Chapter 31: Promise Me, Don't Get into Trouble

Honestly, Ang was most annoyed by those guys with infinite regeneration abilities. Luckily, Dr. Lizard wasn't like the nine-headed serpent Hydra from Greek mythology, growing a new head after one was cut off. That would have been truly infuriating.

Successfully killing Dr. Connors, Ang absorbed the soul into his body, and the pop-up window on his retina appeared as expected:

[Congratulations to the host for killing Dr. Lizard, Connors.] [Congratulations to the host for gaining the following basic attribute upgrades: Constitution +18, Strength +21, Intelligence +9, Perception +10, Willpower +1]

Seeing this, Ang was excited, and his body trembled slightly. High risks indeed came with high rewards. Although Dr. Lizard didn't provide him with an agility boost, he compensated for Ang's weaker constitution and strength.

As a result, his base attributes were now:

[Constitution 37, Agility 41, Strength 42, Intelligence 26, Perception 34, Willpower 28]

And with Quy's leather harness granting [Constitution +5, Strength +12], he was now a full-fledged strongman.

Unfortunately, the next message from the system made him feel a bit uneasy:

[The host's maximum limits for constitution and strength under the current body template are approximately 60. If the host wishes to continue breaking through these limits, please hunt down god descendants or higher-level bloodline entities to self-modify the body.]

Ang squinted his eyes, now having a rough idea of his goals.

He continued reading:

[The host gains a Constitution branch skill (Hardened Skin): The host possesses passive toughened skin, capable of resisting 0.22-caliber bullets at close range without injury. When the host is in a focused state, they can withstand 9mm bullets. In both states, the host's base armor value is 20 and 30.] [The host gains a Constitution branch skill (Regeneration): As long as there is enough nutrition, the host can regenerate damaged limbs and body organs at a rate of 10 cubic centimeters per hour.] [The host gains a Strength branch skill (Giant Throw): The host can lift and throw objects weighing up to one ton in a berserk manner. This skill reduces the duration of (Peak Physical Condition) and its specific effects are directly proportional to the host's constitution.] [The host gains a Perception branch skill (Heat Sensing Lv1)] [The host gains an Intelligence branch skill (Introduction to Biotechnology)]

Four skills at once, all of them practical. Ang truly felt that killing Dr. Connors was the right move this time.

"God! It's Dr. Connors!"

Following the direction of the voice, Ang saw Spider-Man Peter crouching on the bridge railing.

Suddenly, he had a headache. Spider-Man was notorious for not killing. Several heroes in the justice league had similar quirks, always being overly merciful when they shouldn't be, letting villains go.

In times of peace, Ang would respect such heroes because they had noble character traits that ordinary people should look up to.

Unfortunately, this was Gotham merged with New York, a massive city. It was like Arkham Asylum in Gotham; everyone there was talented, had a silver tongue, and going there felt comfortable, like a vacation. But eventually, they would go mad and start killing people, causing all kinds of trouble.

Sometimes, killing the villains was the greatest redemption for the good-hearted civilians!

Ang didn't have any particular animosity toward Dr. Connors. He knew very well that in the "history" of comics, Dr. Connors had helped Spider-Man on numerous occasions.

But here, this famous doctor was nothing but a major menace.

The threat of the zombie universe was imminent, and Ang could only treat Dr. Connors as a valuable experience bonus.

"Do you know him? Oh, I regret this." Ang casually picked up a piece of cloth, wiped his knife, and sheathed it.

Peter's mind was in turmoil.

Did this mysterious man do something wrong?

No! If it were him, fighting against a giant lizard-man, he wouldn't be thinking about the well-being of humanity.

Fights at this level were impossible to hold back in.

However, Peter's heart was heavy. This was Dr. Connors, after all! The formula he gave the doctor had turned into this in just a few days. Was it his fault?

This was a bad debt, for sure.

Not far from them, Gwen was also speechless for a long time.

At this moment, the sound of sirens intensified in the distance.

They needed to leave; otherwise, they would all be in trouble.

Compared to Spider-Man, who used his webs to swing away, Ang's departure was more direct and brutal. He somersaulted off the Golden Gate Bridge.

"This..." Gwen widened her eyes.

Before the bridge had raised its guardrails, it was a notorious suicide spot in New York.

The bridge was more than 60 meters above the water surface, equivalent to over 20 stories high.

