Night.
Osborn Tower was completely dark inside.
Only the emergency exit signs were still emitting a faint green light.
However, the darkness didn't hinder Ben's vision much. If Peter could see clearly with his black lenses, then he certainly could.
"Connors' lab, I remember it's this way..."
He had already planned his route when he hacked into Osborn Tower. Not only that, but he had also given himself a universal access code, so no security system could stop him.
Before long, he found Connors' former laboratory.
It was a complete mess, to say the least.
Everything was overturned and scattered on the floor, even the lab tables had been flipped.
A pungent smell filled the air. Ben frowned, covered his nose, and entered, guided by the red light from his watch.
For some reason, at this moment, he had a strange feeling. It wasn't exactly danger, nor was it his Spider-Sense, but it felt as if he were being watched.
He scanned the items in the lab. A few white mice, not yet used for experiments, watched him warily. Sensing his gaze, they scurried into a corner.
There seemed to be no abnormality.
Ben suppressed his suspicion, righted a lab table, then found several intact test tubes. He collected the remaining materials in the lab and began to prepare the Lizard Serum.
However, what he didn't notice was that the gaze of the white mice hiding in the dark corner became increasingly fierce.
...
Meanwhile, in the underground pipes of New York.
Peter found a central hub. The pipes here connected to the entire city, serving as the largest sewage confluence in the area.
"In the narrow sewers, even small vibrations are exceptionally clear."
He shot his spider silk into the depths of various pipes, connecting them all into a massive web. The spider web formed a giant trap, waiting for its prey to take the bait. He was the spider hunting on this web!
"Now, all that's left is to wait patiently."
Peter sat on the spider web.
Only now did he have a moment to catch his breath.
However, he wished he didn't have to breathe, because it was incredibly smelly here.
"It's dirty and smelly, why is my work environment so terrible?" Peter pinched his nose and complained, "I wish I could work in outer space like Superman."
"Iron Man would definitely never go into the sewers, and neither would Benny. No wonder he's not helping me..."
Peter muttered to himself.
"Right—"
He suddenly remembered something, jumped back to the ground, found his backpack, and took out his camera.
"This is a great opportunity. If I can get photos of Spider-Man fighting Lizard Man, I can not only clear Spider-Man's name but also earn some money."
Even now, Peter was still very angry that George Stacy believed Spider-Man and Lizard Man were working together.
He worked hard to help the police catch so many criminals. It was one thing that they didn't thank him, but they actually thought he was a villain?
"It must be because they don't know I caught those criminals. I think next time I should leave a note, just write 'Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man'."
Doing good deeds and leaving a name was a small obsession of Peter's.
He just didn't know that this kind of behavior would be seen as provocation by others.
"And the Daily Bugle. They're willing to pay $500 for photos of Spider-Man, so they'll surely pay $1000 for Lizard Man."
He stuck the camera to the sewer wall.
Peter was already thinking about what he would do with the $1000 once he got it.
$1000 would be enough for daily expenses for a long time.
But Peter thought that since he could earn money by taking photos of Spider-Man in the future, he wouldn't need to be so frugal.
"I think I can buy Uncle Ben a new car, or maybe a used RV for a family trip."
He thought it was a great idea.
In the future, he and Benny could afford the family's expenses, so Uncle Ben and Aunt May wouldn't have to work so hard anymore. For him, taking a few photos for hundreds or even thousands of dollars was easier than lifting a finger.
And their family hadn't gone on a trip together in a long time.
As Peter was daydreaming about the future, the giant web suddenly vibrated slightly.
He immediately collected his thoughts, crouched down, and looked towards the deep opening, trying to find the source of the tremor.
However, in the darkness, the spider silk beneath his feet vibrated violently, like guitar strings being strummed by fingers – not just one, but all of them!
It was as if a grand symphony had begun. Peter thought he had disturbed the vibration frequency by moving on the silk, so he quickly jumped around until he saw rows upon rows of dense lizards crawling from all directions, converging together.
Like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea, they gathered to pay homage to their king!
Found them!
Peter's mind flashed with this thought, and his mood couldn't help but become tense.
He held his breath and cautiously crawled towards the direction the little lizards were heading. The dark sewer was like the deep, unseen throat and esophagus of a monster, swallowing his small figure.
Peter kept moving forward, but suddenly, those abnormalities disappeared.
It was as if the prey on the spider web had escaped, and the spider silk stopped trembling.
Peter instinctively stopped his actions.
At this moment, the sewer was as quiet as the few seconds before a monster appears in a horror movie...
Perhaps not like—
Peter swallowed, and a sharp pain suddenly shot through his head, like an electric current coursing through his entire body.
He looked into the depths of the sewer, vigilant for an enemy that might appear at any moment.
But he didn't notice a giant claw hanging directly above his head.
The stinging sensation intensified, and Peter looked up, meeting a pair of dim yellow eyes!
*BOOM!!!*
—
The Lizard Monster tore open a mouth wide enough to split his ears and lunged at Ben's back!
In that instant, his Spider-Sense went off like an alarm bell.
Without a second thought, Ben backflipped onto the ceiling, dodging the attack.
Hanging upside down, he looked down and met the gaze of the monster with green fur and scales.
"Mouse?"
"Lizard?"
This was a mutated monster, nearly two and a half meters tall. Its body still retained traits of a white mouse, but it was already transforming into a lizard.
Its segmented tail whipped around like a giant whip.
Before Ben could make a move, a heavy sound came from outside the lab, as if something heavy had fallen.
Then, Ben heard a sharp voice.
"The antidote for the serum?"
"I can't let you ruin my plan, kid!"
Ben looked in the direction of the voice and his eyes widened.
"Doctor Animo?!"
-----------
Translation by: randomtranslator.com
Read 2500+ original & fanfic translations and Translate for Free at: randomtranslator.com