After missing two swipes in a row, the negative emotions of the newly transformed Lizard—whose mind was still a chaotic, muddled fog—began to stack rapidly, wild violence flaring in the depths of his eyes.
“ROAR!” With a sudden, guttural growl, he grabbed Ratha’s sedan with both hands and flipped it right over the bridge’s edge!
“AAAAAAAH!” Ratha screamed in absolute terror.
Even shielded inside the chassis, impacting the water far below from a bridge this tall meant only one thing: immediate death!
He still had a bright future ahead of him—he didn’t want to die!
“Ohoo~ Guess who?
The Spider Express is about to reach its destination!” A agile figure dropped straight out of the sky.
It was Peter!
Executing a mid-air swing kick, he slammed the Lizard flat onto the deck, scrambled to the railing, and shot a stream of webbing to snag Ratha’s plummeting sedan.
Of course, Peter had no clue who was inside, nor did he recognize Ratha.
He certainly didn’t know that this very man was responsible for at least half of the night’s madness.
If he knew…
well, he’d probably still save him.
If he didn’t, he wouldn’t be Peter Parker.
Though after the rescue, he’d likely gather the evidence and drag Ratha straight into court to get what he deserved.
In truth, ever since arriving on the bridge, Peter had already saved seven vehicles along his path; this sedan was his eighth.
Some cars had people inside; others were empty.
For the moment, he couldn’t afford to worry about those details.
Because every few seconds, another car went airborne up ahead.
On top of that, his Spider-Sense thrummed in continuous waves, warning him of a terrifying presence lurking right on the bridge deck.
The culprit behind all this madness!
And after pushing his way forward, he had finally found the Lizard!
Peter wrapped the web line holding Ratha’s car several times around the bridge’s steel frame, cinching it tight before layering on a few extra strands to anchor it securely.
Finishing the task in a flash, he turned back to face the Lizard.
Having been kicked to the ground by Peter, the Lizard seemed to regain a sliver of sanity.
He rose to his feet, staring blankly at Peter, then turned his gaze toward the direction he had come from, watching the fires breaking out along the bridge.
He took two steps backward, almost unable to believe that all this destruction was his own doing.
Right then, a sharp, searing pain shot through his arm.
Lifting his limb, the Lizard watched in shock as his newly regenerated left hand began to melt and wither away at visible speed.
He realized the truth—the Lizard serum’s effects were wearing off!
Faced with this sudden realization, the Lizard didn’t dare tarry a second longer.
He spun around, sprinted for the bridge railing, and dove straight into the vast, dark waters below.
Peter blinked beneath his mask, caught completely off guard.
He had been fully prepared to throw down with this mini-Godzilla—why had the guy just bolted?
‘Did my sheer, imposing Spider-Man aura scare him off?’ Peter indulged in a brief moment of self-absorbed flattery.
“Somebody help me!
Please!
My kid is trapped inside the car!” A father’s frantic voice cried out from nearby, breaking Peter’s train of thought.
Peter cast one last glance in the direction the Lizard had vanished; the Spider-Sense in his mind was fading fast, meaning the monster wouldn’t be back anytime soon.
With that confirmed, Peter moved swiftly toward the calling father.
Suspended directly beneath the frantic parent was a car the Lizard had hurled over the side moments ago—one Peter had managed to catch and anchor to the bridge just in time.
Peter dropped onto the trunk, found a solid angle, and smashed his fist straight through the rear windshield, peeling the frame back entirely.
“Daddy!
Daddy!” A little boy was indeed cowering in the back seat, screaming in sheer terror.
“Hey!
Hey, kid, calm down, calm down!” Peter shouted over the noise.
“Go away!” The little boy recoiled, visibly terrified by Peter’s appearance.
Well, you could blame J.
Jonah Jameson for that.
The man never missed a chance to smear Spider-Man, and paired with this universe’s Peter having acted out of personal vendettas in the past, his public image here was far worse than that of Spider-Man Noir or the Peter from his own world.
“They really ought to let Oscorp put Jonah in a cage—preferably with a tiger,” Peter muttered under his breath.
Hesitating for a split second, he reached up and peeled off his mask.
“Hey, kid, see?
I’m human, too.
I’m just a big brother!” The little boy turned around, staring at him as his meaningless screams died down.
Peter forced a warm, friendly smile onto his face.
“Not so scary, right?” The boy gave a tiny nod.
Peter’s bright, cheerful demeanor really did dispel his panic; without the mask, he looked far more approachable.
Peter gestured with the suit’s mask in his hand.
“Can you hold this for me?” Childish curiosity won out over fear.
The little boy stared curiously at the Spider-Man mask in Peter’s hand, nodding once again.
Peter tossed the mask over to him.
“Put it on, Jack,” Peter read the name printed on the backpack sitting nearby.
“I’m gonna get you up there.” “Okay…” Jack pulled the Spider-Man mask over his head.
Tailored for Peter’s head, it was obviously way too big for the kid.
Still, the enclosed mask helped the little boy forget his immediate surroundings, narrowing his entire world down to just Peter.
Seeing the boy calm down, Peter crawled slowly into the cabin, unbuckling the tangled seatbelt before taking Jack by the hand to lead him back out the way he came.
Right then, a sharp, pungent odor hit Peter’s nostrils.
His Spider-Sense jolted again.
“Oh no—gasoline!” Peter realized that the Lizard’s earlier attack must have ruptured the car’s fuel tank.
If that was the case, the entire vehicle could blow at any second!
He had to move faster!
*Buzz!* His Spider-Sense flared violently!
Without a second thought, Peter pulled the little boy tightly into his arms, using his free hand to scramble upward as fast as he could.
At the exact same instant, the car burst into a roaring fireball.
Under the searing heat, the webs holding the vehicle snapped instantly, sending the burning wreckage plummeting into the waters below!
“AAAAAAAH!” The little boy screamed again.
By then, however, Peter had already made it out through the rear windshield frame.
Pushing off hard with his feet, he launched himself out of the explosion, firing another web line mid-air that left him and the boy dangling safely above the water.
“Hey, kid.
You’re safe now,” Peter looked down, smiling gently.
The little boy stopped screaming and looked up at him.
“Can you help me put my mask back on?” Peter lowered his head a bit.
The boy pulled the mask off his own head and slipped it back over Peter’s face.
“Thank you, big brother.” “You’re welcome, Jack,” Peter replied softly.
“And hey…
I’m Spider-Man!” “Thank you, Spider-Man big brother.” “Hehehe~” Peter couldn’t help letting out a soft chuckle.
Whether in another dimension or his own, this was the very first time someone he helped had genuinely offered him their thanks.
Even if it was just a kid, it meant the world to him.
Because it made him feel, for the first time, that all his efforts weren’t in vain!
In truth, this was a moment of mutual affirmation between the savior and the saved.
As for who was the savior and who was the saved…
who could really tell?