[Bonus Chapter for Powerstones]
It had only been two or three days since the birth of Ghost-Spider.
Furthermore, because Peter's transmigration had twisted the nearly predestined "curse of the dying lover," the current Gwen was far more naive than her original counterpart.
She possessed raw power and a heart full of passion, but she didn't know how to control that strength, and she knew nothing of the cruelty of combat or the darkness of reality.
In this situation, if Peter overprotected her and didn't give her the chance to fight alone and accumulate experience, how could she ever grow?
Flowers meticulously trained in a greenhouse can never withstand the wind and rain. If he kept her shielded under his wing, she would never truly become a real superhero.
Maybe... I should give her a chance to grow on her own.
With that thought, Peter pulled back his hand. He knew the Lizard's strength well. With Gwen's abilities, while she might not be able to defeat him, she should have no problem preventing large-scale casualties and stalling until the police main force arrived.
Even if she wasn't a match for the Lizard during the fight, her Spider-Sense should protect her from fatal injuries.
Since her life wasn't in danger, why not let her take the lead? Even getting thrashed by the Lizard would be invaluable combat experience for her!
Of course, the most important point was that the Manhattan Bridge was only three or four kilometers away from Peter's house in a straight line.
At his full speed, he could reach the scene in a minute or two. He could intervene the moment things turned truly south and use the Horse Talisman to heal her instantly.
Peter ended his conversation with Herman, turned up the volume on the radio, and listened intently to the live police broadcast...
"Hum-dee-hum~"
On the Manhattan Bridge, even a traffic jam couldn't dampen Felicia's mood. She rolled down the window, gazing at the shimmering night view of the city, and couldn't help but hum an excited tune.
After all, once today's job was done, she would soon become a multimillionaire! It was a windfall large enough for her to squander for an entire lifetime.
Just as she was leisurely humming and daydreaming about a life of luxury...
BOOM!SCREECH!
First, a heavy thud landed on the roof of her car. Then... razor-sharp claws pierced through the metal, peeling the roof back like a tin can.
The Lizard looked down at Felicia, his crimson slit pupils flashing with light fueled by rage and chaos. He recognized this woman. This was the woman who had used the most poisonous words to push him to a dead end!
Faced with a giant reptilian humanoid over three meters tall, covered in dark green scales and staring at her with cold eyes, Felicia felt a wave of warmth spread beneath her.
She was literally scared senseless by the terrifying monster. She screamed frantically, curling into a ball and desperately trying to push the door open to escape.
But... a thick, powerful tail slammed against the door. No matter how much strength she mustered, the door wouldn't budge. Seeing the Lizard's claws draw closer, Felicia closed her eyes in despair.
Just as she thought she was dead...
SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!
Strands of white webbing tore through the air, first accurately sticking to the Lizard's eyes! Then, as webbing continued to pour onto him, he was quickly wrapped up like a giant cocoon.
"Hey! Big guy! Bullying an unarmed lady isn't exactly a gentlemanly thing to do."
"Uh... though I guess your current look doesn't really scream 'gentleman' anyway. But regardless, New York's friendly neighborhood Ghost-Spider isn't going to let you have your way!"
Gwen, in her Ghost-Spider suit, dropped from the sky. Upon landing, she didn't forget to strike a pose suitable for a hero's entrance. It was a signature move she had designed herself after repeatedly analyzing the way "The Arbiter" landed earlier that day.
Gwen thought that since she had immobilized him with webbing, she could now banter without worry.
But in the next second, the Lizard effortlessly tore through the web restraints and let out an ear-splitting roar at her.
"Yikes! What brand of protein powder are you on? Also, side note: how long has it been since you brushed your teeth?"
Gwen mocked the Lizard while using her Spider-Sense to dodge his attacks. It seemed all Spider-people were naturally gifted in the art of "quipping." Although Gwen was still a rookie, her motor-mouth skills were already reaching a professional level.
Just as she was starting to feel a bit confident from easily dodging his swipes...
WHAM!
The massive tail, moving like lightning, predicted where she would land from her web-swing and slammed into her. A staggering force hit her, and she was sent flying through the air. Her small frame smashed heavily into a nearby bus, denting the metal inward.
"Ugh!"
Gwen felt like her internal organs had shifted places. The intense pain nearly made her black out. That hit cleared her head instantly!
She couldn't help but complain wildly in her mind: A version update without notifying me, right? How did a "Shocker" appear at noon, and then a lizard monster appears at night? And this lizard's strength was even greater than that "Shocker" guy's shockwaves!
I wonder if "The Arbiter" got the news this time? Or was he really just passing by at noon?
While her mind was a jumbled mess of random thoughts, her Spider-Sense blared again. She ignored the pain and scrambled to her feet.
Sure enough, the moment she left the dented spot, a taxi came whistling through the air and smashed into it.
The terrifying force caused the bus to flip on its side, skidding into the bridge railing and destroying a large section of it.
The life-or-death sensation forced Gwen to focus. Realizing that relying on others was worse than relying on herself, she once again attempted to use her agility and webbing to wage a guerrilla war against the Lizard.
The tactic was effective. As she gained experience, the lizard monster was gradually suppressed by her speed and webbing. Furthermore, as time passed, she noticed the creature's size seemed to be shrinking slightly.
Just as she was feeling invigorated, thinking she could defeat the monster in one go, a mother's desperate cry came from behind her: "Please! Save my child!"
Gwen instinctively looked back and saw a small car about to be flipped off the bridge by the shockwaves of the battle. In the backseat was a boy of seven or eight, clutching the window and crying his heart out!
Gwen's heart constricted! Without a second thought, she shot out a web, accurately anchoring the teetering car.
Then, with a sudden burst of strength from both arms, she actually managed to haul the car back onto the road!
Having finished this, Gwen let out a long sigh of relief, a sense of pride and satisfaction welling up within her. But just as she turned back to continue dealing with the lizard monster, she saw a scene she would never forget...
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