After confirming that all the dishes had been washed clean, Merlin politely saw the woman out of the house, ignoring her resentful gaze.
Merlin then returned home and studied the experimental calculation formula Peter had sent with Gwen.
The main foundational formula for the Cross-Species Gene Research Experiment was R=(1+P)^(-n)2.
Here, p represented the probability of success each time, n represented the number of experiments, and the decay rate represented how much the probability of success decreased after each trial.
As long as they could find a formula during the experiment that increased P and reduced n, they could slow the rate of decay.
After discussing it for a while and reaching a rough conclusion, Merlin sent the revised formula back to Peter.
As night fell, Merlin made some late-night snacks. But when he returned to the living room, he found that Gwen had already vanished.
"Leaving without saying goodbye again." He shrugged and did not pay much attention to it. He was used to it by now.
A live news report suddenly began playing on the Notebook.
"The Lizard monster has appeared once again on Williamsonburg Bridge. Police are rapidly heading to the scene, but the bridge lanes are congested and there are many people present. The situation does not look optimistic..."
"Oh my God, thank goodness. The child is fine. Spider-Man has arrived."
Merlin carried his snack to the sofa and sat down. As he ate, he looked at the Notebook. The screen showed live footage from Williamsonburg Bridge. Gwen Spider-Man, clad in a black-and-white Spider suit, had just arrived and was already fighting the Lizardman amid the densely jammed traffic.
But after watching for a while, Merlin suddenly noticed something was off. The Lizardman on-screen did not seem quite the same as the one Peter had turned into.
"Another Lizardman?" His brows rose in surprise.
This world seemed to be starting to descend into chaos.
But for real chaos, they would have to wait until that high-profile announcement from Stark Industries.
With that thought, Merlin quickly finished his snack, closed the news feed, and continued working on his R Star Website.
The appearance of the Lizardman left the people of Apple City terrified. But after it leaped from Williamsonburg Bridge into the river to escape Spider-Man, it disappeared for a long time.
Following the trail, the police traced the case to Professor Connors of Osborn Industries, but he had already resigned and vanished without a trace.
This confirmed Professor Connors as a major suspect, and the police began a targeted search.
Yet they found nothing all the way through Saturday. Instead, Merlin had often noticed Gwen with scrapes and bruises lately.
Whenever Merlin asked about them, she merely used Skids as an excuse.
A major incident had also occurred in Hell's Kitchen. The leader of the Motorcycle Gang had been assassinated. It was said that an explosion had gone off at the scene, leaving the entire room covered in chunks of flesh and blood. It was a horrific sight.
Saturday afternoon, Merlin's Custom Shop.
The workstation remained unchanged, except the Bevel Magic Treasure was gone. In its place stood a low-slung sports car. Its front end resembled a three-pronged toe, while the sleek lines of its body were full of futuristic technological beauty.
If not for its four wheels, it looked more like a futuristic aircraft.
Its surface was covered in an unobstructed Princess Bubblegum paint job.
"Rattle..."
The rolling shutter slowly rose, and Frank walked in, his entire body giving off a heavy, oppressive air.
"How does the gun feel?" Merlin asked first.
Frank fell silent for a moment, then nodded. "Very good. Tell me how to join the game."
With the Motorcycle Gang leader dead, the other two gangs had begun to grow wary as well. To be safe, he had not acted rashly and had waited for news from Merlin.
He wanted to kill every gang member responsible for his wife and daughter's deaths, leaving not a single one alive. Before that, he did not want to die.
More precisely, Merlin could offer him a more reliable plan, so he did not need to act impulsively himself.
"Take out your phone."
Frank looked puzzled, but he still pulled out his phone.
When the screen lit up, however, an unfamiliar app with a star icon had appeared on it.
There was not much on his phone, so he spotted it immediately.
"Open it."
Frank did as instructed. When he opened the app, a webpage appeared on his phone screen.
His eyes flickered when he saw what was displayed on the page.
"Inside is the R Star Store. I believe you can tell what kind of products it sells. The things in my shop are included as well."
"And aside from cash, you can also earn the corresponding payment by completing missions."
"For example, the three gangs this time. If you complete the mission, you should receive anywhere from five million to ten million."
"I can also provide you with weapons and planning, but I take a twenty percent fee."
"What do you think?" Merlin held up two fingers.
Frank tapped at the phone screen, looking through the many vehicles and weapons listed within. There were even fighter jets, helicopters, tanks, and armored vehicles. He could not help feeling startled.
Who exactly was behind this game?
"What do you think? Or are you planning to do it yourself?" Seeing that Frank had not answered for a long time, Merlin urged him.
Frank snapped back to his senses and adjusted his state of mind.
"Fine, I agree. As long as I can kill them all, you can have the entire reward." He did not care much about the money. As long as he could wipe out his enemies, that was enough.
"OK. Then you can pick any vehicle and weapon in my shop now."
"I can also send you the exact locations of every gang member, including their leaders."
"This is a Headset. You can receive information at any time."
"If necessary, I can come meet you."
"Fine. We move tonight."
Frank then entered the armory with Merlin once again. He selected a pump-action shotgun, a dagger, and an Armor-Piercing Handgun.
Afterward, he selected the Bevel Magic Treasure Merlin had finished building just last week and drove away from the custom shop.
He had originally wanted to choose Superburn, but its paint job looked too conspicuous, so he chose the rather plain-looking Bevel Magic Treasure instead.
Hell's Kitchen, Fuer 38th Street.
Frank drove through the dim streets, heading toward the Motorcycle Gang.
"By the way, once you've avenged your wife and daughter, what are your plans afterward?"
Merlin's voice suddenly came through the Headset.
Frank pondered for a moment. "Nothing for now."
"Mm... Makes sense. Right now, revenge is all you can think about. The gangs here are basically all connected somehow. Don't count on the law to punish them by throwing them into prison."
"This dark play needs light to cleanse them. This city needs light too."
"City of Light... What do you think of that title?"
Frank was somewhat tempted, but he truly could not bring himself to praise the name. It was a little too childish.
Just as he was about to speak, Merlin suddenly issued a warning.
"The target is ahead of you."
"Vrooom!!"
Before you continue