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Nighttime. Out in the suburbs of New York City, lights still blazed inside a heavily guarded biological research lab.
Several scientists in white lab coats were busy inside, working on all kinds of experiments.
One middle-aged researcher with a receding hairline slowly stepped away from a microscope.
Then, he turned and opened a sealed vault behind him, carefully taking out a tube of pale yellow liquid. Holding it steadily, he walked into a sealed-off, highly secure room.
At the center of the room, strapped to a metal lab table, was a homeless man.
The man looked thin and weak, his body covered in horrifying wounds. He hadn't eaten in who knows how long and was clearly on the edge of death.
"N-No, please don't… I'm begging you, just let me go!"
As the bald scientist walked closer, the homeless man's eyes filled with pure terror.
His already battered body started to violently thrash against the restraints, desperately trying to resist.
But the man was badly injured—and worse, he hadn't eaten in days. His arms, legs, torso, even his head were all strapped down with some kind of heavy metal restraints. He could barely move.
So no matter how hard he struggled, it was completely useless.
"Relax. It'll all be over soon."
The bald man gave a crazed smile and slowly injected the yellow liquid into a vein in the man's arm.
As the serum entered his bloodstream, the veins under his skin started turning yellow.
Then, his whole arm followed suit, turning a sickly yellow color.
ROAR!
The homeless man let out a scream—something more like a beast than a human—and it was full of agony.
And right before their eyes, his skinny, skeletal arm began to swell and bulk up.
CRACK!
With a sharp snap, he broke through the metal restraint on his arm.
And as the binding shattered, sharp bone spikes started pushing out from the outside of his arm.
They tore through the skin and grew fast—way too fast.
Before long, they looked like razor-sharp blades, glinting under the lab lights.
By now, the bald scientist had already dashed out of the containment room and slammed shut the thick metal door behind him without hesitation.
Then, he rushed to a nearby observation window, watching the chaos inside through layers of bulletproof glass, his eyes full of obsession and hunger.
Inside, the homeless man was no longer human.
His once frail body had transformed into a hulking monster, a wild beast that had broken free of its restraints.
He was now destroying everything in sight.
THUD!
The lab table he'd been strapped to—he picked it up with one hand and smashed it into the metal wall.
Then he suddenly leapt into the air, smashing his head into the metal ceiling and leaving a huge dent before crashing back to the ground.
He shook it off like it was nothing, got back on his feet, and charged at the wall again.
The spikes on his arms—sharper than any blade—sliced deep grooves into the metal walls.
"Incredible… Every time I see this kind of power, so completely beyond human… I can't help but be fascinated."
The bald man stared at the beast inside the lab like he was in a trance.
"How's the experiment going? We're running out of time. Tony Stark is already onto us."
A sudden voice snapped him out of it.
"Mr. Stane, you're here."
The bald man turned to face the source of the voice—his financial backer, Obadiah Stane.
"The experiments have come a long way," he said regretfully, "but we still haven't fully succeeded. The test subjects become incredibly violent after the injection."
"Even when we combine the serum with a special neural fluid extracted from the human brain to try and suppress those violent urges, it's never enough. We just can't get rid of it completely."
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Right on cue, the room behind him erupted with loud crashes and the sound of destruction.
The bald man pressed a button, and thick, toxic gas poured into the containment chamber.
The monster collapsed immediately.
The bald man didn't even flinch, like this was routine for him. He turned back toward Obadiah, and to show off his research, opened a nearby secure cabinet.
"Take a look. These two serums—this one here is made directly from the DNA we extracted from that arm. And this pale yellow one is our improved version."
He pointed at the two vials, explaining excitedly.
"What's the difference?" Obadiah asked, clearly intrigued.
"The original serum gives humans incredible power, but the side effects are insane. After injection, the subject turns into a bloodthirsty, mindless monster."
"But the improved version still boosts strength and aggression, without completely erasing human consciousness. The side effects are… manageable."
"Of course," the bald man added quickly, "this isn't my final version. I'm still working to eliminate all side effects."
After his explanation, he once again promised Obadiah results.
"No, we can't stay here anymore. We've been compromised. We need to move everything to a safer location immediately."
Obadiah's expression turned serious, and he made a decision.
"Give me one vial of each version. I'll leave first. You start packing everything up—fast."
Without hesitation, he took one of each serum from the cabinet, pocketed them, and turned to go.
"Yes, sir. We'll get moving right away—"
"Who's there?!"
Before the bald man could finish, a flash of silver shot through the air—a web line that smacked onto the vault.
"No!"
In his panicked roar, the entire cabinet was yanked away.
Everyone looked up in shock.
Somehow, at some point, a figure in a red and blue suit had appeared, clinging to the ceiling.
"Damn it! It's that annoying Spider-Man!"
Everyone snapped into action. The security guards raised their guns and opened fire without hesitation.
RAT-A-TAT-TAT!
The room erupted in gunfire. The scientists ducked for cover under the tables.
Obadiah also dived for shelter—right beside the bald man, by sheer coincidence.
"This isn't good… The gunfire's slowing down. That damn bug is harder to kill than I thought."
After a few moments, Obadiah noticed something—less and less gunfire.
And soon, even the last of the shots faded, replaced by loud crashes and panicked shouting… then silence.
"Sorry about this."
Obadiah's eyes turned cold. He pulled out the green vial from his pocket—and jammed it straight into the bald man beside him.
"M-Mr. Stane… y-you…"
The bald man stared at him in shock—but his consciousness quickly faded.
And in his place—
A savage beast was born.
"....."