Soon, the numbers on the test screen began to climb.
80 tons… 90… finally—100 tons!
Nathan's eyes lit up with satisfaction. "Perfect. My base power has officially reached 100 tons. Just 30 tons shy of my current limit with enhancements."
The pure strength of his Spider-derived abilities had now reached its natural cap of 100 tons. With the addition of enhancements like Luke Cage's durability trait, he could push that to 130 tons. But this alone wasn't enough. He needed more. A lot more.
Perched on Nathan's shoulder, young Spider-Man mimicked a thumbs up, his little hand drawn into a cheerful gesture. He was clearly thrilled with their progress.
Nathan nodded in acknowledgment and said aloud, "Now, let's test what happens when I add the symbiote enhancement and the Devil Bracelet's power on top of that."
He called out: "Echo."
A shimmering blue figure shot forward, landing just behind Nathan in a salute-like posture. The ooze wobbled slightly from the momentum, like a soldier made of jelly.
Nathan pointed at himself. Instantly, Echo surged forward and fused into Nathan's body, enveloping him like a living cloak.
---
Meanwhile, across the city, things at Osborn Corporation were booming.
All because of their revolutionary new wound care products—including bandage variants embedded with nano-healing properties. The result? A biotech gold rush. Osborn's stock prices skyrocketed, and the company's market cap exploded with new investors flooding in.
But success always invites enemies.
In the executive office, Norman Osborn sat stiffly behind his desk, face unreadable. Opposite him stood Kurt, the chief biological researcher and the true genius behind the medical breakthroughs.
Norman slid a sleek laptop across the table, revealing a digital document. "Essex Corporation has offered us a full buyout," he said.
Kurt glanced at the amount on the screen—a jaw-dropping figure.
"It's an insane offer," Kurt admitted. "But the boss isn't selling. He sees the future… and this isn't our peak yet."
Norman nodded slowly. "I sent it to him too. He rejected it without hesitation—he won't sell either the company or the technology."
"But Essex is a corporate juggernaut," Norman added, frowning. "Rejecting them might... provoke retaliation."
Kurt scoffed. "Let them try."
His confidence wasn't ego—it came from his unwavering belief in Nathan.
In his eyes, Nathan wasn't just his employer. Nathan was a living legend, a force of nature. If Elizabeth was Nathan's number one fangirl, Kurt was his number one zealot.
"One day, we'll surpass Essex," Kurt added.
Norman gave a thin smile. "Your faith in the boss is… something else."
"You'll see," Kurt said proudly. "His strength is monstrous."
Norman, far more cautious, leaned forward. "Still… Essex is known for shady tactics. Watch your back. They might not attack the company directly—they might come for you."
Kurt nodded solemnly.
"Oh, and," Norman added, "Nathan said you should stop by. He has something for you."
---
Essex Corporation Headquarters.
In a dark office, the back of a tall swivel chair faced a group of executives. Only the eerie cement-gray hand resting on the armrest hinted at the figure's presence.
"The Osborn tech," the figure rumbled. "It's impressive. But I doubt what we've seen is the full picture. That healing compound… it's just a fragment of a greater biotech arsenal."
The phone on the desk rang.
One of the men stepped up and hit speaker. "Sir, Osborn has refused our acquisition offer."
A pause.
Then a few cold, sarcastic chuckles from around the room.
"They really think they can turn down Essex," muttered one executive.
"Have you found out who's really behind Osborn?" the gray hand asked.
A tablet was handed over.
"We traced the control to someone named Daniel Grant. He's gained full ownership of Osborn after buying out numerous major shareholders."
"But there's something odd," the man continued. "This Daniel Grant… he came out of nowhere. His past is practically blank. We suspect he's a super-powered individual operating under cover."
The gray-skinned hand accepted the tablet and stared at the image.
"Hm… interesting."
"Try reaching out to him directly," he ordered. "Offer an even higher price."
"And if he still refuses?"
"Then we do what Essex always does—we take."
They also mentioned deploying a new batch of X-weapons. Despite delays caused by X-24, their enhanced soldiers were now ready to bolster Essex's military division.
---
Back at the Osborn facility...
Nathan had just completed another round of personal testing when Kurt arrived.
"You wanted to see me, Boss?"
Nathan nodded. "You know Essex made their move, right?"
"Yeah. Slimy bastards," Kurt muttered.
Nathan's eyes narrowed. "I don't trust them. I want you armed, just in case."
Kurt blinked. "You want me to carry a gun?"
"No," Nathan said, handing over a glowing vial. "This is a perfected version of your Lizard Serum. No insanity. Full control. And strength beyond your wildest dreams."
Kurt raised an eyebrow. "You think they'll target me?"
"They'll target anyone who gets in their way. You're our brightest mind."
Kurt didn't hesitate. He took the serum, loaded it into an injector, and plunged it into his arm.
His body swelled immediately.
Within seconds, Kurt transformed into a monstrous, bipedal lizard. Towering at over 8 feet, his muscles bulged with newfound power.
Even Nathan, nearly 6'3", looked small beside him.
From Nathan's pocket, young Spider-Man peeked out and gasped.
Kurt flexed his claws, tail sweeping behind him. "I feel like a god…"
Nathan analyzed him. "You're at about 15 to 20 tons right now. With training, I estimate you'll hit 40 tons."
Kurt grinned wide—terrifyingly wide.
"Train hard," Nathan said. "But for now, revert. I've got to get back to work."
Kurt nodded, shrinking back to his human form.
---
In the hallway, Nathan murmured, "Only by matching or surpassing the Abomination can I elevate further."
"And to do that… I'll need more."
"I also need to recover my heat vision. And Essex... is where it went."
He narrowed his eyes. "So it seems, Essex... you've just become my target."
Back in the lab, Nathan continued the next phase of his experiments—improving Echo's fire resistance.
While Echo could withstand bullets and extreme pressure, flames still tore through him like a hot knife through butter.
Nathan adjusted Echo's molecular structure and coated him in special flame-retardant compounds.
Then came the test.
Nathan positioned Echo before a pipe.
"Fire test: Begin."
WHOOSH!
Flames exploded from the pipe, engulfing Echo in a furnace-like blaze.
In the glass boxes nearby, Riot and Greyven trembled violently, haunted by deep-rooted fear of fire. They could barely watch.
But when the flames faded…
Echo remained. Whole. Intact. Unharmed.
"Law…" Riot stammered.
Then Echo leapt up like a gleeful jellybean. "YES! I DID IT!"
"I'M THE FIRST SYMBIOTE IN HISTORY TO OVERCOME BOTH FATAL WEAKNESSES!"
Echo's high-pitched celebration echoed through the lab, as he jiggled with joy.
Nathan nodded calmly. "Perfect. Now let's test what happens when I combine everything."
He clenched his fist.
"100 tons of base strength. Add Echo. Add Devil energy. Let's see how far we can go."
"Echo!"
"Yes, Boss!" The blue slime zipped forward, merging with Nathan again.
Power surged.
And so, Nathan prepared for the final test—a culmination of symbiote evolution, demonic augmentation, and human willpower.
What came next?
Would even the Abomination tremble beneath it?
_________________________________
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