CH-27. The Lizard

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"What's wrong?"

Michael looked at Clarice's panicked expression, curious about her sudden distress. What could have happened?

"A friend of mine is in trouble, and I have to… I must rush over to save her right away. Can… can you help me?" Clarice asked nervously.

"Certainly!"

Michael responded without hesitation, then gestured for her to calm down and said, "Tell me what happened first. Who is this friend? What's going on?"

"She's a friend I met recently—also a mutant. Her name is Sarah, and her code name is Marrow. She has the ability to grow extra bones to use as weapons, and she has two hearts. I just saved her a few days ago, but she called me now saying she's in trouble." Clarice explained hurriedly.

"A mutant who can grow bones and use them as weapons?"

Michael was a bit surprised. Although he knew mutants had all sorts of unique abilities, this one was especially unusual.

"Let's go!"

He agreed, and Clarice gave him a grateful nod, then raised her hand and activated her crystal.

A portal appeared, and both Michael and Clarice stepped through.

In the next moment, the two appeared in what looked like a basement.

The basement door was locked, and a woman crouched nearby, visibly shaken and making muffled noises. Seeing the light from the portal and the arrival of Michael and Clarice, the woman looked relieved. She quickly stood up and exclaimed, "Thank goodness, you're finally here! Who is he?"

"His name is Michael, and he's my boss now." Clarice introduced him, then added, "Come on, let's get out of here first!"

As she was about to open a portal, Michael stopped her.

"Wait!"

He looked at Clarice and said, "Do you know why you had to save her before and now she's in trouble again? It's because hiding doesn't solve anything! You can escape for a while, but not forever. Running away won't get rid of your problems." Then he turned to the woman, "Your name is Sarah, right? Where is the person who's after you?"

"Outside!" Sarah replied instinctively.

"I heard you can grow bones to use as weapons. Do you know how to fight?" Michael asked.

Sarah shook her head.

"That's okay; you'll pick it up soon enough."

Michael waved his hand, and with a slight gesture, the door was pulled out and thrown aside.

Then, Michael stepped outside.

Outside was a large, empty underground hall. It looked abandoned, with no clear indication of its original purpose.

"Is… is he going to be okay?" Sarah asked Clarice nervously.

Clarice shook her head but smiled reassuringly, "Don't worry. He's incredibly strong. And… I think what he said is right. Running isn't a solution. Sometimes, you have to stand and fight."

Suddenly, a strange roar echoed through the hall.

Michael scratched his ear and called back to Clarice and Sarah, "Stay safe."

Heavy footsteps approached, and the ground trembled slightly. It sounded like something big was on its way.

Michael focused, soon seeing his opponent approaching.

A creature with green skin, a massive body, and a long, thick tail emerged.

"Is that… the Lizard?"

Michael's eyebrows shot up in surprise. He hadn't expected to encounter Lizard here. Why was he after mutants instead of tangling with Spider-Man? This guy was out of his usual territory.

"Hey, big lizard! You're out of your lane. Mutant business doesn't concern you!"

The Lizard let out a roar and charged without responding.

"You're just going to ignore me? Well, let's see how that works out for you!" Michael sneered, then surged forward to meet the creature.

The Lizard whipped its tail at Michael, aiming with heavy force, the movement creating a whistling sound through the air.

Michael dodged swiftly, grabbed the creature's tail, spun around, and hurled it across the room.

Crash!

The Lizard slammed into the wall, shook its head, and roared in fury. The ground trembled under the creature's heavy, pounding steps as it readied for another attack. It whipped its tail again, even more fiercely this time.

"Coming at me again?" Michael muttered, smirking. This time, he raised his arm to block.

The impact was intense.

Michael felt a slight strain in his arm, enough to push him a few steps back.

"As expected of a creature that can keep Spider-Man on his toes. Impressive."

Michael stomped hard, launching himself into the air. In a swift motion, he soared above the Lizard's head and delivered a powerful kick to its neck.

Snap!

With a loud crack, the Lizard flew across the room like a kite with a broken string, slamming its head into the wall, which dented on impact.

Thud!

The Lizard lay on the floor, seemingly knocked out from the blow.

"Is… is it over?" Sarah whispered in disbelief, watching how easily Michael had dealt with the Lizard.

---

Michael walked over to the Lizard, observing his still form. It appeared the creature was genuinely knocked unconscious. Satisfied, he nodded.

Just now, he hadn't used any special abilities—only pure physical strength. The ease with which he overpowered the Lizard filled him with satisfaction.

"Wake up, stop pretending to be dead!"

Michael kicked him a few times, and the Lizard woke up groggily.

As soon as he was conscious, he swung his large arms, attempting to attack Michael.

"Careful!"

Clarice couldn't help but shout.

Michael merely raised his hand, and in an instant, Lizard's movement stopped abruptly, his arm frozen in front of Michael, unable to move.

The Lizard looked panicked, and the veins on his body bulged as he struggled. Michael could sense that controlling him was a bit challenging, but nothing he couldn't handle.

"Big lizard, you'd better behave yourself, or I won't hesitate to turn you into a roasted lizard!"

Michael raised his other hand, and flames instantly appeared, the scorching heat radiating toward the Lizard. The professor surrendered immediately, too frightened to move—the intense heat was enough to turn him into a dead lizard within seconds.

"Who... who are you?" Lizard asked hoarsely.

"It doesn't matter who I am. What's important is that I'm curious about why you're trying to capture mutants!"

"She has the ability to grow bones..." muttered the Lizard.

Michael understood immediately and sneered, "So, instead of playing with Spider-Man, you came here to capture mutants. You saw she could grow bones, and you want to study her to see if you can regenerate your broken arm. Desperate, aren't you?"

"If you were in my position, you wouldn't give up either!" The Lizard retorted, "Listen, I don't want to be your enemy. Let me go, and I promise I won't bother her anymore!"

"Really? That's a shame because even if you don't bother her, I plan to bother you."

Michael sneered, and the flames in his hand flared, engulfing the Lizard.

The flames burned, and the Lizard screamed in agony, struggling against Michael's telekinetic hold, which prevented him from escaping.

"No... no... please, let me go!" He begged.

"My name is Michael, and I currently work for S.H.I.E.L.D. If I remember correctly, you're on their criminal list. So, why should I let you go? Or do you think I'm as foolish as Spider-Man, just catching you, letting you escape, and then catching you again? Playing a never-ending game of tag?"

The Lizard could sense Michael's killing intent, a sharp contrast to Spider-Man or others who, bound by a sense of justice or kindness, would just lock him up instead of ending him. Michael's aura was genuinely deadly.

"I'll serve you. I'll work for you; I can do a lot of things. I'm a professor. I know valuable technology you could use. Just spare me, please!" The Lizard pleaded.

"Technology!"

Those words piqued Michael's interest.

The Lizard noticed the flames dim slightly, taking it as an opportunity, "I know a lot of advanced technology, and I have my own laboratory. I can handle tasks that are inconvenient for you. I swear loyalty!"

"Sounds useful. But why should I trust you?"

"You're strong. I wouldn't dare lie to you! If I betrayed you, I wouldn't stand a chance of escaping you anywhere in the world, right?" The Lizard hurriedly assured.

Michael snorted and retracted the flames and his telekinesis.

The Lizard slumped to the ground, a faint smell of burnt scales coming off him—he was beaten and humbled.

"I'll trust you for now, but you better prove your worth. I'm not known for my patience. Now, get out of here. I'll find you when I need you."