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[Frog] Chapter 103: Bank Robbery
🕑 Added 2024-10-18 03:35:43 +0000 UTC"NASA will soon begin its cosmic storm exploration experiment."
"Next, we have Dr. Reed Richards, the chief scientist in charge of the mission, to give us a detailed explanation..."
On the TV, Reed stood in front, with three other people behind him who were set to join him in exploring the cosmic storm.
Alan watched the interview on the television. Compared to Thor or Tony, he was more concerned about Reed's developments. After all, this represented a significant event for Earth, one that was just as dangerous as any future threat from Thanos.
As Alan focused on the broadcast, Gwen swung back in from outside, using her webs. The moment she landed on the balcony, Pikachu rushed over to greet her. Gwen scooped Pikachu up and walked over to Alan, saying, "Alan, I've been thinking about something lately."
"Oh?" Alan tore his eyes away from the TV and looked at her. "What’s on your mind? Go ahead and tell me."
Gwen sat down beside him with a serious expression. "Remember when Dr. Connors injected himself with the regeneration serum and turned into the Lizard? Do you think I could end up turning into some sort of Spider-Monster?"
She added nervously, "When I first got bitten by the spider, I even had a dream where I turned into a giant spider."
It was clear that as a girl, Gwen was deeply troubled by the possibility of such a monstrous transformation. Alan pondered her question but didn’t have an immediate answer.
Based on what he knew, Spider-Man’s abilities were the result of a unique genetic mutation, granting spider-like powers without causing a physical transformation into a spider. This was seen as the ultimate goal of geneticists: perfect gene mutation.
"I don’t think you have anything to worry about," Alan reassured her. "Since you got your spider powers, you haven’t experienced any other strange changes, right?"
Gwen nodded while stroking Pikachu, then asked, "So, how did Pikachu mutate?"
Alan was taken aback. Pikachu was indeed a mutation, but the story he had given before was just an excuse. Now that Gwen was asking directly, Alan couldn’t give a clear answer.
He casually replied, "I’m not sure. My friend didn’t explain it to me."
Thankfully, Gwen didn’t push the issue further and started playing with Pikachu instead.
"Pikachu, why don’t you stay over at my place again tonight?"
"Pika... Chuuuu..." Pikachu shook his head solemnly.
Gwen looked at Alan for help, and Alan translated, "He said last time he stayed over, your dad was mean to him. He doesn’t want to go this time."
"That’s a shame," Gwen said with a mischievous smile. Then she added, "I was planning to buy a lot of snacks later. Looks like I’ll have to eat them all by myself."
At that, Pikachu’s face lit up with excitement. "Pika... Chuu..."
Gwen laughed. "I know exactly what he’s saying. He wants me to hurry and buy them, right?"
Alan chuckled and nodded, "Exactly. Pikachu can’t wait."
Gwen beamed. "Finally, I understand what he’s saying."
"Pika... Pika..." Pikachu nudged Gwen eagerly, clearly impatient to get going. Watching the scene, Alan couldn’t help but laugh. It seemed like he had raised a gluttonous Pokémon.
With Pikachu urging them on, Gwen turned to Alan and asked, "Alan, do you want to come with us?"
Alan nodded. "Sure, I’ll drive."
---
Downstairs, as Alan drove them to the store, the voice of the Red Queen AI came through the car’s speakers.
"Master, Miss Gwen, there’s been a major robbery in Midtown Manhattan."
"A man with extreme physical strength broke into a bank and started attacking people indiscriminately."
"A robbery?" Gwen’s face darkened, and she prepared to leap out of the car to head to Midtown.
But Alan stopped her. "Stay in the car. It’ll be faster if I drive. Just change into your Spider-Suit."
Gwen nodded. "Okay!"
---
Meanwhile, at Oscorp Industries...
Peter slowly regained consciousness, his surroundings blurry. Nearby, he could hear Jack’s voice.
"Norman, it looks like your serum worked."
"Yes, he’s been out for two or three hours. Not bad."
...
As Peter fully regained consciousness, he saw Norman and Jack inside the lab.
"Dr. Norman, you all..." Peter began to speak, but he quickly realized that, apart from his head, he couldn’t move any part of his body. He was completely strapped to a bed.
"You’re awake. Though you’re a fool, I have to commend you. It took a lot of courage to save Norman. If you had been just a bit slower, you’d be the one dead," Jack said mockingly as he walked over to Peter’s side.
Peter glanced at Jack but ignored him, instead focusing on Norman by the experiment table.
"Dr. Norman, if you call the police now, you can still stop this before that madman causes more chaos. You know very well how dangerous it’ll get if he goes berserk."
Norman, with his back to Peter, didn’t respond. He was entirely focused on something at the experiment table.
Peter was about to try persuading him again when Jack spoke up. "Don’t bother. That man just robbed a bank not long ago."
Peter’s face changed instantly. "How is that possible? He recovered his strength that fast?"
"Don’t believe me?" Jack, eager to stir things up, shifted Peter’s bed so that it faced the TV. The screen lit up, showing footage of the homeless man who had escaped from Oscorp robbing a bank.
