"Not bad…" Richard Parker nodded in satisfaction as he observed Peter Parker's body. He then glanced around at the other Arachnid-Men, seemingly contemplating whether to feed them all to Peter Parker.
The Arachnid-Men, sensing Richard Parker's gaze, exhibited fear in their eyes and quickly avoided his line of sight. Even the massive spider was no exception, worried that Richard Parker might feed it to Peter Parker as well.
After all, whether it was the Arachnid-Men or the giant spider, none of them could truly resist Richard Parker. He held the power of life and death over them. Richard saw himself as a shepherd dog for his master, but it was evident that his power was far greater than any shepherd dog's when it came to the Arachnid-Men and the giant spider.
"Peter?!" On the other side, Harry Osborn noticed something was wrong with Peter Parker. He frowned but didn't let this distraction put him at a disadvantage in the battle, as JARVIS was in full control of his armor.
Unlike Tony Stark, Harry Osborn was significantly less skilled. Even with JARVIS's assistance, Harry couldn't react as quickly or come up with the most effective responses as Stark could.
"Don't worry, you'll be next soon. Too bad you haven't been modified; otherwise, I could control you just like Peter…" Richard Parker smiled regretfully at Harry Osborn. Seeing the mad, objectifying look in Richard Parker's eyes made Harry shudder. He realized that Richard was no longer a normal human being.
"Bang!" As Richard Parker finished speaking, several Arachnid-Men attacked Harry Osborn simultaneously. Despite JARVIS's full control, Harry couldn't fend off so many attackers at once.
The Green Goblin armor Harry wore was essentially the same as the one Norman Osborn had used, with only slight cosmetic differences and no significant enhancements. Both Harry and Peter lacked the time to upgrade the armor effectively.
Thus, even with the advanced AI system JARVIS helping to operate it, Harry couldn't withstand the overwhelming number of Arachnid-Men. As their numbers grew, the disparity in strength became more apparent until the armor could no longer resist.
With a loud crack, the Arachnid-Men's spears pierced through Harry's armor. Taking advantage of the breach, other Arachnid-Men quickly stripped the armor off him.
This time, the Arachnid-Men didn't dare to kill Harry directly. They had seen the fate of those who had attacked Peter. With their newfound intelligence, they strictly followed Richard Parker's orders without deviation.
Stripped of his armor, Harry Osborn, pale and weak, was dragged in front of Richard Parker.
At this moment, Harry didn't regret his actions. He only felt frustrated at his weakness. If only he had been more decisive and used the serum, he believed he could have fought more effectively.
Harry knew he wouldn't match Peter even with the serum, but he had observed enough to realize that using it, combined with the armor, would have allowed him to kill enemies like the Arachnid-Men.
If he could kill even one, he could continue fighting without fatigue thanks to the armor, possibly finding a way to turn the tide.
However, Harry's ideal scenario didn't unfold. Instead, he was brought face-to-face with his most hated enemy, Richard Parker.
"Tsk, tsk, what a weak child you are. Your presence is so lacking. I remember Norman Osborn's imposing aura; even I didn't dare to raise my head when he was scolding. How come you didn't inherit any of that?" Richard Parker laughed mockingly, caressing Harry's face with a sickening obsession.
Harry's eyes blazed with fury at Richard Parker's perverse behavior, but he was too weak to resist, held fast by the Arachnid-Men. Without his armor, he was just an ordinary, even feeble, human.
"I love the look in your eyes right now. Keep that anger; it might increase your chances of surviving the experiment and retaining some consciousness. It could even help you evolve into a more perfect spider creature!" Richard Parker grinned with approval.
"I don't want to become such a monster! You're dreaming!" Harry Osborn gritted his teeth, glaring at Richard Parker.
"That's not up to you!" Richard Parker shrugged, signaling to the Arachnid-Men, who swiftly carried Harry towards the experiment table.
Unlike the bizarre substances Richard held, this table seemed more scientific, without any apparent mystical powers. However, this didn't make it safe. As Harry was placed on it, he caught a faint whiff of blood, even though the table looked spotless.
"No! Let him go!" Across the room, Peter Parker, his body controlled and unable to move, watched in horror as his friend was laid on the table. He desperately tried to regain control, but his body remained unresponsive.
Peter had always known about the dangers of losing control over his body, with Bucky Barnes' experiences serving as a stark warning to all the Avengers.
