Chapter 43: Gwen fights the Lizard Man! Transformers are dispatched!

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As Lorien stepped out of the hospital gates, he knew that the ordinary world was gradually becoming less relevant to him.

Starting with Stephen, even the small display of his abilities marked the beginning of a journey from which there was no return. Once the barrier is broken, it opens the floodgates, leading to more and more revelations. Only absolute zero is absolute; anything beyond that is a step into the extraordinary.

And now, Lorien was already beyond the threshold.

But that was fine. As long as he remained strong enough, he could choose what to do or not do. No one could force his hand.

Not feeling up to driving, Lorien let Skyfire, his Ferrari, navigate and drive him home.

Once the Ferrari entered the underground garage, Lorien opened the door and received the latest news alert:

[Breaking News: An evil Lizard-Man and unknown scientific devices have been spotted on the roof of the Osborne Building. No superheroes are currently present to stop them. New York police have been dispatched. Further updates to follow!]

[Update: Spider-Woman has arrived at the Osborne Building and is engaged in battle with the Lizard-Man!]

Lorien sighed deeply after reading the news. He knew this meant Dr. Lizard was deploying some kind of gene diffuser. Gwen had been preoccupied with investigating the Lizard-Man's activities over the past few days.

Today hadn't been a good day for Lorien, and now knowing his "little spider" was in danger, his mood darkened even further.

"Skyfire," Lorien said, putting away his phone and shaking his head as he walked toward the elevator, "go take care of it."

"Yes, Boss," the Ferrari responded.

As the elevator doors closed, Lorien returned to his room and switched on the TV to watch the live broadcast of the battle at Osborne Tower.

Meanwhile, Skyfire, now an empty car, autonomously headed to the Osborne Building. The distance was short, just about ten kilometers. On the city streets, the blazing red Ferrari streaked like a fiery comet toward its destination.

At the same time, high above the Osborne Building, the Lizard-Man smirked at Spider-Woman.

"I've done my research. Scarlet Witch and the Avengers are out of the country, and Iron Man is in another state. He won't be here for at least half an hour," the Lizard-Man taunted. "Do you think you, just one little bug, can stop me?"

Gwen, in her spider suit, stood atop a condensation tank, her hood covering her face. She replied, her voice filled with determination, "Mr. Lizard-Man, I've been waiting for you to show up for a long time."

The Lizard-Man was taken aback. Why had she been waiting for him? Wasn't she supposed to be trying to stop him?

Gwen continued, "If I had just told Lorien I was Spider-Woman, it would have meant nothing. I need to accomplish something significant to stand before him proudly—not as ordinary Gwen, but as Spider-Gwen! He has Scarlet Witch, a superhero, by his side. Being just Gwen isn't enough; I have to be Spider-Gwen!"

With that declaration, Gwen leaped into action. She shot webs left and right, launching herself toward the Lizard-Man like a cannonball.

The Lizard-Man raised his arms in defense.

"Bang~!"

The impact was powerful. The Lizard-Man staggered back, swinging wildly, only to find that Gwen had disappeared.

Turning, he saw Gwen sprinting toward the genetic modification transmitter.

"Bug!" the Lizard-Man roared, charging after her.

Reaching the transmitter, Gwen saw it required a password for deactivation or could be destroyed by force. Not knowing the password, she opted to use her webs to pull the transmitter from the building to destroy it.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

But the Lizard-Man caught up, his massive hand swiping at her. Gwen dodged swiftly, pulling herself away with her webbing and then propelling herself back to kick the Lizard-Man in the head.

"Bang!"

The Lizard-Man was momentarily stunned, allowing Gwen to shoot more webbing to bind him and return to the transmitter. However, the device was heavy, and she could only move it a few centimeters per second. With several meters to go before reaching the building's edge, Gwen calculated she needed at least two or three minutes to complete the task.

"Phew~ I'm going to sweat a lot today," Gwen muttered, dodging another swipe from the Lizard-Man.

She deftly swung from a nearby machine, gaining momentum, and delivered a powerful kick to the Lizard-Man's head.

Clearly, Spider-Gwen was adept at using acceleration, perhaps even more so than other versions of Spider-Man. But Dr. Lizard's strength was formidable.

"Bang!"

Gwen's kick sent the Lizard-Man sprawling.

Seeing him fall, Gwen sighed. "Can't you just stay down? This is getting annoying."

If Spider-Gwen's fans were here, they might have cheered in unison, "We give up, we give up!" But the confused and enraged Dr. Lizard was far from surrendering.

Gwen clapped her hands as she watched Dr. Lizard rise again. She sighed once more.

"Looks like I need to knock you down first," she said, her voice tinged with frustration. "But what if the transmitter's time is almost up?"

She was deep in thought when the sound of a powerful engine roared from a distance.

"Woooooo..."

Gwen froze, recognizing the sound. "Why does that car... sound a bit like Lorien's?"

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