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Chapter 166 - Chapter 166: A Question of Laughter

The clarion call for a counterattack had been sounded, and in that electrifying moment, Norman Osborn—a man with no powers, no armor, only a tailored suit and raw nerve—became the unlikely heart of the Avengers. He had even stolen Captain America's most iconic line, yet no one, not even Steve Rogers himself, seemed to mind. For anyone not sworn to Hydra's twisted ideology, Norman's performance had been a display of breathtaking courage.

He had dared to stare down the barrel of Alexander Pierce's gun, armed with nothing but moral conviction. The millions watching across the nation were awestruck. They saw a man of unwavering resolve, the kind of leader needed to rally heroes and bring a righteous hammer down upon the forces of evil.

In reality, Norman had been terrified. The instant Pierce drew his pistol, a wave of genuine, stomach-churning fear had washed over him. His only source of confidence was a small device Ben had slipped him earlier—a miniature, portable energy shield generator capable of enveloping him in a protective bubble at a moment's notice. So, even if the heroes hadn't arrived in the nick of time, he would have survived. Of course, the theatrical effect wouldn't have been nearly as dramatic.

Now, the battle raged in the heart of Times Square. After receiving another injection of the perfected healing serum, Dr. Connors's physical condition was instantly restored. Strangely, however, he hadn't transformed back into the massive, dinosaur-like beast from before. Instead, he had taken on a more classic Lizard-man form—smaller and less armored, but no less formidable. Despite his reduced size, Connors charged fearlessly into the fray, his claws tearing through Hydra armor.

Meanwhile, Peter swung through the urban canyon to rescue the captured heroes. "Harry! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Harry replied, his voice weak but his eyes burning with determination. The advanced Green Goblin armor Ben had provided had kept him relatively safe during his capture. Once freed, he expertly dodged a burst of enemy fire while remotely summoning his glider.

Natasha, Fury, and Hawkeye, initially unarmed, moved with lethal efficiency. Within moments, they had disarmed several Hydra agents, turning their own weapons against them. Though only a handful of heroes, they fought with the ferocity of an army. On the other side, Hydra had a literal army, thousands strong and equipped with military-grade hardware, including portable energy shields.

"I have to ask," Nick Fury grunted, biting the pin from a grenade and hurling it with practiced force, "couldn't we get some of those Primus energy shields that don't belong to the bad guys?" The barriers were nearly indestructible, shrugging off conventional firearms with ease. Only the high-intensity blasts from Tony's repulsors seemed capable of penetrating them.

"I seem to recall you insisted every agent be equipped with one," Maria Hill shot back, ducking a plasma bolt that sizzled past her cheek.

"I didn't know they were all secretly Nazis at the time!" Fury muttered defensively.

Making a dramatic entrance from the sky was Sam Wilson, a recent but crucial ally. His connection to Steve Rogers predated the current conflict, built upon a foundation of friendship and the shared routine of early morning runs.

This bond was tested when Steve, on the run after escaping Hydra on Primus, arrived seeking his help. Sam had to weigh the official narrative painting Captain America as a traitor against the honorable man he knew personally. Placing his faith in his friend, he chose to provide shelter and aid. That decision has led him here, voluntarily fighting side-by-side with the Captain, fully committed to the cause.

On another front, Connors charged headfirst into a line of agents wielding the energy shields. The powerful energy sizzled against his scaled hide, but he didn't even flinch.

"Doctor, the shields are one-way!" Peter yelled, swinging down from above. He vaulted over the Hydra formation, landing behind them and kicking an agent into his comrades. The disruption created a momentary gap in their defensive line.

Connors seized the opening instantly, barrelling through the gap and tearing the agents apart in a whirlwind of claws and teeth. Peter executed a perfect backflip, landing lightly on Connors's shoulder before vaulting to the ground in a graceful dismount.

"I didn't expect you to be back in the fight so soon," Peter said. "But why the classic Lizard look instead of the dinosaur-king vibe?"

"I used a dose of the failed lizard serum from my earlier experiments," Connors explained, his reptilian features twisting into what might have been a grim smile.

"The lizard serum?!" Peter leaped backward in alarm. "I thought Ben and I destroyed all those samples!"

"You forgot about the copies that Stromm stole," Connors clarified. "They were being stored at the Hardy Foundation."

Earlier, at the Hardy Foundation…

Just as Vanessa Hardy was about to place a call to Alexander Pierce, her daughter, Felicia, burst through the office door and snatched the phone from her hand.

"Felicia, what on earth are you doing?" Mrs. Hardy was stunned by this sudden, explosive defiance from her normally compliant daughter.

"Mom, you can't turn them in!" Felicia shouted, smashing the phone against the marble floor. She stood her ground, a newfound fire in her eyes.

Minutes earlier, Mary Jane had rushed to find her after learning Primus Tower was under siege. Knowing the Hardy Foundation was another corporate powerhouse, MJ had hoped Felicia could pull some strings to help Ben. In her panic, she revealed the secret she had overheard: SHIELD was Hydra.

