Chapter 38

Bang!

A bright yellow bullet pierced through the neck of a lizardman, tearing from top to bottom. The explosive impact left a massive hole, with only a thin strip of flesh barely keeping the head attached to its body.

Click, click! Bang!

Holm swiftly changed the magazine, using his mouth and free hand. As soon as it clicked into place, he fired an armor-piercing bullet that cleanly severed the neck of another lizardman.

This marked the ninth lizardman Holm had killed. With one hand gripping Spider-Woman's waist to keep himself from falling, he used the other to dispatch the relentless creatures lunging at them as they swung downward.

Thankfully, he had been carrying a full set of specialized equipment lately; ordinary pistol rounds wouldn't have been nearly as effective against these resilient foes.

After capturing a lone lizardman on the road during their last encounter, SHIELD had initiated a comprehensive study of the species. Their findings painted a troubling picture: these creatures had not only thick, durable hides but also accelerated healing capabilities that made them extraordinarily difficult to kill.

Through repeated experiments, SHIELD had identified their weaknesses and developed custom weapons to exploit them. Despite their superhuman healing abilities, targeting their eyes or neck—areas with minimal bone—was particularly effective. The skull, on the other hand, was so robust that even high-caliber bullets couldn't penetrate it. These attributes made the usual weak points of most creatures irrelevant for lizardmen.

To overcome this, SHIELD had created special explosive bullets designed to cause maximum damage to their vulnerable spots. If the neck wasn't completely severed or the head wasn't obliterated, their regenerative abilities would enable them to heal—even from catastrophic injuries. Regular bullets would hardly leave a dent unless they struck the eye.

"Damn! How are there so many of these things? How prepared is he for this?" Holm muttered, his scalp tingling as he surveyed the swarming lizardmen below. The sheer numbers were alarming. There hadn't been enough recent disappearances to account for this many lizardmen. Where had Dr. Lizard found all these test subjects?

"We're almost there. Be ready!" Spider-Woman's voice snapped him back to reality. "That area has the highest concentration of lizardmen."

Holm scanned the surroundings. They were nearing Stark Tower, now an ominous hive teeming with lizardmen. Once a symbol of New York City's innovation, the tower was now infested, its walls and shadows crawling with yellow-eyed creatures.

The lizardmen stood on the ground, clung to walls, and lurked in the shadows. Their heads turned in unison, tracking Holm and Spider-Woman's movements like predators. The dim light of swinging searchlights caught their gleaming eyes, casting an eerie glow.

The pair landed lightly on the roof of a nearby building, standing back-to-back as they prepared to clear the area of the creatures swarming toward them.

Roar!!!

The lizardmen charged, claws flashing in the night as they lunged forward.

"Get ready to kill!" Holm ordered Venom mentally.

In response, viscous black liquid flowed out of his hands, morphing into sharp, pitch-black blades that sliced through lizardmen's necks with precision. Several writhing tentacles erupted from his body, stabbing and crushing throats with venomous glee. The symbiotic entity's laughter echoed as it reveled in the carnage.

Nearby, Spider-Woman fought her own battle, but out of the corner of her eye, she caught glimpses of Holm's terrifying display. The black tentacles and blade-like hands unnerved her, revealing just how much Holm had kept hidden. Like her, he wasn't without his secrets.

Holm, however, remained focused on the fight, oblivious to her thoughts. He had known for some time that the existence of Venom couldn't remain hidden forever. Whether it was SHIELD or HYDRA, someone would eventually uncover his secret.

Holm believed that controlled exposure could be an opportunity. By limiting how much of Venom's power he revealed, he hoped to keep his abilities manageable and acceptable to groups like SHIELD or HYDRA. This calculated strategy allowed him to maximize his benefits while keeping the situation under control.

Under Holm's relentless onslaught, the rooftop soon became a slaughterhouse. Lizardmen fell one after another, their numbers quickly dwindling under his and Spider-Woman's coordinated attacks.

When the last creature fell, the two fighters paused briefly to catch their breath and plan their next move.

"Don't you think there are too many lizardmen here?" Holm asked, sitting back-to-back with Spider-Woman at the center of the roof. This position allowed them to spot any creatures climbing up and react swiftly.

"I've thought the same thing," Spider-Woman replied, her voice steady despite her exhaustion. "I've reviewed the missing persons reports, and even if we include every case in New York over the past few months, it doesn't add up to this many lizardmen."

Holm nodded grimly. "Exactly. I'd estimate there are tens of thousands of lizardmen in these buildings alone. What's worse, I haven't seen a single normal human—not even a corpse—since we got here. I have a bad feeling about this."

"What are you implying?" Spider-Woman asked, though she had her own suspicions.

"I suspect many of these lizardmen were ordinary citizens," Holm continued. "And more disturbingly, I think Dr. Lizard may have found a way to transform regular lizards into lizardmen."

Spider-Woman's eyes widened in shock. "That's impossible! Isn't it?"

"Think about it," Holm said, his tone steady but grave. "The current lizardmen retain some level of human intelligence, suggesting their transformations rely on human genetic material. But if Dr. Lizard has discovered a way to modify his serum to bypass that limitation, he could be creating these creatures on a massive scale."

Spider-Woman fell silent, frowning as she processed his theory. If Holm's suspicions were correct, the situation was far worse than either of them had imagined.