New York Sewers.
A shadow darted through the dimly lit sewer tunnels, moving so fast that the wind pressure it generated caused the manhole covers to rattle, producing loud clangs.
In a nearby alley.
A black couple was passionately embracing in the shadows.
Suddenly, the sound of the rattling manhole cover startled the woman. "Jace, did you hear that? Something's over there."
"What? There's nothing over there."
"It's just you and me now."
Jace, the man, hadn't noticed the noise at all, and under his influence, the woman relaxed again, closing her eyes to enjoy the moment.
But when she opened them again, she screamed in terror.
"Ahhhhh...!"
Before her stood Jace, blood gushing from his body—his head had completely disappeared.
Behind him, a large, dark figure slowly emerged from the dim light.
In the next moment, a massive maw descended upon her, and the woman became yet another headless corpse.
Both bodies were then dragged into the sewers.
Somewhere in the sewers.
A platform was now piled high with bones, the remains of at least ten victims.
After finishing his grisly feast, the Lizard Connors spoke in a chilling voice, "Peter, I'm coming for you soon."
But when Connors thought back to that day when he was chasing Peter, the image of the armored figure flashed in his mind...
Yes, the one called The Emperor!
Every animal has a survival instinct, and Connors, after becoming the Lizard, had an even stronger will to live.
That one strike from the Emperor had left him gravely wounded, nearly on the brink of death. If it weren't for his terrifying regenerative abilities, he would have lost his life that night at the state university.
The Lizard Connors' slit pupils moved, emanating a sinister coldness.
Then, as if he had thought of a plan, his pupils gleamed with an eerie yellow light before disappearing into the darkness of the sewers.
New York Streets.
Dozens of gang members lay sprawled on the ground, groaning in pain.
Some had even been tossed into trash cans, their fate uncertain.
In the middle of this scene stood two figures, one clad in white and the other in red.
"So, you're Spider-Woman?"
The red-clad figure was none other than Daredevil, attorney Matt Murdock.
Gwen, dressed as Spider-Woman, couldn't help but steal a few glances at Daredevil—this was her first time being so close to him.
"Yes, I'm Spider-Woman," Gwen said proudly.
Daredevil found her amusing and took a moment to study her. Though he couldn't see her face, he could sense everything else.
"Haha, you're an interesting little girl. Do you know whose gang members you just took down?"
"I don't—hey, wait a minute, don't call me a little girl!"
"I'm Spider-Woman!"
Daredevil chuckled, "Alright, Spider-Woman. The men you just fought belong to Kingpin's gang."
"He's not only tough, but he holds a grudge. You'd better be prepared for a long fight with him."
"Kingpin? Who's that?"
To Gwen, the name meant nothing. Only those in the upper echelons of society knew who Kingpin was.
Daredevil didn't elaborate further. With a small leap, he vanished into the night.
"Hey, you didn't finish talking!"
Gwen shot a web and swung up to the rooftops.
Daredevil had already disappeared without a trace.
"Red Queen, can you locate Daredevil?"
"I can't, Miss Gwen. The Master hasn't equipped me with the necessary tracking tools."
"Never mind, let's keep catching bad guys."
"I've already stopped two crimes tonight, including a gang shootout."
"I have to make sure to tell Alan when I get back."
Gwen said proudly, like a child who had done something good and was eager for praise from an adult.
Gwen perched on a high wall, observing the surroundings.
She waited for a while, but there were no new alerts from Red Queen.
"Red Queen, let's head back to find Alan."
"Understood, Miss Gwen."
Gwen swung through the streets towards the Thirteenth District.
Just as she was about to arrive, Red Queen's voice suddenly came through: "I've located Dr. Connors, in Queens!"
Gwen immediately halted. "Queens? Isn't that where Peter lives?"
Without hesitation, Gwen shot her webs and changed direction.
"Miss Gwen, there's something unusual."
"Red Queen, go ahead."
"According to the hacked system's information, Captain George is also there."
"Dad? What's he doing there?"
"He's following Peter Parker."
Upon hearing that her father was involved, Gwen increased her speed.
She then asked Red Queen, "Can you call my dad?"
"Attempting..."
After a moment, Red Queen reported, "Call failed. Captain George turned off his phone after his last call to Mrs. Stacy."
"Mom..."
Gwen quickly realized what had happened.
After making sure she was home, George had shut off his personal phone to avoid distractions during his mission.
"Call Peter."
"Peter is currently in a signal-jammed area. He hasn't left Oscorp since arriving there today..."
With access to police systems and radio channels, Red Queen knew nearly all of NYPD's actions and operation details.
"Damn it! How long until we get there?"
"At this pace, ten minutes. Dr. Connors will arrive in six."
"Fast..."
Gwen could only pray that George and his team wouldn't confront Dr. Connors head-on.
If anything went wrong...
She would never forgive herself.
Elsewhere.
Alan, who was meditating, suddenly opened his eyes. It was Red Queen who had woken him up.
Alan glanced at the computer. "What's happening?"
Red Queen quickly informed him about the situation with the Lizard Connors, Peter heading to Oscorp, and Gwen rushing to the scene.
"Peter went to Oscorp? Does he plan to...?"
If he remembered correctly, Dr. Connors had eventually turned back into a human.
Thanks to the serum Peter developed...
"How much longer until Gwen arrives?"
"Miss Gwen will arrive in nine minutes, Connors in five."
Alan grabbed another custom earpiece and put it on.
"Then let's head over too."
He retrieved the Emperor Belt.
"Emperor Armor... Fusion!"
"Armor, Fusion!"
Having visited Peter's house with Gwen before, Alan had a point of reference.
Even without flying, he could reach the location.
"Teleport!"
...