Even though there was water below, jumping from this height would make the water surface as hard as concrete upon impact.

A person jumping from this height would normally be shattered to pieces.

However, when Quetos went down, it was like dropping a depth charge. With a loud "boom," his figure quickly disappeared into the waters of the Golden Gate Strait.

Only Spider-Man, with his excellent night vision, barely saw a shallow white water column underwater, the wake created by someone swimming at high speed...

Dr. Connors was dead, but the shockwaves caused by the doctor's demise had not yet subsided.

The next day, TV hosts reported the event with a sensational tone:

"Today, the Golden Gate Bridge was attacked by a terrible monster. This creature resembles a lizard-man, standing over 10 feet tall, with the ability to easily throw a car weighing over a ton off the bridge. Even the special police force of New York City couldn't match it. Fortunately, two Spider-Men, plus a mysterious bald man, managed to kill it."

"After identifying the creature, it was revealed to be the renowned scientist Dr. Curt Connors. He had been working on cross-species genetic engineering before being fired by the Osborn Group. His research focused on using lizard's regenerative factors to heal human amputations..."

"The police found Dr. Connors' temporary research center, where they discovered a container filled with a mysterious liquid. According to preliminary estimates by authoritative scientists, it could potentially turn all of New York's inhabitants into lizard-like creatures like Dr. Connors..."

The broadcast shifted to a spokesperson from the Osborn Group: "Our company had long realized that Dr. Connors' research was heading in a very dangerous direction. In the spirit of responsibility to society and the public, our company shut down Dr. Connors' laboratory and terminated his research. It appears that Dr. Connors has lost his sanity and continued his mad research..."

In comparison to the lively TV broadcast, Gwen felt that she was facing the most significant crisis of her life.

As a young person who hadn't officially entered society yet, her father's authority wasn't just an empty boast, especially considering her father was the police commissioner of New York City.

"Dad, why are you back?" Gwen looked at her father, who was wrapped in thick bandages on his chest, in shock, feeling utterly dumbfounded.

"It's alright! I underwent a thorough medical examination. Last night, it seemed like I was severely injured, but in reality, all four wounds were superficial. They've been stitched up, and I'll be fine in a week." George looked at his precious daughter, his face carrying a hint of a smile. "Gwen, don't you have anything to tell me?"

"Gulp." Gwen swallowed hard, feeling as stiff as a wooden man all over, as she followed her father into his study.

He closed the door.

George sat down heavily in his chair. "Alright, how should I address you? Spider-Woman? Woman-Spider? Or maybe just my good daughter?"

What could Gwen do?

She was in despair! All she could do was bring out the plan she least wanted to reveal and lay it all out.

After a while, George rubbed his temples, his head hurting. "In simple terms, you were bitten by a mutated spider, and you became Spider-Woman. You hid that spider, and it bit Parker as well. To understand what happened, you infiltrated the Osborn Group and worked as Dr. Connors' assistant, trying to figure out if you would become a monster."

"Yes, Dad, your poor daughter might turn into a monster if things go wrong." Gwen's acting in the "poor me" department was top-notch.

George was in a dilemma.

Spider-Woman had a decent reputation. She helped the police catch criminals and didn't intentionally cause trouble. In the internal evaluations at the police station, she could potentially become an official hero.

Well, superheroes were useful for the country.

The good ones could be recruited, and the not-so-good ones... could be put together into a "Suicide Squad"!

George was well aware of the quirks of the higher-ups.

Americans didn't buy into the whole "sacrificing personal interests for the greater good" spiel. It was all about looking out for their own interests, and only then, for the greater good.

In fact, he had thought about it a long time ago.

"Gwen, you've grown up, and you have your own ideas. Since what you're doing is for justice, as your father, I will support you. But don't expect the NYPD Commissioner to help you."

"Thank you, Dad—" Gwen said with an extended tone and warmly kissed her father's cheek.

"Alright, alright! Take care of yourself and don't get into trouble."

"Yes, Dad."

"As for your research..."

"Osborn Group's path is blocked, but I have a Plan B."

"Wait, you're not talking about that Ang, are you?"

"Yes!"

George, who had been agonizing, suddenly felt a pang of heartache. He had the feeling he was sending his daughter into the lion's den. But his daughter was already Spider-Woman, and the other party shouldn't be able to harm her... right?

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