Chapter 22: Risking Life and Death!

"Thump!"

The three-meter-tall Lizard leaped from the broken bridge. As his thick, heavy feet struck the deck, a thunderous impact reverberated through the entire ship, causing the *Iron Pillar* to sway violently.

"Agh! A monster!"

The surrounding police officers, confronted by the Lizard at such close range, were overcome with terror. Standing before them was a giant lizard-man, towering over three meters tall, completely unobstructed. The oppressive aura radiating from such a predator was suffocating.

To put it in perspective: imagine a Northeast tiger, blood-soaked and fresh from a kill, standing right in front of you. Few would be able to keep their legs from turning to jelly.

The police had the intent to resist, but most had already dropped their weapons. Those who still held guns tried to fire, but it was futile. After a few sharp "bangs," the wounds on the Lizard’s body healed rapidly, and the deformed bullets were effortlessly squeezed out of his flesh. This monster was simply beyond the level of firepower they possessed.

"Stay back, I’ll handle him."

Peter was still in a weakened state, but he knew he was the only one on the ship capable of standing against the Lizard. Spider-Man possessed great regenerative powers; having been blindsided by the Hourglass Man earlier, who had drained some of his life force, he was confident he could return to his peak if given time. Unfortunately, in the current situation, he had no such luxury.

Watching the trembling Spider-Man rise to his feet, the Lizard let out a cruel laugh. He had taken quite a beating from the wall-crawler on the bridge and had long since grown tired of the meddlesome spider.

"Boom!"

A fist swung out. Spider-Man’s eyes widened, and he could only manage to raise his arms in a desperate block. With a sickening crash, the weakened hero was sent flying, slamming hard into the steel wall outside the cockpit before coming to a stop.

"Cough, cough! Again!"

Though battered and bruised, Spider-Man struggled to stand, determined to continue the fight.

"That's enough. Get some rest and recover. If you don't heal up, nobody on this ship is going to survive."

At that moment, a hand clamped onto Peter’s shoulder, stopping him from rising. A few Snickers bars were pulled from a backpack and tossed to him for energy. Xu Wang then signaled to Captain George, instructing him to have a few officers hold Peter down to ensure he rested.

"Xu Wang?"

Peter looked on in confusion, unsure of what Xu Wang intended to do. Held down, he could only look up at the tall, broad back before him. Spider-Man’s keen senses told him that Xu Wang was preparing to make a sacrifice.

This gave Peter an instinctive, ominous feeling. Although he couldn't see Xu Wang's face, he imagined it must be filled with resolve and righteous justice.

In reality, Xu Wang’s face was crinkled with a smile so wide it looked like a withered chrysanthemum. He had been waiting for this moment since arriving in this world! He had originally considered sailing to shore and hunting for the Lizard later, but he hadn't expected his luck to be so good—the monster had jumped right down to him! Now that he was finally face-to-face with the Lizard he had been dreaming of, anyone who dared to stop him from seeking his death was an enemy of his.

Picking up his pace, Xu Wang let out a roar, his face beaming with joy as he rushed impatiently toward the Lizard.

The Lizard had never seen such a strange man. "Roar, you don't run away when you see me, but instead charge at me?"

The Lizard wore a cruel grin. He figured Spider-Man was already a lamb for the slaughter, so he wasn't in a hurry to finish him off. Instead, he wanted to kill everyone on the ship right in front of the hero. He would start with this man who dared to charge at him.

"No! Xu Wang, come back!"

Seeing Xu Wang charge, Peter tried to stand, but Captain George and the other officers pressed down on him with all their might. They had heard Xu Wang’s analysis: if Spider-Man couldn't recover, no one left on the ship could handle the lizard-monster. Even so, Xu Wang had just saved them, and watching him rush to his death left the officers’ hearts in turmoil. However, the selfish desire to survive ultimately took precedence. Most people, in the end, cannot face death with such ease.

"Ahhhhh!!!"

Xu Wang, gripping a trash can lid, roared as he charged. The Lizard sneered and swiped a claw, shredding the lid instantly. Along with it, the hand Xu Wang used to hold his "shield" was sliced open, blood spraying wildly.

"Thump!"

It wasn't over. The Lizard kicked out, sending Xu Wang sprawling to the ground. The Lizard had pulled his punch, but Xu Wang was merely an ordinary human; the blow still caused him to cough up blood.

"Hahaha, still want to be a hero?" the Lizard mocked, looking down at the fallen man.

"Xu Wang! Xu Wang!" Peter was beyond restless, watching his friend get injured. The surrounding police felt Spider-Man’s struggle and pressed down even harder, yet watching the bloodied Xu Wang, their own hearts began to waver.

Xu Wang felt his death was imminent and laughed with genuine happiness. To the people on the ship, that laugh looked like the fearless, carefree spirit of someone who had no dread of the monster.

It stirred a wave of emotion within everyone.

"I can do this all day!"

Xu Wang struggled to his feet, hoisted his tattered shield once more, and charged at the Lizard without hesitation. Inside, he was thinking that the giant lizard was far too slow to kill him.

The Lizard narrowed his eyes, swung his fist, and knocked Xu Wang to the ground again. This time, he even stepped on and shattered the left arm Xu Wang was using to hold the shield. Even so, the indomitable Xu Wang rose once more. Battered and broken, he stood firmly between Peter and the Lizard. In Peter’s eyes, that trembling figure now looked as sturdy and tall as a wall of iron.

Peter’s pupils dilated. He suddenly remembered the night he had been shot and hospitalized. Xu Wang had once said that he, too, wanted to be a superhero, but he lacked the qualifications to obtain superpowers. Watching an ordinary man stand up again and again under the Lizard’s onslaught, that unshakable spirit deeply shocked Peter.

"Fuck! I can't watch this anymore!"

Captain George, seeing the swaying Xu Wang, eyes red with emotion, released his grip on Peter and sprang to his feet. He saw the shadow of Captain America in Xu Wang. A few other officers stood up as well, intending to join him in battle.

Xu Wang heard the commotion behind him. He turned his head and was so furious he nearly spat blood. *Damn it! You can't come over here! You have to keep holding that kid Peter down! If he comes over to get in the way, how am I supposed to die?*

Xu Wang shouted, "Do you want my sacrifice to be in vain? If you all die too, what was the point of everything I've done?"

Turning back to the Lizard, he taunted, "Is that all you've got? You can't even kill an ordinary man like me? If I may be frank, your scientific achievements are nothing special; your punches don't even have as much killing power as your face."

"Poor guy. Looking like that, you'll never find a wife. You'll have to go to India to find a brother. At least they won't mind how you look."

The Lizard roared in rage. He had held back out of a shred of respect for the man's courage, but he didn't expect such insolence. Seeing this, the Lizard stopped holding back.

"Roar!"

With a thunderous cry, the Lizard raised his razor-sharp claws and lunged at Xu Wang!

"No! Xu Wang!"

Peter’s eyes turned bloodshot as he erupted with strength, throwing off the police and firing a web at Xu Wang, desperate to pull him back. The web connected with Xu Wang’s backpack, but the webs of the Amazing Spider-Man were clearly destined to fail to save the important people in his life.

The moment the web stuck to the bag, the Lizard’s claws had already pierced through Xu Wang’s body.

This time, Xu Wang was dead for sure.