However, Dr. Lizard didn't retreat even a step. He forcefully absorbed the impact of the bullet, his sharp claws continuing their deadly trajectory towards Merlin's chest.
"No!!!" Arcee cried out in despair, desperately wanting to reach Merlin, but it was too late. She could only watch as the claws closed in.
"Gwen is next!" Dr. Lizard sneered, expecting to see fear in the young man's eyes. But instead of terror, Merlin puffed out his chest defiantly.
"Boom!"
A thick pulse of laser energy suddenly illuminated the dark laboratory. Arcee's despair quickly turned to relief as Dr. Lizard's massive form froze in place. His menacing head was now gone, vaporized by the powerful blast. The air still shimmered with the residual heat of the laser energy pulse.
"Phew... Good thing I was prepared," Merlin said, turning to Arcee with a thumbs-up. A round breastplate, glowing with a red halo from an embedded Ark reactor, gleamed at the spot where Dr. Lizard's claws had been aimed.
"After all, you can't ignore safety issues when having fun."
"Don't worry, it's been dealt with!" Merlin assured, now focused on the task at hand. Ignoring the burn marks on his clothing, he immediately activated the lab equipment and began developing the serum. During this time, a few lizardmen attempted to enter through the broken windows, but Arcee swiftly eliminated them.
Meanwhile, on the top of the tower, with Professor Connors no longer present, Peter was left to defend the perimeter alone against a swarm of lizardmen. The scattered teams had entered the building to stop Merlin from making the serum, which weakened the defenses around the tower.
Finally, Gwen, Matt, and the players who had been relentlessly pushing through seized the opportunity. They created a breach in the lizardmen's defense.
"Stop it, Peter! We shouldn't be doing this. Your friend Merlin has made the serum, and you can return to a normal life!" Gwen, as nimble as a spider, perched on the vigilante mecha, looking down at Peter, whose face was twisted with ferocity.
"Roar!!!" Peter growled, standing at the base of the Canary Device. "No! This is evolution. Reptilian genes are the future of humanity! You have spider genes in your body—what right do you have to persuade me?"
"But you're destined to fail. As soon as day breaks, the military's air force and army troops will arrive in New York City and bomb you indiscriminately," Gwen warned, her voice urgent. She had just received the news from Matt. "With your self-healing ability, you can't withstand that. More people will die!"
"You can't win! This is just an unequal battle!" Gwen pleaded, trying to reach him. "You're nothing but pawns, deceived by the game. This battle might just be entertainment for those behind the platform."
"Peter! Stop it!" Gwen shouted, her voice filled with urgency. "As long as you return to being human, everything will return to normal." Even though her face was hidden under her hood, the desperation in her eyes was palpable.
She still found it hard to believe that the lizardman she had been chasing all this time was Peter. Despite noticing odd behaviors from him recently, she never once doubted him. The revelation that her friend had transformed into this creature was almost too much to bear.
"The reptile project will succeed. Humanity's frail and despicable genes can no longer keep up with the progress of civilization!" Peter's voice was firm, his tone almost fanatical. "You've seen those massive robots and the mechanical chaos species. The eyes of aliens are already on us. We must evolve!"
Peter's gaze was intense as he stared at Spider-Woman, each word he spoke carrying a weight of conviction. "You should join us!" Even in his lizard form, Peter still held onto his admiration for Spider-Woman, hoping she would see reason and join their cause.
Gwen was momentarily stunned. There was a certain logic to Peter's words, twisted though they were. But she couldn't forget that this chaos was orchestrated by the gaming platform. She sighed, feeling a deep sense of helplessness. "Rash evolution will only accelerate humanity's demise," she countered softly.
Peter's expression darkened, his resolve hardening. Just as he was about to retort, Daredevil, who had been silent until now, spoke up from beside Gwen.
"Merlin's potion is ready. I'll cover you to get to the tower!" Daredevil said, his voice steady and reassuring.
"Okay!" Gwen's heart leapt with hope. She quickly shot a web and swung towards the tower.
"Ho ho ho!!!" Peter roared, grabbing a nearby piece of debris and hurling it like a dart. It sliced through Gwen's web, severing it mid-air.
But before Peter could act further, the vigilante mecha suddenly surged forward, a blur of black, and slammed into Peter, knocking him away.
Daredevil swung his blind stick, and with a quick motion, a rope ejected, trapping Peter. "Ho ho ho!!!" Peter growled as the battle ignited once more, with players and lizardmen clashing fiercely.
As Gwen was about to land, she swiftly ejected her spider silk again, hooking onto the tower. She soared through the air, gliding above the heads of groups of lizardmen, and quickly landed on the mountainside of the tower.
"Destroy the tower!!!" Peter, struggling to get up, roared furiously as he saw Spider-Woman nearing the structure.
"Bang!" Daredevil's thick red stick struck Peter again, sending him sprawling. Meanwhile, the lizardmen around the tower began attacking the metal pillars like a frenzied mob, trying to bring the structure down.
"Bang! Bang! Bang..." Gwen quickly stabilized herself on the tower, then took a deep breath as she gazed up at the device at the top. She rapidly scaled the structure, using both her hands and feet.
"Merlin, you better not break your habit of never being late..." she muttered to herself. Under the violent shaking of the tower, she finally reached the front of the Canary Device.
"Hey! Spider-Woman, are you waiting for me?"
Enjoy the chapter
Comment your thought
Get 15 advance chapter in my patreon:patreon.com/Asriel_sain