Bab 349: Chapter: 349
Roar!
The Lizard, who had already become extremely irritable and aggressive under the influence of the Regeneration Serum, was now experiencing waves of pain coursing through his body.
Seeing the swarm of ants surrounding him, his last trace of sanity was completely consumed by his own rage.
With bloodshot eyes, the Lizard let out a furious roar, causing a tinge of fear to grow within the members of the security department.
Among them, a few of the more timid individuals couldn't withstand the inner terror any longer. Disregarding their tasks and responsibilities, they dropped their weapons and fled.
Influenced by their panic, even those members who had managed to suppress their urge to retreat initially were now directly abandoning the mission and turning to run.
"Stop! Stop! Come back, you bunch of cowards!" Furious at the sight of his security personnel fleeing one after another, Captain Johnny shouted angrily behind them.
Unfortunately, they were already consumed by the fear in their hearts and followed their natural instincts based on bodily feedback. They couldn't hear Johnny's shouts anymore.
"Damn it, you fools!" Johnny cursed in frustration as his orders were disregarded and his subordinates continued to escape.
Initially uneasy, Johnny, seeing the current situation, realized that things had taken a turn for the worse.
The only fortunate aspect was that there remained a portion of the team who hadn't been frightened by the Lizard. Or rather, while they felt fear too, their stronger mental resilience allowed them to maintain rational thinking amidst the terror.
They were well aware that, with the monster's complete fury, discarding their armor and fleeing with their backs turned would be the most foolish choice. It would only make them the easiest targets.
It was evident that the Lizard's physical capabilities far exceeded theirs. In this open space with no cover or obstacles, their linear speed and power couldn't match his.
Seeing that recalling the fleeing members was hopeless, Johnny immediately changed his strategy and shouted to the remaining members beside him, "I believe all of you are intelligent.
You understand the situation. If you don't want to die, gather around me quickly. Otherwise, once this creature attacks, trying to fight it alone is simply impossible!"
Hearing Johnny's proposal, the remaining members acted without hesitation. They swiftly gathered according to Johnny's plan.
As they began to take action, the enraged Lizard also began his rampage. Just as Johnny and the others had predicted, the Lizard's initial targets were not those who remained composed and capable of resistance; he charged straight at those who had dropped their weapons and were fleeing with their backs turned.
Then, the Lizard planted all four feet on the ground, using the sturdy tail behind him to maintain balance. In a matter of moments, he caught up with the security personnel who had started fleeing.
With a gaping maw and claws slashing left and right, he effortlessly claimed three lives. Following this, the Lizard swung his tail, rapidly adjusting his body's balance. With a shift in his center of gravity, he smoothly changed direction and proceeded into a second round of charge and slaughter.
With such agile movements and gruesome methods, in less than fifteen seconds, the scattered members who had been fleeing had all turned into lifeless bodies, strewn across the ground in various positions.
The flowing blood not only stained the entire ground crimson but the pungent and nauseating scent of blood filled the air, causing Johnny and his companions who had gathered to shiver with anxiety. Their hearts raced, and they almost couldn't summon the courage to confront the situation.
Having completed the slaughter, the Lizard extended his long tongue to lick the blood off his claws. He twitched his nostrils in anticipation, greedily inhaling the sweet scent of blood in the air.
On the other side, seeing this scene unfold, the tension in Johnny and his group had reached its peak. Some had even held their breath, afraid to make the slightest sound, hoping that their presence would go unnoticed by the Lizard.
However, such wishes were mere fantasies. When the Lizard slowly turned his head, fixing them with his cold and savage gaze, they understood that their naive hopes had been utterly dashed.
"Damn it! Let's fight, brothers! There are so many of us, and we have the most advanced weapons and equipment developed by Osborn Weapon Lab. Who will come out on top is still uncertain! But if we give up resistance, we're absolutely done for. Pull yourselves together, fight for your lives, and give it all you've got!"
Johnny proved his worth as the head of the security department, exhibiting exceptional mental resilience and combat skills among the security personnel.
After motivating and boosting morale with his words, Johnny led by example. He reached into his tactical belt, retrieved a small grenade-like device, and hurled it directly at the Lizard.
