Lynn naturally had no intention of letting Connors get caught because of his own problems. According to Peter, this world's Connor didn't seem to be single; he had a daughter.
"Sounds like he must really love his daughter, otherwise Peter wouldn't have tried to use this to appeal to Connor's humanity. With the school in this state, there probably won't be any classes for the next few weeks," Lynn shook his head.
This actually worked out well, since he had other things to do recently. Connor's situation was just one of them. To build a proper laboratory, he still needed to oversee Deacon's unnamed building.
As Lynn was slowly walking across the field, preparing to leave, he suddenly heard a young woman arguing with a police officer, apparently trying to re-enter the scene herself.
"I told you, my friend might still be in there. Why won't you let me go in and check?"
"Can't you see the building is severely damaged? Besides, there are regulations that prohibit anyone from entering. Those are the rules."
"What kind of rules are those? I just saw several parents go in. Do your rules only apply to people like me?"
The speaker was clearly Mary Jane. She had probably gotten separated from Peter, since Peter had been fighting the Lizard earlier and likely hadn't returned yet. Considering how severely injured he was, he probably couldn't contact Mary Jane right away.
"As for student Parker, I just saw him slip out the back. Didn't you see him, Miss Watson?"
"Mr. Sidis? Um, you saw Peter leave through the back door?"
"That's right. He looked quite anxious, considering there was that big lizard at the front entrance earlier."
"There was no big lizard, sir. Mind your language."
Lynn turned to look at the police officer before him. This guy was clearly quite rigid, doing exactly what his superiors told him to. This kind of police officer probably wouldn't last long in New York, given how dangerous the city was. Not knowing when to ignore a fleeting shadow wasn't a good trait.
However, Lynn didn't want to argue with him.
"There's no big lizard now, officer. Why don't you go organize things elsewhere? Your colleagues don't seem very committed to stopping students from going back in. I'll handle this young lady. Don't worry, I'm her teacher, and I know it's very unsafe inside."
The officer's pupils briefly flashed with a purple light, and then he shook his head slightly.
"You're right. I can't let them neglect their duty here. I need to go make a difference elsewhere."
With that, he stormed off angrily.
After finishing this, Lynn turned back to MJ.
"Miss Watson, why don't you check Peter's house? You can't contact him now anyway, and maybe he's already gone home. Besides, he's probably worried sick not being able to find you. Staying here at school really isn't safe. That police officer may be rigid, but what he said wasn't wrong."
While Lynn was talking to Mary Jane, the police officer had already started arguing with his colleagues.
Mary Jane sighed softly beside them.
"Thank you, Mr. Sidis. I was being a bit impulsive. It really would be better to go home and wait for news."
"There's nothing wrong with being concerned about your friend. Go home, Miss Watson, and enjoy a bit of vacation while you're at it. After something like this, you're definitely getting some extra time off. Besides, Parker might already be pacing around with his dead phone right now."
Just as Lynn finished speaking, Mary Jane's phone at her waist started ringing. Lynn could guess who was calling, so he patted her shoulder.
"Remember to call your parents back later."
Then he left Midtown High. An incident like this didn't affect him much, though the principal would certainly be busy for a while. But with Oscorp Industries' donations to the school, rebuilding shouldn't be difficult.
After Lynn left, several men in black appeared at Midtown High. They quickly bypassed the NYPD blockade and entered using high-level clearance.
About ten minutes later.
"All surveillance has failed? Go check those hidden cameras."
"All monitors are completely down. There's no video footage of the entire process. Someone deliberately interfered with the surveillance cameras a few minutes after the incident."
"Report to Agent Phil..."
Meanwhile, the culprit who had interfered with SHIELD's cameras was calling his newly created subordinate.
"Kara, how are the laboratory preparations coming along?"
"We're making arrangements. Most parts are ready, but the main laboratory structure still needs some time."
Lynn had asked Kara to prepare the necessary materials and personnel for building the lab, as well as complete the basic preparatory work. He just hadn't expected progress to be so fast, with everything arranged in just a few hours.
