenants.

After settling in, I sent Ha a encrypted message using the new phone and SIM card, containing the time and location.

Two hours later, Harry, wearing a baseball cap and casual clothes, entered a fast-food chain restaurant.

In a corner, they found Lin Nan, who was also disguised. The two sat down facing each other.

Harry asked without any surprise, "He went to investigate you?"

Lin Nan nodded: "It should be your father's people. Have you noticed anything unusual on your end?"

“He suddenly informed me yesterday that next week’s experiment has been moved to tomorrow afternoon, and the location is no longer at the group’s medical center, but at the main laboratory on the top floor of the building. Moreover, the way he looked at me has changed, as if I am a perfect work of art to him…”

"Goblin serum!" Lin Nan uttered a term.

Harry was shocked: "How did you know?"

"I'm guessing. I've recently investigated some of the Osborn Group's research directions. Tomorrow afternoon, there might be the first in vivo experiment on the serum. I can tell you, the serum has very serious problems right now!"

Harry's face turned deathly pale: "Does that mean everything I've done before was just the foundation, and tomorrow's experiment is the final one? Lin, I can't go. That's not treatment at all, it's modification..."

“Harry, you can’t just refuse. You know your father’s personality; that would immediately provoke him to take coercive measures. We need some methods,” Lin Nan said calmly.

Norman's personality, in every version, is that of a paranoid type who won't shed a tear until he sees the coffin, especially since the family's hereditary disease has haunted him like a curse for so many years, which has long since turned him into a monster.

Harry asked eagerly, "What methods?"

Lin Nan began to weigh the pros and cons in his mind. Faced with such a powerful force, there was no foolproof plan. He could only choose the option with relatively less risk.

After thinking for a while, he slowly said, "We need to guide your father to think that you are not a good match for the serum, in order to buy time."

How to guide them?

"Do you remember how it felt the last time you had an attack? The energy in your body was mimicking the feeling of an attack, but it wasn't a real outbreak."

Harry frowned: "It's hard to control, and if I'm acting, my father's instruments will detect it very quickly."

"I will intervene when the time comes, interfere with the instrument's judgment and data, create chaos, and give me a signal when you feel the experiment is at a critical point."

“The situation was chaotic at the time, and you appeared to be in great pain. Your father would not have risked injecting the serum when the situation was unclear.”

Harry's eyes lit up: "That works, but... how do we send the signal? The lab won't let me carry regular communication equipment."

Lin Nan took out two button-sized objects from his pocket: "Peter made a simple resonator that can resonate with each other without high-strength shielding."

"Take one in and hide it. A short vibration means you're ready, a long vibration means you need to act immediately, and a high-frequency long vibration means everything is normal and the plan is canceled."

Harry took the small, plastic-like object and said with some concern, "But you caused a disturbance at the Osborne Corporation; their security is not to be underestimated."

Lin Nan didn't say much: "I have a way, don't worry."

Harry didn't ask any further questions, he just nodded emphatically: "Thank you, be careful, Lin."

The following afternoon, the Osborne Tower stood beneath the Manhattan skyline, its glass curtain wall reflecting a cold, gloomy light.

Lin Nan, dressed in a maintenance worker's uniform, wearing a hat and carrying a tool bag, mingled in the crowd and took out an access card that Harry had prepared in advance for an outsourced maintenance worker.

After successfully passing through the side door security check, he followed the building map he had memorized, avoided the monitored area, and sneaked into a storage room in the building where miscellaneous items were stored.

He put down his toolbox and took out a few gadgets that Parker had made.

Several smoke generators also had overload triggers and were connected to the building's wireless network via a modified tablet computer.

The tablet computer displayed surveillance footage of several key areas.

In fact, he had been preparing for this day for a long time, hoping that everything would go perfectly.

Finally, he took out the resonator from his pocket, checked it, and found that everything was normal. After fitting it snugly against his body, he sneaked into the Osborne Building to install these gadgets.

In the main laboratory on the top floor, Harry was already dressed in a hospital gown, lying on a metal platform. He was surrounded by various instruments and displays, with circuits connected to his body, monitoring everything around him.

His father, Norman Osborne, dressed in sterile clothing, stood in front of the control panel, staring at the data on the screen with a solemn yet excited expression.

"Vital signs are stable, serum compatibility is 98%, experiments can proceed, Mr. Osborne," a doctor in a white coat reported.

Norman nodded, his voice slightly tense: "Very good, begin injecting the goblin serum beta, starting with a dose of 5%."

"Roger that!"

Harry did not immediately signal to Lin Nan. As the only son of the group, he knew very well that Osborne's security forces were not as weak as they appeared on the surface.

Although Lin Nan is mysterious, he still poses a risk compared to the heavily armed Osborne security.

Unless absolutely necessary, this young nobleman would not want his friend to be in any danger.