Lizard Doctor

The lights in Osborn Group's underground laboratory were still on at midnight.

Professor Curt Connors stood before the lab bench, the shadow of his single arm stretched long behind him. Before him sat a syringe filled with fluorescent green liquid—the final version of the Regeneration Drug.

"All the lab rat experiments succeeded. Bone, muscle, and nerve regeneration were complete," he murmured, his Fingers lightly brushing the syringe. "The only side effect is increased irritability along with slightly heightened aggression. Hmm... completely acceptable."

The words Norman Osborn had spoken when rejecting his application for human trials surfaced in his mind: "I would prefer to proceed steadily and only begin human trials once we are completely certain of the drug's safety."

"Wait a while longer? No, I've waited long enough." He took a deep breath and pressed the needle against his maimed right shoulder.

"For science, and for myself!"

The instant the serum entered his veins, searing pain swept through his entire body.

Connors dropped to his knees, a pained roar forced from his throat. His skin began to writhe, and his muscle fibers twisted and multiplied like living creatures.

From the stump of his right shoulder, bone grew wildly like vines, wrapping around newly formed nerves and blood vessels. A complete human arm was reappearing.

"It worked! It worked!!!" Connors trembled as he touched his new right hand, tears flooding his eyes. He had waited far, far too long for this moment.

But before he could properly savor the joy of success, he realized the changes in his body had not stopped.

His nails hardened and lengthened into sharp claws. Fine green scales emerged across his skin. Tearing pain shot through the base of his spine, and a thick lizard tail burst through his clothes and lashed against the laboratory floor.

"No! No, no!! This is wrong!!!" Connors staggered toward a mirror, only to see a face steadily becoming reptilian. His pupils narrowed into slits, his jaw lengthened, and his tongue began to stretch and split.

Lizard genes were changing his human appearance—and eroding his humanity.

His thoughts began to descend into chaos. A primal fury burned in his chest, but the remnants of his reason desperately held it down.

"Must... leave..."

Professor Connors—or rather, the man becoming Lizard Doctor—quickly grabbed the experimental data and critical equipment, smashed through the emergency exit, and vanished into the New York night.

The next morning, Osborn Group's head of security knocked on Norman Osborn's office door with a pale face.

"Sir, the Group laboratory has been robbed! Dr. Connors has disappeared, and precision equipment worth at least two million dollars is missing!"

Norman frowned. "What about the surveillance footage?"

"It was deleted, using Dr. Connors's authorization."

Norman's fingertips tapped against the desk. His experience with the Green Goblin incident immediately told him something was wrong.

Just as he was about to pick up the phone and call the police, the office door was pushed open again.

"Father, wait!" Harry hurried in and lowered his voice. "This may not be an ordinary theft."

Norman narrowed his eyes. "What do you know?"

Harry took a deep breath. "Dr. Connors has been working on cross-species regenerative serum. You know that, Father. But what you may not know is that he probably experimented on himself last night."

Norman's expression darkened instantly. "You knew about his plan all along?"

"No! But Peter and Lin warned me before that Professor Connors's theory carried risks." Harry explained quickly. "If he really mutated, calling the police will only make things worse."

Norman fell silent for a moment. The last Green Goblin incident had nearly destroyed Osborn Group. He could not risk having a "Lizard Man" make the headlines again—especially the Daily Bugle's headlines. The Daily Bugle's young owner was sharp and aggressive, the sort who loved chaos and never feared making a bigger spectacle of things. They would love for everyone in New York to know about news like this.

"How do you want to handle it?"

"Let us try," Harry said firmly. "Lin Hai has special abilities, and Peter is also... uh, good in a fight. With Gwen's scientific support, we can handle this quietly."

Norman stared at his son for several seconds before finally nodding. "One week. If you fail, or if this causes public panic, I will bring in the police—and even the military." It was hardly strange for a major research group like Osborn Group to cooperate with the United States military.

Harry agreed.

That afternoon, the group of four gathered at Harry's safehouse. A large display showed a map of New York's sewer system.

"Professor Connors—or rather, the Lizard Man—is most likely hiding in the drainage hub near Osborn Tower. There's enough space here for lab equipment, and it's close to the East River, making it easy to get water," Gwen said, pointing at the screen.

Peter crouched on a chair, his Fingers unconsciously tapping against its back. "How can we be sure he still has his mind? What if he's already become a complete beast? Facing him directly would be dangerous."

"The serum's mutation is gradual." Lin Hai checked the modified Life Force detector in his hand. "Last night, he was still able to delete the surveillance footage and take the data. That means at least part of his humanity remains."

Harry pulled up a set of data. "The question is, what does he want? If he only wanted to cure himself, why run away?"

"Because he knew Osborn Group would capture him. As a Lizard Man, he draws far more attention than he did with one arm," Gwen analyzed calmly. "And now, I think he wants to perfect the serum and reverse the mutation."

Lin Hai nodded. "Or worse. If the lizard genes have influenced him too deeply, he may believe humans need to 'evolve' into perfect creatures like lizards."

Silence fell over the room.

"So, what's the battle plan?" Peter broke the silence.