He drove back to his fried chicken shop first, where he found Jessica had moved Lynn's rocking chair outside and was resting there with a chicken bone in her mouth.
Lynn saw unfinished fried chicken on the counter, slightly opened the package to take a look, and shook his head with a frown.
Sensing Lynn's return, Jessica frowned slightly, then suddenly sat up from the rocking chair. This caused her to lose balance and fly off the chair. Fortunately, the chair was sturdy enough; otherwise, it probably would have fallen apart.
"Your cooking skills are truly terrible. You don't actually eat this stuff, do you? I remember the fryer has a timer, and the pre-made products are in the refrigerator in the preservation section..."
Lynn commented, looking at the four or five pieces of charcoal Jessica had left on the counter.
Jessica got up from the ground, dusted herself off, and said somewhat embarrassedly:
"I didn't notice the timer at first, and after putting the chicken in, I forgot about the time..."
In fact, Lynn still couldn't understand how someone could turn fried chicken into this state, but this little episode didn't last long. Lynn personally started the machine and took out ingredients from the refrigerator.
He also took out a rice cooker from the warehouse and made dinner for himself and Jessica. As they were eating, Lynn spoke:
"I need to go out for a while later. Take the keys to this place."
"Can't I come with you? I... I don't really want to be alone anymore."
Jessica asked cautiously. She was crouched on Lynn's sofa, arms wrapped around her legs, holding a porcelain bowl full of rice. She was inexpertly using a spoon and fork to pick out the peanuts from the bowl and put them in her rice bowl.
"Are you sure?"
Lynn put down his chopsticks and looked at Jessica.
It made the girl somewhat nervous.
"You need to understand what coming with me means. You've seen some of my little secrets, but those were relatively insignificant matters. What I'm going to do next involves much more. It's a completely different situation."
Lynn put down his bowl and chopsticks, and his entire body began to emit a faint purple energy. Some subtle electric arcs and purple light began to travel between parts of his body, and his pupils were coated with an almost imperceptible glow.
Jessica pressed her lips together, not knowing what to say, but finally, she put down her bowl.
"I used to live in Brooklyn when I was fourteen. My dad was driving, and I was sitting in the back... My only memory is a moment of screaming."
Lynn watched as Jessica talked about her past.
"When I woke up, six months had passed. All I was left with were hospital bills and a family photo where even the frame had been taken away."
Her breathing began to gradually become unstable, clearly recalling the past wasn't easy.
"After that, I was sent to an orphanage. The director was cruel and liked little boys, so he wasn't interested in me."
After wiping her eyes briefly, Jessica continued.
"Then I met Daddy Dave and Mama Serica. They were really nice people who adopted me. They were good to me. For two years, I almost forgot I was their adopted daughter, but things didn't go so smoothly... They had their own child, and I was happy for them."
Lynn didn't interrupt her, though the spiritual energy around him slowly dissipated without any further action. Jessica clearly noticed this. She blew her nose, then slightly raised her head to wipe the corners of her eyes.
"But that child didn't survive. My brother without blood relation was born with a congenital heart defect and didn't make it through the first night after birth. After that, everything changed. My foster parents started fighting, gradually paying less attention to me. At the time, I thought it was my fault... So I... I started running away from home. I thought if I wasn't there, they would argue less. But I was wrong. It wasn't until they were out looking for me in the middle of the night that I realized how much they loved me. Their arguments were just about whether they should try to have another child, it was complicated, and I certainly wouldn't have understood at that age."
As she spoke, tears finally burst from the corners of her eyes. Jessica looked at Lynn, then picked up the food he had made for her and started eating again, but her emotions were clearly beyond control now.
No matter how strong she had pretended to be before.
"I thought everything would just continue that way. Mama Serica was pregnant again, and our whole family gathered around her, listening to her chattering about what to name the baby after it was born. It was also during that time that I discovered I had superpowers... If I could choose, I would rather not have them. Maybe then none of it would have happened. I..."
