[Two Chapters Combined] One Wave Subsides, Another Rises

Sirens, explosions, cries... a cacophony of noises shattered the tranquility of New York City's night.

At this moment, Officer George, who had acted a step ahead, was already fully armed and leading a large number of officers to the scene.

However, due to traffic congestion, police vehicles were unable to reach the scene.

However, if they choose to abandon the car and walk to the scene...

Putting aside how much equipment would be sacrificed to do this...

That monster is clearly not stupid; it's constantly moving. Trying to catch it on two legs would probably take forever.

This put Sheriff George and his police force in a difficult and awkward situation.

"Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Just then, a strange, slight sound came from above Sheriff George's head. Curious, Sheriff George instinctively looked up and saw two blurry figures, one black and one red, swaying rapidly between the tall buildings.

Judging from the direction he was heading, Spider-Man had clearly also learned of the monster's appearance and, disregarding his own safety, resolutely rushed to the scene, choosing to confront the mysterious monster head-on.

This made Sheriff George's expression even more complicated.

After all, as George had argued with Peter earlier, he believed that Spider-Man's actions were a veiled violation of the law. Therefore, he should be arrested immediately upon being spotted by Spider-Man.

But at this critical juncture, the helpless Sheriff George discovered that the only people he could count on were these two elusive "criminals".

"Sir, should we open fire now and shoot them down?"

"...No need, let them pass."

That's why, when George's trusted partner noticed his hesitation, he quietly approached George and whispered to ask him something.

George remained silent for only a brief moment before shaking his head in rejection of the suggestion, a hint of reluctance and helplessness in his expression.

He then carefully inspected the firearm in his hand, opened the door, and got out of the car first. Picking up the walkie-talkie hanging from his chest, he decisively issued orders.

"Everyone, lighten your load as much as possible and march with me on foot! Even if our legs break, we must get to the scene. We cannot let that monster continue its rampage!"

"Yes, sir!"

The story has two parts, on the other side...

Although Riley was unable to track the lizardmen's whereabouts in real time due to the suddenness of the incident.

However, Riley, with his extensive network of connections, only needed to call Sheriff Black. Thanks to the efficient operations of District 13, the location of the Lizardmen could be quickly pinpointed.

Using the advantage of swinging on their webs, the Parker brothers, who could move freely through the air, soon spotted the lizardmen charging around rapidly near the entrance to the Williamsburg Bridge.

"Sorry, buddy, it's not time for the reptile show to start yet. We need to put you back in your cage!"

Of course, in the past, no matter how much effort they put in, their opponents were always ordinary people.

If you're just watching it on TV, that's fine.

But once Peter closed the distance with this incredibly strong and seemingly formidable giant monster, it would be a lie to say he wasn't nervous.

Therefore, while firing several web-like projectiles in succession to try to slow down the lizardmen and probe their strength, Peter, almost without thinking, started making witty remarks to ease his tension and anxiety.

"roar--!"

It was Peter's witty remark that made the Lizard, who hadn't noticed the arrival of the two Spider-Men, suddenly become wary.

Not only did he crawl on all fours, narrowly avoiding Peter's web-like projectiles, but he also managed to dodge them with incredible speed and agility.

The next second, his entire body sprang up from the ground, and with agility completely out of proportion to his size, he fiercely pounced on Peter!

Unfortunately, before the lizardman could close the distance, Riley, who had already figured out Peter's style through several collaborations and was deliberately moving a beat slower, launched a surprise attack from the lizardman's side. With a powerful flying kick, he sent the lizardman flying backward, rolling several times on the ground.

Even so, the lizardman showed no signs of injury whatsoever.

Almost the instant his rolling motion stopped, the lizardman, supported by his tail, swiftly stood up. With a furious roar, he opened his gaping maw and charged straight at the Parker brothers!

"Oh dear, it seems this level of attack isn't enough to satisfy our new friend."

