Chapter 57
Peter: When in doubt, ask Riley!
"Of course not!"
Banner might have been able to remain calm under Riley's provocation, but Peter didn't even hesitate before raising his head to retort.
Then, unexpectedly, their eyes met, and Riley found that even though she had woken up to find herself as New York City's hottest "superstar," she didn't blame him at all, and still looked at him with a smile.
Peter, overwhelmed with mixed feelings, slowly relaxed.
After a brief silence, he briefly explained to Riley the findings of Peter's independent investigation during his coma.
"Actually, while you were unconscious, I went to see Dr. Connors... He's an expert in biological research, so he's sure he can find some clues from the samples dropped by the lizardmen. But for some reason, as soon as I tried to bring up the topic of lizardmen, his expression suddenly turned very ugly. He not only changed the subject but also gave me a long leave, saying that I didn't need to report to the lab for a while."
"In addition, Sheriff Blake is also helping us investigate the information of those 'victims.' We discovered that they were not ordinary citizens, but veterans who were wounded and discharged from the battlefields of the Middle East."
"The strange thing is, when District 13 tried to contact these veterans to find out what they went through to become like that, they discovered that not only the veterans, but also their closest family members had all disappeared! To be honest, I just thought Uncle George would pin this on us, saying that we kidnapped them and tried to kill them to cover it up!"
"Oh no, this is terrible! All the leads have gone cold, and 'Spider-Man' is wanted... Riley, what are we going to do?"
As Riley awoke, Peter, who had been feeling lost and confused, seemed to have found his anchor and his mind and body relaxed considerably.
After saying that, he completely gave up and just stared at Riley, waiting for Riley's next instructions.
That sight made Riley momentarily dazed, and he couldn't help but think of the way Superman and Batman interacted in the Justice League of the DC Universe.
Superman: Super Intelligence, what should I do?
Super intelligence: Listen to Batman.
Superman: But Batman isn't here.
Super Intelligence: It's time to use your super power!
Logically speaking, Peter's intelligence is far superior to Riley's.
But Riley is usually the one who makes the decisions, while Peter has become accustomed to lying flat, giving up thinking, and just waiting for Riley to point out a clear goal so he can rush in and do something big.
This change convinced Riley that if he really gave up halfway and abandoned Peter, the dark future that the Ancient One had shown would indeed become a reality.
He was both amused and exasperated, and secretly resolved to find opportunities to further cultivate Peter's independence.
But right now, Riley is more concerned with the important information contained in Peter's words.
Peter, a native of the Marvel Universe, may not yet understand what exactly happened behind the scenes.
As a time traveler, Riley, with his intelligence advantage and godlike perspective, immediately realized that General Ross, after his failed attempt to capture the Hulk in Brazil, had chosen to join forces with Osborn to further enhance the combat effectiveness of his troops. He was attempting to create an obedient army of lizardmen to confront the Hulk head-on.
This explains why there were so many lizardmen we encountered before, and why they cooperated with each other, making them seem like they weren't accidental.
Based on Riley's understanding of General Ross, he would stop at nothing to successfully capture the Hulk.
So, after briefly considering things from General Ross's perspective...
Riley concluded that General Ross, who had witnessed the power of the lizardmen firsthand, was very likely secretly cooperating with Osborn to mass-produce lizard serum in preparation for further expanding the size of the lizardmen army!
In addition, if General Ross knew of Mr. Blue's existence, he could combine a sample of Hulk's blood with the Lizard's serum and inject it into Emil Bronsky, who, like General Ross, was obsessed with defeating the Hulk and had already gained super-soldier powers.
In this way, Hulk, Lizard Man, Super Soldiers...
Riley couldn't even imagine what a terrifying monster would be created by combining the power of the three potent serums!
Therefore, the most urgent task is to determine Mr. Lan's situation and Osborn's movements before the situation deteriorates further.
Thinking of this, Riley almost instinctively took out his phone, wanting to call Harry and ask him about the progress of his research on the lizard serum.
But Riley stopped what he was doing after only entering one number.
Although Riley himself was quite certain of this conjecture, from an outsider's perspective, it was ultimately a conjecture lacking evidence.
So, what should he say to Harry?
Are you suggesting we tell Harry right off the bat that his father is conducting a very dangerous biochemical experiment that could destroy all of New York, and that he needs Harry to sacrifice his own family for the greater good?
Putting aside whether Harry would believe such absurd claims...
Even if Harry believed it.
But given Norman Osborn's personality, would he really tell Harry, who's missing a zipper, about such an important operation?
Even if that was his own son?
The answer is clearly no.
Deep down, Norman may indeed have loved his son very much.
But as a typical capitalist, Norman was more driven by the pursuit of profit and an obsession with the power to control everything.
Therefore, Riley worried that seeking Harry's help would only drag Harry into the situation and expose him to unnecessary danger.
Even Norman, that old man with a morbid desire for control, in order to ensure that there would be no mistakes in the operation during this period, would very likely... no, he would definitely send someone to monitor Harry's every move, so as not to let this silly son with his own internet celebrity label get into any trouble!
If Riley were to call Harry at this critical juncture, he would only be revealing his intentions and arousing Norman's suspicion.
It would be better to...
Should we try a different approach to gather intelligence?
Anyway, the person who's wanted is "Spider-Man".
What does it have to do with the Parker brothers?
"Parker, you mentioned to me before that you were already an intern at Osborn, right? Well then, I have a bold idea..."
As he pondered the matter, a bold plan gradually emerged in Riley's mind.
After quickly simulating the scenario in my mind a few times, I confirmed that although there were still some risks, it was the best option at the moment.
Riley then beckoned Banner to come closer. They formed a circle, and Riley methodically explained his plan to everyone.
"Listen to me, next, I'm going to..."