Lynn finally interrupted her, because he could see that the small bowl he had given Jessica was starting to crack. Obviously, her emotions were getting out of control.
"That's enough. You don't need to recount that part. I can guess what happened without you saying it."
"I..." she pressed her lips together again, but this time, Lynn extended his hand, his entire palm emanating purple spiritual energy, though much gentler this time.
"Remember what I said before? I can let you return to your past life, forget this terrible memory, and have a happy life again. Your superpowers will remain with you. Just come closer, and let me weave a new memory for you."
Lynn spoke again.
Jessica suddenly smiled.
"So I can forget everything from the past? Remember nothing and start a new life?"
"If you want. There are many happy families in Queens. One more child won't be a problem for any of them. I'll take care of everything, as long as you're willing."
After Lynn finished, Jessica seemed to have made some decision. She slowly approached Lynn and grabbed the arm he had extended.
"No. I want to go with you."
Jessica grabbed Lynn's hand and wouldn't let go. Her expression was quite determined, though her little face was red, tears were everywhere, and her entire collar was soaked through.
"I have nowhere else to go. I don't want a fake life. I don't want to stop being myself. I don't want my past family to just disappear like that. I want to remember them. You've seen it—I'm strong. I can jump really high, I can easily tear off car doors, I can..."
Lynn put his other hand on Jessica's head.
"Alright, come with me then. I think I understand what you mean."
After saying this, Lynn stood up and adjusted his coat slightly.
"Go wash your face and take a shower. I'll take you to buy some clothes. I can't have you running around in my shirts all the time."
"I..."
"Hurry up."
As soon as Lynn finished speaking, Jessica quickly ran to the bathroom. Soon, the sound of water dripping came from inside.
An hour later, Jessica sat in the passenger seat of Lynn's beat-up little car, driving toward Deacon's building. By now, she had changed into new clothes that Lynn had casually picked with her at a street-side clothing store.
"Lynn, where are we going now?"
"To find a vampire. You heard me right, just like what you're imagining."
The car drove into the underground parking garage of Deacon Tower. Lynn pressed the elevator button, and Jessica obediently followed behind him, clutching the edges of his coat, just like when she was first rescued by Lynn.
But the relationship between the two seemed to have undergone a subtle change. As for what they were thinking, probably only they themselves knew.
Before long, Lynn met Kara. Maria silently followed behind Kara, reporting a series of arrangements to her.
Kara had completely taken over all the property that originally belonged to Maria. All of Deacon's assets were now in Kara's name. Vampires had a complete black industry chain, making it not difficult to obtain a legal identity for Kara.
Maria was now reporting on her recent work.
"The materials and site requested by Dr. Sidis have been prepared. We have remodeled the fifth and sixth underground floors that Deacon originally used to build altars. At the same time, we have informed all tenants in the building to prepare for contract termination..."
"Doctor."
"How are things progressing?"
Lynn asked Kara.
"Everything has been prepared according to your instructions, Doctor. All materials are stored in various parts of Deacon Tower, and the electricity and water in the basement have been properly prepared."
"I'll handle the rest personally. Kara, prepare a room for her to rest a bit. Maria, as for you, come with me to the underground laboratory."
"Who is she?"
"Jessica. Hmm, a little friend of mine."
Lynn's words made Jessica's eyes involuntarily brighten. She obediently followed Kara, waved to Lynn, and then went upstairs with Kara.
Arriving at the underground laboratory, which had been renovated to look completely new, it was fully transformed according to Lynn's requirements, with the central control area as the core.
It was divided into five sectors: engineering construction zone, biochemical reaction zone, storage zone, research zone, and experimental zone.
This laboratory wasn't very large, and it was empty now, but Lynn knew it would soon be filled with everything he needed.
"Where are the workers?"
"I arranged for them to rest in the storage area. All are carefully selected vampires with relevant skills. They were secretly brought here. In fact, they don't know how they got here or where they are."
"Well done."
"Thank you for your praise, Dr. Sidis."
"Then let them start working. Begin from outside the biochemical reaction zone. I'll need to use that area first."