Chapter 78: Dr. Banner's Fury
"I succeeded?"
This was Professor Connors's first thought after regaining consciousness, looking at his right arm. Before he could feel joy at recovering his lost arm, Connors quickly recalled the motivation for using himself as a human test subject:
"The regenerative serum is confirmed viable. I need to rush it to Leo. I can save him!"
At New York Metropolitan Hospital, that little boy named Leo was still waiting for his perfected regenerative serum to extend his life!
Unable to spare attention for the hunger caused by his body consuming too much energy, Professor Connors—whose eyes blinked and returned to normal human pupils—had only one thought: bringing the regenerative serum to Metropolitan Hospital.
But with a series of clicking sounds, over fifty soldiers beside General Ross chambered rounds, gun muzzles aimed at the not-yet-fully-conscious Professor Connors.
STOMP!
Professor Connors jumped in fright, hastily retreating several steps, raising both hands to indicate he posed no threat.
"General Ross, the core data for all of Oscorp's biotechnologies has been erased."
At that moment, someone from the scientific advisory team—who'd been setting up workbenches and fiddling with experimental equipment—spoke up.
One minute ago, when General Ross received this information, his face had been furious. But now he wasn't angry.
General Ross looked at Professor Connors raising his hands in surrender. His face, flushed with blood flow until anyone watching would curse him as a "redneck," now wore a broad smile:
"Professor Connors, you've awakened at exactly the right time."
General Ross couldn't understand experimental data, but that didn't mean he understood nothing.
Professor Connors and Norman Osborn were Oscorp's only two scientist-directors. Only they two had the vision, authority, and capability to screen out those important biotechnologies and transfer data.
Now Norman Osborn had been sent to the police station by Batman, currently transferred to Ravencroft Institute in New York's northern suburbs.
The only person capable of this—Professor Connors—stood before him. As long as he found a way to make Connors transfer the data back, all subsequent research could continue perfectly.
For General Ross, this was like finding a pillow when feeling sleepy. So he instructed soldiers:
"Five of you take our esteemed Professor Connors to the computer and have him restore the data."
Then he pointed at the sleep chamber where liquid nitrogen was nearly exhausted, soon unable to maintain cryogenic sleep effects:
"I don't care why Banner's sleep chamber is closing. I only need you to open it and bind Banner to the metal chair."
"General, let me leave. Someone needs my regenerative serum to save their life—" Professor Connors shouted somewhat anxiously.
General Ross turned his back, ignoring Professor Connors:
"You, you, and you—you three go to the twentieth floor. Go to the twentieth floor laboratory and bring up all of Connors's research results. I want to conduct experiments combining them with Banner's blood."
Five soldiers closed in, roughly pressing Professor Connors's hands behind him, half-dragging, half-carrying him toward the experimental platform.
"No, General!" Professor Connors struggled desperately, but his strength was far inferior to five strong soldiers. He could only shout futilely, "General, I was once a soldier too. You and I both know life is precious. You must let me leave first!"
General Ross opened his mouth, finally sighing impatiently and approaching Professor Connors, extending one hand to roughly grab his collar:
"Since you were once a military man, you should know there are things more important than life—"
"As long as you cooperate with my experiments today, I'll vigorously promote your regenerative serum within the military, making it the military's number-one medical project."
"You can help thousands upon thousands of disabled soldiers, instead of shouting here for one child!"
General Ross released his grip on Connors's collar. Watching the professor sit on the ground, Ross's tone was quite impatient:
"Cooperate with me and you'll become a hero. If you don't cooperate—"
His next word was still stuck in his throat, sentence incomplete, when seven or eight smoke grenades were thrown from the exterior wall, spinning on the rooftop floor.
WHOOSH!
White smoke rose. Then a black figure suddenly burst from Oscorp Tower's exterior wall.
Black webbing spread like a massive fishing net. Smoke grenades could block the line of sight of rooftop soldiers, the scientific advisory team, and General Ross, but couldn't stop Batman with spider-sense.
Now they'd all become small fish trapped in the net. Batman's figure was the fisherman freely catching fish within the net.
The cape Norman Osborn had slashed—still not replaced until now—swirled through the air as Batman's speed reached its limit, snapping loudly, simultaneously rolling the smoke into vortices.
Five seconds ago, in General Ross's view, his situation was excellent.
Banner was in the cryogenic sleep chamber. Even if he awakened, a specially made metal chair with layers of restraints awaited him.
Batman had been misled by intercepted information, entangled with soldiers on Oscorp Tower's tenth floor.
Professor Connors had awakened with regenerated limbs, able to add another measure of success to Ross's experimental plans.
The reason General Ross left only fifty soldiers on the rooftop was based on his assessment of various situations, believing no one could threaten him.
But now Batman suddenly appeared. General Ross realized he'd been played.
He'd released false information, making soldiers gather toward the tenth floor, making Batman think the eleventh floor's gamma device was paramount.
But Batman also hadn't truly tangled with soldiers there. From beginning to end, only the Prophet AI-controlled Batmobile had been frantically creating commotion on the tenth floor.
General Ross thought leaving fifty soldiers here was quite cautious, but now he knew he was ridiculously wrong.
Five seconds later, under the combination of smoke grenades, webbing, and batarangs, General Ross's soldiers fell one after another.
During this period, some with extremely fast reactions tried to pull triggers, but Batman's deliberately trained spider-sense was far faster.
Almost the instant a soldier placed his hand on the trigger to exert force, spider-sense had already detected him. Then came a strand of webbing or a lightning-fast batarang.
A few lucky ones received neither webbing nor batarangs, but Batman's heavy, forceful fists.
Professor Connors sat on the ground, staring blankly at the whiteness surrounding him. The whooshing sounds by his ears were continuous.
He had no idea what was happening.
He tried choosing a direction to advance, but a pitch-black webbing strand suddenly shot from the side, blocking him.
Professor Connors changed direction. Still blocked by webbing.
A flash of anger crossed his face. His pupils again became elongated, vertical, golden.
"Professor, I came at Peter's request. I need to take you and Dr. Banner away from this tower."
"Don't worry. I won't harm you."
Batman's voice came from within the smoke, his deep tone making the direction impossible to discern.
"The regenerative serum—I need to deliver it to the hospital. Leo is still waiting for it to save his life—"
Professor Connors's voice was intermittent. He felt alternately hot and cold throughout his body, unbearably itchy inside and out, like the itch brought by healing scars and growing muscle tissue.
Within the smoke, Batman said no more. He watched Connors's transformation clearly.
His skull expanded. His mouth protruded forward. Sharp fangs like steel spikes.
His skin transformed from normal human coloration to grayish-green. Overlapping scales grew layer by layer, covering his entire body.
His body swelled, enlarged. Bones deformed. Claws extended.
As smoke completely dispersed, Professor Connors had become the Lizard. If the regenerative serum underwent rigorous testing, confirming no side effects or adverse impacts, Batman wouldn't mind—would even exert himself to deliver the serum to Metropolitan Hospital.
But Professor Connors's current condition already proved the regenerative serum's imperfection. It cured the professor's severed limb but also transformed him into a monster.
Worse things were far from over. With a soft "beep," the cryogenic sleep chamber holding Dr. Banner finally announced the liquid nitrogen was completely exhausted.
Dr. Banner opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was a massive lizard over four meters tall, body huge as a dinosaur.
And soldiers collapsed all around, plus General Ross—whom Banner recognized at a glance even prone on the ground.
"General Ross."
Banner's fury suddenly flared.