Capturing the Lizard!
16: Chapter 16: Seeking the Electromagnetic Stud, but First Ripjaws!
Capturing the Lizard!
Owen feigned casualness and asked, “Are these all your colleagues?” “How could they be?” Gwen sighed and denied it.
“These are all uncaught criminals.” As Spider-Man, gathering info on supervillains was practically Gwen’s daily routine.
Frowning at the Lizard’s photo, deep worry leaked from Gwen’s eyes.
Owen turned his attention to the photo of Electro next to Gwen’s hand.
“Do you know their real identities?” Her gaze still fixed on the Lizard, Gwen shook her head gently.
“Their hideouts?” Gwen shook her head again.
Asking no further questions, Owen went back to scarfing down his food.
Listening to the continuous clattering of utensils beside her, Gwen suddenly thought of something, and her spirits lifted.
Lowering her head slowly until her cheek rested on the table, Gwen looked sideways at Owen.
The corners of her mouth slowly curled up into a sly grin.
Under the sunlight, Gwen’s bright blue eyes shone with faint sparkles, breathtakingly beautiful.
Sensing her gaze, Owen merely glanced back at her and rejected her outright.
“I have zero interest in fighting crime.
I’m not teaming up with you.” Gwen’s smile broadened.
She poked Owen in the ribs, looking like a sly fox.
“I’ll buy you delicious meals every day—extra portions and extra meat.
How about it?
A great deal, pal!” Owen didn’t even look up.
“You cannot bribe a man with a steel will.” “Tch!” Disappointed, Gwen propped up her head and lifelessly resumed staring at the Lizard’s photo.
Along the way, Owen couldn’t help sneaking another glance.
Frankly speaking, the proposal wasn’t bad for him.
Gwen was Spider-Man and had a police chief for a father, so her intelligence network was naturally sharp.
Teaming up with her would make it much easier to gather information on various mutants.
However…
it was mostly because of Ripjaws; Owen was a bit turned off by him.
If it were Electro, Owen would have agreed instantly—an electromagnetic stud was way more useful than Ripjaws.
If he didn’t want to avoid exposing his true motives, Owen would have suggested, “Sure, but we have to catch Electro first.” But that wouldn’t do.
It would make Gwen draw connections and form unnecessary suspicions about him.
Lost in thought, Gwen remembered the mother and child kidnapped by the Lizard, her heart burning with anxiety.
As she was pondering how to find the Lizard and rescue the victims as fast as possible, an image popped into her mind of Owen lying on her bedding and taking deep breaths.
Gritting her teeth, Gwen slammed her hand on the table and stood up tall and proud.
“Help me find him and save the victims.” “I’ll swap out my bedsheets for the ones I’ve used.” Freezing mid-bite, Owen slowly looked up.
Sensing Owen’s gaze, Gwen felt her face burning hot, but she forced her chin to stay held high.
“How about it?” Air stood still for a few seconds.
“Pfft, haha!” As soon as Owen’s laughter erupted, Gwen’s face turned beet red at a visible speed, all the way to her ears.
Owen couldn’t help himself, still laughing while wiping his mouth with a napkin.
“You think *that* counts as a major reward for me?
Testing an official with this kind of temptation?” Her face red, Gwen silently stared at the ceiling, acting like nothing had happened.
She felt utterly embarrassed inside, but couldn’t think of a better way.
After wiping his mouth and suppressing his laughter, Owen stood up, pointing his chin toward the door, and said calmly, “Let’s go.
We’re going to catch the Lizard together.” Gwen looked up, her face flushing even harder.
“You!” “Heh.” Hands in his pockets, Owen led the way.
“Mainly doing it for extra meat, that’s all.” Watching Owen’s back, Gwen shook her head in disgust, mentally repeating his words.
*A man with a steel will?
Heh!* There was no helping it—Owen knew you had to throw a sprat to catch a mackerel.
For the sake of the electromagnetic stud, he had no choice but to unlock Ripjaws first.
…
Inside the dark storm drain.
