After injecting the lizard serum, the power differences among the lizard-men became stark. The more compatible one’s body was with the lizard DNA, the stronger the willpower, and the greater their physical condition before injection, the stronger they would become after transformation.
Dr. Connors was the first lizard-man, and by far the weakest. Before injecting the serum, he was nothing more than a scholar with no combat experience.
On the other hand, soldiers who had been wounded in battle were often the most resilient and experienced fighters. When they received the lizard serum, they all became powerful enough to easily kill the lizardified Dr. Connors.
Winston Johnson, once abandoned by his comrades, had spent six agonizing months in a Taliban dungeon. By the time he was rescued, his body was mutilated beyond recognition.
Burns, whip marks, knife wounds—the Taliban had used every method of torture they could think of on this formidable soldier. When the rescue team found Winston Johnson, they could hardly believe he was still alive.
Fueled by an unrelenting will to survive, Winston clung to life, even though he was little more than a corpse on life support in a hospital bed.
Colonel Johnson burned with a desire for revenge. He wanted to inflict the same pain he had endured onto all of humanity. After receiving the lizard serum, he did not resist the dark impulses it awakened within him. Instead, he embraced them fully, fusing with the evil thoughts that surged through his mind.
This made him the undisputed strongest of all the lizard-men.
As Peter Parker faced Colonel Johnson, his Spider-Sense went wild, warning him of danger. This lizard-man was far more dangerous than the one he fought on the Brooklyn Bridge.
Suddenly, Peter twisted his body.
A sharp, ear-piercing screech of metal filled the air as a clawed hand tore through the back half of a police car behind him.
The NYPD’s Crown Victorias were old, but they had been armored for police use, with added protection in key areas to give officers an advantage in shootouts. The doors were the sturdiest parts of the vehicles, yet Colonel Johnson had ripped through one like it was paper.
“So fast… way too fast!”
Peter wiped the blood from his cheek, his mask torn open by the attack. Even with his superhuman reflexes and vision, he had barely registered a blur of movement.
Before he could catch his breath, he performed a quick backflip, narrowly dodging the whip-like tail that lashed out at him.
Colonel Johnson’s powerful tail snapped through the air with a sonic boom, its strike shattering the concrete pavement beneath it.
A normal person would have been pulverized by such a hit.
Colonel Johnson sneered as he launched another attack, his massive body moving with alarming agility, both claws aimed directly at Peter’s vital points.
Peter clenched his fists, but before he could say anything, the foul stench and sharp claws forced him to focus solely on dodging. The razor-sharp talons sliced through the air, their high-pitched whistle nearly brushing Peter’s skin with each swipe.
“Boom!”
Caught off guard, Peter was struck by Colonel Johnson’s tail, sent flying ten meters before crashing into the side of a building.
The force of the impact shattered the granite façade, leaving Peter embedded in the wall.
“Pathetic. His skull must’ve been crushed,” Colonel Johnson sneered as he approached Peter, swaying his tail.
“He’s still breathing? Impressive. Perhaps he’s worthy of being one of us.”
But before the colonel could make another move, Peter suddenly sprang from the wall, landing behind him. With a fierce punch to the back of Colonel Johnson’s head, Peter grabbed his opponent by the skull and slammed him into the ground.
“Yah!” Peter shouted, gripping one of the colonel’s arms and swinging him around like a hammer throw, hurling him through the outer wall of the building.
“Boom!”
Colonel Johnson crashed through the wall, landing amid the rubble.
Peter stood there, panting, his hands trembling slightly. Blood had soaked through his mask, and half his face was swollen and battered. He leapt into the wrecked room, ready to stomp down on the colonel’s head.
Peter knew all too well that these lizard-men had an incredible healing factor. The only way to kill them for sure was to destroy their skulls.
Suddenly, a clawed hand gripped Peter’s leg. Colonel Johnson’s face twisted with fury. Though mostly unscathed, this was the first time he had been humiliated like this since becoming a lizard-man.
“Smash!”
The colonel swung Peter down into the ground, slamming him repeatedly until the floorboards cracked beneath them. Peter’s suit was shredded, his body covered in bruises and cuts.
Colonel Johnson grabbed Peter by the head, squeezing tightly enough to make him scream in pain. He dragged Peter out onto the street.
“I’ll give you one last chance, boy. Kill that police officer, and you’ll be one of us—part of the new humanity.”
The colonel pointed toward George Stacy and then released Peter.
“You’re still young, aren’t you? All you have to do is kill him, and you won’t have to die.”
George Stacy watched the scene unfold, dropping his shotgun to the ground. He locked eyes with Peter Parker, whose mask had been ripped apart, revealing part of his face.
For the first time, George realized that this Spider-Man was just a kid. The lizard-men were too powerful; everyone here was going to die. If sacrificing himself could save this boy’s life, maybe it was the right choice.
“Kid, I’m old… but you’re the future of humanity,” George said quietly.
Peter hung his head, silent. Then, with a sudden burst of energy, he spun around and kicked Colonel Johnson.
Even though nearly all his bones were broken, Peter still fought back with sheer willpower.
“I didn’t train all this time just to side with monsters like you!”
“You stubborn fool!” Colonel Johnson roared, slamming Peter to the ground with his tail like a ragdoll. His tail coiled around Peter’s neck, hoisting him into the air.
“I gave you a chance! You wasted it! Do you even know who’s responsible for turning us into this? Humanity is the real evil, the cruelest species on this planet. They oppress their own kind, delight in torturing each other. They develop technology only to kill more efficiently, polluting this world in the process. We, the new humans, are the future!”
Peter struggled desperately, trying to free himself from the crushing grip of the colonel’s tail, but his neck was on the verge of snapping.
“No… that’s not all humans…” Peter gasped.
“Oh really? Then tell me, who truly represents humanity? You, hiding behind a mask, afraid to show your face? Or Norman Osborn, the billionaire CEO? One of the richest men in the world? Boy, you’re too naive. You’ve never seen the darkest side of humanity.”
Colonel Johnson sneered, his face twisting with hatred.
“If I took you to see the horrors in Oscorp’s secret labs, I doubt you’d still be spouting such naive nonsense. We’ve killed only a handful of people. Compared to Norman Osborn, we’re nothing.”
Shh!
Suddenly, a sharp object pierced Colonel Johnson’s chest. He looked down at the gaping wound in disbelief.
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