"Mr. Jameson, if we're going to investigate this Roderick Kingsley, what excuse should we use? After all, we can't directly accuse him of being a murderer or a terrorist."
As they entered the elevator heading to Roderick's studio floor, Mary Jane asked curiously. There were three people in their group. Jameson brought Mary Jane along because she had thoroughly reviewed all the material Ned had left behind. This sharp high school girl not only read all of Ned's materials but also organized them and handed them directly to Jonah.
At least for a high school student, her ability and courage were more than sufficient.
The other person was Phil Urich, Ben Urich's nephew. Phil was already an investigative reporter for the Daily Bugle, and his role on this trip was a part-time photographer, mainly just to have someone on hand.
"We are not here to investigate the Goblin King case, Watson. On the contrary, we are here to seek Kingsley's help."
Jonah was wearing his old brown trench coat, watching the ascending floor numbers. "Kingsley has ties to a large number of political figures, entertainment stars, and wealthy elites. His fashion designs were once highly sought after by the entire American elite. If we need to investigate a political scandal, we might be able to get a proper answer from him."
Mary Jane suddenly understood. If they were to investigate someone, they should start with the people around them. But Jonah choosing to go directly to his door meant he wasn't aiming to investigate Roderick; his goal was singular: to directly test whether the man was the damned Goblin King.
What J. Jonah Jameson wanted was revenge for Ned. He only needed to convey his suspicion to the Avengers, who would use various high-tech methods for further judgment, and the truth could be investigated later.
"Urich, take pictures everywhere. Watson, get ready to take notes for the article."
Jonah took a deep breath and straightened his collar.
Working with Spider-Man... he really wasn't used to it.
With a "ding," the elevator reached the floor. Jonah led the way out. Phil and Mary Jane followed. Mary Jane looked at the studio logo that read "A World of Fantasy" and suddenly felt that this was the person they were looking for.
A World of Fantasy—isn't that the world of fantasy creatures like goblins?
Muttering the baseless thought, Mary Jane quickly followed Jonah. At this moment, Roderick was already waiting for Jonah at the door: "Mr. Jameson, welcome, welcome. After receiving your appointment request, I've been looking forward to your arrival."
"You're too kind, Mr. Kingsley."
Jonah instantly adopted a fawning expression. The two walked and talked, arriving at the reception room. A studio attendant poured coffee for everyone and served it. Roderick thought for a moment, then recalled why Jonathan had sought him out: "So, you are looking to inquire with me about the NYPD..."
The inquiry quickly proceeded. Jonah seemed fully engaged, constantly asking questions about the matter, genuinely appearing to want to dig deeper into the NYPD scandal. As for Kingsley's suspicion, he didn't mention a single word, not even the slightest hint. Mary Jane quickly recorded the conversation, while Phil Urich simply took his camera and left to chat with the female assistant of the studio on the side.
"Come on, Kingsley, you and I both know how many famous and wealthy guests you have here, yet you're being so cagey, acting like you know nothing." Jonah looked impatient. "In barbershops, in cars, with fashion designers—they always think you know nothing about their work and say some pretty offensive things. I know, I've seen too much of this."
"No, no, Mr. Jameson, what you're saying is old history. Think about it, how many people have already been caught in this? How could they make the same mistake again?"
Mary Jane recorded all of this while pondering a question: If Jonah just kept asking like this, what could he possibly find out?
Jonah Jameson didn't intend to find anything out, because he was waiting for Spider-Man.
Peter was currently on the outside of the building, preparing for the possibility of Roderick being pushed to the brink. After the consecutive "Ghoul" self-detonations yesterday, Pym quickly came up with a solution—nothing new-tech, just mass-producing Spider-drones, shrinking them down with Pym Particles, and sending the drones into the target's body to disarm the bomb, that's all.
He had arrived outside the floor faster than Jonah and the others. However, because he couldn't determine whether Roderick had willingly become a Ghoul or had been brainwashed by the Goblin King, he chose not to preemptively strike. Instead, he had the Spider-robots sweep the entire studio, confirming that there were no hidden Pumpkin Bombs inside. At the same time, he also didn't find any Ghoul or Green Goblin equipment.
Next, Peter controlled the miniaturized Spider-robot to enter the man's water cup. Once the robot was swallowed, he controlled it to search inside the man's body and quickly found what he was looking for: a bomb implanted inside his body.
Since the human body was used as the shell, these Pumpkin Bombs didn't need a pumpkin shell anymore, but the remote fuse was easier to dismantle. Peter quickly commanded the Spider-robot to remove the fuse, then breathed a sigh of relief.
"Looks like Roderick is indeed a Ghoul, but I don't know if he's a willing or unwilling one, or if he might be the Goblin King himself. Jameson's communication... the wiretap is also in progress."
But Peter didn't have time to continue his investigation, because his Spider-Sense quickly went off. He immediately leaped away, dodging a Pumpkin Bomb descending from above, then swung back between the skyscrapers on a web line, looking at the Ghoul descending on a Glider, laughing maniacally.
"Oh, Spider-Man, long time no see! Or perhaps, nice to meet you. Yes, it's me again, the Goblin King."
The Ghoul in front of him chuckled, holding a Pumpkin Bomb and looking at Spider-Man: "You know what? I was truly startled the moment you dismantled the fuse. That's too much! How can you tamper with someone else's property without permission?"
"Other people's lives are just property to you?"
Peter narrowed his eyes, looking at the Ghoul in front of him. No matter who was under that mask, he had to take this guy down first.
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