But now, Peter realized there was no other consciousness inside him; his body had simply become a puppet, controlled by the strange patterns on his skin.
It was clear that these eerie patterns, powered by the bizarre substance Richard wielded, were what kept Peter under control. With no way to resist, Peter could only watch helplessly as Richard prepared to experiment on Harry, injecting some liquid into him.
"Let go of that boy!" A voice echoed through the underground space of the subway station just as the needle entered Harry's body. Richard Parker instinctively turned his head to see a suit of armor charging in, followed by several Avengers he recognized but had never met in person.
"Boom!" As Richard turned to look at the Avengers, his expression changed. He seemed ready to dodge, but before he could move, he was hit and sent flying, crashing to the ground in a heap.
"It seems I was a bit late, but this liquid hasn't fully injected…" Pietro's voice rang out as he appeared beside Harry, removing the syringe and checking on him. "Hey! Are you okay? How are you feeling?"
"This guy is so fast! I sensed his presence, yet I couldn't avoid his attack?!" Richard Parker, getting up from the ground, scowled at Pietro, who had saved Harry. He despised anyone who interrupted his experiments.
With a quick thought, Richard Parker sent Peter Parker charging at Pietro, aiming a punch at his head.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Pietro dodged with Harry in his arms, shouting, "Peter? Can you hear me? Don't let him control you! Snap out of it!"
"…" Peter Parker, trapped within his own body, could only watch the unfolding events. He was trying his hardest to regain control, but his body remained a puppet, controlled by the strange markings.
"Peter seems to be controlled by those patterns. Be careful not to hurt him!" Harry, now fully aware, warned Pietro, fearing he might accidentally injure Peter.
"Hey! Give me some credit here! Haven't you noticed I'm just dodging? I haven't hit him back, have I? I'm the one saving you, remember? Maybe consider my safety too?" Pietro exclaimed in exasperation.
"Don't worry, I believe you can handle it!" Barry Allen appeared next to Pietro, taking Harry from him. "I'll get him out of here. Although the serum didn't fully inject, we should still move him to safety to prevent any unforeseen effects."
"Fine, fine. I'll keep Peter occupied while you deal with that big spider and the other monsters!" Pietro shrugged, showing no objections to Barry's plan.
"Ha, you think you can leave so easily?" Richard Parker sneered at Pietro and Barry. Even though their speed made them nearly invisible to him, he wouldn't back down.
With a buzzing sound, Richard Parker's strange substance once again unleashed its power. Peter Parker's body grew slightly taller, his speed and strength increasing dramatically, even becoming more monstrous in appearance.
"Boom!" This time, Pietro couldn't dodge Peter's attack. He was knocked back, shaking his arm and looking at Peter helplessly, unsure if he should fight back.
"Just knock me out! If you can knock me unconscious, I won't be able to attack you anymore!" Peter Parker, watching helplessly, felt a surge of frustration as he urged Pietro to act. But his voice went unheard, and despite being pushed back, Pietro hesitated to fight Peter seriously, especially in his current state.
Richard Parker, noticing Pietro's hesitation, smirked and commanded more Arachnid-Men to surround himself, while sending others to attack Pietro.
Richard didn't expect the Arachnid-Men to harm Pietro. He just needed them to slow him down, allowing Peter's enhanced abilities to deal with him.
Meanwhile, the giant spider, under Richard's control, had grown much larger, filling the underground space and blocking Tony Stark and the others from reaching Peter or attacking Richard directly.
"This big guy is really troublesome. Is it being controlled like Peter? My flames have scorched it, yet it doesn't flinch," Johnny Storm commented as he blasted the spider, burning a section of its body. The spider seemed unfazed by the injury.
"Damn!" Tony Stark frowned, unleashing a powerful repulsor blast that pierced the spider, causing it to spray disgusting blood and goo, but it stood firm as if unharmed.
Indeed, the giant spider was under Richard Parker's complete control. Despite its own reluctance and instincts to flee, Richard's bizarre substance had absolute dominion over it, just like it did with Peter Parker.
"No problem. This spider can't hold me back. I'll grab that mad scientist and end this… Ugh!" Barry Allen, exploiting his speed, zipped out but was stopped mid-sentence as he sensed
danger. Despite his quick reflexes, Harry Osborn's hand pierced his abdomen as he tried to avoid the attack.
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