Ch.162 Tough Father-in-Law  

In reality, fights can be divided into two types. 

Either it's a one-on-one duel, or it's a group brawl. 

Ronan is a principled man, so he usually chooses one-on-one duels. 

Well, all his clones take turns dueling the opponent, with the loser being called a "grandson." 

Since his debut, Ronan has already defeated several "grandsons," each with a formidable reputation. 

As for Dr. Connors, he will be the next one. 

Hundreds of clones are charging toward Dr. Connors one after another, while Dr. Connors widens his eyes and raises his right hand to shield himself. 

He looks exactly like that meme with the perfect acting. 

"Don't come any closer!" 

However, life is full of disappointments, and Dr. Connors didn't get the one-in-ten chance he was hoping for. 

A massive fist slams hard into his left eye socket. 

Boom! 

"Ah!!!!" 

A scream erupts, and the sound of fists colliding with flesh begins to echo continuously. 

Although occasionally a clone is sent flying by an attack from either an enemy or a friendly, these clones remain tireless and charge back toward Dr. Connors' position. 

Every direction around Dr. Connors is completely surrounded by clones. 

Not even a fly could get through, and even the air Dr. Connors breathes has to pass through the clones first. 

"Ah!!!" 

"Damn it, I must kill you... ah!!!" 

"My tail!!!" 

Each of Dr. Connors' screams feels like a punch to Peter Parker's heart. 

Peter clenches his teeth, his face twisted in agony, as he imagines himself in Dr. Connors' position. 

If it were him surrounded by so many burly men, the outcome... 

Thinking of this, Peter can't help but shudder. 

He looks up at Ronan floating in mid-air and shakes his head frantically. 

Peter now has only one thought in his mind: thank goodness he and Ronan are on good terms and are friends. 

If they were enemies, Peter's fate would likely be worse than that of the big lizard before him. 

"Who the hell is attacking my sphincter!" 

"I'm going to kill you!!!" 

Dr. Connors, who had just managed to peek out, is once again submerged under a pile of clones. 

As for his sphincter, he'll just have to pray for the best. 

After all, Ronan notices that many of the clones have conjured short sticks, the kind used for training in Kamar-Taj. 

Tsk tsk tsk. 

How lamentable. 

Ronan can't help but shake his head, realizing that his clones have been corrupted by the three soul-bearing clones. 

Because Ronan knows himself—he would never do something like that. 

It must be that one of the clones has mutated, leading to such evil and despicable thoughts. 

"Ronan, are you sure you won't kill him by beating him like this?" 

"Shouldn't we just subdue him and hand him over to the police?" 

Peter swings over to Ronan using his web and whispers. 

He's genuinely worried that Ronan might beat the lizard to death. 

"Don't worry, he's thick-skinned and tough. He won't die." 

"By the way, why do you think we should hand him over to the police?" 

Ronan looks at Peter with confusion. 

Hasn't Peter considered that such a massive lizard, with terrifying strength, would be impossible to contain in an ordinary prison cell? 

"We don't have law enforcement authority. Isn't it normal to hand him over to the police?" 

Peter says with a face full of matter-of-factness. 

That's right. In fact, whenever Peter catches thieves or robbers on the streets, he always ties them up with his webs. 

Then the bystanders call the police, and the criminals end up in jail. 

In a way, since Peter's appearance, the NYPD's crime-solving rate has skyrocketed, and the arrest rate has significantly improved. 

Of course, this hasn't been great for the morale of the law enforcement officers. 

Ronan has heard street cops complain more than once about how superheroes like Spider-Man should be fighting aliens or other major threats like Iron Man or Captain America, instead of focusing on petty thieves. 

Isn't that just stealing their jobs? 

"If that's what you want, then fine." 

"Today, I'm here to help you get revenge. So if you say we should hand him over to the police, I'll just knock him out and deliver him." 

Ronan shrugs, deciding to indulge Peter's naive idea. 

After all, who can say no to their godson's small request? 

"Then let's deliver him to the police station entrance." 

Peter thinks for a moment and finally makes the decision. 

Ronan shrugs again, takes out his phone, and dials George Stacy's number. 

