"What did you just say?"
"Uh, I don't know?"
"No, what did you just say the doctor succeeded in using in the experiment?"
"A tailless white mouse, didn't I tell you about it before?"
Hawk frowned, looking at Gwen who seemed a bit shocked, and asked curiously, "What's wrong?"
Gwen didn't speak.
Her brows furrowed.
The experiment succeeded.
The tailless white mouse.
For some reason, Gwen's mind suddenly recalled the lab accident two months ago, after which the white mouse escaped and licked Hawk's blood that dripped then.
If her memory was correct.
The tail of that white mouse seemed to be broken.
"Hiss!"
Gwen subconsciously took a sharp breath, then glanced at Hawk, and then took out her phone from her pocket, found a number, and dialed it.
Hawk, sitting opposite, watched Gwen's actions, also raised an eyebrow.
Soon.
Gwen's call was connected.
"Hi, Elsa."
"Gwen? Are you calling to ask what happened? Sorry, the company made us sign a confidentiality agreement."
"No, Elsa, I'm calling to ask, was the doctor's experiment successful with a tailless white mouse?"
"Uh... yeah."
At this moment at the Osborn Biotechnology Industry Building, Elsa, the female researcher who had just signed the confidentiality agreement with the company, nodded: "But it can't be said to be successful because it was only that once. We tried to replicate it afterward, but failed."
Upon hearing this, Gwen hurriedly asked.
"Was it the escaped white mouse that succeeded?"
"Yes, it was that one."
Indeed!
Gwen exclaimed inwardly, then calmly spoke a few more sentences with Elsa on the other end of the line before hanging up the phone.
Hawk, watching Gwen after she hung up, curiously asked, "Was there something different about that escaped white mouse?"
Gwen put away her phone and looked at Hawk.
She pondered.
"Do you remember that lab accident?"
"Yes, I remember."
"You were injured and bleeding at that time, right?"
"No."
Hawk decisively shook his head.
Gwen said nothing, just quietly watched Hawk.
In the face of Gwen's gaze, Hawk thought for a moment: "Alright, let's say I was injured then, continue."
Gwen stared at Hawk.
"The few drops of blood you left on the ground were licked away by the tailless white mouse."
"..."
Hawk frowned slightly, looking at Gwen.
Gwen also looked at Hawk.
Their eyes met.
Hawk looked away, took a sharp breath: "You suspect that the successful tailless white mouse is the one you saw?"
Gwen shrugged: "It's the only variable, otherwise why did many other animal experiments of the doctor fail, but that white mouse succeeded?"
Although she didn't understand what the connection was.
But...
Once again in Gwen's mind, the Maryland forest deep as if a raging dragon rising, the waterfall rolling back the heavenly river echoed.
And Hawk stood beneath the waterfall, having caused it all.
Hawk didn't speak, just silently placed the large cup of cola he was holding aside, then crossed his arms on the table, leaning slightly forward to look at Gwen.
He thought of Spider-Man's words on the apartment rooftop last night.
Dr. Lizard had his scent.
Hawk assumed last night the scent was because Gwen saw Dr. Connor the day before, leaving a trace after contact.
But now it seems that's not the case.
Lab accident, he had left a few drops of blood.
The escaped tailless white mouse absorbed the few drops of blood he left, and amid experiments where other white mice led to death, it became the sole surviving mouse.
Dr. Connor extracted new serum from the surviving mouse and synthesized the Regenerative Potion.
Afterwards...
Dr. Connor turned into Dr. Lizard?
Hawk frowned, watched Gwen who quietly met his gaze, opened his mouth, then shook his head slightly feeling absurd.
"My blood shouldn't be that exaggerated."
"There is a way to find out."
"What?"
"There's a blood analysis machine in Stark Building at the school, results can be out in half an hour at the fastest."
"..."
Stark Building refers to the school's third building, donated by Howard Stark, most of the equipment inside donated by Stark Industries.
Including the fully automatic rapid blood detection analyzer with the Stark logo, its exterior alone worth at least tens of thousands, but its actual value exceeds a million US Dollars.
Hawk stuck his finger in his mouth, sucked on it, and took it out again. The freshly pricked wound had healed.
Gwen had already started the machine.
The machine began operating.
While waiting for results, Gwen turned to Hawk curiously, "Did you mutate like Dr. Bruce Banner?"
She'd actually wanted to ask for a long time.
But never had the chance.
Hawk, facing Gwen's curious gaze, laughed, shook his head: "I can promise you, I'm 100% human, purely."
He had only awakened his Little Cosmos...
That's all!
No mutation, he would never admit.
The poor rely on mutations.
Though he was also poor, he relied on himself, sticking to what he said, his strength today was all due to his self-reliance and continuous effort day after day.
A thousand days of effort, daily sweat from ten thousand punches finally nurturing the flowers he deserved.
Hawk pondered in his heart, paused, watched Gwen, thought, added another sentence.
"Anyway, I'm definitely not a mutated Spider Spirit like, and don't lump me with Dr. Bruce Banner, he doesn't deserve it."
"..."
Gwen's heart stirred, catching a key point in Hawk's words, brightened her eyes: "Spider Spirit, is Spider-Man, he mutated too?"
Hawk blinked, then under Gwen's gaze, made a motion of pulling a zipper at his lips.
"Anyway, I won't reveal his identity, Wen."
"Don't say it then, I'll find it myself."
Gwen rolled her eyes.
Just then.
Beep beep beep!
While talking in the lab, the fully automatic rapid blood detection analyzer, having worked for half an hour, finally emitted its end prompt.
Gwen quickly walked over, took out the analysis report the machine spat out.
Hawk also leaned over.
At first glance.
Red blood cell count, white blood cells, platelet count... exceeding limits.
Hawk blinked.
The result...
Was within his expectations, Saint Warriors trained themselves.
After scanning the report, Gwen took a deep breath and looked towards Hawk: "Hawk, do you know what it would be like if the outside world knew your blood analysis?"
Hawk laughed.
He glanced at Gwen.
"Wen."
"Others won't easily collect my blood."
"..."