Ch.23 Hail Hydr - I mean, Lizard

The valley cooled under the night sky as clouds gradually veiled the bright moon.

In the Ten Rings camp, the armed guards remained vigilant.

Behind the ammo depot, the ground quietly sank into a circular pit.

Charlie had gained plenty of experience in digging tunnels by now.

So this process didn't alarm anyone.

"Little Spider, how's it looking?"

Inside the tunnel, Steve whispered.

Charlie gave an "OK" hand signal to the two behind him. "No problem."

With that, he climbed out of the tunnel and reached out to pull Natasha and Steve up.

The three of them crouched behind the ammo depot, their eyes scanning the patrolling guards.

"We need two uniforms like theirs," Steve said.

Charlie locked eyes on the last two members of a patrol unit. "No rush. Leave it to me."

Then, he suddenly shot his web, snagging the last two patrolling guards.

"Ugh..."

As the two were violently dragged back, they instinctively pulled the triggers.

Ratatatata~

Gunfire echoed through the night sky, and the valley quickly became chaotic.

"Enemy attack!"

Charlie: "..."

Looking at the annoyed stares from Steve and Natasha, Charlie forced a grin.

"Sorry, no experience. Let's try again."

[You have been eliminated. No revival slot earned. Strength +0.2 tons awarded.]

[7 remaining restart opportunities. Restart?]

Seventh resurrection round.

Behind the ammo depot, Charlie poked his head out, carefully watching the passing Ten Rings members.

Picking his moment, he fired his web!

Steal the guns, gag the mouths, grab the targets!

All actions flowed smoothly, but not fast enough.

"Enemy attack!"

The camp fell into chaos, and Charlie's face darkened.

[Restarting for the eighth time.]

This time, Charlie refrained from taking hasty action.

He had realized that he wasn't suited for this kind of sneaky business.

Frontline heroes weren't cut out for these stealthy operations.

"Hey, put this on,"

In the darkness, old Steve crept over to Charlie.

He handed over some clothes, but noticed something off about Charlie's expression.

"Little Spider, you feeling okay?" Steve asked curiously.

Natasha guessed, "Maybe he shot too much web and got drained."

Charlie: "..."

He glanced at the clothes Steve had, "How'd you manage this?"

Steve smiled bitterly. "Took me a while, what with being old. Don't worry about it."

Charlie twitched a smile, "It's fine. I forgive you."

The two quickly changed into the clothes, smearing camouflage paint on their faces.

"All set, Ms. Stacy. Let's go."

Charlie led Natasha out from behind the ammo depot with Steve close behind.

"Hold on, who are you? I've never seen you around."

A passing patrolman immediately sensed something was off and stopped them, weapon raised.

Before Steve could respond, Charlie stepped forward.

Leaning close to the patrol leader's ear, Charlie whispered something, and the man's expression immediately changed. He stepped aside obediently.

"Let's go."

Charlie waved, and Steve hurriedly pushed Natasha forward.

"What did you say to him?" Steve asked curiously.

Charlie, deadpan, replied, "Hail Lizard."

Steve: "?????"

Wait, this line sounded familiar.

Natasha, her head down, struggled to stifle her laughter.

"Captain Steve, you've pulled this trick before."

Remembering a certain incident from the past, Steve couldn't help but chuckle.

"Yes, sometimes words can be more dangerous than violence."

He continued, "From their perspective, a creature like the Lizard is probably the scariest guy around. Pretending to be one of his underlings, even if they're suspicious, they won't dare do anything."

"That's exactly right. Next time, try to react faster," Charlie remarked.

"Got it."

Soon, they reached the cave entrance, only to be stopped by the guards.

Before Charlie could speak, Steve took the initiative, "Hail Lizard."

Charlie: "..."

Well, that was fast.

Guard: "?????"

The guard was utterly confused.

Was this the new code?

Meanwhile.

Inside the cave, Lizard Parker and Norman exited the cell room.

"That should do the trick."

Norman laughed maniacally, tossing aside a bloodied blade.

Lizard Parker's scales twitched slightly on his face, clearly still shaken from what had just happened.

"That Green Goblin is terrifying."

"Hahaha, I love it when people call me terrifying. After all, I am terrifying."

"Are you scarier than that guy?" Lizard Parker pointed toward the dark corner of the cave.

Norman turned to look at the shadowy figure in the corner, where the sound of loud slurping echoed, instantly freezing the smile on his face.

"Damn it, this guy's scarier than me. No way, I need to be like him—blech!"

Halfway through his sentence, Norman doubled over, vomiting as if even trying to imitate that level of horror was too much.

That guy really liked eating people's heads!

Lizard Parker instinctively moved away from Venom Parker lurking in the shadows.

He had never seen such a brutal version of Spider-Man.

At least this guy wasn't on the opposing team, or he'd be eliminated in this resurrection match again.

Thinking back to his previous elimination, Lizard Parker clenched his teeth in fury.

That damn Charlie Parker, the audacious Spider-Man, had exploited his feelings for Gwen.

What a despicable jerk.

Something as sacred and pure as love—what did it even mean to him?

This time, he vowed to rip that guy to pieces and win this resurrection match!

He swore he wouldn't fall for the same trick twice!

He wasn't a fool.

"Hail Lizard!"

Suddenly, a shout from the entrance made Lizard Parker's face darken.

"I hate it when people call me 'Lizard,' and if you add 'handsome,' I'll tear you to pieces without hesitation."

With that, he stomped toward the entrance.

"Who the hell is..."

Just as he was about to roar out his frustration, he froze in place.

His mouth opened, and disbelief spread across his face.

Before him was a delicate blonde woman, curled up on the ground. The green ballet shoes on her feet instantly stirred memories within him.

On countless nights when Spider-Man was swinging around, those green ballet shoes had never left her.

The next moment, Steve's voice snapped him out of his memories.

"Master, here's your dinner."

"Dinner?"

Lizard Parker glanced at Steve, failing to recognize him.

The wind and dust in the valley had been too fierce during the day, and he hadn't gotten a clear look at Steve and Natasha's faces.

As for Charlie, who kept his head down, Lizard Parker wasn't familiar enough with him to recognize him at a glance.

Suddenly, Lizard Parker remembered Venom Parker and swallowed nervously.

"I don't eat, I don't eat you guys."

He glanced back at the darkness behind him, as if worried the terrifying creature might be hungry again. In a hurry, he grabbed Natasha and pulled her out of the cave.

Seeing this, Steve and Charlie exchanged glances before silently following behind Lizard Parker.

"What's your name?"

Outside the cave, in a shabby wooden shack, Lizard Parker had completely shed his previous hostility. Gently, he draped a jacket over Natasha.

Not to be outdone, Natasha, a top-tier spy, looked up at him with an expression of fear, her eyes both soft and defiant.

In a small voice, she said, "Gwen... Gwen Stacy."

Upon hearing this, Lizard Parker froze.

Was she a counterpart of Gwen from a parallel universe?

This thought popped into his mind.