"It's Peter Parker!"
Faced with Dr. Lizard's menacing attitude, Gwen could no longer remain calm. She abandoned her restraint, gave up her defensive stance, and rushed straight toward him.
Seeing her charge, Dr. Lizard let out a hoarse laugh, his grotesque face contorting with excitement as he moved to meet her.
"He was so kind and excellent!" Gwen snarled, narrowly dodging Dr. Lizard's claws. Through gritted teeth, she continued, "It's all because of you!"
Her mind was suddenly flooded with memories of the past. They played out like a vivid slideshow, finally stopping at the heart-wrenching image of Peter's lifeless body cradled in her arms.
Sadness and fury welled up inside her, overwhelming her senses. She clenched her fists tightly. After evading another swipe from Dr. Lizard's claws, she swung her fist with all her strength and struck him directly.
Dr. Lizard, however, dismissed the punch entirely. Holm's sharp blade had failed to harm him earlier—what damage could this small fist possibly do?
He neither blocked nor defended himself, prepared to absorb the impact and then teach Gwen a painful lesson.
Bang!
The punch landed with a muffled but forceful sound. A flicker of surprise flashed across Dr. Lizard's grotesque features. Then, pain distorted his face. His massive, mountain-like body staggered back several steps under the unexpected force.
He had underestimated this wall-crawler. For all his calculations, he never anticipated that Gwen's small frame could pack such extraordinary power. It felt less like a fist had struck him and more like a cannonball had slammed into his midsection.
As Dr. Lizard reeled backward, Gwen pressed her left shoulder, trying to stem the bleeding from deep gashes left by his claws. Her face was pale, beads of sweat glistening as she bit her lip to fight through the pain.
In her anger, she had traded blows with him—an impulsive and costly mistake.
Her cannonball-like punch had driven into Dr. Lizard's abdomen, but his sharp claws had simultaneously raked across her shoulder, cutting so deeply that her bones were visible beneath the torn flesh.
Had her strike not caused him enough pain to stagger, his claws would have likely severed her arm entirely.
Gwen, now regaining her senses, broke into a cold sweat, overwhelmed by the enormity of her miscalculation. She bit her lip harder, a mixture of shock and regret surging through her.
Initially, her plan had been to stall Dr. Lizard long enough for the serum to deploy. But now, because of her reckless decision, she had not only failed to delay him but also left herself gravely injured.
Meanwhile, Dr. Lizard's pain was fleeting, quickly alleviated by his enhanced healing ability. As Gwen clutched her bleeding wound, silently berating herself, he recovered entirely and charged at her again, his eyes wide with fury.
Seeing him as strong as before, Gwen's self-reproach deepened. She hastily sprayed spider silk onto her shoulder to stop the bleeding and shakily stood once more.
"There are less than twenty seconds left. Sit down and rest. Leave this ugly guy to me. I've got a plan," a familiar voice said.
Holm suddenly appeared behind Gwen as she struggled to stand. His calm demeanor was reassuring, and he motioned for her to take a seat.
Before she could argue, Holm sprinted toward Dr. Lizard, carrying a backpack.
Dr. Lizard frowned, puzzled. He remembered slashing Holm's chest earlier, leaving deep wounds. Yet now, Holm appeared completely unharmed.
Bang!
Holm collided with Dr. Lizard with impressive force. This time, more tentacles extended from Holm's body, their enhanced strength effortlessly deflecting Dr. Lizard's attacks.
"The same trick again? Is that all you've got?" Dr. Lizard bellowed, frustrated by the tentacle that had wrapped tightly around his arm once more.
Holm smirked, unbothered. He opened his backpack and sneered, "Don't worry. The real fun is just getting started."
He pulled out two vials of serum and squeezed them tightly.
The blue liquid transformed into a fine mist upon contact with air, spreading rapidly and infiltrating Dr. Lizard's body with each breath he took.
The blue fog engulfed Holm and Dr. Lizard entirely. Realizing its effects, Dr. Lizard panicked and began struggling violently, desperate to escape.
However, each time he tried to break free, Holm's tentacles dragged him back into the mist.
Holm's goal wasn't to harm Dr. Lizard directly. His focus was on ensuring the creature inhaled as much serum as possible.
"Let me go! Damn it! Cough!" Dr. Lizard roared, thrashing against Holm's hold.
As the serum took effect, Dr. Lizard's formidable abilities began to diminish. The mucus that made him impervious to spider silk dried up. His razor-sharp scales softened and dulled.
Holm noticed the changes but felt the process was taking too long.
With a thought, his tentacles morphed, sprouting sharp black spikes. Smooth tendrils became thorny whips, designed for maximum damage.
A thick, sharp tentacle emerged from Holm's chest and pierced into Dr. Lizard's abdomen like a spear. Once inside, it split apart into countless branches, shredding his insides and leaving his midsection a bloody mess.
Roar!!!
Dr. Lizard's agonized scream echoed through the air. Holm had been waiting for this opening.
As Dr. Lizard opened his mouth wide, Holm's hand shifted into a blade, slicing off his lower jaw in one swift motion. With his other hand, he shoved a serum vial into Dr. Lizard's throat.
Bang!
Holm drove his fist into the vial, shattering it inside Dr. Lizard's throat. The blue mist surged out, forcing its way into Dr. Lizard's lungs.
"This stuff isn't cheap, you know," Holm quipped with a grin, pulling out another vial. "Don't waste it—it's a great oxygen substitute."
He forced the second vial into Dr. Lizard's mouth, leaving him no chance to recover.
As the serum's mist filled his system, Dr. Lizard's body began to convulse violently. The deep green of his scales slowly started to fade.
Yet, the transformation wasn't happening as quickly as Holm had hoped. Perhaps the excess reagent Dr. Lizard had injected into himself caused unforeseen complications, or the serum concentration simply wasn't high enough.
Just as Holm began to reassess his strategy, a mechanical voice interrupted.
"Sequence has finished."
The countdown on the Canary device had reached zero.
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