After a while, the call connects. 

"Hello, Mr. Stacy. There will be a delivery arriving at the police station entrance soon." 

"Nothing much, just the big lizard you've been looking for." 

"How long?" 

"About ten seconds from now." 

After saying this, Ronan hangs up the phone. 

"Brothers, put in some extra effort and knock him out." 

"We have about eight seconds left." 

After saying this, Ronan snaps his fingers, and an enlarged portal appears in front of him. 

Hearing Ronan's words, the sounds of punches and kicks grow louder. 

The entire sewer echoes with "Boom! Boom! Boom!" sounds. Anyone who didn't know better might think Americans have a habit of setting off fireworks. 

Finally, after a barrage of punches from the clones, Dr. Connors can no longer endure the humiliation of this group beating. His eyes roll back, and he passes out. 

Ronan tilts his head, and one of the clones grabs the skin on the back of Dr. Connors' neck and tosses him through the portal. 

It turns out that no matter what animal it is, as long as you grab the skin on the back of its neck, you can lift it easily. 

But don't try this if you don't have enough arm strength. 

"Alright, it's done." 

One by one, the clones return to Ronan's side and disappear. 

Peter takes off his mask and walks behind Ronan, curiously examining his back. 

He's starting to suspect there's something special about Ronan's back. 

"Alright, stop looking. You'll have to catch him again yourself in a while." 

Ronan places a hand on Peter's head and kicks him through the portal. 

The other side of the portal leads to Peter's bedroom. 

After sending the curious kid away, Ronan doesn't linger and heads straight home. 

The first thing he does upon returning home is take a shower! 

Meanwhile, the NYPD has received Ronan's "delivery." 

According to the officers' descriptions of the scene, it was terrifying. 

They saw a massive black hole appear in the sky, and then the big lizard they had been "dreaming of" fell from the sky. 

Well, the cracked ground at the police station entrance was caused by his impact. 

The officer on duty was stunned, thinking the lizard had launched an attack on the police station. 

If it weren't for George Stacy rushing out with his team, the officers might have immediately activated their passive skill. 

Yes, the passive skill called "empty the magazine." 

It's the kind of thing where you can shoot as much as you want, and afterward, you get administrative leave. 

It's like a dream come true. 

Thankfully, George Stacy arrived in time, or the NYPD might have "lost" a few good officers. 

"Chief, is this a belated Christmas gift?" 

"But Santa's time zone is way off. It took him so long to deliver the gift." 

Looking at the massive lizard locked in the cell with at least ten heavy locks, the assistant can't help but sigh. 

To lock this monster up, almost the entire NYPD was mobilized. 

In the end, they had to dismantle the door and use a small cart to drag him inside. 

Also, this is the largest holding cell in the entire NYPD, but with the lizard inside, it looks more like a dollhouse. 

"Santa Claus?" 

George Stacy twitches his mouth, imagining Ronan's face. 

If he's Santa Claus, then this Santa is a bit too terrifying. 

"Never mind Santa. Just make sure to keep an eye on him." 

"I need to call the council members who are 'very concerned' about this matter." 

"This is a crucial time for votes." 

George Stacy glances at the big lizard and leaves the holding cell. 

The assistant quickly assigns two fully armed officers to guard the door and instructs them not to leave their post for even a moment. 

After all, they finally caught this lizard, and it's a way to give the citizens of New York some closure. 

Thinking of this, the assistant presses a button on the wall, and a cloud of smoke immediately sprays out from the cell's vent. 

This is an anesthetic, usually used when transferring prisoners to ensure nothing goes wrong during the process and to prevent the prisoner from committing suicide. 

After all, if a prisoner who hasn't faced "justice" commits suicide, who would be responsible? 

Back in his office, George Stacy makes several calls to report the situation to his "higher-ups." 

Although the calls are filled with praise, George isn't particularly happy. 

The reason is simple: if he were to say that the lizard "surrendered" on its own, it would be an insult to everyone's intelligence. 

So, he has no choice but to accept the "praise." 

Presumably, no one in the NYPD would want to expose this good thing, right? 

