A blue beast roared into form.
Demonic energy surged through Nathan's veins as Echo fused into his body once again. His muscles swelled—raw, explosive power filled every cell. It was overwhelming. Addictive. Dangerous.
With the little Spider-Man on his shoulder looking on with wild excitement, Nathan stepped back into the strength testing chamber.
The room fell silent.
"Little Spider-Man," Nathan said, eyes still on the testing unit, "stand a little farther back."
The little Spider-Man nodded quickly, scurrying backward like a crab—though only by a few steps. Clearly, he wanted to stay close to witness the moment.
Nathan took a deep breath. Then he punched.
BOOM!
The air exploded.
A thunderous shockwave rippled outward. The reinforced walls trembled. The air itself seemed to crack apart as Nathan's fist struck the tester.
The impact was monumental.
Even the floor quaked.
The little Spider-Man, caught in the blast zone, was launched across the room like a rag doll, tumbling head over heels before slamming into the far wall with a cartoonish SLAP. He slid down the surface slowly and collapsed to the floor like he'd had one too many drinks.
His eyes twitched. One eye drifted left while the other looked up.
Still, he strained his vision to glance at the testing monitor.
Despite seeing double, he could make out the numbers. And they were insane.
180 tons… 190… 200…
210… 220… 230 tons!
At 235 tons, the number began to slow… but then with one final push—
240 tons.
The final score stopped there. 240.
Little Spider-Man let out a slow whistle, then began to clap wildly—though his cross-eyed state made his hands miss each other entirely. It was more like a chaotic flailing of limbs.
Nathan, standing still, stared at the screen with quiet satisfaction.
"240 tons. That's more than 40 tons higher than my last record."
He clenched his fists, feeling the weight of power surge through him.
"I've finally reached a level where I can compete with the Abomination."
He paused, his thoughts drifting.
"Too bad the Hulk isn't on Earth right now. He's off-planet, far away in the galaxy somewhere. He would've been a perfect benchmark…"
"But for now," he murmured, "the Abomination will do. We both draw from gamma energy. We're from the same power class."
With that, Nathan exited the testing room.
---
Elsewhere in the facility...
Heikong lay motionless on an operating table. Her eyes were wide with disbelief.
"He's grown stronger again… in just a few days," she whispered.
The Beast inside her trembled, its ancient mind reeling.
"What the hell is he?!" the demon growled. "Why does his strength keep rising nonstop?!"
"If he keeps growing like this, even if you and I fully merge, we'll still be weaker than him!"
It was maddening. The Beast had existed for eons—one of the original demon lords, ranked among titans like Dormammu and Mephisto.
And yet, here it was—a glorified test subject in a human's lab.
"I'd rather have died than end up in this pathetic state!" the Beast raged. "Why hasn't he just punched me to death and ended it!?"
Heikong muttered, "My Lord… are we truly… forever imprisoned here?"
The Beast paused. Then gritted its teeth. "Never. I'll find a way to escape."
"Even if it means losing part of my power. Even if it means death and rebirth—I will never let this continue."
But as soon as Nathan re-entered the hallway, the entire conversation between Heikong and the Beast stopped cold.
Silence. Total silence. Even their internal thoughts went still, as if afraid he could hear them.
Nathan didn't say a word—he simply glanced at Heikong in passing.
And that glance alone sent chills racing down both their spines.
He didn't need to speak. His mere presence was oppressive.
He turned away and sat at his computer terminal. The beast exhaled softly in relief.
---
At the terminal, Nathan accessed the military base's surveillance feeds.
His target: Emil Blonsky. The Abomination.
But he found… nothing.
Nathan frowned. "Where is he?"
He pulled up the most recent footage of Blonsky. There it was—a scene of him leaving the base in a vehicle.
"That's odd," Nathan muttered. "Ross was supposed to keep him there. Why'd he leave?"
He fast-forwarded footage. Soon, he discovered a conversation between Ross and Blonsky in the cafeteria.
Ross casually munched on steak while Blonsky shoveled food like a beast.
Ross said, "Richard may have resurfaced."
Blonsky paused mid-bite. "You mean… the Richard? The guy who broke in and grabbed Luke Cage?"
Ross nodded. "Looks like him."
Watching the feed, Nathan's eyes narrowed.
"Richard? Richard Parker?" he muttered to himself.
He touched his chin. "Interesting. That might not be a bad alias to adopt... Dead men don't file complaints."
He resumed the playback.
Ross continued, "Whoever it is, he's been watching Peter Parker. No trace, no trail. My people can't even spot him."
"I need you to go catch him. Bring Luke Cage back."
Blonsky smirked, face smeared with ketchup. "Oh, I'll catch him. I've got new insulation gear. Let's see how much 'electricity' he can throw around."
He sneered. "Next time, I'll carry him back like a sack of potatoes."
Ross waved him off. "Just get it done. Spare me the theatrics."
Blonsky saluted, then marched out of the base.
Nathan leaned back.
"So… they think I'm Richard. And Blonsky's on his way to Spider-Man. That means I know where to find him."
Nathan tapped a few keys and hacked into the city's public surveillance. He located Peter Parker within seconds—just a high school kid heading home on a bus.
"Found you."
He turned and sprinted toward the city, Echo clinging to his shoulders, little Spider-Man bouncing in his pocket.
---
Meanwhile…
Essex representatives made another appearance at Osborn headquarters.
This time, the meeting took place in the company's private boardroom.
Norman Osborn sat on one side of the table, calm and professional. Across from him sat Essex executives, who brought with them a new offer—double the previous amount.
"You understand this is a considerable sum," one of them said. "You could retire, receive continuous dividends, and never lift a finger again."
Norman gave a polite smile. "Impressive offer, gentlemen. But this company—and the tech we've developed—it's our life's work. We're not selling."
The mood in the room shifted instantly.
"You realize," the Essex rep said coldly, "no tech is irreplaceable."
"We've seen startups like yours before. They get cocky. Refuse to sell. And then we develop superior tech and crush them in the market."
"One by one, they all fall. None survive us."
It was a threat. A direct one.
But Norman remained composed. "Our answer remains the same."
The Essex team rose.
"I hope," the representative said, "you won't regret this decision."
They left.
Norman sat in silence for a while, his mind racing.
---
Above the city skyline, Nathan sprinted like a shadow, vaulting over rooftops.
His senses sharpened.
Up ahead, he heard voices—including Blonsky's.
"Finally found you, web-head," Blonsky said with a sneer. "You won't get away this time."
Then—a tearing noise in the air.
Nathan's eyes widened.
Blonsky had arrived.
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