So, where is Dr. Lizard now? This question was not only something Nick Fury wanted to know but also something Peter Parker and the entire Avengers wanted to figure out. While Black Widow piloted the aircraft to find Hulk, Peter Parker turned to Robert for help. After all, the surroundings were a wasteland, and it was impossible to find Dr. Lizard through previous clues.
Peter Parker hoped that Robert could find traces of Dr. Lizard and quickly end this mission.
"Dr. Lizard? In the sewers?" Robert's eyes flickered as he heard Peter Parker's information and began to explore the underground space. However, with the previous battle between Hulk and Peter Parker, not only had the surface turned into ruins, but the underground space had also collapsed.
Robert couldn't find any trace of Dr. Lizard, not even a rat. In this earthquake-like battle, there was no life left around; only Robert and Peter Parker's life signals remained.
As for Clark, who was with Robert earlier, he had disappeared as if something had suddenly happened. Robert didn't ask much because this had happened many times; Clark would suddenly disappear to save someone in danger. Robert and his family were used to it.
"Dr. Lizard either escaped during your fight with Hulk or died in the aftermath. There's no life left underground..." Robert said after his investigation, looking at Peter Parker.
"Huh? What do we do next? Ignore him?" Peter Parker hesitated. If Dr. Lizard was dead, that was fine; there would be no need to worry about him causing trouble. But if he escaped, it would be problematic. Peter worried that Dr. Lizard, who had previously bought a large amount of experimental equipment, might reappear unnoticed by the Avengers. More importantly, no one knew what new experiments Dr. Lizard might conduct.
This meant that as long as Dr. Lizard didn't use his account, he could hide in the dark, living incognito and conducting dangerous actions without being discovered.
"I don't know. I don't have X-ray vision to see what's below or find his previous location..." Robert shrugged, expressing his helplessness.
Just then, Clark appeared beside Robert and said, "I found traces of his experiments, but no sign of him or his body. He must have fled before we arrived."
With a swoosh, Clark's heat vision shot out, creating a tunnel in the ground, leading to Dr. Lizard's previous location.
"A lot of experimental equipment, but it's all damaged. It seems Dr. Lizard left in a hurry..." Peter Parker and Robert soon entered the underground space. Peter noticed the crushed experimental items around them.
"Let Tony pack these up and take them back. I'm not familiar with this stuff. If Dr. Lizard shows up again, let me know if there's trouble..." Robert shrugged, glanced in the direction Clark had left, and disappeared.
"He's really sharp. Even in this situation, he managed to escape..." Peter Parker wasn't surprised by Robert's departure. He contacted Tony Stark while muttering, "I should have known better than to focus on Hulk. This place was so close to where I investigated..."
Peter recalled the environment, deducing that he had almost crossed paths with Dr. Lizard. However, Peter misunderstood one thing: Dr. Lizard didn't escape because he was sharp...
When Dr. Lizard heard the commotion above, he sped up his experiments, realizing that such noise might be targeting him. Suppressing his unease, he continued his work. But as the noise grew louder, with dust and gravel falling on him and his equipment, he became angry.
Yet, as the ground shook violently, Dr. Lizard quickly suppressed his anger. He realized that the disturbance above was caused by an entity he couldn't provoke. Faced with the earthquake-like tremors, Dr. Lizard decided to abandon his experiment and flee.
The collapsing underground space signaled to Dr. Lizard that if he didn't escape, he would be buried alive. So, Dr. Lizard fled, not out of sharpness, but necessity. Though he didn't witness the battle above, he dropped his arrogance and, after finding a way to enhance his strength further, kept a low profile.
Dr. Lizard understood that even if his new experiment succeeded, making him stronger and able to crush Dr. Octopus, he couldn't cause such a disturbance. Thus, he decided to lie low until he was confident enough to handle such terrifying battles.
However, Dr. Lizard still needed to continue his experiments, which required funds to buy supplies. Despite guessing that the commotion was from those hunting him, he didn't stop using his money to buy experimental equipment. As a Lizardman, he didn't think about this; more importantly, he had no other source of funds.
Dr. Lizard considered robbery and murder but knew it would draw more attention and increase his chances of being exposed. Scared, he decided to stay low-key.
Dr. Lizard's low profile puzzled official agencies, who thought S.H.I.E.L.D. had captured him. They were surprised to see him making purchases again and were unsure whether to act.
Among these hesitant agencies was S.H.I.E.L.D., who didn't know what to do next.
"Director, should we continue pursuing Dr. Lizard?" Coulson, who had directed Black Widow and Hulk's actions, hesitated as he reported to Nick Fury.
"Pursue? With what? Will you do it, or Natasha, or will Bruce Banner carry his equipment and discuss common interests with Dr. Lizard?" Nick Fury glanced at Coulson and asked.
"Moreover, last time we encountered Spider-Man and Saiyans, even Superman showed up. Do we have anyone who can take Dr. Lizard from them?"
"So, we give up?" Coulson nodded understandingly and tentatively asked.
"We give up, but not so easily..." Nick Fury shook his head slowly. "Other agencies wanted us to share Dr. Lizard, firmly believing he was in our hands. Now, we can release information, announcing Dr. Lizard's location, and explain that he escaped due to the intense battle. But we will capture him this time!"
"But if we do that, those agencies might not act, knowing Hulk's strength..." Coulson hesitated, reminding Nick Fury.
"They don't know Hulk is unavailable. We can say he's on another mission. Didn't we discover some spies from other agencies? Leak some info to mislead them..." Nick Fury waved, instructing Coulson.
Bruce Banner's inability to transform into Hulk was top secret. The assisting scientists were silenced, and this couldn't be revealed. However, S.H.I.E.L.D. could release a smokescreen to explain Hulk's absence.
Why deceive these agencies and pit them against the Avengers? Because Nick Fury had suffered losses recently and wanted those agencies to taste some hardship. Moreover, those agencies hadn't faced the Avengers' wrath, which was unfair. Everyone should fear the Avengers equally to maintain balance. Only S.H.I.E.L.D. fearing the Avengers wasn't enough.
"Yes, Director!" Coulson saluted and quickly left to arrange things.
Meanwhile, the Avengers received news of Dr. Lizard's reappearance. Peter Parker and Tony Stark didn't expect to find Dr. Lizard through purchase records so soon, thinking he would stay hidden longer.
This time, it wasn't just Peter Parker in action. Tony Stark and Martian Manhunter were occupied with vampires and werewolves, but Otto had finished his training, ready for another clash with Dr. Lizard.
Peter Parker wouldn't be alone; Johnny Storm and others were with him. However, Johnny seemed embarrassed and insisted everyone wear their battle suits to conceal their identities.
"Do you all have battle suits? Should I get one too?" Otto asked, feeling out of place among the seasoned superheroes.
"It's not necessary. We wear these to hide our identities, not for combat benefits," Peter Parker explained, smiling at Otto.
"Okay. Am I the only one acting this time? Are you all just here to back me up?" Otto, slightly hesitant, asked.
In the previous incident at the campus, Otto faced Dr. Lizard unexpectedly. This time was Otto's first official extraordinary mission. Despite training, facing an unfamiliar situation made him naturally uneasy and seek advice from experienced heroes.
"Uh-huh!" Before Peter Parker could answer, Johnny Storm interrupted, putting an arm around Otto's shoulder. "You're nervous on your first mission, which is normal. As someone experienced, I have some tips for you..."
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