Seeing that ordinary attack methods seemed unable to harm the lizardman in front of him, Peter calculated the strength of his attack in his mind while leaping into the air to close the distance with the lizardman and landing lightly on him.

He bent his legs and crouched on the Lizard Man's back. Relying on Spider-Man's superpowers, no matter how frantically the Lizard Man twisted his body, he remained as steady as a mountain, without the slightest tremor. Peter rubbed his palms together, activating the rarely used electric shock function of his suit. With a flash of electricity, he instantly transformed into a thunder god, slapping the Lizard Man's shoulder.

"Hey buddy, learn from me... I say electric shock, you say 'Awoo!' Electric shock—!"

"roar--!!!"

This penetrating attack, capable of piercing through the skin and striking the internal organs, was clearly too much for even the thick-skinned lizardmen to handle.

Thus, amidst the pain and cries, the lizardman, having been struck by several high-voltage electric shocks from Peter, began to radiate heat and an indescribable aroma of flesh. He then knelt down, his limbs limp and powerless, temporarily losing the ability to continue fighting.

"Hey, I thought it would be tough to deal with, but it's not that bad... Wait, this smell... it smells like burnt meat... Did I overdo it and kill it?"

It was precisely because the lizardmen fell so easily that Peter inevitably felt a little smug.

After muttering to himself, Peter slowly lowered his head to get a closer look at the monster in front of him, wanting to find out more about it.

Unexpectedly, at this moment, the spider sense began to issue frantic warnings, causing Peter to abandon the lizardman who was right next to him almost without thinking, kick his legs to help him jump, and quickly retreat to Riley's side!

At the same time, almost the instant Peter jumped, a manhole cover swept past the spot where Peter had just been standing at an astonishing speed.

Then, following the direction from which the manhole cover had come, both Peter and Riley couldn't help but gasp in shock.

Because new lizardmen are crawling out of the sewers one after another.

In just a few seconds, twenty or thirty lizardmen surrounded Riley and Peter in layers!

Even Peter, who always liked to make witty remarks, couldn't help but twitch his lips and subconsciously complain when he saw such a grand treatment.

"Hiss... I know that reptiles lay many eggs at a time..."

"But buddy, isn't your family a bit too many?!"

Of course, complaints aside.

But these lizardmen clearly wouldn't show mercy just because Peter was shocked.

In particular, after witnessing their kind being stunned by electric shocks and emitting a burnt aroma, these lizardmen were completely enraged. They roared and howled as they rushed towards Peter and Riley!

This forced Peter and Riley to be on their toes.

Riley raised her hands and launched spider silk, moving high into the air and landing on a bridge pier not far away. After dodging the lizardmen's collective pounce, Riley reached out her hand to Peter.

The next second, Peter instantly understood Riley's meaning and grabbed Riley's hand. With a sudden burst of strength, he hurled Riley towards the lizardmen's location like a shot put.

Along with this powerful force, Riley, who transformed into a cannonball and launched a swift surprise attack, was also radiating yellow arcs of electricity, preparing to take advantage of the large gathering of lizardmen to give them a collective "internet addiction cure"!

However, to Riley's utter surprise...

Just as they were about to succeed, a loud roar suddenly came from among the lizardmen.

Then, after the roar, the lizardmen, who had been huddled together in a chaotic mess, seemed to suddenly understand something and quickly scattered like birds and beasts. Riley, who had thought his attack was a sure thing, only managed to hit two or three lizardmen who seemed to have no time to retreat.

Even so, the lizardman did not fall down as easily as the first one.

Instead, as it opened its mouth to cry out in pain, it didn't hesitate to extend its tail and wrap it around Riley's body in layers!

Even the lizardmen who had scattered and fled earlier immediately split into two groups at this moment.

One of them went to pursue Peter and prevent him from rescuing Riley.

The other part, baring its fangs and claws, launched an attack on Riley!

Clearly, those lizardmen who were hit by Riley weren't just unlucky souls who were too slow to react and couldn't escape in time...

