Chapter 39: The Heroes Set Out! Venom Appears!
"But... what about the other two sides?"
Gwen couldn't bear the thought. "The casualties are increasing."
"Don't worry, Gwen."
Ethan Lee put an arm around her shoulders, offering reassurance. "You're not the only hero."
As he spoke, he glanced toward the distant Stark Building.
"Yeah, Gwen, don't stress too much. We can't control everything," Jessica added, more pragmatic. "Just focus on what we can do. The faster we move, the more lives we save."
"Alright, I'll listen to you then."
Though Gwen was deeply compassionate, she trusted Ethan more.
With their decision made, the two heroines prepared to leave. Before they departed, Ethan spread his hands and asked, "So, what am I supposed to do?"
"Brother, you take command from the center!" Jessica called back before crouching slightly, then leaping onto another rooftop with ease.
"Bye~"
Gwen playfully touched the edge of her hood with two fingers in a salute before shooting a web and following after Jessica.
As he watched them vanish into the cityscape, Ethan sighed. "I'm going to the bathroom."
Then he turned to Skye. "Skye, you're in charge of the club. If you need help, ask Barbara."
Skye: "..."
---
On a towering skyscraper, two massive green lizards were climbing at an astonishing speed.
One of them carried a metal box strapped to its back, its contents unknown. Their razor-sharp claws effortlessly latched onto the building's crevices, scaling the structure despite the ninety-degree incline.
Down below, flashing red and blue lights reflected off the asphalt as police cars formed a perimeter. Officers aimed their weapons at the creatures, but their small arms proved ineffective.
"Our bullets can't penetrate their skin. This is beyond our jurisdiction," one officer muttered, gripping his pistol tightly as he took cover behind a squad car.
"At least no one's been injured here," another officer, nervously hiding behind a vehicle, pointed out. "The other sites have already reported casualties."
"What do you think those things are up to, climbing the building like that?"
"Who knows?" The officer with the pistol hesitated before offering an absurd guess. "Maybe they're going up to mate and reproduce more lizard monsters?"
The second officer groaned. "Great. That's the last thing we need—a whole city full of lizard freaks."
As ridiculous as the theory sounded, he wasn't entirely wrong. Dr. Connors did intend to create more Lizardmen.
Of course, not through natural means—that wasn't an option.
Instead, Connors had developed a device capable of dispersing the lizard serum in a gaseous form, allowing it to spread and transform even more people into reptilian creatures. Now, as he reached the rooftop, he began setting it up.
Peter, standing behind him, narrowed his eyes. His expression hardened.
Then, without warning, Peter lunged at Connors!
Connors, caught off guard, staggered as Peter slammed into him with incredible force, driving him toward the rooftop's edge.
"No! Peter! What are you doing?!"
Sparks flew from Connors' claws as he skidded to a halt, bracing against Peter's strength.
"I'm sorry... Dr. Connors," Peter said through gritted teeth, pushing with all his might. "I won't let anyone else gain this kind of power—especially not Thompson!"
The ideological rift between them had finally led to this inevitable clash.
"You... Peter, I didn't expect such a narrow-minded perspective from you!" Connors snarled, muscles bulging as he pushed back with renewed fury. "You're just like the rest of them, standing in the way of humanity's great evolution!"
---
Meanwhile, a police drone hovered near the rooftop, its camera capturing everything.
"Chief George said he was sending reinforcements... this is what we got?"
"A drone?"
"There's chaos all over the city," one officer reasoned. "Manpower is stretched thin. At least this drone is equipped with weapons."
Officer A squinted at the footage. "Are they... mating?"
Officer B exhaled sharply. "No, idiot. They're fighting."
"You sure? They kinda look the same to me."
Officer B groaned. "Shut up. The important thing is that they're fighting each other. This might be our chance to intervene."
Just then, something else appeared on the rooftop.
---
Peter struggled to force Connors over the edge, but Connors fought back with sheer brute strength, slowly regaining ground.
Then, a shadow loomed over them.
A dark figure suddenly leaped from an adjacent building, barreling straight toward Peter.
"Peter Parker!! It's you! Die!!"
Peter turned, eyes widening as a grotesque black mass lunged at him.
As it moved, a thick, inky substance spread across its face, revealing monstrous, jagged teeth and ghostly white eyes.
"Hiss~ Who the hell are you?" Peter recoiled at the creature's horrifying appearance.
It had a slimy, sinewy form—a nightmare given flesh, covered in writhing black tendrils.
The thing growled, its voice guttural and warped. "I am Venom..."
Peter barely had time to react before it lunged at him once more.
"Peter Parker... today is the day you die."