Night.
The interior of the Oscorp Tower was pitch black.
Only the emergency exit signs emitted a faint green glow.
However, the darkness did not hinder Bren's vision much. After all, if Peter could see clearly with black lenses, Bren had no trouble at all.
"Connors' lab... I remember it's this way..."
As he hacked into the Oscorp Tower earlier, Bren had already mapped out his route. Not only that, he had added a universal key to his system, no door access could block him now.
Before long, he found Connors' old lab.
It was a complete mess.
Everything was scattered on the floor in disarray, and even the lab tables had been overturned.
A pungent odor lingered in the air, causing Bren to wrinkle his nose as he covered his face. Using the red light emitted from his watch, he ventured inside.
For some reason, at this moment, he felt a strange sensation. It wasn't the usual feeling of danger or spider-sense, but there was a nagging sense of being watched.
He scanned the lab, and a few small white mice, still unused for experiments, watched him warily. After sensing his gaze, they quickly scampered off into a corner.
Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
Suppressing his suspicions, Bren straightened the tables and began gathering a few well-preserved test tubes, collecting the remaining materials in the lab. He was ready to start preparing the lizard serum.
However, what he didn't notice was that the few mice hiding in the dark corners were now looking at him with increasingly fierce gazes.
…
Meanwhile, deep in the sewers of New York.
Peter found a central hub, a junction that connected the entire city's underground pipelines and served as the largest sewage collection point in the area.
"In the narrow sewer tunnels, even the smallest vibrations become very distinct."
He shot his webs toward various deep sections of the pipes, linking them together into a massive network of webs, a giant trap waiting for its prey. And Peter was the spider hunting within it!
"Now, it's just a matter of waiting."
Peter sat down on the web.
At this moment, he had some time to catch his breath.
But in reality, he wished he didn't have to take a break because the smell down here was unbearable.
"Dirty and stinky. Why is my work environment so terrible?" Peter pinched his nose and grumbled. "If only I could work in outer space like Superman."
"Iron Man would never go to the sewers, and Bren... no wonder he's not helping me..."
Peter muttered to himself.
"Right—"
Suddenly, he had an idea. He jumped back to the surface, grabbed his backpack, and pulled out his camera.
"This is a good opportunity. If I can snap a photo of Spider-Man battling the Lizard, not only will I clear Spider-Man's name, but I could make some money too."
Peter was still very upset about George Stacy's belief that Spider-Man and the Lizard were working together.
He'd worked hard to help the police catch so many criminals, but instead of appreciation, they thought he was a villain?
"It's probably because they don't know I'm the one catching the criminals. I think next time, I'll leave a note saying 'Your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.'"
Doing good deeds with credit, it was one of Peter's little quirks.
What he didn't know was that his behavior was seen as nothing less than a provocation by others.
"And the Daily Bugle, they'd probably pay $500 for Spider-Man photos, so they'll definitely pay $1,000 for photos of the Lizard."
He attached the camera to the sewer wall.
Peter's mind was already thinking about what he could do with that $1,000 when it came in.
If he spent it just on living expenses, it would last quite a while.
But Peter thought to himself that he could make money by taking pictures of Spider-Man, so there would be no need to live so frugally.
"I could buy Uncle Ben a new car or get a second-hand RV for a family trip."
He thought it was a good idea.
In the future, he and Bren could contribute to the household expenses, and Uncle Ben and Aunt May wouldn't have to work so hard anymore. For Peter, taking a few photos to earn a few hundred or even a thousand dollars seemed easier than lifting a finger.
And their family hadn't gone on a trip together for a long time.
As Peter daydreamed about the future, the giant web suddenly vibrated lightly.
His attention snapped back, and he crouched low, looking toward the deep sewer entrance, trying to pinpoint where the tremor was coming from.
But in the darkness, the webs under his feet began to vibrate violently, as if plucked by an unseen finger, every single strand was shaking!
It was like a symphony of vibrations, and Peter thought for a moment that it was his own movement disrupting the wave frequencies. He quickly hopped from side to side until he saw them, the rows of lizards, pouring in from all directions, converging in one spot.
It was like all the rivers flowing into the sea. They were gathering to meet their king!
Found them!
A rush of tension surged through Peter's mind.
He held his breath and carefully crawled toward the direction of the little lizards, the dark sewer tunnels swallowing his small figure as if it were the throat and esophagus of some monster.
Peter kept moving, but suddenly, the strange feeling vanished.
It was as if the prey in his web had broken free, the vibrations stopped.
Peter instinctively halted.
At that moment, the sewer was eerily silent, just like the few seconds before a monster was about to appear in a horror movie...
Or maybe not—
Peter swallowed hard, a sudden sharp pain coursed through his head, as if an electric current had shot through his body.
He looked down the sewer, eyes wide, alert for any enemies that might appear.
But what he didn't notice was a giant claw hanging right above his head.
The pain intensified, and Peter looked up, meeting a pair of yellow eyes!
Boom!!!
The Lizard monster opened its wide mouth, large enough to split ears, and lunged at Bren's back!
In that instant, Peter's spider-sense rang like an alarm bell.
Without a second thought, Bren flipped backward, jumping to the ceiling, narrowly avoiding the strike.
Hanging upside down, he looked down at the green-scaled monster.
"A rat?"
"A lizard?"
The creature was a mutated monster nearly 2.5 meters tall, still retaining some mouse-like traits, but rapidly evolving into something more reptilian.
Its segmented tail whipped like a massive whip.
Before Bren could react, a heavy sound came from outside the lab, as if something large had fallen.
Then, Bren heard a sharp voice.
"The antidote for the serum?"
"I can't let you mess up my plan, kid!"
Bren glanced toward the voice and his eyes widened in shock.
"Dr. Animo?!"
**********
Note: If you guys want to read up to 30+ chapters in advance of the current story, you can support me on Patreon, we're chapter 63 there!
Link: [P]atreon.com/Vynthor [Remove the brackets]