Chapter 99: Acting or Real Battle Royale?

"Do you know him?"

Gwen followed Peter's gaze and saw the figure of Tony Stark.

"No, I don't know him," he replied. "But playboys like him often appear in newspapers and on TV, so I recognized him at a glance," Peter shook his head.

Tony Stark doesn't know people are talking about him. He's a bit annoyed about attending a competitor's funeral.

"Spider-Man? The girl who fights criminals in her pajamas, and the green 'Skyman Keaton' in the sky. Oh my, in the city where I live, I wouldn't even be surprised if aliens invaded tomorrow," he complained to his secretary next to him.

"Sorry, we'll talk about the autographs later," he added, rejecting those who wanted to meet him.

As Gwen became Spider-Girl, her hearing became exceptional. Hearing Tony Stark's complaints about her, she felt annoyed.

"He's such an annoying guy," Gwen commented on Tony Stark upon meeting him for the first time.

The next day.

Elder Council Hospital.

Peter and Gwen walked down the corridor towards the room.

"So, you gained superpowers after a tumor grew inside you?" Gwen asked incredulously.

Although Peter had explained it to her before, she still found it unbelievable.

"Yes, just like how you gained yours after being bitten by a spider," Peter said casually.

He had told Gwen that his abilities came from the "tumor" inside him, but he hadn't revealed the deeper information about the symbiote.

"Well, although both sound unbelievable, yours is on a higher level than mine," Gwen said after a moment of thought. "But I still don't quite understand how it's related to spiders."

Peter casually joked, "Why couldn't it be that I got bitten by a spider and then grew a tumor?" Though Peter was joking, Gwen took it seriously.

She remembered the night when she heard two heartbeats inside Peter's body while he was holding her. Perhaps it was because of that spider's heart that she found herself attracted to Peter.

After pondering these thoughts, Gwen accompanied Peter to Dr. Lane's room.

Although Gwen was concerned about Peter's "illness," she had no intention of intruding on his privacy, so she waited outside.

After Peter entered the office, Dr. Lane, who had already been waiting, greeted him.

"Good morning, Dr. Lane."

"Good morning, Peter."

Knowing about Peter's "masterpiece" on the Brooklyn Bridge, Dr. Lane's feelings towards him were even more complex.

A power so strong it couldn't be restrained.

He didn't know if his decision to take on this patient for the sake of money was right.

Steadying himself, Dr. Lane began to examine Peter.

A few minutes later, he obtained the CT scan of Peter's chest.

"It looks like there haven't been any major changes compared to before," Dr. Lane said. "It seems to still be in hibernation, but there seem to be changes in the top lobes."

Pointing to the top of the embryo, he said, "These folds have increased a lot, making it more complex."

Peter nodded. Was this evolution due to absorbing the genes of the vampire?

"Oh, by the way," Dr. Lane suddenly remembered something, hesitatingly said to Peter, "Have you heard of the recent 'Bear Mountain Monster'?"

After putting away the CT images, Peter shook his head, "No, what's that?"

"There have been reports of monsters near Bear Mountain, with victims found there. The victims were either torn open in the chest or neck. The way the chest was opened made me think of the symbiotic organism in your chest."

With that, he took out a photo and handed it to Peter.

The sight of the corpse in the photo was horrifying, with blood and flesh scattered around the chest.

The ribs were protruding outward, blood splattered on the grass, leaving a large cavity in the chest.

Frowning at the gruesome sight, Peter wondered, was this caused by the symbiote? But if it was the symbiote, why didn't he sense anything? After Helen was infected, he could feel her presence inside her, but he didn't notice any of this.

"Is there anything else?" After observing the photo for a while, Peter asked, "Or can I see the body?"

"There's only this photo, as for the body, it's not in this hospital, and I heard that the government disposed of it quickly. You know, the government doesn't want news of wild animals killing people to spread."

Although he said so, he still told Peter the hospital where the body was.

"Thank you for the information."

Peter put away the photo and thanked him.

"You're welcome, as long as I can help you."

After leaving Dr. Lane's office, Peter saw Christine chatting with Gwen.

"Hey, Peter," Christine greeted him.

"Hello, Dr. Palmer."

Peter didn't know when Gwen had met this rumored girlfriend of the "Doctor Strange."

Perhaps sensing Peter's confusion, Gwen explained, "I met Dr. Palmer when I was accompanying my dad at the hospital, but she said she knew you earlier."

