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"Tony, look at the mess you've made."
Nick Fury forcibly suppressed the urge to lash out and ordered, "Since we can't find Maya Hansen for now, let my Agents handle it… "
"I think Aldrich Killian didn't kill the President on the spot, which means he has other plans for the President, so we still have some time to remedy the situation."
"Tony, you and Jonathan have the fastest flight speeds. You two should head back to New York first to search for the President's whereabouts. The rest of us will go with me on the Sky Carrier!!"
"For now, this is the only way."
Tony Stark nodded noncommittally, but then Captain America suddenly pointed at the pedestrians who had turned into Lizard Men in the projection and said,
"Wait, Fury… Officer, what about those Lizard Men on the streets of New York?"
"Ordinary police Officers clearly can't control them effectively. If we let them run wild, it will likely cause large-scale casualties…"
However, before he could finish speaking, Nick Fury's furious roar came through the communicator.
"Are you an idiot? At a time like this, who the hell cares about those damn Lizard Men? No matter how many civilians die, it can't compare to the President's safety!!"
Captain America was not enraged by the insults; instead, a deep look of disappointment appeared on his face.
Although he had long expected Nick Fury to make such a choice, he still had some hope that the other party might change… After all, the lives of ordinary people are also lives!!
But now it seemed he had simply been overthinking it.
What truly chilled him was that neither Tony Stark, nor Hawkeye and Black Widow, nor Human Torch and Thing, who had recently joined the Avengers, seemed to agree with Nick Fury's statement.
More accurately… they acquiesced!!
It seemed that in their eyes, the President's life was more important than the lives of ordinary people… Perhaps that was indeed the case.
But this was precisely what Captain America found most difficult to accept.
Because the America of his ideals should treat all lives equally.
Rescuing the President was certainly important, but if S.H.I.E.L.D. had the capability, it should at least not stand idly by while civilians suffered casualties.
"Captain, Fury is right." Tony Stark noticed the lonely expression on Captain America's face and quickly tried to smooth Things over, saying,
"These Lizard Men are just pawns Aldrich Killian threw out to distract us. Even if we go there now and defeat them, it won't help…"
"Because as long as Aldrich Killian isn't eliminated, he can still repeat the same trick to create another… or even many similar terrorist attacks."
"What's more, the National Guard will soon intervene, and with their firepower, dealing with these green-skinned monsters shouldn't be difficult."
Captain America nodded perfunctorily, saying with a hint of melancholy, "Actually, you don't need to persuade me. I understand the reasoning… Besides, I'm just a soldier, and obeying orders on the battlefield is my duty."
The atmosphere in the room suddenly became somewhat oppressive.
"Uh… I have a great idea that can help us get to New York in the shortest time!"
At this moment, Human Torch, looking like a simpleton, said, "Haha, why don't we spend some money and ask the Hyperspace Group for help? I remember they can directly open Warp gates using cool magic. Wouldn't that save us several hours of travel?"
For a moment, Tony Stark, Captain America, Black Widow, and Hawkeye all looked at Human Torch with strange expressions.
It was well known that neither Karl Merks's name nor anything related to him should ever be mentioned in front of Nick Fury… otherwise, you'd be in for trouble!
Feeling the strange atmosphere around him, Human Torch mumbled, looking utterly bewildered, "What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that? Did I say something wrong?"
"Good luck, kid!"
Tony Stark looked at Human Torch with a hint of pity, then directly piloted his Mark 43 Huntsman Armor into the sky, flying rapidly towards New York.
Seeing that her foolish younger brother was still in the dark, Susan Stone couldn't help but interject, "Jonathan, why do you think S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't use this method? Is it because they can't think of it, or because they lack money?"
"Huh?"
Just as Human Torch felt his brain was about to "burn" out, Captain America on the opposite side raised a finger and pointed towards the sky, his intention clear.
Human Torch, realizing it belatedly, suddenly shivered.
So it turns out that black guy… oh no, Director has a conflict with the Hyperspace Group?
Damn it, I just joined S.H.I.E.L.D. and already stepped on a landmine. How am I supposed to get by in the future?
Time to make a run for it.
Whoosh—
Human Torch instantly transformed into a ball of flame, following closely behind Tony Stark and disappearing into the horizon.
Inside the Sky Carrier's Bridge.
Nick Fury's dark face had already turned beet red, but he forcibly suppressed the anger in his heart.
How could he not want to use a sorcerer's Warp gate to directly go to New York to save the President? That would at least save several hours of travel time.
But the key was, he didn't even know any sorcerers from Kamar-Taj.
Every time he thought of Karl Merks appearing in such a flashy manner, his heart would be consumed with maddening jealousy.
Yet he was utterly helpless about it.
"Karl Merks, although this has nothing to do with you, you just wait. Sooner or later, I will make you pay a heavy price!!"
Karl: ??? Black man question mark face.jpg
… … … …
… …
New York.
Manhattan.
The few blocks near Osborn Tower had already fallen into chaos.
Lizard Men, covered in dark green scales, were everywhere, frantically attacking pedestrians and passing vehicles on the congested streets.
Police Officers who rushed to the scene activated their innate skill "empty clip," but they quickly discovered, to their surprise, that ordinary handgun bullets could not penetrate the scales on these Lizard monsters.
In contrast, the creatures' sharp claws could easily tear apart the police cars that the Officers used as cover.
So, within a few minutes, more than half of the Officers had become casualties under the claws of these Lizard Men.
