Ch.161 I Call You Brother, You Call Me Godfather  

Boom!

A massive shadow descended from above, and Peter Parker's Spider-Sense made him turn around in that instant.

Unfortunately, while he managed to turn around, it was already too late.

The giant lizard that had fallen from the sky—Dr. Connors in his transformed state—had already enveloped Peter.

His enormous left hand gripped Peter's neck, pinning him firmly against the spider web.

The sheer force made it impossible for Peter to react!

A suffocating sensation rushed over him, something Peter had never experienced before.

Crack, crack...

The steel beams holding the web began to break, and for the first time, Peter felt that his webs were unreasonably strong.

Dr. Connors reached out with his right hand, trying to pull off Peter's mask.

Peter quickly blocked with his left hand. He couldn't let his identity be exposed!

As Ronan had said, he could run away from the lizard, but what about Aunt May and Uncle Ben?

They didn't have Peter's abilities.

So, Peter had to protect his identity at all costs!

"You stopped me once before."

"This time, you won't stop me again!"

Dr. Connors changed his approach. He stopped trying to uncover Peter's identity and instead spread his arms.

His sharp claws aimed directly at Peter's neck.

If he pierced through this spot, the Spider-Man before him would have no chance of survival!

As long as he was still human!

Sss...

Despite Peter's resistance, Dr. Connors' sharp claws pressed against Peter's chest.

Just... just a little more pressure...

Facing the threat of death, Peter pushed Dr. Connors' right hand away.

But the next second, Dr. Connors grabbed for Peter's head.

Crack!

At that moment, one of the web strands snapped, and both of them paused.

Seizing this brief opportunity, Peter punched Dr. Connors in the face, causing both of them to fall into the sewer below.

The murky water surrounded Peter and Dr. Connors, but it also gave Peter a chance to escape.

Peter kicked Dr. Connors away and began swimming forward as fast as he could.

Facing the threat of death and prolonged oxygen deprivation, Peter had no choice but to swim desperately.

Dr. Connors, as a lizard, was an excellent swimmer.

Despite his massive size, he swam at a speed comparable to Peter's.

Several times, he almost caught Peter's foot.

In this water, he didn't even need to attack Peter directly. Just delaying him would be enough to make him suffocate.

Fortunately, Peter squeezed into a narrow tunnel, using his smaller size to finally shake off Dr. Connors.

The massive Dr. Connors, unable to fit through the tunnel, could only roar in frustration as Peter escaped!

Peter Parker...

He had survived!

——

"Brothers, that was a sob, you know, a sob!"

"I'm not drunk, it's just the emotions, plus the alcohol, so I sobbed."

In Ronan's apartment.

The TV on the wall was playing a live stream.

This streamer, who had once been humiliated by Valkyrie and went offline in silence, had recently streamed himself drinking with his audience and ended up blacking out.

He left behind some classic quotes like "Is everyone okay?" "There's still a drama later," "I'm fine," and "I get tired too."

Today, as expected, he started making excuses.

Ronan sipped his Pepsi, watching the streamer's stubbornness, and couldn't help but burst into laughter.

This streamer had been the source of Ronan's laughter for several days.

Although the streamer was from the East, Ronan could understand all the memes.

Bang, bang, bang!

Just as Ronan was laughing uncontrollably, a loud knocking at the door interrupted his fun.

The laughter stopped abruptly, and Ronan glared at the door in annoyance.

Who dared disturb his monkey-watching session?

Ronan pressed a button on the remote, and the live stream on the TV switched to a surveillance feed.

The camera at the entrance showed a person.

Peter Parker?

Huh?

When Ronan saw Peter's bruised and swollen face, he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

What happened? Did Peter get drunk last night and fall into this state?

"Steel Guy, open the door."

Ronan patted the Iron Man figurine on the table.

Click.

The door opened automatically.

After the last break-in where someone installed cameras in his home, Ronan had asked Tony Stark to upgrade his security system.

The cameras, locks, and everything else had been replaced by Tony.

As for the cost...

The Ancient One was never short on money!

Peter stumbled in, and his backpack fell to the ground with a thud.

Ronan clearly saw water dripping from Peter's backpack, and his hair was wet too.

Was it raining outside?

"What's wrong, Peter? Did you go drinking with a fifty-something lady?"

Ronan looked at Peter's weak and soaked state and couldn't help but ask.

Was that the only explanation?

Peter collapsed onto the floor, leaning against the couch.

"I ran into that giant lizard earlier and fought him."

"I almost died in the sewer."

Peter answered Ronan's question weakly.

He didn't even have the energy to refute Ronan's drinking comment.

"No way, you got beaten up that badly?"

"What's the deal with that giant lizard?"

Ronan looked at Peter in surprise.

Although Ronan knew the giant lizard was Dr. Connors, he had forgotten the specifics.

Could Dr. Connors really have made Peter this miserable?

"I don't know, but I'm sure that lizard used Dr. Connors' serum."

"I saw a mouse in the lab grow several times its size."

"I even think that giant lizard is connected to Dr. Connors!"

Although Peter couldn't confirm it was Dr. Connors, he had a strong feeling.

That had to be the answer!

"So, he's the one who beat you up like this?"

Ronan looked at Peter in shock.

What's going on? Peter's not that weak, is he? How could a lizard do this to him?

"Yeah."

Peter nodded, finally able to relax a little.

