Spiders, Lizards, and the Green Goblin

"No, this is impossible!" Stricken with shock, Curt Connors roared fiercely, his savage face twisting as he raised his other razor-sharp claw to strike Mark. Yet Mark casually gripped his wrist all the same. "Hey, Bruce, do you want to play a game with me?" Mark forcefully dragged Bruce's claw down and pressed it against the ground, feigning anger. "You're not being a good boy. Now isn't the time for games; we need to start hunting demons." At that moment, cold sweat beaded on Curt Connors's forehead, his ferocious lizard face written full of terror. He was certain that if he kept moving, he would die. This guy's strength was terrifying! However... What did he just hear? Hunt demons? Ah, it must be the green demon! That guy was really annoying. Thus, he split his blood-red maw wide open, his tone gentle. "Gaga... ahem, haha, alright, let's go hunt demons. I know where the demons are." Upon hearing this, Mark was overjoyed. "That's a good boy, Bruce. You really are my good partner. Hurry up and take me to hunt demons." "Alright, follow me." As Mark released his grip, Curt Connors finally heaved a sigh of relief, turning to scramble out the window. "Clack, clack..." He used his sharp claws to climb the outer wall of the tall building, and looking back, he saw Mark doing the exact same thing. The difference was that Mark could cling firmly to the wall even without sharp claws. Curt Connors grew pensive. Perhaps to test him. He suddenly leaped with all his might, breaking away from the wall to hurl himself toward another skyscraper. "Good job, Bruce! You jump so high!" Mark excitedly activated his movement skill. "Whoosh!" Just as he vaulted into the air, he flicked his wrist to shoot out a web, locking onto the opposite building. Swinging across, he landed steadily right beside Curt Connors. Curt Connors: "?????" How did this guy pull that off? Spider-Man? Whether in speed or strength, he fell far short of this fellow. Clearly, he was a lizard, and the other party was merely a spider! If it came down to a life-and-death struggle, he stood no chance at all. At that thought, Curt Connors suppressed his churning heart and obediently led the way. Just like that, the terrifying Lizard was forced onto a demon-hunting journey with Spider-Man. The lizard and the "spider" roamed and swung through the city, quickly drawing peculiar gazes. S.H.I.E.L.D. "Nick, he's been spotted. No, wait, there's another guy." Before a surveillance screen, Natasha, clad in tight black leather, kept her gaze locked on the lizard and Spider-Man in the footage, her brow furrowed. "Aside from that lizard, there's someone else. Mhm, he moves at high speed like a spider, using something similar to web threads." Nick Fury strode into the surveillance room. He glanced at the two fellows on the screen. His face was very black. It was always black. So Natasha couldn't read any emotion from Nick Fury's face whatsoever. Perhaps that was a prerequisite for becoming the commander of S.H.I.E.L.D. Nick Fury stated, "I just received word. The lizard isn't the one who attacked the asylum." Natasha glanced sideways. "Then we've been investigating all this time and got the wrong person?" "Not exactly," Nick Fury said. "We would have investigated this lizard sooner or later anyway. But now we have a new discovery. This seemingly strange Spider-Man appeared on Mink Street just now, and he's also one of our targets." Hearing this, Natasha shrugged indifferently. "Fine, what do we do now?" she asked. Nick Fury pondered, "Keep monitoring them. When they gather together, something is bound to happen." "But cameras can't cover every corner of New York." "Then you go into the field yourself." "I knew it would come to this." Natasha sighed. "Remember to count the overtime pay. I still have a mortgage to finish paying off." Ever since she joined S.H.I.E.L.D., her life seemed bound to something. If she didn't work, even superheroes would drop into the kill zone. Thus, she checked her weapons and equipment, left the surveillance room, and hopped into a helicopter. "Nick, give me a coordinate fix." "Understood." -- Finally, the lizard and Spider-Man arrived at an estate on the outskirts. Beneath a full moon, the silent ancient castle was dark, terrifying, evil, and forbidding to the living. It was perpetually permeated by a chilling aura. One could even faintly hear the howling of wolves in the distance. At the pinnacle of the castle, Mark rapidly climbed up to Bruce, grasping the longsword in his hand. [You have kept up with Bruce. Quest completed. Acquired skill: Jumping (Level 1).] [Jumping: Increases jump distance by 10%. Consumes 1 point of stamina per second. No cooldown.] [Quest: Bruce has found the demon's lair. Defeat the demon for the first time to promote to Beginner Demon Hunter!] Seeing this, Mark felt both excited and apprehensive. After all, he was merely a weak Apprentice Demon Hunter and lacked the power to defeat a demon at all. Yet with Bruce by his side, it should be fine. He took a deep breath, already prepared to face the terrifying demon. Standing on the heights, Mark intended to use humor to mask his inner panic. He smiled, "It's so high up here. This is great for cosplaying Homelander's Getsuga Tensho, but our mission is to defeat the demon. I can smell a demonic aura right here." Curt Connors: "????" Whatever, this guy was out of his mind. Settling scores with the Green Goblin was the most important thing. Immediately, he slammed his foot hard into the concrete ground, quickly gouging out a hole. "Damned bastard, get the hell out here!" His roar echoed through the entire castle. Just as he was about to burrow into the hole, a surging wave of fire violently encroached upon them. "Boom!!" An explosion erupted on the spot, the ferocious heatwave sending the Lizard flying. Meanwhile, the mysterious Demon Hunter easily withstood the impact of the demonic power, crying out for his life at the top of his lungs. "We're done for, we're done for, we're going to die! Bruce, save me!!" Curt Connors, who had landed in a messy heap: "?????" Asshole, this guy had to be an exhibitionist! Before he could curse inwardly, a steel demon radiating a sickly green glow stepped upon a glider and slowly emerged from the firelight. Beneath the demon mask, golden eyes were filled with evil and madness. "Gagaga, Professor Connors, are you planning to lose your research funding?" Clearly, he had long known the Lizard's true identity. Professor Connors likewise knew who the other party was. Norman Osborn, a fellow afflicted with dissociative identity disorder. Mhm, he also possessed a set of high-tech demon armor and a glider. Both were green. This bastard was the one who had attacked the asylum! He raised his head to gaze at the other's lofty perch and said coldly, "I don't care how you and S.H.I.E.L.D. fight it out, but you attacked the asylum out of revenge. I didn't, and I want you to help me prove it." "I never said you were the one who did it." Norman looked somewhat perplexed; he certainly wasn't a demon who dared not own up to his deeds. Professor Connors ignored him. "The news said so, though." Norman shrugged. "Whatever, that's not important. What matters is, what do you plan to do?" "Naturally, take you down!" "But your experimental funding is sponsored by me. If I die, you won't have any money." "Then I'll just beat you up severely!" "Are you deaf?" Norman suddenly let out a weird laugh. "If you beat me up, I can cut off your research budget as well." At those words, Professor Connors slapped his own forehead. "Holy crab, is this the price of using a regenerative serum?" Intelligence reduced to zero. He really needed Peter's help to perfect it.