Four hours after Otto announced his takeover of Manhattan.
At Avengers Tower, Otto finally returned, dragging the defeated Osborn behind him. It was truly unbelievable—how much effort had Norman put into researching ways to counter him? How was this man's technology so preposterous that it could actually hold its own against him?
"You truly surprised me, Norman. You've proven that you are indeed somewhat clever, but unfortunately, it wasn't enough."
"I only regret one thing, Otto."
Norman, who had several teeth smashed by Otto and all his armor stripped away before being tossed onto the floor, began to laugh. "I only regret that the bullet was fired too late. I should have put a hole through your head before you had the chance to switch bodies."
"You won't have that chance again."
Otto took great pleasure in using cables to hoist Norman up by his arms, leaving him dangling before turning to walk away. Before killing Norman, he intended to utterly dismantle Oscorp Industries; only then would his revenge be complete.
On another front, he had other matters to attend to.
Arriving at the laboratory of the Web Base, Otto found Dr. Jonathan Drew, who had been forcibly brought there, along with his daughter who suffered from ALS. Otto flashed a friendly smile and looked at Jonathan. "Hello, Dr. Drew. I believe you know why I am here."
"A lot of the experimental data is missing. We didn't have time to conduct clinical trials at all."
Jonathan did his best to stall Otto's plans. "You want me to provide an experimental protocol right now? I'm sorry, I simply can't do it."
"Don't be so quick to refuse, Dr. Drew. I'm not asking you to treat me. On the contrary, I'm going to give you a reason you can't refuse, from a different perspective."
Otto smiled and then shifted his gaze toward Jonathan's daughter. "For instance, your daughter."
"What are you going to do?!"
"I won't do anything, Dr. Drew. I simply hope you can demonstrate the fruits of your research and tell your daughter that you are finally able to cure her."
Otto revealed a gruesome smile. "You wouldn't refuse, would you?"
Or rather, there was no reason to refuse.
Jonathan Drew fell silent for a moment before he began taking out the modified spiders to commence research. Otto Octavius was a vain and arrogant man; he would never allow anyone else to perform the modifications on him. Therefore, all he needed was Jessica's experimental data.
Jonathan took a deep breath. He was calculating the feasibility of this procedure. For his daughter's safety, he had to attempt it with the most detailed and meticulous methods possible. Furthermore, he needed to stall for as much time as he could.
"I'll do it," he finally said, looking at Otto. "But Jessica's physical constitution is weak. She cannot withstand exposure to Vita Rays. We must wait more naturally for the full DNA transcription to complete before we can obtain experimental results."
Otto glanced at Jessica, who was already showing symptoms of ALS, and then provided his own understanding of the Brutal Force Project.
"Twenty-four hours?"
"Yes, I need twenty-four hours."
"You shall have the time you need, Dr. Drew." After careful consideration, Otto finally agreed to Jonathan's request. "I will wait here for the experiment to begin, and then I will clock twenty-four hours. At that time, I hope you can give me a satisfactory result."
"I cannot guarantee that."
"That is for me to decide," Otto laughed and then left. After the serum injection was completed, Dr. Drew and his daughter would be transferred to Avengers Tower, which was currently the stronghold of the Sinister Six.
As for him, he could use this time to find a way to completely destroy Oscorp.
Meanwhile, in the New York underground.
Peter explained his plan to the others—a plan built upon Otto's own schemes.
"In order to cure his ALS, Otto will definitely find Dr. Drew. Once he has enough data, he'll begin modifying himself."
Peter pointed out the key to the plan. "At such a critical moment, he won't leave Electro wandering around outside."
"In other words, when Otto Octavius injects himself with the serum for the modification, that will be our best time to strike..."
Black Cat sighed helplessly after hearing the news. "Good idea. That way we can avoid two of them. But what about the other four? Hmm?"
"The Defenders are still fighting in the city. If we could get in touch with them..."
Before Peter could finish, he heard the grumbling voice of Captain George Stacy in the distance. "I didn't know the NYPD had so many corrupt officers. Guess how many of them joined that Doctor Octopus's crew? It's unimaginable."
"Look on the bright side, Captain. Once we kick these guys out, you'll probably get another promotion," Black Cat teased.
Her banter didn't elicit a response from the loud Captain Stacy as he muttered his way over. It was Captain Stacy who had found the fallen Peter in time and dragged him to find Mr. Negative, who possessed healing abilities. It was during this process that the incident occurred where Peter's spirit woke up while his body remained dormant.
It was also after this that Peter thought of a relatively safe place: the sewers where Otto had previously hidden. Mr. Negative then led the group into the sewers, where they encountered Silver Sable, Sylvia, leading the Wild Pack who had moved underground. The two sides began establishing a stronghold in the sewers, searching for allies on the surface and pooling their resources.
There was no doubt they couldn't stay in this stronghold for long. As their activities on the surface intensified, they would inevitably be exposed and would have to move periodically.
"We still need to find a suitable experimental facility that can directly perform the Vita Ray injection. While injecting the Erskine serum directly might work, I doubt whether your DNA abilities can be awakened without the catalysis of Vita Rays."
"Speaking of that," Peter's astral form continued, "I actually know of a place. It's in the sewers, though it might not be safe."
Otto Octavius's old laboratory. There were some experimental materials there. In fact, after the battle with the Lizard, Peter and Oscorp had taken over the site. While not entirely safe, it was the easiest place to obtain various pieces of experimental equipment.
"What you should be doing right now is getting some rest, kid."
Captain George Stacy frowned and sighed. Peter nodded and allowed his astral form to return to his body. What they had to do now was scout the area around the laboratory and wait for Otto Octavius to begin his enhancement surgery.
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