Connors' low growl sent a chill through Peter, making his hair stand on end. The foul stench in the air only added to the mental and physical torment he was enduring.
Swallowing hard, Peter looked ahead. A massive humanoid shadow blocked his path. The light was too dim to reveal details, showing only the outline of a figure.
Trembling, Peter began to retreat, gripping the case tightly. He couldn't let Dr. Connors get his hands on the serum inside.
After learning about the unique traits of this ancient lizard species, Peter had a strong suspicion of what Connors intended to do with the last vial of serum. No matter what, he couldn't allow Connors to obtain it.
As Peter backed away, Connors steadily advanced. Finally, under the faint moonlight, Peter caught a glimpse of Connors' appearance.
He could barely recognize him. Connors' head had fully transformed into a long, flat lizard's head, his entire upper body covered in dark green scales. Apart from standing on two legs, Connors had completely become a lizard.
"Doctor... Connors…" Peter's voice trembled.
The Lizard Connors took another step forward, growling, "Peter, you've always been my good student. Give me that vial, and you can continue to be my good student."
Peter continued to retreat, but this only enraged Connors. Raising a sharp claw, he snarled, "I said, give it to me!"
Oh no! Am I going to die? Peter's mind raced with disbelief. Could this really be how it ends?
Just then, a familiar voice rang out from behind him: "Peter, get down!"
Trusting that voice completely, Peter immediately overcame his fear and dropped to the ground.
As he crouched down, Lizard Connors saw two more people appear at the entrance, one of whom threw a glass container toward him. Before he could react, the container shattered against his body. The liquid inside exploded into countless white webs, wrapping around Connors like a cocoon.
Alan and Gwen rushed to Peter's side.
"Gwen, why are you guys here?" Peter asked.
"We came to the school for something, then saw the light and came to check it out," Alan explained. Gwen then asked in disbelief, "Was that… Dr. Connors?"
Peter nodded painfully.
Meanwhile, the spider cocoon began to tremble.
"We should go. This won't hold him for long," Alan urged.
Gwen nodded and helped Peter as the three of them made a run for it.
A short while later, a sharp claw pierced through the cocoon with a tearing sound, shredding all the spider silk to pieces. The Lizard Connors, now free, sniffed the air.
"You won't get away, Peter. I… remember your scent."
Moving on all fours, Lizard Connors quickly began to pursue Alan and the others.
Sensing Connors rapidly closing in, Alan suddenly stopped, furrowing his brow. Gwen, relying on her spider sense, also realized Connors was gaining on them fast.
"Gwen, take Peter and go. Meet up at my place," Alan said, handing her his house key.
Seeing the concern in Gwen's eyes, Alan reassured her, "Don't worry. I promised you I'll catch up."
"Remember, you couldn't beat me before," he added with a grin.
Gwen knew that if someone didn't stop Connors, none of them would make it out safely.
Taking the keys from Alan, Gwen looked at him seriously. "You must come back. Otherwise, even if I die, I will find you."
"Alright!" Alan replied.
He couldn't let Gwen stay behind to fight the Lizard Connors. At this point, Gwen hadn't yet developed her web-shooting ability, and she was still unfamiliar with her other spider powers.
Having her confront Connors would be far too dangerous. This time, Alan would have to handle things on his own.
Once Gwen and Peter had run off into the distance, Alan flexed his wrists.
"Now, the hunter becomes the hunted."
Stepping forward, Alan fastened the Emperor Belt around his waist.
"Emperor Armor…"
"Combine!"
"Armor Fusion…"
As Alan walked forward, golden armor slowly materialized around his body. By the time the Lizard Connors caught up, he found himself facing a figure clad in gleaming gold armor.
The Lizard Connors skidded to a halt. "Who are you?" he growled.
His animal instinct for survival kicked in, telling him that the person before him was extremely dangerous.
"Maybe you can call me… Emperor!"
The Lizard Connors flicked his tongue in and out, unsure of what to think. But it didn't matter now.
Alan had already made his move, moving so quickly that even the Lizard Connors couldn't react in time. In a flash, Alan was right in front of him.
Though the Emperor Armor appeared small compared to the giant Lizard Connors, its power was far from insignificant.
Alan delivered a powerful punch to Connors' abdomen, the impact so intense that it tore straight through the Lizard's stomach.
Boom!
Lizard Connors was sent flying, crashing into a nearby artificial rock formation. The force of the blow shattered the structure into pieces, sending dust and debris into the air.
"Hmm?" Alan muttered as he quickly ran over to the crash site. But Connors was nowhere to be seen. Surveying the area, Alan spotted an open sewer grate. It was clear that Connors had escaped into the sewers.
"Fast runner," Alan remarked.
He had no intention of following him into the sewers—not only were New York's sewers a complex maze, but the smell alone was enough to make the thought unappealing.
The noise from the battle quickly drew the attention of the school's security. Several guards with flashlights rushed toward the area.
By the time they arrived, however, they found only the remnants of the shattered rock formation and no one else in sight.
Checking the security footage, they discovered that all the cameras in this area had mysteriously malfunctioned.
On 13th Street, Gwen and Peter got out of a taxi, Gwen anxiously glancing back in the direction they had come from.
Alan hadn't caught up yet.
"No, Peter. You should go home. I'm going to find Alan."
Gwen couldn't shake her worry for him.
"I'll go with you!" Peter said, unable to leave Gwen to go alone.
Just as Gwen was about to insist she could handle it herself, Alan's voice called out from a nearby alley. "What? Were you that worried about me?"
As soon as Gwen saw Alan, she rushed over and hugged him tightly.
"You really scared me…"
...