Not only was he robbing the place, but his immense physical strength allowed him to wreak havoc inside the bank, injuring innocent civilians and employees in the process.
Peter frowned as he watched, realizing that the situation was spiraling out of control. If the police or the public traced the homeless man’s actions back to Oscorp, Norman would be done for, no matter what. He would lose everything, even if it cost him his life.
"Do you think Norman’s ignoring you because he doesn’t care? He’s just too busy. Right now, he’s working on a serum to strip the homeless man of his powers."
Hearing Jack’s words, Peter immediately turned to Norman. "Dr. Norman, I can help you! You know I’ve made anti-gene serums before."
Norman’s body stiffened, and he abruptly stood up, walking over to Peter. Before Peter could react, Norman grabbed him by the collar.
"Are you serious? You really know how to do it?"
Norman looked nothing like the confident man who had knocked Peter out earlier. He was clearly shaken. Even he hadn’t expected the homeless man who escaped Oscorp to recover so quickly and commit a bank robbery right after.
"Yes, Dr. Norman. But you need to let me go first," Peter said.
Gritting his teeth, Norman pressed a button nearby, releasing the metal restraints that had held Peter down.
Peter got off the bed, glanced at Norman, and headed straight for the experiment table. "Dr. Norman, we need to work fast. I’ll need your assistance."
In the past, anyone who talked to Norman like that would’ve been thrown out of the lab. But now, Norman, though conflicted, finally seemed to resolve himself and moved to help Peter.
"Boss, can they really do it? Shouldn’t we run now?" one of Jack’s henchmen asked nervously.
"It’s fine. If things get too out of control, we’ll just bail. But before we leave, I’ll make sure to grab a little something for myself," Jack said slyly, eyeing two blue vials on the experiment table. His henchmen looked confused, but Jack’s gaze was fixed.
---
Meanwhile, at a large bank on Midtown Avenue, George and his team of police officers had surrounded the place. Inside the bank, the homeless man who had escaped from Oscorp was holding a large bag stuffed with cash he had just stolen.
The homeless man looked out at the police swarming the area but seemed completely unfazed. Holding a gun he had somehow acquired, he pressed it against the head of a man in a suit.
"So, you came here to withdraw some money?" the homeless man asked.
The man, trembling in fear, raised his hands in surrender. He had witnessed the homeless man’s horrifying strength firsthand—he had seen him smash the bank counter with a single punch, and the security guard who tried to call for help had his neck snapped instantly.
"I asked you a question!" the homeless man barked, his finger hovering over the trigger.
The man, terrified, stammered, "Y-yes, yes, I came to withdraw money."
"Oh? How much do you have in this bank?" the homeless man asked.
"I-I have about eight million dollars..." the man stuttered.
The homeless man grinned. "Good answer. Honest."
"But you see, I really hate rich people..." With a bang, the man in the suit collapsed, blood pooling around him. Screams erupted from the other people in the bank, but the homeless man spread his arms wide, as if he were savoring the chaos.
The gunshot alerted the police outside. George furrowed his brow and pressed his earpiece. "Sniper, what’s the situation inside?"
The sniper’s voice came through quickly. "Chief, a civilian was just executed. And the guy seems to be... enjoying it."
George frowned even deeper. It was becoming clear that the homeless man wasn’t just robbing the bank; he was killing for fun. That made him even more dangerous and unpredictable.
"Can you take him out?" George asked.
"No, he’s staying in a blind spot. I can’t get a clean shot."
"If I can’t take him out in one hit..." The sniper trailed off, but George understood. If they couldn’t kill him instantly, the homeless man would become even more violent.
As George deliberated, more movement came from inside the bank. The homeless man, seemingly done enjoying the screams, tossed aside his gun.
"Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time for me to go. Spider-Woman will show up soon, and I’d rather not deal with that nuisance," the homeless man said with a mock bow. Then, in a blur, he dashed toward the exit, grabbing the dead man’s body on his way out.
"Chief, he’s on the move! He’s too fast for me to get a shot, and he’s carrying a body!" the sniper reported.
"Everyone, aim at the entrance!" George ordered. "Shoot as soon as he comes out!"
"Yes, sir!" came the unified response from the officers.
At that moment, the glass doors of the bank shattered with a loud crash, sending shards flying everywhere. A dark figure burst through.
"Open fire!" George commanded.
Gunfire erupted as the police aimed at the moving figure.
Meanwhile, on Midtown Avenue, Alan and Gwen, having arrived, could hear the gunfire. Alan glanced at Gwen and gave a nod. Without hesitation, Gwen pushed open the car door and shot her web at a nearby streetlight.
She didn’t wait for the car to stop—using the momentum of her web, she swung into action, while Alan continued driving toward the bank.
At the bank’s entrance, the police were still shooting at the dark figure when George’s face suddenly changed.
"Stop shooting! That’s not the suspect, that’s..."
Before George could finish, another figure shot out from the bank. "Thanks for the fireworks, New York’s detectives!"
....