At least, if he exposed it, the higher-ups wouldn't "believe" him. 

After all, only if the police catch the criminal does it count as the NYPD's achievement, and the higher-ups can use it to win votes, right? 

Why give credit to the superheroes? 

Do they need to run for office too? 

After hanging up the last call, George Stacy breathes a sigh of relief. 

Before he can relax, he suddenly remembers something and picks up his personal phone to dial a number. 

The owner of the number is none other than Ronan. 

A pleasant melody starts playing. 

The singer is also none other than Ronan. 

George Stacy listens to the lyrics, which mention things like "Batman's iron fist" and "Mr. Fantastic's handsomeness," and can't help but twitch his mouth. 

He doesn't know who Batman is, but he knows Mr. Fantastic. 

Mr. Fantastic's handsomeness? 

Thinking of Ronan's face, George swallows all the sarcastic remarks he had in mind. 

Handsome? He really is handsome. 

"Hello, Father-in-law, what can I do for you?" 

Just as the song reaches its halfway point, Ronan's voice comes through the phone. 

His first sentence nearly makes George Stacy stumble. 

What the hell does he mean by "Father-in-law"? 

Who said anything about marrying his daughter to you? 

"I don't need anything. I just want to know how you caught that big lizard." 

"And what is his identity? Is he just an ordinary lizard?" 

George Stacy directly ignores the "Father-in-law" title. 

He's decided that the next time Ronan comes to his house, he'll just say three words: 

Not welcome! 

George Stacy is not welcome! 

"Nothing much. I just beat him up, knocked him out, and delivered him to you." 

"If it weren't for Spider-Man's soft heart, I would've sent you a corpse instead." 

Ronan seems to be eating something on the other end. 

"Spider-Man?" 

"You know him?" 

George Stacy raises an eyebrow. 

As the NYPD chief, he's heard plenty of complaints from his officers about Spider-Man. 

They say he doesn't focus on serious crimes and instead wastes time on petty thieves, making life difficult for the police. 

But as the police chief, Spider-Man is still catching criminals, so even the so-called "justice police" can't say much. 

"Godson." 

Ronan answers succinctly. 

"What?" 

George Stacy almost drops his phone. 

How old is Ronan? How does he already have a godson? 

If we go by age, then Spider-Man must be quite young, right? 

Wait, judging by his height, he must be an adult. 

"Ah, Father-in-law, young people's affairs aren't important." 

"What I can tell you is that the lizard is definitely not just a lizard that grew big due to an experiment." 

"If I had to describe him, think of him as a transformed Hulk." 

"He has intelligence, strength, and his intelligence might even surpass that of an average person." 

"So you need to be careful." 

Ronan gives his father-in-law a few warnings. 

He doesn't want Dr. Connors to accidentally trigger the protective charm, forcing him to make another one. 

That would be a hassle! 

"He has intelligence?" 

"I need to have someone increase security." 

After saying this, George Stacy is about to hang up. 

But at that moment, his assistant bursts into the room. 

"Chief, it's bad. A team from the military has arrived to take the big lizard away." 

"We can't control the situation. They even came in armed." 

The assistant says breathlessly. 

Hearing this, George Stacy immediately becomes anxious. 

Although the military holds significant power in the U.S., they don't have authority over the police. 

Both systems operate independently, and neither side is willing to back down. 

"Let's go. Follow me." 

After saying this, George Stacy stands up and heads out. 

Halfway there, he remembers that his call with Ronan hasn't ended. 

He waves at his assistant, signaling that he'll be there soon, and picks up the phone again. 

"Ronan, I have something to deal with here. We'll talk later." 

However, before he can hang up, Ronan's voice comes through again. 

"I heard. The military is trying to take him, right?" 

"Father-in-law, don't get too worked up. I'll teach you a trick. If you really can't keep him, then screw them over!" 

—— 

Inside the police station. 

A group of fully armed soldiers has stormed in, and the police have drawn their guns. The two sides are in a standoff. 

It's safe to say that if even a single spark flies, the NYPD will turn into a shooting range. 

The soldiers are also on high alert, their semi-automatic rifles raised. 

It seems that if their captain gives the order, they'll pull the trigger. 

