As Gwen was about to look up, a familiar voice sounded in her ears. "Phew!" A red phantom flashed past, and Merlin appeared in front of her, riding a red motorcycle. Seeing him, Gwen immediately felt a surge of excitement, but she quickly suppressed it, remembering her current identity.
"Here you go, this is the serum! Quickly put it into the Canary Device and release it—the tower's about to fall!" Merlin shouted, tossing a tube of blue potion to her. The tower, now violently shaking, began making ominous twisting sounds, with screws loosening from the connections.
Gwen swiftly ejected her spider silk, catching the serum mid-air. Without wasting a moment, she opened the launch tube of the device and carefully placed the blue serum inside.
"Click!" After securing the serum, Gwen immediately pressed the launch button.
"The Canary Device is restarting. Restart successful... Ready to launch!" A cold electronic voice echoed from the device.
"5! 4! 3!...1! Launch!"
"Bang!" The center of the device began rotating at high speed, emitting a light blue glow, and then suddenly ejecting the serum from the top of the tower like fireworks.
"Whew~~~" The atomized potion spread out like a Smurf dancing under the moonlight, dissolving into the dark clouds above.
"No!!!" Below, Peter fell to his knees, covering his face with sharp claws in despair as he stared at the blue streak in the sky.
The lizardmen who had been fiercely battling the players suddenly paused, sensing the change, and looked up at the sky. Under the gaze of countless eyes, a ball of blue light suddenly exploded in the clouds.
"Boom!"
Absolute silence followed, as the sky over Manhattan became enveloped in a serene layer of blue.
"This is..." A lizardman on the street stretched out his ferocious palm as a small blue raindrop landed on it like ink. His once cold, vertical pupils began to fade, slowly reverting to normal human eyes.
"Pattering!!!" Unlike the strange and irritating green rain that had fallen earlier, this blue rain bathed everything in a faint, calming glow. The dreamlike halo it cast over the surroundings brought a sense of peace. The rain was light, like fine snow and dust floating through the air. It fell everywhere in Manhattan—on the streets, in squares, in shopping malls, in buildings.
"Roar!" "Ho ho ho!!!" The once hoarse and sharp roars that had filled the night sky grew weaker and weaker until they finally disappeared.
All around, lizardmen seemed to be turning to sand. The thick green skin on their bodies, soaked in the blue serum, crumbled away like gravel, revealing their original, thin human forms beneath.
A lizardman climbing a wall instinctively moved to a safe spot, while many others, who had once been patients, now wore sad expressions. They knelt on the ground, looking up blankly at the sky, watching the dreamy blue raindrops fall as if they had accepted their fate.
But after a while, they began to notice something was different. Severed limbs seemed to be intact, and the weakness in their bodies didn't seem to have returned.
"This is..." Malik, whose arms had been broken, looked at them in shock, his expression a mix of surprise and disbelief. His arms hadn't disappeared; instead, his skin had turned into green lizard skin. While his mind and emotions returned to normal human states, his body retained some lizard characteristics. These traits seemed to have allowed his severed arm to regenerate.
"Great! I still have my leg!" one person exclaimed.
"My disease has also been cured! Although the green skin is a bit weird, as long as I can survive, I have a chance!" another cheered.
"Great! Thank God!!!"
But not everyone was relieved.
"I'm crazy! How can I turn into a green-skinned monster!!! I wanted to evolve, not become this freak who is neither human nor beast!" someone else shouted, their voice full of despair.
Under the blue moon, the cheers of the patients mingled with the yells and curses of many others.
After the blue rain gradually subsided in Manhattan, the streets were left in eerie silence. The players' mission wasn't over yet—they still had to hunt down the remaining chaotic species in the city. Compared to the burly, strong, self-healing, and intelligent lizardmen, these chaotic species, spawned by the source of fire, were much easier to handle. Their brittle skin and varying strength due to electronic components made them easier targets. The risks were lower, and the potential for rewards higher, so many exhausted players found renewed energy. This was a unique opportunity for the Manhattan players, one they didn't want to waste. They hoped that, one day, their vehicles could evolve into something like those of the alien motorcycle riders they had encountered.
In the Tower War, they had witnessed the power of Optimus Prime and his allies—machines with incredible strength, self-healing capabilities, and far superior technology. The thought of upgrading their vehicles to such levels was an exciting prospect.
As the final stage of the mission concluded, a message appeared:
*[The mission in Manhattan is over, humanity wins!]*
The people of Apple City who received this notification had mixed reactions. Those who had lost the lizard gene looked at their green skin with unease, a trace of worry flickering across their faces. The victory was bittersweet.
"Zhiya!!!" "Boom!" The tower, strained beyond its limits, finally collapsed. Gwen, who had jumped down from the tower, landed gracefully and immediately noticed Peter, whose skin was still tinted green. She glanced at the others, who also bore the green lizard-like features, and then turned to Merlin, her face filled with confusion.
"What's going on? Isn't there something wrong with your serum?" Gwen asked, concern evident in her voice.
Merlin frowned slightly, thinking for a moment before replying, "It could be a mutation that affects the chromosomes after the transformation. The serum was designed to destroy the lizard's regenerative genes, but it seems that some of the characteristics may have persisted. It's possible that the mutation has left some permanent changes at the chromosomal level, which the serum couldn't completely reverse."
Gwen nodded slowly, trying to process the information. The mission was over, but the consequences of what had transpired in Manhattan were far from clear. The victory over the lizardmen had come at a cost, one that they were only beginning to understand.
"If it affects the genes of human cells, it can't be destroyed," Merlin explained, spreading his hands as he tried to give a rough explanation.
"How could this happen?" Gwen sighed, feeling a sense of disappointment. This outcome was different from what she had expected, but she understood the complexities of genetics, especially when dealing with cross-species genes. The probability of side effects or sequelae was not small.
Shortly after the serum was released, Stark and the others arrived at the top of the building.
"There are five more towers. Who's going where?" Merlin asked, holding up the remaining vials of serum and looking at the group gathered around him. Most of them were skilled solo operatives, making them ideal for this kind of mission.
"I'll go to Hell's Kitchen. I'm familiar with it," Uncle Punishment (Punisher) said.
Natasha: "I'll take the Bronx."
Gwen: "I'll head to Queens."
John: "I'll cover Brooklyn."
Stark: "Leave the Statue of Liberty to me."
In the end, Hawkeye and Natasha paired up, while Deadpool joined Uncle Punishment. Matt teamed up with John, knowing that the lizardmen in Brooklyn were stronger. Optimus Prime and the other Autobots were willing to provide escort and support. Aside from Optimus Prime, who stayed behind to protect Merlin and the source of the fire, the other Autobots were dispatched to assist.
"Okay, remember to wear your headsets," Merlin instructed. "I'm going back to my old job."
With that, the group dispersed, each member heading towards their respective targets to ensure the serum reached the remaining towers and the lizardmen's reign of terror was finally brought to an end
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