TN:Sorry for the late chapter had a long day after fininish my midterms for my programming class
Sitting in the car, Peter felt a bit emotional.
He was just one step away from truly falling into the abyss.
If what Dr. Ethan said was true, then the Osborn Corporation had committed many crimes.
At first, the harm didn't seem too severe, but Peter was deeply entangled: Many of the lab's results were organized and published by Harry, allowing him to use those accomplishments to get into Empire State University.
Peter's feelings were complicated.
Harry was one of his best friends, and even when Peter injected the Lizard serum into himself, he hoped it could one day help cure Harry.
But now, it seemed like things had changed between them since this incident came to light.
Harry's father and his family's business had become obstacles in Peter's path.
The second issue: Dr. Ethan revealed an important detail: the last batch of drugs that night came from Osborn Corporation.
At the time, Peter had practically torn the building apart, and the students on duty fled on the spot.
Dr. Ethan told the student on duty, who was on the phone, not to panic, not to run, and those who did run should return to check the equipment and safeguard the data.
The drugs were put into the Canary device during that unmanned time.
Overall, Osborn Corporation likely didn't expect the Canary device to malfunction, or else the students wouldn't have died so tragically, even if they had transformed into lizards.
Could this also be because their subordinates failed to follow the procedures?
Peter continuously compared the events of Lab 3 with his own situation.
All in all, Ethan seemed to have learned bad habits from Norman Osborn, and it was precisely these bad habits that led him to act recklessly.
This reckless behavior caused the device to malfunction, and at the critical moment, when they planned to secretly conduct human experiments, a major accident occurred.
Then both sides started shirking responsibility, turning against each other—
Would Peter and his side end up the same way if Leo hadn't saved him?
"Peter, I'll tell you again." In the front seat, Matt, acting as a lawyer, reiterated Peter's duties and rights. Peter pulled himself out of his thoughts and began preparing emotionally for the trial.
In another car, Leo was thinking clearly: if he had sold Peter out back then—
Honestly, Peter might have taken Osborn's offer, out of fear, and provided false testimony, accusing the lab of having issues.
After all, this wasn't Spider-Man, but a somewhat insecure and introverted teenager.
"Gwen?"
This car belonged to Martin, and it was a stretch vehicle.
NYPD and the prosecutor's office cars quickly formed a convoy, with the car transporting the witness in the center, heading toward the courthouse.
Martin said, "If this goes well, we'll deal a heavy blow to Osborn Corporation. No... Norman Osborn will go to jail."
Leo seized the opportunity to ask, "You have a grudge against him—I can tell."
"A big one. A huge grudge, Leo. I have to thank you for giving me the chance to watch him go to prison."
"If you're comfortable, I'd love to hear what kind of grudge it is."
Martin stared ahead, sighed, and said, "Maybe someday..."
Bang.
The ground suddenly shook.
Leo's instincts kicked in—
"Spider-girl? You might want to find a place to change."
"Already working on it!"
Martin also felt the tremor, and with a serious expression, he tapped the driver. "Slow down. Something's wrong."
The entire convoy sensed the tremor.
It originated from the sewers!
Right below the car transporting Dr. Ethan—
Bang!
A green tail suddenly shot out, piercing through the car and flipping it over as if it were a toy!
Such terrifying strength!
A man in a green armored suit crawled out like a scorpion, moving unnaturally on all fours!
The NYPD officers were stunned. They had never seen anything like this, though the last freak that crawled out of the sewers had left a lasting impression!
The scorpion's tail slashed through nearby cars as if slicing through butter, cutting them horizontally.
His eyes scanned the cars, as if searching for a target—
Bang!
That tail swept toward Leo's car!
The car was sent flying several meters!
The scorpion scurried on the ground, moving with an eerie, insect-like speed among the overturned vehicles.
"Don't just stand there! Shoot! Shoot!"
George pulled out his handgun, shouting as he squeezed the trigger!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The revolver's bullets barely scratched the surface of the green armor!
The shots attracted the scorpion's attention, and its deadly tail lashed out toward George!
Sss—!
Gwen shot her webs, firmly holding the scorpion's tail!
"This tail is heavier than I thought!"
Bang!
The scorpion violently twisted, yanking Gwen off the wall!
But Gwen quickly adjusted her stance with her webs, avoiding the next attack as the scorpion continued to thrash with its tail.
"I knew it... I knew it—"
Inside the car, Leo heard Martin muttering, seemingly filled with resentment.
If someone had a camera that could detect spectrum changes, they'd notice Martin's skin turning black and white.
"Martin—help!" Leo shouted, snapping Martin out of it—Leo had already jumped out of the car, rushing toward the one carrying Dr. Ethan.
