New York Is a Little Too Urbanized

"Have you heard of my story?"

Doctor Animo had never dreamed that someone would actually call out his name. For a moment, the way he looked at Ben and the tone of his voice both became delighted, his expression turning incomparably excited.

He was thin, with bluish skin that made him look somewhat sickly.

Yet at that moment, he looked at Ben with an expectant gaze, like a child in kindergarten hoping to be praised by the teacher.

"Of course I know you!"

Ben thought.

Doctor Animo, whose real name should have been Aloysius James Animo, had originally been an outstanding veterinarian and scientist. But he had gradually gone mad, attempting to reconstruct animal DNA and create super animals.

But that act had ruined his future.

He had missed the Truth Prize he had dreamed of, then returned five years later with his invention—the Gene Variator.

Ben's gaze settled on the machine on the man's head, resembling Loki's horned helmet. It looked crude, but it possessed terrifying power.

But...

"Why are you here, Animo?" Ben asked with a frown.

Animo was an iconic villain from Ben 10. There were even settings claiming he was the smartest man on Earth, but he should not have appeared in this universe.

And clearly, he did not know Ben, nor had he recognized the Little Broken Watch.

"Animo?" Doctor Animo's voice instantly turned cold.

He glared viciously at Ben, one hand pressed to his chest like a knight receiving an honor. "You rude little brat, you should call me Doctor Animo!"

"Doctor?"

"All right, Doctor Animo." Ben did not mind calling him that. Compared to such trivial matters, what he wanted to know more was why Doctor Animo had appeared in the Marvel Universe.

"I mean no offense, Doctor Animo." He jumped down from the ceiling. "But I really want to know, just how did you end up in this world?"

"This world?" Animo finally understood what Ben meant. When he looked at him again, his gaze held a few more layers of meaning. "So you're not from this world either?"

But before Ben could answer, he indignantly said:

"You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask?!"

"I wanted to take my little darlings and reclaim the Truth Prize that belonged to me, but who would've thought I'd end up in a place like this!"

"No Truth Prize!"

"No one knows the great name of Doctor Animo!"

"Those idiots actually took me for a beggar!"

His face was full of rage, his entire body trembling. The obsession that had nearly been within his grasp, the Truth Prize he had longed for, had vanished just before he could seize it. It infuriated him, making the past five years of research seem like wasted effort.

And the humiliations he had suffered after arriving in this world made him even angrier!

But soon, the fury on his face relaxed. His clenched fists and his nowhere-to-go rage seemed to vanish as well.

"But never mind." Doctor Animo bared his teeth in a sinister grin, as if none of that mattered anymore. "It makes no difference to me what world I'm in, because I am destined to restore the glory of prehistoric creatures! I will transform this Earth into a paradise for Mutant Creatures!"

"You're insane!"

"Insane?" Animo retorted. "Don't you think this New York City is a little too urbanized?"

Ben: ???

All right, all right. So you want to de-urbanize it too?

Doctor Animo paid no attention to Ben's expression. In fact, he felt that coming to this world had been a good thing.

Because the biotechnology in this world had given him an enormous surprise!

Doctor Animo took out his phone and stared at the blurry image of a Lizard Man on its screen. He said excitedly, "Look at this. What a beautiful creature—powerful body, sharp claws... If I can turn everyone in this world into Lizard Men, then I can rule them all!"

"Beautiful? I think your taste needs work. Wait, aren't you one of those people who like Black Flounder Mermaid and Black Juliet?"

Ben could not help making a sarcastic remark.

"My advice is, don't watch those weird videos on YouTube when you've got nothing to do. Why not check out Twitter? There are plenty of teachers there. You could get yourself something better."

No matter what world he was in, Doctor Animo was still such a deranged mad scientist.

Ben had nothing in common with Animo, but the wisecracks slipped out anyway.

Animo looked at Ben darkly. He had noticed long ago that Ben possessed Superpowers, but he had mistaken his identity.

"You're the Spider-Man from the news, aren't you?"

"No, you've got the wrong guy. That's my brother..."

"Enough. Stop lying. Everyone knows that when someone says, 'I have a friend,' they're talking about themselves!" Animo interrupted Ben and continued smugly.

Ben: ...

"Whatever."

Animo looked at Ben sympathetically. "You can count yourself Lucky. You gained the Superpowers of animals, but unfortunately, you're not lucky enough!"

"Your body is still so ugly, so weak..."

"A pitiful wretch like you, who failed to evolve, would be better off not going to the New World," Animo said coldly.

Then Ben saw the machine on his head begin to flash with electrical light.

The next moment, his hair stood on end!

Rustling sounds came from all directions. In the darkness, dozens of scarlet eyes gleamed with soul-chilling light!

Ben's heart sank.

His gaze flicked to the watch on his wrist. The Little Broken Watch was still on cooldown. Judging by the time, it would take at least another ten minutes before he could transform again, while there was an entire swarm of Lizard Monsters!

These Lizard Monsters had clearly mutated from the White Mice in the laboratory, and Doctor Animo seemed to have used the Gene Variator on them, causing them to undergo even fiercer mutations alongside their transformation!

Now, every monster was as ferocious as an upright dinosaur!

Their fangs and claws were even sharper than Daggers, and the way they looked at Ben was filled with bloodlust!

"Pathetic thing, this is where you end." Animo gave a sinister sneer before retreating into the darkness.

He had never intended to spare Ben from the beginning. For no other reason than that Ben had created a serum capable of reversing genetic mutations.

In his eyes, Ben was the greatest obstacle to his mutation plan!

As long as he eliminated him, no one would be able to stop him again!

For now, the only thing he needed to do was find the Lizard Man from last night. He wanted to combine that man's intelligence with his own and make certain improvements to the Lizard Serum.

How could a great prehistoric world contain only one species of Lizard Man?

"This world needs to be a little more diverse!"

Everyone, follow-up reading is extremely important during a new book's release period. Please don't stockpile chapters—I'm begging you!