RedX43
patreon
[Frog] Chapter 175: Is This Your Special Hobby?
🕑 Added 2024-11-25 17:10:50 +0000 UTCBoom!
Just as Gwen stepped out of the lab, a powerful shockwave erupted, sending up a massive cloud of dust that obscured everyoneâs vision.
Through her specialized goggles, Gwen could faintly see a flash of blue light amidst the thick dust.
Then, the chaos inside the lab abruptly went silent.
âRed Queen, what just happened?â
âMiss Gwen, the power clash between the Green Goblin and the Emperor was too intense, causing shockwaves that destroyed the entire lab.â
âAnd that blue lightâwhat was it?â
âIt appears to be some kind of spatial transport technology. Both the Green Goblin and the Emperor are no longer inside the lab.â
Hearing this, Gwenâs expression shifted. She immediately rushed back into the lab.
As expected, the lab was in complete disarray, with no trace of either the Emperor or the Green Goblinâthey seemed to have vanished into thin air.
âRed Queen, can you locate them?â
âIâm sorry, Miss Gwen. I canât. It seems they are no longer on Earth.â
âWhat?â
Gwen couldnât comprehend it. Just moments ago, the two had been fighting right in front of her. How could they disappear from Earth in the blink of an eye?
âRed Queen, if you detect their whereabouts, report to me immediately.â
âUnderstood, Miss Gwen.â
Cough, cough...
A coughing sound came from behind her. Turning around, Gwen saw George, accompanied by a few officers, cautiously entering the lab.
Noticing the devastation, George asked, âSpider-Woman, what happened here?â
âObviously, the Emperor and the Green Goblin are no longer here,â Gwen replied.
âTo be honest, I have no idea what just happened either.â
As her words fell, the ground began trembling again. From another direction, loud cheers erupted.
âWhat nowâŚ?â
âItâs those modified humans!â
Through the dust, the modified humans who had been under the Green Goblinâs control began streaming out as though freed from their shackles.
They had been obeying the Green Goblin out of fear. Now that he was gone, they were making a break for it.
âChief George, time to deal with these problem children.â
âLeave them to me!â
Gwen charged toward the group of modified humans.
She couldnât take on a monstrous being like the Green Goblin, but she could definitely handle these failed experiments.
Meanwhile, George turned to the officers and ordered, âFind Peter and tell him to prepare the anti-gene serum.â
âUnderstood!â
George also began organizing a defensive line to ensure none of the modified humans escaped Gwenâs grasp.
It turned out his precautions were unnecessary.
Before long, as the sounds of fighting subsided and the dust settled, Gwen stood in the center of the defeated crowd, rolling her shoulders.
âAll done!â
At that moment, Peter arrived, carrying a briefcase.
When he saw Spider-Woman standing amidst a sea of defeated modified humans, he couldnât help but gulp.
As one of the researchers involved in enhanced gene technology, Peter knew exactly how strong these modified humans were.
Even though they were considered failures, each one was still far stronger than an average humanâpractically superhuman.
But here they were, laid out like helpless children at Spider-Womanâs feet, defeated in a matter of minutes.
Still, Peterâs focus shifted back to the pressing issue.
âUncle George, whereâs Norman Osborn?â he asked, gripping his briefcase tightly.
George glanced at Peter and explained, âNorman Osborn is the Green Goblin.â
âAfter his fight with the Emperor, he disappeared. We donât know if he escaped or if the Emperor dealt with him.â
Hearing that Norman was the Green Goblin, Peterâs grip on the briefcase tightened instinctively.
Peter spoke up, âLetâs save these people first; weâll deal with everything else later.â
Gwen waved at Peter as he approached and then turned to George. âChief George, Iâve got to go now.â
Without waiting for a response, Gwen sprinted to the window and leaped out.
George shook his head helplessly. Superheroesâthey were all the same, always acting in a whirlwind of chaos.
âYou guys, head over there and collect the labâs dataâŚâ
âThe rest of you, secure the sceneâŚâ
Under Georgeâs orders, the cleanup operation proceeded methodically. As long as they could gather enough evidence of Normanâs crimes, this trip would not have been in vain.
After leaving Oscorp, Gwen swung her way across the city, heading toward Alanâs house.
She couldnât quite explain why, but she felt an urgent need to see himâperhaps to share the incredible events she had just witnessed.
As Gwen sped toward Alanâs place, the Red Queenâs voice rang in her ear.
âMiss Gwen, thereâs an incident in Manhattanâa woman is being violently robbed.â
Without hesitation, Gwen replied, âRed Queen, guide me to the nearest route!â
Moving swiftly between the towering buildings, Gwenâs speed was astonishing. While she couldnât match a straight-line flight, she wasnât far off.
Before long, Gwen arrived at the scene, a dim alley.
Four or five black-skinned thugs were surrounding a blonde-haired white woman, taunting and intimidating her.
Gwen silently landed behind them and spoke up, âHey, you know what youâre doing is wrong, right?â
The thugs turned in alarm. When they saw Spider-Woman, their expressions grew serious, and they split into two groups.
The panicked white woman calmed down instantly, her gaze fixed on Gwen.
Gwen immediately felt something was off. âIf Iâm not mistaken⌠youâre all in this together, arenât you?â
The woman in the middle touched her chin, peeling off an incredibly realistic human mask.
As her true face was revealed, Gwenâs expression shiftedâshe recognized her.
It was someone sheâd seen once before, back when Nick Fury had visited Alan. This woman had been by Furyâs side.
If she remembered correctly, her name was Maria Hill.
Gwen quickly pieced it together. These staged thugs were S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.
Maria Hill stepped forward and said, âSpider-Woman, Iâm Maria Hill, direct assistant to S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury.â
Gwen, unimpressed by S.H.I.E.L.D., half-jokingly pointed at the thugs behind Hill. âSo⌠am I interrupting one of your special hobbies?â
Hillâs face darkened immediately. How could Spider-Woman be so sharp-tongued?
If it werenât for the mission to lure her out, Hill wouldnât have put on such a ridiculous act. This was all part of Nick Furyâs plan.
According to his analysis, Spider-Woman always showed up promptly wherever crime occurred.
Thus, they staged a low-cost, believable street crime to draw her out.
âSpider-Woman, we need your help,â Hill said, holding out her hand. One of her agents handed her a file, which she then passed to Gwen.
âHelp?â
Thanks to her Spider-Sense and the Red Queenâs alerts, Gwen knew Hill had no ill intentions.
She accepted the file and flipped through it quickly.
After a brief glance, Gwen replied, âIâll think about it.â
She fired a web and swung away from the alley without another word.
The agents approached Hill as Spider-Woman disappeared into the distance.
âDo you think this will work?â one asked.
âIt should,â Hill replied. âThis could very well escalate into a global disaster. Someone like her, who fights to save individual lives, wonât turn her back on the entire world.â
âMission accomplished. Letâs head back.â
---
Meanwhile, a similar scene was unfolding at Stark Tower.
Coulson stood before Tony Stark, presenting an identical file.
This left Tony momentarily stunned.
Pepper quickly stepped in, handing Tony a glass of champagne. âHe doesnât like taking things directly from others. Trade your file for this champagne.â
âThis is the first glass of champagne from the Stark Tower opening celebration.â
...