This device was the recently developed Pumpkin Bomb from Osborn Weapon Lab, a weapon that hadn't undergone any real combat testing yet.
As a former soldier and the head of Osborn Security, Johnny paid close attention to cutting-edge weapon research. He had heard that this Pumpkin Bomb utilized a novel explosive filling technique, enabling it to contain more explosive material within its pumpkin-shaped casing. Its destructive power was twice that of the military's current standard issue hand grenades.
Therefore, after deciding to launch a surprise attack on the Lizard, Johnny didn't hesitate. He immediately reached for the Pumpkin Bomb as his first offensive choice.
To prevent the bomb from being flung back by the Lizard's long tail, Johnny made adjustments to the trajectory when throwing it, aiming the bomb at a higher position.
The thrown Pumpkin Bomb was closing in on the location of the Lizard in the blink of an eye. Seeing the small bomb approach, the Lizard, confident in the defensive power of his scales and his regenerative abilities, didn't even consider dodging.
As the Pumpkin Bomb reached just above his head, ready to detonate, the Lizard raised his hands in a crossed position to shield himself.
Boom!
After a thunderous explosion, the Lizard felt a fiery pain on his arms. But this time, instead of getting enraged and becoming more violent, he felt an uncontrollable surge of excitement within.
Even facing such a close and intense explosion, it hadn't inflicted severe harm on him. With his potent regenerative abilities, the bloodied wounds on his arms fully healed in a matter of seconds. This gave the Lizard a rough estimation of his current strength.
However, Johnny's mood wasn't as cheerful as the Lizard's. Seeing that even their most powerful weapon had failed to kill this terrifying creature, let alone cause significant damage, the morale of Johnny and the surrounding members had plummeted.
"Captain Johnny, what should we do now? This is a dead-end situation!" One of the members couldn't hold back their despair any longer and finally voiced their question to Johnny.
"I don't have a solution either. I've never encountered such a horrifying creature before, let alone know how to deal with it. But one thing is clear: if we give up resistance, then there's no possibility other than death.
So no matter what, we can only fight. Members carrying Pumpkin Bombs, be ready.
Next, we concentrate our firepower on attacking the monster's eyes and mouth. Judging from its previous action of shielding its face with its hands, we can infer that these weak points are no different from those of any other creature.
When it shields its face with its hands, don't hesitate to unleash all the Pumpkin Bombs you have on it. Then, we seize this opportunity to retreat. The situation here is beyond our control!"
Clang!
Just as Johnny and the others were considering retreating, a sound of shattered glass suddenly came from a distance. This noise captured the attention of everyone, including the Lizard, who turned to look in the direction of the source.
Then, Johnny saw a scene that filled him and his companions with ecstatic joy. Outside the floor's windows, the glass curtain wall had been shattered, and breaking through the building's façade were individuals gliding on Osborn Group jet gliders and wearing mechanized power suits.
Seeing the equipment developed by the Osborn Group on them, Johnny and his team knew that reinforcements had arrived!
Norman Osborn had ordered Johnny to lead the entire security department to take action against the Lizard. To ensure the flawless handling of this event, an urgent notice had been sent to their family's private mercenary team, who were dispatched to the scene.
This elite mercenary force had been established and cultivated by the Osborn family to handle discreet and unsavory situations. They not only wore state-of-the-art weapons and equipment developed by Osborn Industries, but Norman Osborn had also acquired a substantial amount of expensive black-market technology to enhance their combat capabilities and mission success rate.
This advanced technology was supplied by the Mark Research Center to the military and S.H.I.E.L.D., showcased its practicality and effectiveness through its high price tag.
The fact that the Osborn family had acquired enough of this cutting-edge technology to arm an entire mercenary squad demonstrated their significant investment in these elite operatives.
And now, this considerable investment seems to have paid off. The Lizard, who had already beaten all the members of the security department to a strategic retreat, was completely defenseless against this heavily armed and elite mercenary squad.
Faced with this armed-to-the-teeth force, the Lizard not only had no means to fight back, but it even appeared to consider escaping.
