Chapter 12 The doctor is unhappy? It's just his rebellious phase, oh well...

Ms. Goodman's gaze toward Allen was now no different from that toward the hospital's most expensive proton therapy machine—the kind of gaze one would give someone a ton of renewable gold.

The situation unfolded in many twists and turns, but Dr. Osborne, whose cold-bloodedness was like a scalpel, always managed to gain the upper hand.

Ms. Goodman speculated that it was because Dr. Osborn was inherently more arrogant than anyone else present.

Although the doctor who had just arrived in the emergency department was still an intern, he clearly didn't respect the gangsters, the police, or the hospital leadership. This made Ms. Goodman suspect that if she were to accidentally do something to anger Dr. Osborne, he would certainly ruthlessly strike at her fragile heart, and she wouldn't be treated much better by Dr. Osborne than she would by the gangsters.

Even if she is the head of the emergency department, it's the same.

Didn't you see that even Dr. Osborn's mentor, Andy Miller, admitted defeat?

Dr. Miller was already following behind Dr. Osborn, humbly clasping his hands together. The teacher-student relationship between the two was reversed, with Andy Miller acting more like a rookie intern than Allen.

Dr. Miller pleaded with Ellen in a voice no one else could hear, like begging a college roommate to help him sign in: "Please, Ellen, give your contact information to Elina! Otherwise, I won't have anything to eat at the end of the month!"

Allen showed no mercy: "...Please, use catgut to hang yourself, or I'm going to be driven crazy by this."

The Google emergency responder glanced at Dr. Miller's neck, squinted, and measured it with his finger: "Then we'll need at least a No. 1 line, right, Dr. Osborn? Um... should we use QuickVijo or Pudis? I've forgotten again..."

Allen: "Of course it's Pudis. Its tensile strength can be maintained for 4 weeks before it decreases, and it's not easily absorbed by the human body."

Google's emergency responders quickly pulled out their notebooks.

Dr. Edward, on the other side, cautiously said, "If he hangs himself, I won't have to hang myself, okay? So, you're going to accept Mark's date invitation? He's booked the lakeside bar and roses..."

Allen: "You go get Line 1 too!"

Ms. Goodman felt that their department was indeed full of talented people; all the best performers at the entire Bruderhaven Hospital were working in their emergency department. However, she sometimes wished they could send a few to other departments instead.

The supervisor, who seemed to have aged 10 years today, said: "Alright, doctors. You've worked hard today, go home and rest. Leave the rest to me."

The imposing Allen remained in the Osborn family's traditionally infuriating mode. After surveying the room with a look that said, "Everyone here is trash," he gave Ms. Goodman a slight nod. Then, he slammed the door and left with his three "lackeys," not forgetting to let out a sneer before departing, his sarcasm reaching its peak.

The remaining people in the room dared not stop him, fearing that Dr. Osborn might hire a private investigator to expose the police's dirty laundry. After all, the police weren't much cleaner than the criminal gangs... and the public's criticism of them wasn't entirely unjustified.

And who knows what other tricks Dr. Osborn has up his sleeve? The private investigator he hired is more reliable than the police.

Honestly, which private investigator would dare take on a job investigating a criminal gang's hideout? What exactly did Dr. Osborn have to threaten them with?

Dr. Osborne's elegant and aloof figure disappeared through the doorway.

The remaining police and gang members looked at each other in the hospital director's office.

The two exchanged an awkward glance, and finally Mrs. Johnson forced a smile: "Alright, now that the troublemaker is gone, how about we talk about how to settle? We won't appeal, and the compensation..."

Ms. Goodman looked at the news notification on her phone and relaxed her brow. "Oh, this is indeed a matter that needs to be discussed, Mrs. Johnson. So how do you plan to compensate our hospital for the reputational damage caused by your false accusations? Oh, and Dr. Osborne, his lawyer will be here soon; I suggest you meet in person."

**

The Daily Bugle's speed-flipping contest against the Daily Planet resulted in the Daily Planet coming out on top, which was probably the only thing Allen misjudged today. He clearly had connections within the Daily Bugle—Peter Parker was obviously his first choice for a leak.

As Allen changed his clothes, he listened to Dr. Miller read the freshly published headline in an exaggerated tone.

"Wow, this reporter Clark Kent is really daring. I'll have to check it out later... see what he said? Capital is trampling on the law and fairness! He also said—'Fictional facts are often treated as truth because they meet people's expectations'*, the news media is making the innocent guilty and sending the guilty to heaven..."

“Walter Lippmann’s words from 1922 still resonate today. This journalist has great taste; I suggest Ms. Goodman poach him for the hospital’s public relations department.” Allen’s long fingers rested on his tie, elegantly tying it into a tight knot.

News has already broken about the seemingly benevolent "Squid" bribing judges and prosecutors, spending huge sums to buy off the media, and ostensibly investing in orphanages while actually engaging in human trafficking—the kind of news with photographic evidence. The Daily Planet not only acted faster, but even produced more comprehensive information than Allen had provided.

Peter called again.

