The S.H.I.E.L.D. agents unleashed a relentless assault on the advancing lizardmen, cutting down dozens of the monsters in a hail of gunfire. But before they could push forward, even more lizardmen emerged from the shadows—stronger, more resilient, and in greater numbers than before. The sheer force of the new wave forced the action team into a gradual retreat, each step back highlighting the difficulty of their mission.
In the narrow, cramped underground passages, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s heavy artillery was almost useless. Recognizing the disadvantage, Daisy ordered a tactical retreat. The team scrambled back up the way they had come, aiming to reposition and confront the lizardmen in a more open, favorable battleground.
Once they reached the surface, the situation took a dramatic turn. With ample space and room to maneuver, S.H.I.E.L.D. utilized their full arsenal. The lizardmen, now out in the open, found themselves completely overpowered, blown apart before they could even get close.
But their victory was short-lived. The entire area around them began to change as reports came in from across Manhattan. From various sewer points all over the city, lizardmen were pouring out in waves, organized as if directed by a master plan. They started driving civilians away from key areas and began forming tight layers of defenses in an attempt to seal off specific zones.
"Encirclement? Are they seriously trying to establish a perimeter?" Holm asked, his brow furrowed as he listened to Daisy's updates over the comm.
"Yes," Daisy replied, her gaze fixed on the map projected in front of her. "They've surrounded an area stretching roughly two to three kilometers around Stark Tower."
With a sigh, she added, "The hostages you just rescued have been received. Now, it's best if you get out of there as soon as possible. If we can't contain this situation quickly, we might have to use more drastic measures to eliminate the threat."
Though she didn't specify, Holm understood what she meant. S.H.I.E.L.D., along with the government, wouldn't hesitate to authorize heavy firepower—possibly even an airstrike—if it meant quelling the outbreak. Collateral damage seemed less concerning to them than a potential lizardman uprising.
"Has Tony Stark been informed about this?" Holm asked, recalling the billionaire playboy who had yet to embrace his future as Iron Man. "After all, Stark Tower is right in the middle of this mess."
Daisy hesitated before answering, "The agency tried to contact Tony from the start, but he's… unreachable. Whatever he's busy with, he isn't responding. Instead, Obadiah Stane, a top shareholder of Stark Industries, approved the government's request to proceed with operations."
Holm chuckled. "He's probably off somewhere with a model or actress."
After a moment's pause, Holm's tone grew serious again. "Understood, Daisy. I'll head back as soon as I can. Let me know if the situation changes."
"Will do." Daisy replied, her voice curt and professional.
Once the call ended, Holm filled in Spider-Woman on the latest developments. Gwen's expression shifted with each revelation, concern mounting as she pieced together the scale of the threat. She recalled snippets of conversation she'd overheard while being held captive, and a suspicion began to form.
Before she could speak, Holm crouched beside a lizardman's corpse, his hands probing through its cold, rough scales until he found what he was looking for—a small, hard object embedded under the skin. Holding the bloody device up, he muttered, "I knew it. These things have life detectors. The instant they die, Dr. Lizard is alerted to it."
Gwen's eyes widened in realization. Holm's discovery explained the sudden escalation. With their cover blown, they had lost the advantage. Now it was Dr. Lizard who was in control.
"But why did he respond so drastically?" Holm wondered aloud, scratching his head. "They've lost plenty of lizardmen before and stayed hidden. Why start this massive operation now?"
Gwen bit her lip, her memory flashing back to the conversation she'd overheard. "When I was captured, I overheard them talking about a plan—a large-scale transformation of humans into lizardmen. They've been capturing people to perfect their drug, testing it on prisoners to work out the kinks."
Taking a breath, she continued, "If this new formula succeeds, they could theoretically transform everyone in the city within minutes. The ones who don't survive will be disposed of. And they'll breed an army of lizardmen until they replace humanity."
Holm's eyes widened as the implications sank in. Dr. Lizard wasn't just a rogue scientist gone mad—he was a calculating mastermind with the power to reshape the world. Not only had he enlisted Peter Parker into his schemes, but he now commanded a legion of lizardmen and was on the brink of unleashing a full-scale genetic plague.
Judging by the situation, Holm figured the latest version of this "reagent" was already in play. His skirmish with the two lizardmen likely pushed Dr. Lizard into taking action sooner than planned, fearing that S.H.I.E.L.D. would soon catch wind and destroy all his hard work.
"We need to find their lab," Gwen interrupted his thoughts, her voice firm. "It's where they'll have the reagent formula and all their research. If we're lucky, we might even be able to make a counter-serum."
Holm turned to her, a sudden realization sparking in his mind. He remembered a similar plotline from a Spider-Man movie he'd once watched. In that story, Dr. Lizard had almost succeeded in unleashing a serum to transform New Yorkers, but was ultimately stopped by a counter-serum crafted by the movie's heroine—Gwen Stacy.
As he looked at Spider-Woman, he couldn't help but think of that movie's brave Gwen and her unyielding determination. Her quick mind, resilience, and courage were traits every Spider-person seemed to share.
"People who can become Spider-Man," he thought, "are kind, brave, and incredibly smart." And, as Spider-Woman in this universe, Gwen was no exception.
"I think you're right," he said with conviction, shaking off his reverie.
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