"Hmm, because I'm more familiar with Dr. Lane."

As Christine spoke, she looked at Peter with a complicated expression.

She had many questions she wanted to ask, such as "Do you really have a tumor like that inside you?"

But she ultimately restrained herself.

"Is there anything I can help you with, Peter?"

Christine smiled and asked Peter, trying not to show any strangeness.

"No, thank you, Dr. Palmer."

Peter politely declined.

Nightfall.

Peter was browsing through news about Bear Mountain Park in his study.

The media did report news of wild animals causing injuries at Bear Mountain, but they attributed it to bears and other large wildlife.

Turning his chair slightly, he faced the pitch-black night sky.

In the misty night, it seemed like a pair of eyes were watching him.

Taking out the blurry photo of the victim's chest, Peter focused on it. The broken ribs twisted outward, muscles torn extensively, pericardium ruptured, and blood splattered all around. It indeed resembled the symptoms of an Alien bursting out.

Putting down the photo, he slowly covered his body with a black exoskeleton.

In the darkness, his slender figure was accentuated by the exoskeleton, giving it a profound feeling.

"Mount Sinai Hospital?"

Muttering the name of the hospital that Lane had told him about, his expression became serious.

"Whoosh!"

The curtain by the window fluttered slightly, and the next moment, his body had disappeared from the spot.

"Hey, sweetheart, it's me."

On a nighttime highway, a car was speeding along the road.

The woman driving was doing her makeup while talking to the phone on a holder, "I might not be able to make it back before you wake up, so be careful when you go to the airport yourself."

"The crew should be able to finish before lunch, I'll try to look more energetic when I meet your mom, say some good things about me, okay? Tell her I'm starring in a big movie, and I even have lines in it."

She said while applying eyebrow pencil, "Our love can surely withstand this little test."

As the car approached the Brooklyn Bridge, which was temporarily closed, she had to take a detour.

"I might be late. The incident with Spider-Man and the Green Monster on the bridge a few days ago caused the government to close the bridge for repairs early in the morning."

She complained, "And I can't believe this damn crew, making me scream and run around in the woods at dawn. It's torture."

After driving for a while, she said to the person on the other end of the phone, "Damn, I'm almost there, I have to hang up, baby, I'll call you later."

Parking the car in the woods, as soon as she got out, she heard a voice, "Extra?"

Startled, she turned around and saw a well-dressed blonde woman standing behind her.

The blonde woman apologized, "Sorry, I have a bad habit of sneaking up on people. I'm the casting director. You're here for the shoot, right?"

"Oh, yes, I'm an extra, Nancy. The call said it's at 12, right?"

The woman's name was Nancy, an unknown extra.

Nancy and the blonde woman shook hands.

The blonde woman nodded and replied, "Yes, but you'll have to leave your phone. We're shooting in complete isolation."

Nancy understood, "Of course, do you mind if I have my coffee? I need to stay awake, or I might fall asleep."

The blonde woman smiled, "Don't worry, we'll keep you awake."

After parting ways with the blonde woman, Nancy walked into the depths of the woods.

At the same time, she couldn't help but complain in her heart: this damn crew actually chose such a remote state park, and she heard that it's not very safe here.

In the depths of the woods, she saw groups of extras like herself, as well as crew members like cameramen and lighting technicians.

Seeing the eerie surroundings, she felt that something was not right.

Suspecting that she had been deceived, she was about to ask her colleagues.

Unexpectedly, a guy who seemed to be a production assistant, holding a megaphone, shouted, "Action!"

Before she could react, she was pushed by the crowd and scattered in all directions.

"What the hell?!"

Although this was supposed to be a scene of running away, shouldn't the director explain it to the actors? Why did everyone just start running without any explanation?

Feeling bewildered, she followed the crowd and ran outward.

Soon, she heard what seemed to be something chasing after her.

And that thing was getting closer and closer.

With a sinister and chilling aura, it seemed to envelop her, making it hard for her to breathe.

What was that?

Filled with horror, she no longer treated this as acting. Filled with fear, she ran forward with all her might.

"Pant! Pant!"

Running to a spot in the deep woods where there was only one person, she stopped, panting heavily, holding her knees.

Sweat soaked her makeup, dripping down her cheeks.

Lifting her head, she saw a dark shadow flash by in the woods.

Immediately after, a scream came from behind the trees.

She immediately tensed up, holding her breath, afraid to make a sound.