In fact, he had already called Allen when he saw the news headline and found Allen's blurry photo in a small corner, but Allen was still reporting the surgery to Ms. Goodman at that time and did not answer the phone.

"...Luckily, I made it in time." Peter sounded like things were getting pretty serious, making Allen suspect he was on the rooftop. "You're not going to get sued, are you, Allen?"

Allen: "Of course not. But Peter, the Daily Bugle missed out on the starting lineup; you were too slow!"

Peter Parker gave an awkward laugh, not daring to face his friend's strange, unpredictable competitive streak. He swore he had done his best to use Spider-Man's hand speed!

Spider-Man is fast, but he really can't beat Superman.

“I… cough cough, Kent is indeed very impressive, but I don’t think I’m any less so.” Peter almost bit his tongue.

He didn't want to continue discussing with Allen who was faster, as that would give him the illusion that Spider-Man was actually quite weak, so he quickly changed the subject, "I have some bad news, do you want to hear it?"

Allen raised an eyebrow.

But before Peter could even speak, he realized what was happening—his photo had been published in the media, and although it was blurry, Harry and Norman Osborn would definitely recognize him.

Allen, his face grim, cursed the 'squid' three thousand times in his mind and decided to post some bounties on the dark web.

So he finally understood why that annoying Mrs. Johnson kept trying to get his attention—who else could be behind this besides his controlling, short-tempered, overbearing father, Norman Osborn, who wanted the whole world to kneel before him?

Harry is right, it's a real shame that Norman Osborn's funeral couldn't be held successfully.

To be honest, the main reason Allen was willing to attend this pointless, ridiculous meeting was to find out what the Black Gang of 'Squid' really consisted of—he wanted to figure out the secret hidden behind that reverse triple helix tattoo, which was also the reason he came to Brudhaven.

Since his mother's death, the reversed triple helix pattern has repeatedly appeared in his life.

Allen subconsciously touched his chest.

Hidden beneath his clothes, he also had a tattoo near his heart, though he couldn't even remember when it had appeared.

However, compared to the rough patterns on the bodies of 'Squid' and others, the three spirals of rebellion on his body were intertwined and more intricate, like thorns surrounding his heart, with the eye in the very center seemingly possessing a soul.

When Allen was a child, he witnessed that eye, which was clearly just a tattoo, opening and closing.

He didn't take it seriously at first, but after Emily died, he started seeing similar patterns on other people frequently.

However, now is not the time to study this matter.

He truly hadn't expected that Norman Osborn would also get involved with 'Squid'.

The 'squid's' wife's acting skills were clearly not very good.

As Allen put on his coat, he thought to himself that his dad must have been squeezed out of money by Harry, which was why he hired such a lousy guy.

However, there is still a question: Did Norman Osborn discover him here first and then get involved by chance, or were these people originally connected with Norman Osborn?

If it's the latter, then things will get really interesting.

But Peter said something even more interesting: "You know what? Harry ran out of class halfway through today, and I heard he's not coming to school tomorrow either... I just overheard him calling his assistant to book a plane ticket for him."

Allen: "..." His bad premonition grew stronger.

“I’ve already called him, but he didn’t answer. There’s no doubt he went to see you.” Peter sighed. “You two should have a talk, Alan. Harry cares about you a lot, and you care about him a lot too.”

Allen: "Don't say sticky, stupid things, or I'll have nightmares."

"Alright, you and Harry..."

Before he could finish speaking, Allen heard a loud bang coming from Peter's direction, as if something had hit the wall.

Then came Peter's low curse: "Oh damn... Allen, sorry, I have something to do here, let's talk later!"

Allen stared at the disconnected phone and blinked.

What happened to Peter? Did he bump into a lamppost while walking? Or did he fall into a sewer?

Actually, it's the latter.

Allen is unaware that his friend is currently engaged in a brutal hand-to-hand combat with Dr. Kurt Connors, a former colleague from his lab, right in the New York sewers.

Even if Allen knew, he would probably only let Spider-Man beat him up harder. When he was in the Osborn Corporation's laboratory, Kurt Connors did a lot of trouble for him, just as Norman Osborn had told him to.

However, another problem that Allen was about to face had arrived.

Matthew Murdoch, impeccably dressed in a suit, stood in the emergency room lobby, holding a white cane, with Virgil Nelson following behind. The two, exuding an air of sophistication, immediately attracted the attention of many in the emergency room.

Matthew shifted his body and turned his head to 'look' in Allen's direction.

The enthusiastic Foggy rushed over and gave Allen a big hug: "Allen, it's been so long! You have no idea how much we've missed you! When you first left, Matt stayed up all night at the law firm for several days in a row. Every time I went there, I thought I was running into a vampire!"

Allen stood frozen in place, his gaze fixed on Matthew.

Matthew's face remained expressionless as he stood motionless.

Foggie had already started criticizing Allen's wrinkled clothes.

"Allen, what kind of weird new tie is this? And your shirt... Oh, my little Allen, you've gotten so thin, you must have suffered a lot lately!"

"He brought it on himself," the blind lawyer said incisively. "Allen, won't you invite me to your house?"

Allen: ...

Which subway line should I take to get home?