Lizard

"Lee, your maturity and composure are simply not what one would expect at your age!"

George Stacy wore a rare look of approval, then sighed, "If others, especially that damn Spider-Man, could have this kind of awareness, perhaps I wouldn't have such a headache."

"Thank you for the compliment."

Lee Stein gladly accepted the praise from his future father-in-law. He first winked at Gwen, then struck while the iron was hot, "However, I think you might consider giving up on hunting down Spider-Man."

"Oh? Do you have a better plan?"

If anyone else had suggested he stop hunting Spider-Man, George Stacy might have already lost his temper. But coming from Lee Stein, a young man who was mature, steady, and thoughtful, it piqued his interest.

"Perhaps you could consider recruiting him into the police force. I think he would be quite happy to obtain legal enforcement authority and a decent salary; after all, even superheroes need to eat."

"This would not only increase the credibility of the police department but also provide the NYPD with a super-cop, and you wouldn't have to worry about this street hero anymore."

Lee suggested with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Recruit him into the police force?"

George Stacy frowned, actually considering the feasibility of this matter.

Once there is one such street hero, there is no guarantee there won't be a second. The exploits of Captain America had influenced several generations, and he was all too familiar with the country's obsession with individual heroism. The police department truly needed a combatant in this area to maintain public order.

However, the police department wasn't his personal fiefdom. At the end of the day, he was just a captain in Queens, with the NYPD Headquarters looming over him. This wasn't a decision he could make alone.

Still, he made up his mind to bring this up to his superiors. If this idea could actually be implemented, it would be a massive achievement; even getting a share of the credit would be enough to secure him a promotion.

Thinking of this, George Stacy looked at Lee with even greater satisfaction.

"Heh!"

Seeing George Stacy's brow gradually unfurrow, Lee smiled as well.

Spider-Man becoming a super-cop—just thinking about it was amusing. He just wondered if he could earn an achievement point for it.

Even if he didn't, it wouldn't be a loss. Winning over this future father-in-law meant he was halfway to success with Gwen, as this household was essentially a dictatorship under this chauvinistic man.

The atmosphere that followed undoubtedly became much more harmonious. While it couldn't be called fiery, the mundane daily conversation was far more comfortable, and the previous sense of estrangement naturally vanished.

The meal was enjoyable for both host and guest, but the atmosphere, which had been growing warmer, was interrupted by a sudden phone call.

"Hello?"

George Stacy first apologized, then stood up and walked to the side to answer the phone.

Whatever was said on the other end, his expression shifted, and his brows furrowed tightly.

"Are you sure you didn't see wrong?"

After hearing the response, he spoke with a grave tone.

"Wait, I'm coming right over!"

Upon receiving a confirmation, George Stacy's expression worsened. He hurriedly put on his police uniform with one hand while holding the phone, not even bothering to straighten it out before rushing toward the door.

"There's an emergency at the precinct, I have to go."

George Stacy hurriedly apologized and rushed out. Gwen's mother signaled to Gwen before following to see her husband off.

"I'll go take a look."

Knowing exactly what had happened, Lee said to Gwen before rising and walking to the balcony.

Looking down from the balcony, the twenty-story height made everything below look like ants, but he could still clearly see a police car with flashing lights parked below.

Before long, George Stacy, who had taken the elevator down, emerged. He hurriedly threw on his coat, climbed into the police car, and the vehicle sped away without delay.

"You know..."

"Every time I see a scene like this, I get so scared..."

Gwen had come up behind Lee at some point, looking at the departing police car with a complex expression, "I really worry that one day he'll go out and never come back."

"Don't worry, it'll be fine!"

Lee gently wrapped his arm around Gwen's shoulder. He intended to comfort her, but the words turned into a tease, "In a while, I'll turn your old man into a superman like Captain America, so you won't have to worry about his safety anymore."

"Then I'll only worry more!"

Gwen shot him a glare, but her body leaned involuntarily against Lee's chest, as if only then could the unease in her heart diminish slightly.

"Lizard..."

Hugging Gwen while quietly watching the police car disappear, then looking toward the direction of Oscorp Tower, Lee sighed.

What was meant to come would come eventually.

He had a decent impression of Dr. Curt Connors, but unfortunately, nothing could change this.

He had noticed this in his previous life: players could change the plot, and as their influence grew, the original story would become unrecognizable. But there was one thing that could never be changed: the completion process of an identity template.

Simply put, you could change anyone's life, or even trick a villain into becoming a superhero, but under the influence of some mysterious, inevitable force, you could never stop them from becoming what they were destined to be.

Just like Spider-Man; no matter how much a player tried to interfere, he would always be bitten by the genetically modified spider at Oscorp. The only difference would be the method.

This was the completion of the identity template. Peter Parker only counted as half of the character; adding the mutation made him the complete Spider-Man.

Likewise, Dr. Connors, the Lizard, was the same.

Previously, this was just a guess, but now it had been fully confirmed. After all, he had already interfered with the key points regarding the Lizard.

With his prior warning, unless Curt Connors had suddenly lost his mind, he should never have used the lizard serum created for lab mice, and he might have even used the Decay Formula brought by Peter Parker to truly perfect the serum.

But the result was obvious: nothing had changed. Curt Connors had ultimately become the true Lizard.