Chapter 19: Xu Wang Is Still on His Way by Horseback

Williamsburg Bridge. A suspension bridge spanning the East River in New York City. It is a vital link connecting the Lower East Side of Manhattan with Brooklyn. Although construction on this bridge began in 1896 and it has appeared in numerous films and television shows, its fame still pales in comparison to the Golden Gate Bridge. As fellow bridges plagued by disaster, the Golden Gate Bridge is clearly the true A-list superstar of that genre. It is fortunate that Xu Wang is not in San Francisco; otherwise, he would have made it his home the moment he transmigrated. "Plagued by disaster"—what a beautiful and desirable phrase.

"Beep-beep!"
"Ahhh!"
"There's a monster! Help!"

As night fell, the Williamsburg Bridge was thrown into complete chaos. A towering, humanoid lizard was wreaking havoc on the bridge. This humanoid lizard stood about three meters tall, covered in green scales, with a long, powerful reptilian tail trailing behind it. Much like Spider-Man, the Doctor Lizard—a classic rival—has appeared in various versions, each with a distinct look. However, the Doctor Lizard from *The Amazing Spider-Man* had a face that looked significantly more human, rather than being just an oversized lizard head. This more human-like design made it feel even more terrifying.

The commotion on the Williamsburg Bridge was far too loud to ignore. Peter, monitoring the police radio frequencies, learned of the situation immediately. Consequently, Peter Parker and Uncle Ben Parker donned their suits and quickly rushed toward the scene. While Spider-Man’s mobility within the city is already quite high, it cannot compare to the flying Uncle Ben. A dragonfly’s flight and hovering capabilities are something a spider simply cannot match. Fortunately, they had taken Xu Wang’s advice: when needing to travel quickly, Spider-Man would shoot a web onto Uncle Ben’s pectoral muscle, and Uncle Ben would fly at high speed, delivering Spider-Man to the scene as fast as possible.

Both Spider-Man and Dragonfly-Man had headed out. Meanwhile, after seeing the live news broadcast, Xu Wang was also on his way, riding a horse.

"Hey! Dr. Connors!"

On the Williamsburg Bridge, Dr. Lizard, who was charging forward while destroying everything in his path with the goal of reaching an Oscorp executive, suddenly heard someone calling him from behind. He reflexively turned his head, only to be met by a size-11 boot slamming heavily into his face!

"Boom!"

With the explosion of massive force, Dr. Connors’ three-meter-tall body was sent flying by the descending Spider-Man!

Flying several meters away, Dr. Lizard’s back slammed into a car, which finally brought his retreat to a halt. He raised his head, his cold, vertical pupils staring icily at Spider-Man, who was now perched on the roof of a car.

"Dr. Connors, please calm down. Listen to me, I know this isn't your true nature. Don't worry, we can definitely solve this problem." Peter crouched on the car roof, holding up his hands in an attempt to pacify Connors. But Dr. Lizard merely let out a low hiss, used his immense strength to rip apart the car body that had pinned him, stepped out with ease, and walked slowly toward Spider-Man.

"Hey, can we talk?" Peter felt a pang of regret as he looked at Connors, who had completely transformed into a monster. But Connors clearly had no intention of listening.

"Get lost! I have no problems that need solving!"

Dr. Lizard swung a massive claw at Spider-Man. Seeing the young hero flip away with agility, the creature let out another roar! It bent down, placed both hands under the chassis of the car Peter was standing on, and with a sudden burst of strength, flipped the vehicle into the air!

"Whoa!" Spider-Man cried out in surprise. The car beneath him was sent spinning through the air, and Spider-Man was thrown along with it! Seeing that the flying car would crush other people on the bridge once it landed, Spider-Man, still in mid-air, crossed his arms and shot two web lines at the airborne vehicle!

As his feet touched the ground, the young spider exerted all his strength! Like a discus thrower, he pulled on the webs with both hands, yanking the flying car back and slamming it heavily into Dr. Lizard!

"Boom!"

The car acted like a giant iron hammer; as it sent Dr. Lizard flying, the impact caused the vehicle itself to shatter into pieces.

"Hey! Are you okay?! Do you want me to call you an ambulance?" The young spider gestured as if making a phone call, strolling leisurely toward the spot where Dr. Lizard had landed. Although this was his first time facing an opponent with superpowers, he realized after just one exchange that Dr. Lizard didn't seem as formidable as he had imagined.

The thought of underestimating his opponent had barely formed in his mind when a loud "Boom" echoed. A car from nearby suddenly slid sideways and crashed into him! His spider-sense, which worked intermittently, failed to react in time. Peter was struck by the car body and tumbled backward. Before he could regain his balance and stand up, a roar erupted. Dr. Lizard had pounced, pinning Peter to the ground with claws clamped around his neck and head!

"Roar! Little bug!" Dr. Lizard bellowed, raising a fist and landing several heavy blows on Peter! Just as he raised a claw, intending to deliver a fatal strike to Peter’s heart, another pair of large feet kicked out from the side, sending Dr. Lizard flying off Peter!

"Be careful, Spider-Man. You’re too careless." Dragonfly-Man retracted his wings, landed beside Peter, and reached out to pull him up. Peter’s chest had been torn, and blood was seeping through. If Uncle Ben had arrived a moment later, Peter likely would have been seriously injured.

"How are the others?" Peter asked Uncle Ben.

"They’re all saved," Uncle Ben assured him, signaling that there was no need to worry. The reason he had been a little late was that he had used his high mobility to save people first. When Dr. Lizard was causing chaos on the bridge, he had nearly thrown several vehicles over the edge. Some that had been unlucky enough to slide off were caught in mid-air by Uncle Ben and returned directly to the bridge deck.

"Another little bug!" Dr. Lizard stood up, looking at the green-clad Dragonfly-Man with great displeasure. He sniffed the air and added, "No, it's an old bug." There was nothing but mockery in Dr. Lizard's tone, but the biological instinct for self-preservation was already urging him to retreat. Dealing with one little spider was already troublesome enough; if an old dragonfly joined in, he didn't believe he could win.

"Hahahaha! It’s really lively here! Are you going to have a party without inviting me?!"

A cold, sinister laugh drifted from the sky. The group turned to look. A man encased in full armor with a red cape was sitting on a flying chair, looking down at them from above. Although the man’s helmet obscured most of his face, Uncle Ben immediately recognized him by his voice: "Landes! The Hourglass Man!"

"That’s right, it’s me. Although I don't know who you are, I think the life force of superheroes must be delicious!"

Having not seen him for a few days, the Hourglass Man’s mental state was clearly even more extreme. He tapped his chair! Instantly, several laser beams shot out from it. A nearby news helicopter that was filming the scene was struck, and everyone inside was instantly drained into mummified corpses! Seeing this, Spider-Man and Dragonfly-Man jumped up in a rage, charging toward the Hourglass Man in the sky!

Meanwhile, Xu Wang was still on his way, riding his horse.