Johnny and his team, who were still on the scene, witnessed the Lizard first being forced to retreat by the machine guns mounted on the jet gliders. It eventually took refuge in a corner.
Then, his arms and tail covered in tough scales were sliced apart directly by incredibly sharp plasma blades during a counterattack. Despite its tough scales that could withstand bullets and explosions, these scales proved incredibly feeble against plasma blades, behaving as though they were cutting through butter with ease.
Feeling threatened by this elite mercenary force, the Lizard didn't dare to continue engaging with them. While its legs were still intact, it quickly turned and attempted to flee.
However, after losing its arms and tail, the Lizard's speed was no longer as swift as its peak. With just its legs, it couldn't outpace the mercenaries equipped with jet gliders.
Although the Lizard had undergone mutations, changing its appearance and personality, it retained the intelligence it possessed as Dr. Curt Connors. Knowing that it would eventually be subdued if it continued like this, it frenziedly activated its brain to devise an escape plan.
Suddenly, the Lizard caught a glimpse of Johnny and his group still watching from the sidelines. Its eyes lit up with an idea for escape.
Coincidentally, at that moment, its previously severed arms and tail had regrown. The Lizard swiftly changed its posture from bipedal to quadrupedal, using its tail to maintain balance as it ran. It made a rapid turn and charged toward the location where Johnny and his team were situated.
"!"
Seeing the Lizard suddenly change direction and head towards them, Johnny was caught completely off guard, his nerves shattered and face turned pale. His mind had only one thought: turn around and run.
...
However, perhaps due to the abruptness of the danger, even though his brain had issued the command to flee, his body refused to respond. His feet seemed as if they were glued to the ground, rendering him immobile.
In the blink of an eye, the Lizard had closed the distance and arrived in front of Johnny and his group. Instead of opening its bloodied mouth to devour or wielding its claws to tear, to the astonishment of Johnny and the others, it extended its tail behind and with a sweep, pulled them all towards itself.
"You better stop right there and let me go. Otherwise, before I die, I'll send these hostages to hell!" The Lizard looked at the approaching mercenaries with a triumphant look of scheming in its eyes. Its voice was low and hoarse, carrying a thick sense of threat.
"Our boss made it clear before we set off – he offers the best compensation for sacrifices made by the security department. Their families will lead lives free from worry. Since they are here, it means they have accepted the boss's terms. So, for the sake of the entire Osborn Group's interests, go ahead and die!"
Among the elite mercenaries, a figure who seemed to be their leader responded to the Lizard's threat with merciless resolve, shattering its hopes of escaping.
Rat-tat-tat-tat!
Just as the mercenary leader said, to fulfill their mission and protect the interests of the Osborn Group, all the mercenaries opened fire without hesitation at the security personnel in front of the Lizard.
"Damn you lunatics!" In this moment, even the Lizard, who is now mutated into a cold-blooded creature, was horrified by the ruthless and decisive control of capital. This pure malevolence, distinct from its genetically-rooted behavior, was chilling to witness.
It wasn't for survival or desire. It was a pure instinct to eliminate any obstacles in its path without mercy. The bloody and dark side of capitalism was fully on display at this moment.
Deprived of the security personnel who had acted as its shield, the Lizard had no way to retreat. Eventually, it was ensnared by a capture net woven from graphene fibers, falling into the hands of the mercenary group.
"Boss, the mission has been completed. The anomalous subject has been successfully captured alive. However, inside Dr. Conners' laboratory, we found no trace of the doctor and no evidence of the finished regenerative serum."
"Bring that creature, along with the data files from the laboratory and surveillance footage, to me. Make sure to leave a few individuals to handle the aftermath. I don't want this incident to appear in any media reports tomorrow, understand?"
"Yes, boss!"
The leader of the mercenaries responded respectfully to Norman Osborn on the other end of the phone.
"You all heard the boss. A few of you come with me to handle the data files in the lab. Leave three people to guard this lizard creature, and the rest of you clean up the surviving witnesses of the entire incident. Then, publicly announce it as a case of malicious activity caused by corporate espionage. Alright, move out!"
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