Accumulated rainwater slowly drained away.
The sound of flowing water and the squeaking of mice echoed through the damp environment.
Walking along one side of the tunnel with his hands in his pockets, Owen had Gwen’s camera slung around his neck as a disguise.
That way, if anyone caught him, he could explain that he was a reporter trying to take photos of Spider-Man.
He had even thought of his reporter moniker: AAA Agent Owen.
Above him, Gwen in her Spider-suit crawled along the ceiling.
This was the exact situation giving her a headache.
She knew the Lizard was hiding in the sewers, but not his exact location.
New York’s underground pipe system was vast; she couldn’t search it all alone.
While following a previously searched route, Gwen started chattering again.
“Why do you think he brought them here?” The Omnitrix’s sensor turned into a radar, and Owen felt it carefully as he answered, “Western psychoanalyst Freud believed that humans possess a death drive and a sex drive.” Gwen grew worried again.
“You think his instincts are driving him to kill?” This was indeed a good place to kill and hide bodies.
If so, that mother and child were in grave danger.
Owen corrected her.
“No, I think he’s sexually repressed.” “…” Gwen fell silent, unwilling to entertain that thought.
Owen continued, “After all, Eastern philosophers have said that all psychological problems stem from sexual repression.” Gwen couldn’t hold back a retort.
“I’ve studied Eastern philosophy, and I don’t recall any famous philosopher ever saying that.” Owen nodded.
“Well, now you know.
That quote comes from the Eastern philosopher Owen Vance.” Gwen rolled her eyes crossly.
“Who’s that?” “Me.” “…” Two seconds later, Gwen stopped and looked down like she’d seen a ghost.
“So your real name isn’t Scott Miller?!” “Yep.” Owen kept walking.
“Now that we’re teammates, we can be honest with each other.” Taking a deep breath to calm her emotions, Gwen resumed moving.
“Where are you from, then?” “M78 Nebula, Land of Light.” “Huh?
Where’s that?” “Ultraman’s home.” “Ultraman?” “Yeah, a cartoon I really like.” “…” Gwen’s chest began heaving again.
Even with her good temper, she couldn’t help cursing under her breath through gritted teeth.
*Spouting non-stop nonsense.
Does a single true word ever come out of this guy’s mouth?* After a moment of silence, Owen asked on his own initiative, “If one day governments around the world reach an agreement to make you follow their orders, would you accept?” “Good question.” Gwen thought about it seriously, then shook her head.
“I’d respect order, but I wouldn’t take orders.” “My powers should be under my own control.
I’ll exercise my abilities freely and be my own master.
Nobody commands me.” Owen spoke up.
“I sense him.
Turn left ahead.” Gwen: “Got it.” After crawling for a bit, Gwen suddenly realized something.
“How did you sense him?” Owen replied crossly, “There’s slime on the ground.
If it’s not from him, who else could it be?” Gwen looked down.
Indeed, she could vaguely see slime under Owen’s feet.
Gwen instantly deduced it was freshly left by the Lizard, and her nerves couldn’t help tightening.
However, after crawling for a while longer, they still hadn’t seen the Lizard.
Knowing Owen talked a lot and was unreliable, Gwen still couldn’t resist chattering again.
Gwen whispered, “I’ll tell you a secret—you know Johnny?
He’s a mutant, too.” Owen nodded.
“I know.
He wanted me to be his teammate too, but the guy’s no good—blabbermouth, spills everything.” “A stunt motorcyclist in a circus is the worst disguise, and his control over his fire abilities is pretty average.” “Though his teammate Reed is nice—a rich billionaire.
Maybe I can score some cash off him.” Gwen clicked her tongue.
Was he dropping hints at her, or self-deprecating?
Saying someone couldn’t keep a secret when he just blurted out his teammate’s real name?
Gwen asked again, “Sounds like you’re saying you fought him?” “No.” After denying it, Owen set his camera aside and transformed into Heatblast.
Around the next bend, the two spotted the Lizard.