But these Officers did not know that, in fact, just over ten minutes ago, these Lizard monsters were all just normal office workers walking on the street.
And the reason they had turned into their current monstrous forms was, of course, because Dr. Curt Connors had used the Osborn Group's Ghana Device to create a "Lizard Virus Epidemic Cloud" above Manhattan.
Let's rewind time just a few minutes…
Dr. Curt Connors, transformed into Lizard Dr. Connors, emerged from the sewer system, then directly climbed up the glass curtain wall of Osborn Tower, successfully entering the Cross-Species Genetics Project Biological Laboratory on the 7th floor, where he obtained the Ghana Device that could help him spread the Lizard Virus on a large scale.
He then continued climbing up the exterior wall towards the very top of the tower.
Meanwhile, in the private bedroom on the top floor of the tower, Harry Osborn, who had just finished his "fill-in-the-blanks" with a hot supermodel, was unexpectedly interrupted by a series of urgent alarms.
Then, his security chief truthfully reported the situation: the 7th-floor laboratory had been infiltrated by Lizard Dr. Connors, and the Ghana Device was missing.
"Could it be Dr. Curt Connors?"
Harry Osborn immediately recalled the scene from over half a month ago when Dr. Curt Connors suddenly lost control, transformed into a Lizard Man, and went on a killing spree in the laboratory.
In that sudden disaster, at least twenty excellent researchers died tragically.
Afterward, the honest Peter Parker voluntarily confessed to Harry Osborn his identity as a Lizard Warrior and how Dr. Curt Connors had tricked him into giving up the Lizard · Cross-Species Gene Serum formula.
Facing his friend's honesty, Harry Osborn did not vent his anger on him but chose to forgive him.
However, that didn't mean he would forgive Curt Connors as well.
"Hey, Peter, it's me… Don't ask about useless Things for now. An emergency has occurred, and you must come immediately to help me stop Dr. Connors's evil deeds."
"What?" A gasp suddenly came from the other end of the phone, "Has Dr. Connors appeared? Where is he now?"
"Yes, he's at Osborn Tower right now."
Harry Osborn, pulling on his pants, said quickly, "What's worse, he just stole the Ghana Device from the lab. If I'm not mistaken, he probably wants to use an improved version of the Lizard Virus to turn everyone in New York into that monstrous form of his!!"
"My God, is he crazy?"
A jumble of noises then came from the phone; it seemed Peter Parker was frantically searching for something. A moment later, he continued,
"Harry, I'm leaving now. I'll be there in 15 minutes at the latest… no, 10 minutes. You find a safe place to hide and wait for me first."
"No."
But who would have thought, Harry Osborn said with great determination, "If it's truly as I suspect, then to stop him, we must create an antidote beforehand…"
"So, Peter, tell me the Lizard · Cross-Species Gene Serum formula immediately. I'll use the super-computer to reverse-engineer it.
This way, I can use the equipment in the laboratory to produce a large quantity of antidote that can restore the infected in the shortest possible time."
"That's a super great idea."
Peter Parker couldn't help but cheer, then recited the formula, finally not forgetting to comfort him, "Harry, don't worry, I will definitely stop Dr. Connors this time."
After hanging up the phone, Peter Parker rushed out of his house, instantly transforming into his tall lizard form, and ran wildly towards Osborn Tower.
"Wait, should I tell Gwen this news?"
After running only a few meters, Peter Parker stopped again. After a brief thought, he gave up the idea.
Because this matter started because of him. If he hadn't told Dr. Curt Connors the Lizard · Cross-Species Gene Serum formula back then, there wouldn't have been the subsequent massacre and the current crisis.
So, he felt a bit embarrassed to involve the "goddess" in his heart.
Peter Parker wanted to use his own strength to end all of this.
Moreover, recently, Gwen seemed to be undertaking some secret operation, rumored to be covertly investigating a massive organization.
Given that, he felt even more reluctant to disturb her.
Thinking this, Peter Parker adjusted his breathing and then ran like the wind.
… …
Lizard Dr. Connors climbed all the way up, finally reaching the very top of Osborn Tower.
After setting up the Ghana Device, which was about a meter long and looked like a simple mortar, he eagerly pulled out four green "Lizard Virus Potions" from his backpack and placed them into the Ghana Device's magazine.
A prompt sounded, "Launch system is activating, estimated launch in two minutes…"
"My wish is finally about to come true!!"
Just as Lizard Dr. Connors stared intently at the countdown on the Ghana Device, anticipating the final moment, Peter Parker's voice suddenly rang out from behind him.
"Dr. Connors, stop this. The police have surrounded this tower."
"Tsk tsk, let me see who it is?"
Lizard Dr. Connors suddenly turned around, looking at the young man who had returned to his human form with a mocking expression, and said, "Peter, are you here to stop me?"
"Yes."
Peter Parker glanced sideways at the Ghana Device behind him, but from his angle, he couldn't see the countdown on it. He then said with some self-reproach,
"This all started because of me. If I hadn't written the Lizard · Cross-Species Gene Serum formula for you back then, those subsequent tragedies wouldn't have happened… So, no matter what, I will stop you today."
"Oh, that's a real shame, Peter, you're on the wrong side."
Lizard Dr. Connors feigned a look of pain, arguing eloquently, "You simply don't understand. The reason I'm doing this isn't for myself, but for all of humanity."
"In this decaying society, filled with depravity, people have long lost themselves, becoming nothing but walking corpses driven by immediate gratification… And now I have finally found a way to save them, to help them gain new life!!"