The door was jammed, a bit deformed. Leo grabbed the stuck door and yanked it open to check inside.
Martin realized they needed to protect the witness!
Crack!
The door was pulled open, revealing Ethan inside, unconscious—
His abdomen was soaked in blood, his left hand pitch-black, as if corroded by some powerful acid, the charred area still spreading—
"He needs an amputation, and blood transfusion. That freak's goal is to silence him. You need to get him out of here."
Bang!
The tail smashed down, but thanks to a kick from Gwen, it landed a few meters away on the road.
The impact shattered the road, leaving a deep mark.
"Can you handle this?" Leo asked.
"I can—but you..."
"Trust me, I can handle it. Get that disgusting old man to the hospital!"
Martin gave Leo a deep look, hoisting Ethan onto his shoulder. "I underestimated you. Be careful."
"Go! Hurry!"
Leo watched Martin carry Ethan away, picking up a shotgun from the ground.
"Damn, didn't expect I'd have to start shooting too."
Leo flipped off the safety and leaned against the car, shotgun at the ready.
Bang.
Looking up, George was across from him, also holding a gun, looking at Leo in shock. "Leo, you've never trained with—"
"This isn't the time—shoot!"
Bang!
The shotgun fired.
However, Leo's aim was way off, hitting the concrete near the scorpion's feet.
The scorpion kept moving, its tail sweeping toward Gwen—
Bang!
This time, George hit it, causing the scorpion's head to jerk from the impact.
But it still didn't penetrate his armor.
The scorpion just glanced in George's direction, his tail still aiming at Gwen—
Leo then activated the Sandevistan, barely visible to the naked eye. Yellow-green liquid splattered from the scorpion's thrashing tail!
Leo pushed George aside just in time!
Ssss.
The yellow-green liquid hit the car and the ground, corroding the steel and leaving a black hole in the ground—
Right where George had just been standing.
Both men were shaken—
The Marvel world sometimes really is just about raw power.
This scorpion looked off, but his suit's strength was absurd.
A single hit would be catastrophic.
Guns were useless.
But the scorpion clearly reacted to those firing at him—strange.
Because there was no reason for him to bother with these weak weapons that couldn't even scratch his armor.
Leo grew more certain that whoever was inside that scorpion suit wasn't in the right state of mind.
"Guns are useless!" George reloaded his weapon quickly, hiding behind cover.
"Agreed—but I have this."
Leo revealed the web-shooters on his wrists.
George's eyes widened.
"You—"
"Keep shooting!" Leo dodged out of cover, shouting, "Spider-girl, hit his tail with a powerful flying kick!"
George followed Leo's command, shooting and drawing the scorpion's attention.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Leo activated his Sandevistan.
He sprang out from behind cover, shooting ten webs at the scorpion from different angles, sticking the ends to nearby cars!
The scorpion became a puppet—
The webs pinned his limbs and body, slowing his movements.
Gwen seized the opportunity, using her webs to pull herself toward the scorpion, and with a mighty kick—
Bang!
The kick landed hard on the base of the scorpion's tail, nearly dislocating it!
"Argh!"
The scorpion, silent until now, suddenly let out a painful cry, stumbling and shaking on the ground.
Leo raised an eyebrow: it looked like a neural link malfunction.
Seizing the moment.
"Remember the USB drive I gave you!"
"Got it!"
"Use the one labeled 'Manual Override'!"
The two had synced up, both firing their web-shooters!
Gwen anchored herself in the air while Leo grounded the scorpion.
The webs bound the scorpion tightly, pinning him to the ground and nearby vehicles, quickly immobilizing him.
The scorpion tried to struggle, but his movements were slow, likely due to pain and the malfunctioning suit. His deadly tail trembled.
Seeing the Scorpion entangled, Gwen jumped onto his body, took the USB drive Leo had given her, pressed the button, and forcefully pulled apart the base of the tail to insert the USB.
"Ugh, this feels a bit gross."
As sparks flew, Leo used this connection to interface with the suit.
Strictly speaking, this suit was a kind of neural-linked exoskeleton, similar to a minotaur mech.
Its defense system was incredibly strong, but Leo hacked into it in the blink of an eye.
"It's just cybernetics, after all."
Poof.
Black smoke started billowing from the exoskeleton.
The Scorpion stopped moving.
Leo sighed in relief, looking at the now motionless Scorpion.
After hacking in, Leo originally intended to eject the exoskeleton, but it seemed that the people who equipped this unlucky guy never planned for him to exit it. So the only thing disabled was the weapon system—specifically, the tail.
The tail loosened and came apart, and Leo picked up a few pieces, including the indestructible "stinger."
Without that set of USB drives, this would've been a real headache.
Carjacking?
Well, Mr. Osborn definitely shot himself in the foot this time.