In the spacious dressing room of Osborn Manor, Harry Osborn carefully selected a suit that was neither too flashy nor lacking in gravity.
He hadn't forgotten the instructions his father, Norman Osborn, had given him after leaving the police station yesterday: he was to visit the Smythe family.
"I hope Smythe's son and wife aren't too overwhelmed with grief. I'm not great at comforting people."
Once dressed, Harry Osborn walked through the first-floor hall of the manor straight to the garage, deciding to take a more low-key car.
"Harry, where are you headed?" Norman Osborn, curled up on the sofa in the first-floor living room and wrapped in a blanket, heard Harry's footsteps and looked up to ask.
"Father, why aren't you resting in your bedroom again?"
Harry only noticed Norman Osborn huddled on the sofa when he heard his voice. He quickly approached his father's side and asked.
"I... I don't know. These past couple of days, I've been having nightmares—dreaming of demons laughing maniacally in my ear. I tried taking sleeping pills, but they don't seem to help much."
As Norman Osborn spoke, he gripped the blanket tightly with both hands.
"Father, the pressure from the Osborn Group is too much for you." Harry Osborn poured a glass of hot water and placed it on the coffee table in front of the sofa. "I'm heading to Smythe's house and will be back soon."
The garage at Osborn Manor was located on the west side of the estate. Harry Osborn's gaze swept over the various sports cars before finally settling on the relatively understated Cadillac that his father often drove.
He casually turned on the car radio while carefully recalling Spencer Smythe's apartment address.
"...Following the tragedy at the Osborn Group and Dr. Otto's transformation into 'Doctor Octopus,' New York has once again been struck by a violent crime."
The news blared from the radio. Harry Osborn shook his head; he didn't want to hear any more of this.
Just as he was about to reach out and change the station, the voice from the radio completely froze him in place:
"Early yesterday morning, a mother and son were brutally disemboweled in an apartment in Queens. The killer then set fire to the scene in an attempt to cover up the crime."
"According to the investigation, the deceased were the son and wife of Spencer Smythe, a robotics expert at the Osborn Group..."
Harry Osborn's mind went blank. The finger he had already placed on the car radio button lost the strength to press it.
Just a second ago, he had been planning to visit Smythe's family, and the next second, he heard the news of their tragic deaths.
Harry could almost imagine Smythe's despair upon receiving this news in the detention room.
The voice from the car radio paused for a few seconds before the host's voice resumed, this time laced with uncontrollable panic:
"Apologies, here's a breaking news update... Also yesterday at midnight, renowned robotics expert Spencer Smythe committed suicide in his detention cell."
"This string of tragedies, all linked to the Osborn Group, makes one wonder if this multinational corporation will completely collapse."
"What kind of cruel killer is responsible for this series of murders?"
Smash!
Harry Osborn scrambled out of the car, slamming the door shut, and stumbled into the garden in front of the manor, as if only the sun could offer him some sense of security.
It was a bright, sunny day, yet Harry inexplicably felt a chill, as if everything around him could turn into a demon at any moment, ready to rip his heart from his chest.
Ever since he could remember, scientists like Smythe had worked for the Osborn Group, but now these people were dying one after another. Harry couldn't help but imagine that one day he, too, would be brutally murdered by the killer, just like them.
At the same time, Harry also understood why his father, Norman Osborn, had been having so many nightmares.
"Harry."
Just as Harry Osborn shivered under the sun, Batman arrived, disguised as Peter Parker.
"Peter!"
Harry rushed to Batman's side, as if only having his best friend nearby could provide some sense of security.
Batman had no memories of Peter Parker and felt no emotional attachment to this "good friend" Harry Osborn.
But he needed this identity to achieve his goal of returning to Gotham, so he could only try his best to maintain the persona through his acting.
Whispering "sorry" to himself in his mind, a look of concern appeared on Batman's face as he patted Harry's shoulder:
"The murders are intricately linked to Osborn. I know that as the heir to the Osborn Group, you're under immense pressure..."
"You now have two choices: let the pressure crush you, let doubt consume you... or use it as fuel. Cooperate with the police to uncover the truth—not for the company's stock price, but for those who can no longer speak."
After speaking, Batman held his breath. A Batarang appeared in the hand patting Harry's shoulder. After releasing a small amount of sedative gas, he flicked his wrist and threw it far away.
No matter how powerful words were, they couldn't compare to sedative gas. Soon, Harry Osborn's emotions stabilized:
"Peter, you should have called me in advance. I would have had the butler arrange a car to pick you up."
"With this string of events, how could I continue to trouble you?" Batman shook his head.
Harry led Batman from the garden toward the manor. As they reached the door, he paused, looking at Batman with confusion:
"But... Peter, I haven't told you anything yet. How did you know why I was so emotional?"
Batman also stopped, looking at Harry Osborn in silence for two seconds:
"Currently, the news, newspapers... everywhere is full of stories related to the Osborn Group."
"But Peter is still willing to come visit. Harry, many years from now when you're old, you must not forget that you once had such a loyal friend who shared your hardships."
Norman Osborn said this as he pushed open the manor door. He seemed much better than when he had been huddled on the sofa earlier.
"Father."
Harry Osborn called out. In his eyes, Peter Parker's arrival and Norman Osborn's improved mental state were both reasons to be happy, but due to the sedative gas, he couldn't feel happy at the moment.
"Peter, by rights, you should be at school today. Is there something you need to see Harry about?" Norman Osborn asked, looking at Batman.
"The recent news made me a bit worried about Harry, plus he didn't come to school... I had to come visit him." Batman found an almost perfect reason for himself.
Norman Osborn nodded, grinning at Batman:
"You haven't been to Osborn Manor in a long time. Let Harry show you around. I need to go out for media interviews and cooperate with the police."
Batman didn't speak, instead staring at Norman Osborn for a few seconds.
Just as Harry sensed the atmosphere seemed a bit off, Batman finally spoke:
"Mr. Norman, your hairstyle needs some attention."
"Does it?" Norman touched his hair, realizing that his usually meticulously combed black-and-white hair was indeed flattened, just like someone who had just taken off a hat. "Thanks for the reminder. I really should pay more attention to my appearance."
With that, he hurriedly pushed the door open and left, leaving Harry Osborn standing there, at a loss.
At the Manhattan Police Department, George Stacy said, looking at the New York Power Authority data handed to him by his assistant Ogg:
"Thanks for the reminder. From the abnormal power consumption timestamps provided by the New York Power Authority, the time of the tragedy on Osborn's third underground floor does not match Dr. Otto's alibi."
"He was in the sewer at the time, connecting power to experimental equipment, and the equipment operated without interruption, with manual operation records almost every few minutes. Dr. Otto never left the sewer."
"Our reason for arresting Dr. Otto was the suspicion that he caused the tragedy on the third underground floor, but it now appears to be a complete misunderstanding."
"The killer is someone else."