"Miss Gwen, Connors has already engaged the detectives."
"How's my dad doing?" Gwen asked anxiously.
"Don't worry, they're all safe."
Only then did Gwen breathe a sigh of relief, swinging with all her might toward the scene.
What she didn't realize was that by "safe," Red Queen meant that Alan was present. In Gwen's mind, Alan should still be waiting for her at home.
...
George, after rolling to the side, turned and aimed his gun at the Lizard Connors. Although he had seen the video earlier, witnessing the Lizard Connors in person at this moment was an entirely different experience.
Even with George's extensive experience, he was deeply shaken.
What shocked him the most, however, were the bullet holes on Lizard Connors' body, which were already healing before his eyes.
On the other side, the other detectives who had heard the gunfire rushed over. Upon seeing Lizard Connors, they froze in place, with two of them even swearing in disbelief.
Lizard Connors, upon seeing so many people, instinctively took a few steps back. But it wasn't out of fear—it was a primal reaction tied to Connors' own sense of pride.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have embarked on the research into regenerative genes because of others' opinions, ultimately turning himself into the creature he was now.
However, Connors' momentary retreat was quickly overpowered by his animalistic instincts.
Scanning the five or six detectives around him, Connors recognized that they were all police officers. The more people who knew of his existence, the harder it would be for him to carry out his plans.
And now that the police had discovered him...
There was only one solution—kill them all.
A savage glint flashed in Lizard Connors' eyes, more akin to the predatory intent of an animal than a human's malice.
Roar!!!
Lizard Connors opened his massive jaws and let out a furious roar at George and his colleague. Drool mixed with the foul stench filled the air.
"This monster is mad! Everyone, fall back! Spread out!" George shouted.
With just that brief encounter, George understood that their current firepower was ineffective against this lizard monster. Worse, continuing to attack would only enrage it, causing more casualties. Spreading out was the only way to slow it down.
As George gave his orders, Lizard Connors locked eyes with him, realizing that George was the leader of this group of detectives.
Naturally, he targeted George first.
With a menacing snarl, Lizard Connors dropped to all fours and lunged straight at him. Even with George's wealth of experience, it had been primarily against humans. The sheer speed of the Lizard Connors exceeded his expectations.
As Connors hurtled toward him, all George could do was pull the trigger.
From his vantage point above, Alan was about to step in when he spotted a familiar white figure rapidly approaching.
"Just in time," Alan mused, watching Gwen arrive at the scene.
From his concealed position on the rooftop, Alan observed Gwen's hasty entrance, but she didn't notice him or the golden armor hidden on top of the building. Her focus was entirely on the Lizard Connors, who was in mid-pounce toward George.
"Shit!" Gwen cursed, seeing the creature closing in with no chance for George to evade. She quickly released a barrage of webbing as she swung in.
George could only curse under his breath, emptying his clip at the advancing monster. But the bullets merely left temporary holes in Lizard Connors' flesh, which quickly healed. With jaws wide open, Connors' sharp teeth gleamed menacingly, aiming directly for George's neck.
If he managed to bite down, George would lose his head tonight.
Just as Lizard Connors was about to strike, Gwen swung in on her webs, appearing by his side.
With a loud thud, she delivered a powerful kick that sent the Lizard Connors flying into the distance!
Connors tumbled across the concrete ground, rolling several times before finally digging his claws into the surface to stop himself.
George, having narrowly escaped death, wiped the sweat from his brow. However, when he realized that Spider-Woman had saved him, his expression darkened with irritation.
Gwen, watching the whole scene unfold, noticed her usually stern father looking less than thrilled after being saved.
Feeling playful, she teased, "Hey, officer, I just saved your life. Aren't you going to say thank you?"
"I didn't ask for your help!" George grumbled as he got back on his feet, stubbornly refusing to admit he was grateful.
"Fine, fine. Next time he comes at you, I won't save you," Gwen quipped with a smirk.
But just as she finished speaking, her Spider-Sense went off like an alarm. The Lizard Connors, who had been kicked away earlier, was back on his feet and charging toward George once more.
"Get out of the way!" Gwen quickly shot a web, wrapping it around the Lizard's head and disorienting him. She then leaped into the air and delivered another powerful kick, sending the Lizard flying into a nearby forest, crashing through several trees.
"See? I saved you again."
George didn't want to admit it, but the truth was undeniable. His face turned grim as he tried to come up with a rebuttal, but the words just wouldn't come out.
Meanwhile, deep in the forest, the Lizard Connors slowly crawled out from the debris, glaring intensely at Gwen.
"Who are you?" he growled.
"They call me Spider-Woman!" Gwen replied confidently.
"Do you know something?" Connors asked.
"What?" Gwen responded, curious.
"In the natural world, lizards are the natural enemies of spiders," Connors said, implying that Gwen was no match for him and that he would ultimately devour her.
"Is that so? Well, why don't you come find out? What if I'm a venomous spider?" Gwen taunted.
The Lizard Connors crouched low again, shaking his head violently as he prepared to attack once more. But before he could launch himself at her, the loud blare of police sirens echoed from all directions, drawing closer.
The Lizard turned angrily toward George, who smugly waved a portable radio in his hand. "I called in reinforcements from all the nearby precincts," George said with a smirk. "And they brought heavy weaponry. Want to try your luck?"
Realizing that continuing the fight would only lead to his defeat, Connors glared at Peter's house one last time before retreating into the forest, disappearing into the night.
"You're not getting away!" Gwen shouted, about to give chase when she was suddenly surrounded by detectives, their guns all trained on her.
"Freeze!" one of the officers ordered.
Gwen raised her hands in frustration. "What are you doing? He's getting away! It'll be even harder to catch him later."
"Capturing criminals, stopping bad guys, and dealing with monsters are our job, not yours," one of the officers retorted. "Now, come with us for questioning."
"I just saved your lives!" Gwen exclaimed, growing indignant.
George slowly walked over, adding, "The fact that you showed up so quickly makes us suspicious that you might be connected to that Lizard monster."
At George's signal, a detective cautiously approached Gwen, reaching to remove her mask. Gwen remained still, hands up, unable to make a move with so many guns pointed at her.
What should she do now?
"Miss Spider-Woman, are you ready?" Alan's voice suddenly crackled in Gwen's earpiece.
Gwen's heart steadied. "Of course."
Suddenly, a high-pitched static noise erupted from all of the officers' radios, causing them to clutch their ears in pain.
Seizing the opportunity, Gwen kicked two officers out of her way and swung off into the night on her web.
...