What exactly are you so busy with at night?

The Green Goblin’s urge for destruction was intense; last night’s attack on the board was a manifestation of that desire. Yet, with the board members dead and after witnessing the pedestrians fleeing in terror from the chaos, a deep sense of accomplishment welled up within him.

All those ambitions about expanding the company and becoming the military’s largest arms supplier—those belonged to Norman Osborn. They had nothing to do with the Green Goblin. What he wanted was destruction, more destruction, and nothing but destruction.

He would plunge the entire city into fear, making himself their living nightmare so that not even sleep could offer them respite. But to achieve this, Spider-Man—a variable—had to be eliminated.

He could kill him, of course, but it would be far more entertaining to corrupt him, to drag the hero into depravity. Not only would no one be left to interfere with his plans, but the pleasure of creation and destruction would be doubled.

Perfect!

But how could he find Spider-Man? The fellow only appeared at night, rarely intervened, and seemed to have a penchant for rescuing women.

“A friend of women, is he?” The Green Goblin suddenly had an idea.

Su Ye had no inkling that the Green Goblin was plotting against him. That madman’s twisted mind was impossible to predict. At present, Su Ye was pondering how to use his body to collide with Mai Shiranui’s... assets.

Ahem!

It should be said, Su Ye was not a man driven solely by lust. Even with Mai Shiranui donning her clan’s ninja attire and swaying before him, he could remain composed.

To spar with Mai Shiranui in ninja attire was a formidable test and training for one’s self-control.

Earlier, Hanzo Shiranui had explained to Su Ye the techniques and moves of the Bone Style. Perhaps because of the system, Su Ye absorbed and understood them rapidly. In Hanzo’s words, he was the fastest learner he had ever met, as if born for the martial art itself.

Still, even a martial artist with such “cheats” needed practice—familiarizing himself with the techniques and mastering them through combat.

That’s where Mai Shiranui came in as his training partner.

“Attack Mai. Use your body—hands, elbows, shoulders, anything you can. As long as you can touch her, you’ll have passed for today.”

To have his student attack his own granddaughter—a woman who, with a touch, would react dramatically—and without specifying the point of contact, Hanzo Shiranui truly was cut from the same cloth as those notorious grandfathers from the islands: a real degenerate.

But I like it! Su Ye chuckled to himself.

“Mai, forgive me!” Su Ye composed his face and bowed politely.

“Come at me!” Mai straightened up, bracing herself.

“Hah!”

Su Ye charged.

Half an hour later, he lay on the dojo floor, gasping for breath, utterly spent. That his body, enhanced by spider genes, could be exhausted to this state in just half an hour spoke volumes of Mai Shiranui’s skill.

But Mai herself was not unscathed. Though Su Ye hadn’t succeeded in touching her, she’d had a close call several times and had been forced to defend herself with all her skill.

Off to the side, Hanzo Shiranui stroked his beard, a broad smile on his face. Not bad at all—his chosen successor had both talent and bone structure. On his first day, just after learning the basics, he could already push Mai to the brink.

Fortunately, Hanzo’s sharp eye and decisiveness had snagged such an exceptional disciple before the dojo even opened. Moreover...

Watching Su Ye and Mai interact, Hanzo’s grin deepened. Moreover, at his age, finding a good match for Mai was the most important thing of all.

That evening, after arranging to meet again after school the next day, Su Ye took his leave.

“Remember to come early tomorrow, I’ll be waiting!” Mai called out from the door, beaming, making Su Ye feel a twinge of reluctance to go.

In just one afternoon, Mai’s favorability rating had risen to sixty—friendly. The speed was enough to make his heart race. Perhaps next time, he’d be able to hold her hand.

Back home, Su Ye washed up quickly, ate a hearty dinner, and went straight to bed. The afternoon’s training had drained him physically and mentally, leaving him with a great need for food and sleep.

As for going out at night to play the “friend of women”? He decided against it.

It was a hobby, not a job. No one was paying him, so why maintain such a high attendance rate? Besides, everyone knew the city’s crime situation. If those women insisted on wandering alone at night and courting trouble, what could Su Ye do?

Not just that day—nearly a week passed without Spider-Man making an appearance, as if he had vanished into thin air.

This left the Green Goblin, who prowled the streets every night hoping to recruit Spider-Man as his partner, increasingly frustrated. His chaos grew in scale but brought him no joy.

Gradually, the Green Goblin began to lose his sense of self. Why was he doing these things—bullying women walking alone at night? Was this really the happiness he sought?

The police were at their wits’ end. What was wrong with the damned Green Goblin? Why wasn’t he committing grander crimes and instead fixating on harassing women?

Had he perhaps been hurt by a woman before? If the concept of “green hats” existed in America, this suspicion would have been confirmed long ago.

Meanwhile, S.H.I.E.L.D. finally brought in reinforcements and began planning an ambush.

Friday afternoon at Midtown High School, in the gymnasium, Su Ye and Gwen sat in the bleachers chatting.

“What have you been busy with lately? You seem exhausted every day. And my dad says Spider-Man hasn’t shown up for days. Don’t tell me you’re...”

What could make a homebody look so drained, pale, and overworked—almost as if he had kidney trouble? Gwen had secretly searched online, but the answers were unsatisfying.

Playing games? Or playing with himself? Why would he be obsessed with such things? Was it because she, as his girlfriend, wasn’t attractive enough?

Su Ye looked up, offering an apologetic smile. “After encountering the Green Goblin that day, I realized some of my weaknesses. So I’ve been learning new things lately.”

Gwen breathed a sigh of relief. That answer was far more reassuring than anything she’d read online.

“You know, I’ve actually been pretty busy myself recently.”