On the contrary, they were using themselves as bait, deliberately luring Riley into a trap. They intended to withstand the attack, thus limiting Riley's agility and creating an opportunity for their companions to deliver a fatal blow!

Riley, who already sensed something was wrong because the number of lizardmen had suddenly increased so much from just one in the original story, was now practically bulging his eyes out at the lizardmen's seamless teamwork!

No, man! This is correct!

Is this still the Marvel Cinematic Universe?!

When did the lizardmen become so powerful? They even know how to use tactics?!

You guys shouldn't have such low intelligence!!!

Fortunately, at this critical moment...

A green figure leaped out of the cave where the lizardman had previously appeared.

Then, with Riley's familiar shout, he swung his iron fist, the size of a sandbag, and slammed it heavily onto the ground!

"Hulk... Smash—!!!"

In an instant, a violent shaking comparable to a small earthquake sent the lizardmen besieging Riley flying into the air before crashing heavily to the ground.

Even the group of lizardmen who had split up to attack Peter were affected by the aftershocks, losing their balance and falling flat on their backs!

Apparently, this happened when Riley called Sheriff Black, asking for help in tracking down the Lizardmen.

Banner, who was temporarily residing in District 13 and was worried about not having a chance to vindicate the Hulk, volunteered to come and support Riley and Peter after learning of this news.

That's how, by sheer coincidence, they managed to rescue Riley just as he was in grave danger!

"Hulk! Hahaha! Good bro! You've come just in time... Ooh ooh ooh! Calm down, don't kill him!"

Upon seeing Hulk appear, Riley, who had been so tightly bound that he couldn't even open his system's storage space to take out a talisman to help him escape, and who had been secretly regretting not welding the talisman directly to his battle suit, suddenly cried out in surprise.

But soon, Hulk raised his foot, intending to stomp on the head of a lizardman.

Riley quickly used her webs to pull Hulk's feet to the other side, preventing the lizardman's head from turning into lizard paste. Meeting Hulk's puzzled gaze, she leaped forward and landed beside him, explaining gently.

"Listen to me, Hulk. These people are most likely innocent, just like you were before, influenced by external forces and temporarily losing their minds... So, unless absolutely necessary, I hope you can hold back and not harm them, okay?"

"Hey! How lively! Is today a day for your green monster family to reunite?"

However, before Hulk could respond...

Because Riley was busy gossiping, she didn't share her Mexican trip and experiences with Peter in time. Furthermore, the media's consistently misleading reporting led Peter to naturally perceive the suddenly appearing Hulk as a new enemy threatening the safety of New York City.

In addition, the subtle visual illusion created by their positioning led Peter to mistakenly believe that Hulk had captured Riley and was about to kill him.

So without a second thought, Peter remotely fired two strands of spider silk, precisely covering Hulk's eyes.

Then, pulling on the spider silk, he propelled himself forward. With a powerful double-kick, he struck, knocking the unsuspecting Hulk heavily to the ground!

Then, with a backflip and a standard Spider-Man move, Peter landed lightly, having accomplished the feat of striking his ally. Only then did he turn around, slightly smug, and shout to Riley.

"Don't worry, bro! I'll take care of you... Wait, why are you looking at me like that?"

"...Peter, I have some good news and some bad news for you."

Thanks to the convenience of nanotechnology, the mask's eyelids can display a variety of expressions based on the movement of facial muscles. When Peter turned around, however, he saw Riley raising his hand to his forehead, looking like he was about to cry.

Then the ground beneath his feet began to shake violently again, and he heard bursts of angry roars in his ears.

Knowing that Peter meant well but had once again done something wrong, Riley, unable to confront him directly, said to Peter in a tone of "I'm tired, let it all end..." with a sense of despair.

"The good news is that the big guy you just saw is called Hulk. I met him once in Mexico. He came here specifically to help us; he's a comrade on our side."

"The bad news is that this fragile alliance was destroyed the moment you kicked that ball."

"And, as far as I know, he hates being called a monster."