The talkative raven in the world of American comics

Chapter 8: Spider-Man in Progress

"Look, is that a bird? Or an airplane?!"

"My friend, that's just a crow."

Pedestrians on the street looked up at the sky above New York City. A fleeting dark shadow caught many people's attention, but then a crow flew by slowly, cawing loudly, causing people to lower their heads and stop looking.

Oz came to a wall and looked at Peter, who had embedded himself into it.

"Get up quickly, you're not allowed to sleep here."

"I didn't sleep!"

Peter pulled his head out of the wall, shook it, and felt dizzy.

Oz asked, puzzled, "You were swinging quite well at first, so why did you suddenly change direction and plunge headfirst into the wall?"

After Peter left home, the kid displayed an amazing talent for web-spinning.

It was as if he was born for this; even though he was a little rusty, it was clear that he adapted to the art of swinging on spider silk very quickly.

After swinging for a while, for some reason, he suddenly changed his movements and tried to swing on the spider web in a more fancy way.

"I want to try other techniques..."

Because he was wearing a red mask similar to a wrestler's and sunglasses covering his eyes, the impact of being shoved into the wall did not cause Peter to break out in a facial disfigurement.

Peter climbed up the wall, intending to rest on the rooftop of the building for a while.

Once he reached the rooftop, he immediately lay down, removed the wrestler's mask he was wearing, revealing his youthful chin.

"What's wrong?" Oz asked, seeing this.

"The mask is so stuffy..." Peter replied, panting.

"..."

It wasn't late yet; there was still some time before dusk. The sunlight shone on Peter's face, giving him an unprecedented sense of relaxation.

I seem to be born to swing on spider webs.

Oz seemed genuinely speechless, not even wanting to speak, lost in thought.

Peter rested for half a minute, then slowly got up, supporting himself with his arms.

"Do you think there's any chance I could succeed by jumping off a tall building?" Peter asked.

"Yes," Oz said, recalling the leap of faith performed by Spider-Man and his ilk, "but this building clearly doesn't fit the bill."

"I know of a building that fits the bill," Peter said.

"The Empire State Building?"

"This one fits the bill, I guess... but I have one that fits even better."

"Lead the way, please."

Ten minutes later.

Peter and Oz looked up at the skyscraper in front of them.

Oz glanced at the building, then at Peter, and finally couldn't help but say:

"Osborn? Seriously?"

Peter blinked innocently. "Why? The Osborne Tower is also very tall, and I think it's a good fit."

Oz chuckled, finally understanding why the kid had suddenly agreed to come out.

It's simply a matter of questioning his previous statement about Connors meeting the giant lizard.

Oz said, "Let's not keep things to ourselves. Next time you have a problem, just say it directly. There's no need to beat around the bush and bring me here."

"Sorry..." Peter realized that his cleverness was completely childish in Oz's eyes.

He said, "If what you say is true, then I'd like to see Dr. Connors even sooner."

"I was the one who handed him the formula in the first place. If he really does turn into a lizard, then it will be my problem."

Oz was somewhat surprised: "You grasped it pretty quickly."

"Take this as a compliment."

Peter did not wear a mask; he remained as he was.

Whether Oz's words are true or false, he will come and see for himself.

Because it is his responsibility.

Peter then led Oz into the Osborne Building. Because he often helped out at the lab after class, and because of his relationship with Dr. Connors, no one stopped him along the way, and they soon arrived at Dr. Connors' lab.

Peter looked through a pane of clear glass at the one-armed middle-aged man inside.

He said, "I can't imagine him becoming a lizard."

Oz chimed in, "Yeah, I can't imagine Gwen Stacy dying from a broken spine either."

"Hey, that's a bit much!"

"You believe me when I say he'll turn into a lizard, but you don't believe me when I say Gwen will die in two. Double standards, Parker."

Peter angrily slapped Oz off his shoulder; he now loathed the dead crow.

He then went into the laboratory and gave a brief greeting to Dr. Connors.

"Good afternoon, Dr. Connors."

Dr. Connors was clearly surprised that Peter would come, and his face showed a hint of astonishment.

"Good afternoon, Peter," Dr. Connors said. "What brings you here?"

Peter shrugged. "I'm a bit bored now that I've finished my homework. Let's see if there's anything I can do to help."

Dr. Connors smiled and said, "You've already helped me a lot."

He paused abruptly, then said regretfully, "I've heard about what happened to your uncle. Please accept my condolences."

"Hmm." Whenever Uncle Ben is mentioned, Peter still falls silent instinctively, unsure of what to say.

But I'm not here today to be emo; I'm here to clarify an issue.

Peter asked, "Doctor, are we sure there's nothing wrong with our research on cross-species genetic inheritance?"

Remembering something, he continued, "Yes, Freddy, how is it now?"

Freddy was a lab mouse, a product specifically used for drug testing.

Connors didn't understand why Peter would ask such a question. After they finished their research, they conducted various tests, and there were no problems.

Peter shouldn't have asked that question.

Connors pushed up his glasses and said helplessly, "Your worries are unfounded, Peter. Don't forget that our experiments are always rigorous."

After saying that, he turned to look at the transparent cage where the white mouse Freddy was.

"Freddy, Peter's a little worried about your health... Damn it, Freddy!"

Dr. Connors suddenly shouted, which startled Peter, who quickly went over to see what was happening.

"..."

From Connors' perspective, the white mouse was trembling inexplicably, its tiny head swaying back and forth, much like a person suffering from poisoning and convulsions.

However, from Peter's perspective, it was a completely different story.

"Oz, what are you doing?!"

Oz released Freddy's neck. "What? Just because he's white and I'm black, you're that upset with me?"

"That's not what I meant! Let him go right now!" Peter said angrily.

Seeing Freddy suddenly return to normal, as if he had broken free from some kind of control, he immediately shrank into a corner, trembling.

Upon seeing this, Connors quickly took it out of the cage and began to investigate.

"strangeness."

But research suggests that Freddy did not experience any discomfort; he seemed to have simply been frightened by something.

Dr. Connors was completely baffled: "All of Freddy's vital signs are normal. He shouldn't be reacting like this... Did something frighten him? But he's the only one in the cage..."

Of course I was scared! I was scared by that dead crow, Oz!

Peter glared at Oz angrily, but the latter ignored him completely.

He said, "Perhaps the merging of its genetic lines has caused some confusion in its thinking, making it suddenly afraid of things it shouldn't be afraid of?"

Dr. Connors frowned: "Is that true?"

Peter suggested, "Maybe... This is just my guess. Let's investigate Freddy later, but I'm more inclined to believe that view."

Dr. Connors could only temporarily agree with Peter's statement, since they couldn't find anything out from the investigation.

Peter then asked, "Doctor, I have a question for you."

"uh-huh."

"If we inject serum into a human, is it possible for the person to turn into a large lizard?"

Upon hearing this, Dr. Connors simply gazed at Peter silently.

Peter felt a little uneasy being seen and didn't understand what it meant.

Then he heard Dr. Connors suddenly burst into laughter.

Connors laughed and said, "Have you watched some weird horror movie lately? Of course not. Besides, we conduct all sorts of clinical trials, and we'll stop them immediately if anything goes wrong."

"Besides, didn't we already consider this problem before the serum was even available?"

Peter gave an awkward but polite smile: "Sorry, I was overthinking it. I recently read a news article about the lizard people in the underworld, and I was just a little worried..."

“It’s okay to worry,” Connors said. “Scientific truth is built step by step, not overnight.”

"If the experiment succeeds, Peter, we will become creators who benefit human society!"