Norman Osborn was roused from his not-so-deep sleep by the company's highest-level alarm. He jolted upright from his bed, then looked confused after hearing the report of Spider-Man's vocal signature detected.
"Green Goblin, connect me to the gene-editing lab's holographic projection."
Norman, seeing that his pajamas were still somewhat presentable, rubbed his face and groggily watched as Spider-Man confronted a woman in a black suit in the gene-programming lab.
"Hey, hello, Norman. This friend entered your lab, looks like she's investigating something, so I just followed along."
Hearing Spider-Man say this, Norman was relieved: "Thank you for protecting Osborn Tech's property, Spider-Man. I'll leave it to you then."
"Wait, Norman, uh..."
Norman watched as Spider-Man looked at the woman, then asked, "Why do I have the highest authorization for your lab?"
"Because you are my, and Dr. Richard's, finest work. We both trust you."
Norman gave a kindly smile, then yawned. "If you need help, talk to Green Goblin. He's my AI butler."
"Who? Green Goblin?!"
Black Cat, who had overheard the conversation from the side, listened to Spider-Man's murmur: "Who names their AI Green Goblin? That's just too weird."
"Norman Osborn said you're his finest work."
Peter felt the coldness of her gaze, and the reappearance of his spider-sense. He heard Felicia's almost icy question: "What do you mean?"
"It's... literal. I was bitten by a gene-programmed spider from Osborn Tech and gained powers."
"Human experimentation?"
"No, an accident."
Right, Spider-Man was an Avenger, and from his reaction just now, he seemed unaware of these things too. Black Cat first breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at the raised doors. Inside the doors were various animals, mostly lower arthropods, such as scorpions, spiders, centipedes, even bees and butterflies. Peter raised an eyebrow; he thought Osborn Tech would research all sorts of animals, but he didn't expect them to be stuck on arthropods.
He wondered if they'd researched locusts. Could they make a Kamen Rider?
Peter looked around, seeing Felicia still tinkering with the computer, and couldn't help but reach out: "I don't know what you're planning, ma'am, but you are undoubtedly breaking the law. Even if you think you're doing the right thing, shouldn't you give a reason?"
"I... no, never mind, it's none of your business."
Black Cat hesitated to speak, but ultimately chose not to trust Spider-Man. She continued her own search, finding that she couldn't delve into the deeper archives. Not only did she lack permission, but her hacking program had also failed, making it impossible to access the archives.
So, before Spider-Man could stick her hand with his web, she raised her hands: "Can you let me go, seeing as I haven't actually done anything?"
"You broke a window."
Felicia: ...
"I can pay for it."
"So, you didn't find anything?"
Whether intentionally or not, Spider-Man began to search for data in front of Black Cat: "Let's see what you're looking for... 'Savage Force Project Operation Plan,' 'Restricted Notes'..."
Peter saw an entry, text recorded by project lead Jonathan Drew during an experiment.
"The possibility of curing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis with gene-splicing technology - Jonathan Drew." Peter looked at Felicia, feigning casualness: "It seems Dr. Jonathan's reason for overseeing the super-soldier research was to develop a treatment for ALS."
"ALS?"
Hearing this, Black Cat immediately pushed Peter aside, standing in front of the control console's computer, looking at the record. She couldn't help but frown, muttering to herself.
"How is this possible?"
"Looks like you know Dr. Jonathan's family, and don't forget, you're essentially just wearing an eye mask."
Standing behind Black Cat, Peter's hand moved to the side of the computer's touchscreen, beginning to operate it. He wanted to see what Black Cat was really planning to do. Black Cat had initially intended to leave, but when she saw Spider-Man beginning to retrieve information she couldn't access due to insufficient permissions, she resisted the urge to leave and chose to keep watching.
After all, Black Cat is a cat, and cats are always full of curiosity.
She clearly understood what Spider-Man meant—her identity could be exposed at any moment. But since Black Cat chose her current attire, being discovered was inevitable and destined.
In other words, she hadn't intended to hide her identity much anyway.
She watched as Spider-Man delved deep into the system, opening many files, and smoothly discovered some things Black Cat wanted to know.
However, what Black Cat most wanted to know was an email that Spider-Man hadn't opened. Her quick eyes spotted it, and she clicked on the email. The content inside quickly made Black Cat feel like her world had crumbled.
It was an empty folder; there was nothing inside. Peter glanced at the document's name, which read "Weapon Projects Progress Report."
Various weapon projects?
Considering this was a research base for super-soldier projects, these projects were likely all super-soldier related.
But why was Felicia looking for these things?
"Does it have something to do with your unusual physical abilities? You're trying to find the person in charge of this project?"
Peter deduced Black Cat's actions, coming to the conclusion that Black Cat wasn't inactive in Eastern Europe, but her actions weren't about wealth or treasure; they were related to super-soldier projects.
Did she go to Eastern Europe because of the Soviet Union's Super Soldier Serum project? Peter was becoming increasingly confused by Black Cat's motives.
"Unfortunately, the list of super-soldier projects you're looking for isn't here."
Hearing this, Black Cat probably understood what Spider-Man was going to say next. After all, what else could a superhero say to a failed thief?
"But it's actually quite a coincidence. Recently, I also encountered someone who escaped from prison. He suffered inhumane abuse in prison but underwent super-soldier modification and gained superpowers."
Peter had made a correct gamble.
Felicia, who had been about to leave, heard this and immediately turned back, staring at Peter.
"You said just now, there's another survivor?"
Black Cat stared at Peter, stating her demand.
"I want to see him."