Forest Hills, Parker Home.
The afternoon sun was blocked out by heavy curtains, and a strange smell permeated the dim room.
Peter Parker was emitting the scent of metabolites being expelled after his internal metabolic rate had suddenly increased a hundredfold.
"Water, I need water."
Peter lay on the bed, his face showing a sickly flush, his body trembling violently under the covers, and his teeth chattering with a clacking sound.
The whole person looked like they had just been fished out of water, soaked through.
Aunt Mei stood by the bed, tears welling up in her eyes from worry, as she used a wet towel to constantly wipe the sweat from Peter's brow.
"Oh my God, how did he suddenly get such a high fever? He was fine just a moment ago. Should I call an ambulance?"
"Not for now, Aunt Mei."
Alice stood at the head of the bed, holding the electronic thermometer she had just taken out of Peter's mouth.
"41.2 degrees. If it were a normal flu, this temperature would indeed be very dangerous. But Peter's pupillary light reflex is normal, and there are no convulsions."
Alice's gaze swept over Peter's tense neck muscles and his thoracic cage, which rose and fell slightly with every breath.
In the scientist's vision, Peter Parker at this moment was like a biological reactor undergoing a violent nuclear reaction.
[Heart rate: 160 beats/min.]
[Blood pressure: 180/110 mmHg.]
[White blood cell count: Abnormally soaring.]
[Status Analysis: Retrovirus is invading cell nuclei throughout the body, violently rewriting DNA sequences. Old protein chains are breaking, and new, stronger muscle fibers are being reorganized.]
This was a war on a microscopic level, and also a painful rebirth.
If he were sent to the hospital, the Doctor would be scared to death by these bizarre physiological indicators and then inject him with sedatives or antibiotics.
Those things would not only be useless but might also interfere with the process of genetic recombination, leading to a failed mutation or unpredictable aberrations.
"He's just suffering from severe dehydration and electrolyte imbalance."
Alice's calm judgment in a steady tone settled Aunt Mei's panicked heart a little.
"He might have eaten something he's allergic to at Osborn, or he's infected with some kind of acute virus. The key now is to lower his temperature and hydrate him. Tossing him around at the hospital would only increase the burden."
"Really, Alice? You know medicine?" Aunt Mei asked, as if grasping at a saving straw.
"A little. I've read about it in books before."
Alice didn't explain much; she turned and walked toward Peter's messy desk.
"Aunt Mei, is there salt and sugar in the kitchen? Also, I remember Peter had some multivitamin tablets here?"
"Yes, I'll go get them." Aunt Mei rushed downstairs.
After Aunt Mei brought the items up, Alice quickly cleared a space on the table, took Peter's water cup, poured in warm water, and then skillfully added the right amount of salt and sugar.
"0.9% sodium chloride, 5% glucose—this is the most basic oral rehydration salts formula."
Next, she picked up a bottle of Vitamin B complex tablets from the corner of the table, poured out a few, crushed them with the bottom of a glass, and sprinkled them into the water.
"B-complex vitamins assist in nervous system repair and alleviate the neuralgia caused by gene rewriting."
Finally, she pulled a small paper packet from her pocket, which contained a bit of white powder.
That was a sedative component she had extracted from several sleeping pills and cold medicines using Ai Haibara's ability last night, removing the liver-damaging excipients to achieve extremely high purity.
"Sleep, Peter. When you wake up, you won't be the same person you are now."
Alice dissolved the powder into the water and shook it well.
At that moment, Aunt Mei happened to run up with a jar of honey.
"Here, this is a love special." Alice took the honey and added a spoonful for flavoring, then propped up the semi-conscious Peter and poured the murky liquid into his mouth.
Peter swallowed instinctively. The liquid, with its sweet-salty taste and a hint of medicinal bitterness, flowed down his throat, moisturizing his burning internal organs like a sweet rain.
A few minutes later, Peter's rapid breathing gradually steadied, his furrowed brow smoothed out, and he fell into a deep sleep.
"Oh, thank God, he's asleep." Aunt Mei breathed a long sigh of relief as she watched the now-tranquil Peter and gratefully grasped Alice's hand. "Thank you, Alice. If it weren't for you, I really wouldn't know what to do."
"We're friends, it's what I should do." Alice smiled obediently. "Let him sleep. His appetite might increase significantly over the next few days, so just prepare plenty of high-protein food. I'll head back now, Aunt Mei."
Stepping out of the Parker home, the setting sun had already dyed the sky blood-red.
Alice looked back at Peter's second-floor window.
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