The near-death experience had kept his heart racing, and he couldn't calm down for a long time.

If he hadn't come to Ronan's place, he wouldn't have felt safe at all.

When he first escaped from the sewer, he didn't dare go home. On one hand, he was afraid Aunt May would ask what happened.

On the other hand, he was even more afraid of leading the giant lizard back home.

"Then why are you just sitting there?"

"Let's go take him down!"

Ronan jumped up from the floor.

He swore it wasn't just to make Peter go through it again.

He just wanted to see how strong Dr. Connors' lizard form was to have beaten Peter so badly.

Logically, Peter's latent strength was far greater than he realized.

Maybe his usual strength was enough, so Peter couldn't tap into his full potential.

But according to Peter, he had been on the brink of death earlier.

Shouldn't that have unleashed even more potential?

"Huh?"

Peter stared blankly at Ronan, not understanding what he was saying.

"Stop 'huh-ing,' put on your mask, and stay safe. Don't let him pull it off."

"Then, keep imagining the place where you encountered him earlier."

Ronan pulled Peter up and patted his shoulder firmly, then crossed his arms over his chest.

Whoosh.

A flash of light enveloped Ronan, and his casual pajamas transformed into Kamar-Taj's battle suit.

Even his face was now covered by the iconic Iron Man helmet.

"JARVIS, combat mode."

Buzz, buzz, buzz.

The cheap sound effects played again as the helmet closed, and the eyes lit up.

"Huh?"

"Why aren't you changing?"

Ronan tilted his head, looking at Peter, who was holding his Spider-Man suit and staring at him in shock.

The instant outfit change left Peter dumbfounded.

He had no idea changing clothes could be done this way!

"Your clothes are wet? No problem, I'll help you."

With a wave of Ronan's right hand, a golden light flashed, and the soaked Spider-Man suit instantly dried.

Ronan had only recently learned this trick. The Ancient One had never taught it to him before!

Otherwise, he wouldn't have needed a washing machine!

The Ancient One had used a powerful sealing spell to make Ronan forget this cleaning spell every time he read a spellbook.

How infuriating!

A few minutes later, Peter finally changed into his suit.

"Alright, now start imagining the situation you were in earlier."

"I don't know if we'll make it in time."

"If he's still there, I'll avenge you."

Ronan placed his right hand on Peter's shoulder, signaling him to focus.

He didn't mention the whole "godfather" thing.

In Earth-616, Peter's godfather was Tony Stark.

In this universe, Ronan called Peter "brother," so Peter calling him "godfather" wasn't out of the question.

Whoosh!

As Peter imagined the scene from earlier, a portal enveloped both of them from head to toe.

Then, Peter felt a sudden darkness and a strong sense of weightlessness.

Instinctively, Peter shot a web to suspend himself in mid-air.

Ronan, on the other hand, spread his arms, his cape fluttering dramatically.

He floated in mid-air.

"This is the place?"

Ronan sniffed, his face full of disgust.

The smell was unbearable. If Ronan hadn't blocked his sense of smell, he wouldn't have been able to stand it.

"Yeah, this is it. I..."

Before Peter could finish, a violent tremor came from all directions.

"He's here!"

Peter quickly shot a web to secure himself.

He didn't want to fall into the water again.

Boom!

As soon as Peter spoke, Dr. Connors' massive body leaped out of the water, lunging at Peter.

His target had always been Peter!

Thud!

However, a blur shot past Dr. Connors, kicking him away.

"Hey, you. You're the one bullying my little bro, huh?"

Ronan almost said "godson" but held back.

His face just wasn't thick enough!

"Who are you?"

Dr. Connors emerged from the water again, his eyes filled with caution.

Not only had Ronan kicked him away, but his animal instincts also sensed a threat from Ronan.

Whether it was a spider or a lizard, every animal had an instinct to seek advantage and avoid harm.

That's how they survived in nature.

Both Peter and Dr. Connors had enhanced versions of these instincts—Spider-Sense and whatever Dr. Connors had.

Ordinary animals couldn't sense human malice, but humans with animal genes could amplify this feeling.

"You don't even know who I am?"

"Guess I'm not famous enough."

Ronan sighed regretfully.

Dr. Connors frowned.

Although he had turned into a lizard, his intelligence hadn't diminished.

Ronan was wearing an Iron Man mask, but he clearly wasn't Iron Man.

"Should I know you?"

Dr. Connors asked.

Whoa!

Whether it was intentional or just low EQ, this question made Ronan's anger spike.

Alright, just for that, I'm going to beat you for an extra five minutes!

Since we're not on the same page, let's just fight!

Ronan narrowed his eyes, and two Rings of Raggadorr appeared in his hands. His figure vanished from sight.

When he reappeared, he was right beside Dr. Connors.

Thud!

Ronan raised his arm high and kicked Dr. Connors away!

Yep, just kicked him away.

You could see a small Ring of Raggadorr on Ronan's foot.

Ronan was just that kind of unpredictable guy.

Whoosh!

Ronan clasped his hands together, and the Rings of Raggadorr disappeared, replaced by a hand seal.

Hmph, let's see how you like being ganged up on!

One after another, clones of Ronan emerged from behind him, filling the entire sewer.

Peter, watching from the side, was stunned.

Was Ronan this strong?

No, wait. If one Ronan was this strong, then with so many Ronans taking turns fighting the lizard...

"Brothers, let him feel the love of a mage!"