The ferocious Dr. Lizard.
The Spider Spirit suspended behind.
And then...
A shocked Gwen.
Hawk had no time to think; he grabbed Gwen at that moment, seemingly thinking of something, pulled her forcefully back into his arms, and turned around, exposing his back to Dr. Lizard.
Bang!
Dr. Lizard's sharp claws slammed down on Hawk's back like a boulder, knocking Hawk straight down the stairs.
Hawk spun around again in mid-air, his back crashing into the bookshelf below.
The bookshelf shattered.
Everything happened in an instant; by the time others reacted and saw the scene, they screamed and ran out of the library.
"Hawk!"
Dr. Lizard, like a true monster stepping on the stairs, his throat surging, looked at Hawk rising below: "Blood, give it to me!"
Alright.
He's coming for me.
Apart from his clothes being a bit disheveled and dusty, Hawk felt no pain from taking Dr. Lizard's blow. Hearing Dr. Lizard's words, he thought to himself, then instinctively looked at Gwen, who had also snapped out of her shock: "Are you alright?"
He was curious.
If Dr. Lizard was targeting him, then why did his earlier blow seem aimed at Gwen?
This wasn't just an illusion.
It was instinct—if Dr. Lizard had been targeting him, there's no way he would have been hit; even a glancing blow would mean his two and a half years of effort was for nothing.
Hawk had intended to grab Gwen and leave at supersonic speed.
But just as he was about to do so, a series of consequences flashed through his mind.
For instance...
Gwen would not withstand the sudden acceleration, causing her body to explode like it was crushed by an invisible giant hand.
Moreover...
Gwen's body could tear apart due to lethal air resistance.
After all, he could move at supersonic speed, he could handle it, but Gwen could not, so he decided in that moment to endure Dr. Lizard's strike instead.
His decision had nothing to do with not wanting to expose himself in front of classmates.
He didn't fear exposure, nor care about it.
Thoughts like playing dumb definitely didn't exist.
Even when robbing Quantico, the most he did was wear a hoodie and medical mask; he didn't even wear gloves, if Quantico conducted a serious search, there was a chance they could find him.
When he scouted during the day, he didn't disguise himself, just ran a casual check, dynamic comparison, to match it up.
In short,
He wasn't afraid of exposure to the military, let alone here.
Hawk just didn't want Gwen to get hurt.
Gwen, also snapping out of her shock, instinctively shook her head, saying she was okay, then her eyes suddenly narrowed.
"Watch out!"
"Boom!"
Hawk swung a punch, the wind from his punch striking the desk Dr. Lizard's tail was flinging at him, causing it to shatter in mid-air.
"You go first."
"Be careful, his strength's a bit exaggerated."
At that moment, Peter, truly like a spider clinging to the wall, spoke up with a warning.
To be precise, it was too exaggerated.
If Dr. Lizard's strength on the Williamsburg Bridge was 1, it was now 3.
But fortunately, being the Spider Spirit, his healing speed was also exaggerated.
Peter knew Hawk was strong, but he hadn't seen Hawk fight, so he spoke up when he realized Hawk was entering the fray.
Of course.
Peter's current voice was a bit different from his real voice; compared to the real one, it was deeper.
This made Gwen glance over, then nod towards Hawk.
"Be careful."
"Alright."
Hawk smiled slightly.
Gwen then turned to find a safe spot.
But just as she turned to flee, Dr. Lizard's pupils contracted, he kicked off, and leaped towards Gwen again.
"Peter!"
"You're dead!"
The first line was from Peter, who, after witnessing this, anchored to the wall with his feet and shot his hands forward. Two webs flew out, capturing the airborne Dr. Lizard, halting his pounce on Gwen for a moment.
The latter line was Hawk's.
Seeing Dr. Lizard trying to kill Gwen in his face made his voice turn icy.
Next second.
Bang!
With a sonic boom, Hawk vanished, reappearing mid-air in front of Dr. Lizard, delivering a gentle punch to his chest.
Crack!
Dr. Lizard's chest caved in, his mutated heart exposed in an instant, and his body soared backward like a cut stringed kite.
Following along was Peter.
His webs still attached to Dr. Lizard's back. As Hawk's punch sent Dr. Lizard flying, Peter screamed, dragged along by the force.
Thankfully, Peter reacted, cutting the webs, flipping mid-air, and landing with his limbs clinging to the library ceiling, dissipating the force.
Dr. Lizard wasn't as lucky.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Dr. Lizard flew backward, crashing through a row of bookshelves on the second floor, finally slamming into a wall with the sound of collapsing shelves, the wall cracking but stopping his momentum.
And all of this happened in a flash.
After sending Dr. Lizard flying, Hawk instantly appeared beside Gwen: "Are you alright, Gwen?"
Gwen shook her head dumbfounded.
Her mind was still fixed on the scene of the flying Dr. Lizard lunging at her.
Why did Dr. Connor want to kill her?
There's no reason.
Peter landed from the ceiling on the second floor where the shelf was destroyed, and even the floor was cracked by Dr. Lizard's tail, then saw Dr. Lizard's miserable state.
In sight.
Dr. Lizard's chest completely caved, fragments piercing his exposed mutated heart.
The mutated heart thumped slowly, and the green on Dr. Lizard's body was fading.
One strike!
Dr. Lizard was critically wounded!
...