What happened next exceeded both girls' wildest expectations. But regardless of the consequences, neither could stand by and watch Ben and his friends walk into a slaughter.

Dr. Connors, who had arrived seeking refuge, was relieved by this turn of events. He knew he had to return to the battle, but with his enhanced powers depleted and his body covered in injuries, he was in no condition to fight.

That's when Felicia produced a vial of shimmering green serum.

She had acquired it by chance. Ever since Kraven had kidnapped Ben, Felicia had become consumed with a desperate desire for the power to protect him. She had set her sights on finding an enhancement serum, and to her astonishment, she discovered a case of it hidden away in a storage room at the foundation. She had even considered injecting herself, but the fear of permanently transforming into a hideous monster had made her hesitate. Connors's arrival provided the perfect opportunity to offload the entire supply.

"There's even more to this story?" Peter asked, dumbfounded, after hearing Connors's explanation.

Connors grabbed a Hydra soldier by the helmet, crushing it and the skull within before continuing. "I suspect Stromm placed it at the Hardy Foundation deliberately. I heard Ben and Felicia bought some of the original Oscorp equipment from him. He must have held a grudge and planted the serum as revenge. If someone had accidentally broken one of those containers, Felicia could have been transformed into a monster!"

"Stromm… that psychopath!" Peter exclaimed. He looked at the Lizard with concern. "Doctor, are you sure you can maintain control?"

"Don't worry. I was injected with the perfected antibodies previously, so there shouldn't be any short-term problems. Watch out, more incoming!"

A heavy machine gun opened fire, its rounds tearing into the asphalt with enough force to punch deep holes in the street. Peter and Connors scrambled for cover.

High above, Tony was also taking heavy fire. "There are too many of them!" he yelled into the comms. As he blasted a squad of agents in front of him, a rocket slammed into his back, sending him crashing to the ground. "Where's our backup?!" he demanded.

"Ben's whereabouts are unknown," Steve replied, his voice strained as he fought his way through a hail of bullets.

Tony looked up at the ominous clouds gathering overhead, his expression turning grim.

"Mr. Stark, why the long face? We're winning!" Peter shouted as he web-zipped out of the path of another grenade.

"See for yourself," Tony said, pointing a gauntlet skyward.

Looming above them, like three swords of Damocles, were the Helicarriers. The colossal ships, veritable islands suspended in the sky, cast a dark shadow over the spirits of everyone below. Seeing this, Alexander Pierce, who had been seething with fury, suddenly burst into maniacal laughter.

He had retreated the moment the battle began and had now made his way back to the bridge of the lead Helicarrier. From his command chair, Pierce looked down at the tiny figures of the heroes in Times Square and felt like a god preparing to dispense divine punishment.

He simply pressed the attack button.

Instantly, a devastating storm of bullets and explosives rained down from the sky in a nearly indiscriminate bombardment. Only the Hydra operatives, protected by their energy shields, were safe.

"Incoming!" Tony shouted, deploying several defensive drones that formed a small energy barrier over their position. Peter reacted in a split second, firing a web net that pulled Natasha, Fury, and the others into the protective zone just as the first wave of fire hit.

They weathered the assault, but no one felt relieved. Bullets were the least of their worries.

Pierce didn't continue the attack immediately. Instead, he activated the communication system, his face appearing on every screen in Times Square. "Ha! You're doomed to fail, Fury," he mocked. "The weapons on these three carriers are sufficient to conquer a small nation in a day! And we have you to thank, Tony Stark… and that Prime, wherever he is. Without your help, getting these beauties airborne would have been much more difficult."

"Shut up, you pompous windbag!" Steve roared, hurling his shield with such force that it shattered the massive screen displaying Pierce's face.

But Pierce immediately reappeared as a holographic projection. "You're wasting your energy, Captain. Just watch as Hydra's sacred fire purifies you all! A new world will be reborn from the ashes of the old, hahahaha!"

"He's preparing to use nuclear weapons!" Fury's face went ashen.

As predicted, the nuclear launch sequence began. The three Helicarriers climbed higher, positioning themselves to avoid the blast radius. The heroes could escape, but New York City couldn't run.

Soon, the carriers reached altitude. Pierce's grin was a predatory slash across his face as he resolutely pressed the launch button. "You'll be buried with this city, Fury! Hahahaha…"

Nothing happened.

The Helicarriers remained silent. Pierce stared in confusion, then mashed the red button again and again until it nearly sparked. He finally realized the system wasn't responding.

How could something so critical malfunction?

His laughter died abruptly in his throat. At that moment, a chilling voice spoke from the shadows behind him.

"Of course it's not malfunctioning. The Helicarriers' programs are under my control now."

Pierce spun around to discover that every one of his agents on the bridge had been frozen solid, their faces locked in expressions of shock, their bodies encased in thick ice. Ben, transformed into the ghostly, moth-like form of Big Chill, phased through a wall and glided toward him.

"Why aren't you laughing anymore?" Ben asked, his voice an ethereal whisper. "Are you naturally not fond of laughing?"

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