"Two teams." Lin Hai traced routes across the map. "Peter and I will enter through a maintenance shaft and make direct contact. Gwen and Harry will provide real-time surveillance and extraction support from the surface."

"What if he attacks you?" Harry asked. Though he knew Lin Hai was now a capable fighter, he could not help worrying about his friend's safety.

Lin Hai took several test tubes filled with emerald liquid from his backpack. "These are sedatives I made. They contain special calming plant extracts and concentrated Life Force. They should neutralize the Lizard Serum's activity. But only if—"

"Only if he's still willing to listen to us," Peter said softly.

The stench of New York's sewers mixed with the smell of chemical agents. Peter wore modified night-vision goggles, his Web Shooters ready at any moment. Lin Hai held the Life Force detector, whose emerald glow cast green shadows along the tunnel walls.

"The signal is getting stronger. It's around the bend ahead," Lin Hai said in a low voice.

The two slowed their pace. Beyond the corner came the sound of liquid dripping, along with the heavy breathing of some large creature.

Peter took a deep breath and suddenly rushed out, but the sight before him froze him in place.

A nearly three-meter-tall Lizard Man stood with his back to them, operating laboratory equipment. Green scales covered his entire body, and his tail left deep scratches across the floor as it swept behind him.

Hearing the noise, he—or rather, it—slowly turned around. Yellow slit pupils glowed in the darkness.

"Peter... Parker?" The Lizard Man's voice was hoarse and torn, but Connors's tone could still be recognized. "And... Lin Hai?"

"Professor, we're here to help you." Lin Hai stepped forward, the sedative hidden behind his back.

Connors's lizard face twisted for an instant. "Help me? Norman sent you to capture me, didn't he?"

"No!" Peter hurriedly said. "Harry convinced Mr. Norman to give us a week to bring you back! The serum can be improved, but you need a proper laboratory..."

"Improved?!" Connors suddenly flew into a rage, smashing a nearby water pipe with one claw. "You don't understand at all! This isn't a defect—it's evolution!"

His voice grew increasingly muddled, and the tone that belonged to Connors gradually vanished.

"Professor! Control your emotions!" Lin Hai shouted. "Anger will accelerate the mutation!"

But it was already too late. Connors's pupils completely narrowed into beastly slits. He threw back his head with an inhuman roar and pounced.

Lizard Doctor had officially gone berserk.

"Fall back!" Lin Hai grabbed Peter and leaped backward, flinging out three seeds at the same time. The seeds burst open in midair, transforming into tough vines that wrapped around Lizard Doctor's legs.

Peter seized the chance to fire webbing at the ceiling and swing behind Lizard Doctor. "Professor! Wake up!"

The answer was a sweeping strike from his tail. Peter barely dodged, and the concrete pipe where he had been standing was smashed to pieces.

Gwen's urgent voice came through their earpieces. "He's fully becoming a beast! You have to inject the sedative immediately!"

"Easy for you to say!" Peter rolled away from the claws. "He's faster than a car right now!"

Lin Hai suddenly rushed toward the lab bench and grabbed a test tube filled with blue liquid. "Professor! Do you want more people to become like you?"

Lizard Doctor's movements paused.

"Look at this!" Lin Hai raised the test tube high. "What you're making now isn't a Regeneration Drug at all—it's Lizard Serum! It contains the aggressive genes of laboratory lizards! If it leaks, innocent civilians will turn into highly aggressive humanoid lizards!"

Lizard Doctor's assault slowed slightly as his remaining reason battled his animal nature. "No... that's impossible!"

He lowered his head to look at his own body, and a flicker of fear flashed through his eyes.

Now! Lin Hai hurled the sedative vial while Peter simultaneously fired webbing around Lizard Doctor's arm.

But Lizard Doctor's terrifying animal instincts caught it. With one sweep of his tail, he knocked the sedative away and violently broke free from their restraint.

Professor Connors, transformed into a Lizard Man, seemed to have inherited the lizard genes' talent for escape as well. Seeing that the situation had turned against him, Lizard Doctor snatched up a batch of the Regeneration Drug he had developed—or rather, Lizard Drug—and fled through the deep sewer water.

New York's sewer water churned beneath their feet. Lin Hai and Peter stood beside the shattered lab equipment, their expressions grim.

"He took at least twenty doses of Lizard Serum." Lin Hai picked up an empty test tube from the ground. Emerald Life Force flowed around his fingertips as he analyzed the residual ingredients. "The concentration is higher than before. He's accelerating the mutation process."

Peter shook the sewage-soaked Web Shooters on his wrists. "We need to catch him!"

"No." Lin Hai pressed a hand to his shoulder. "He's thinking like a cold-blooded animal now. The sewers are his home ground. If we chase after him recklessly, we could be ambushed."

Gwen's voice came through the earpiece. "Lin is right, Peter. Come back first. Harry has pulled up the sewer structure near Osborn Tower. We need to make a plan."

Peter unwillingly looked toward the dark waterway, where Lizard Doctor had long since vanished. He gritted his teeth. "Let's go."

Lin Hai and Peter could only return to Harry's safehouse with the one remaining tube of Lizard Serum and see whether they could use it to develop the Purification Agent from the original movie.