Of course, they're also scared. 

They don't care who will be punished in the end, because if a fight breaks out, their chances of survival are less than one percent. 

"Stop! What are you all doing?" 

At this moment, George Stacy walks out of his office. 

Hearing George's voice, not only do the police relax, but the soldiers also breathe a sigh of relief. 

With the leaders of both sides present, the legendary shootout won't happen. 

"Who are you people?" 

George Stacy glares at the soldiers with anger. 

If this matter ends here, his reputation as the police chief will be ruined. 

"We're from the Marine Corps, here under orders to take the lizard back to the military." 

A captain-like figure steps forward and presents a so-called transfer order. 

George Stacy snatches the order, sneers, and tears it to pieces in front of the soldiers! 

Yes, he tears it up! 

His action makes the captain's eyes widen in fury. 

"You—" 

But before he can finish, the police behind George step forward, raising their guns again. 

Seeing this, the captain can only swallow his words. 

He takes a few steps back, pulls out his phone, and dials a number. 

After saying a few words, he returns to George Stacy with the phone. 

"Councilman Smith wants to speak to you." 

This time, the captain's tone is much more polite, using the word "please." 

George Stacy glances at him but takes the phone and answers the call. 

"This is George Stacy." 

"Yes, it was me who refused their transfer order." 

"Why? Let me tell you why." 

"They came in with guns, barging into the police station. They didn't look like they were here to take someone; they looked like they were here to break someone out!" 

"Transfer someone? Fine, tell them to get lost." 

"Send another team, and have them wait outside politely. I'll hand him over when I'm ready." 

"What? I'm being unreasonable?" 

"Fine, then I'll show you what being unreasonable looks like." 

After saying this, George Stacy doesn't hang up. Instead, he puts the phone on speaker. 

"George Stacy, don't you dare—" 

Unfortunately, no one can hear the rest. 

Because all the police hear is George Stacy's command. 

"All officers, raise your guns and load your bullets!" 

"In ten seconds, if they haven't left, I authorize you to open fire and kill these intruders!" 

After saying this, George Stacy starts counting down from "ten." 

Hearing this, almost all the police immediately raise their guns! 

The anger on their faces disappears, replaced by satisfaction with George Stacy. 

In a way, face is just as important to Americans. 

They've always disliked the military for looking down on them, and this time, George Stacy has finally spoken their minds. 

They couldn't be more satisfied with George Stacy as their chief! 

"George Stacy, you wouldn't dare!" 

Councilman Smith on the other end of the phone is frantic. 

"Watch me." 

"Eight!" 

George Stacy's expression remains unchanged as he continues the countdown. 

Hearing the numbers decreasing, the soldiers also raise their guns, nervously watching the police. 

By now, the captain is drenched in sweat. 

He can already foresee the outcome of this situation! 

"George, calm down. Do you know what consequences you'll face if you do this?" 

Councilman Smith continues to shout. 

"Of course I know the consequences, but I also know yours." 

"Because of your phone call, the police and military are about to engage in a massive shootout. Do you think your fate will be better than mine?" 

"I'm in the right. You barged into the police station without proper identification." 

"I have the legal right to shoot you dead for trespassing and impersonating the military. That's the power granted to me by U.S. law!" 

"And you?" 

"Hmph." 

"Four!" 

George Stacy sneers and continues the countdown. 

By the time he reaches "four," the other end of the phone has gone silent. 

Councilman Smith knows that if a shootout really happens, the worst outcome for George Stacy won't be resignation. 

The reason is simple: if someone in George's position is punished, the entire police force would revolt. 

Because it would be a slap in the face to the entire police system. 

The most likely outcome is that George Stacy won't face any charges and might even gain fame from this. 

As for Councilman Smith? 

Because of his phone call, the police and military are about to engage in a shootout. 

Regardless of his intentions, he would become the scapegoat. 

Not only would his political career be over, but he might also spend the rest of his life in prison! 

"Two!" 

George Stacy's countdown interrupts his thoughts. 

When the police hear this number, they all click off their gun safeties. 

Once George reaches "one," there's no turning back. 

Activate the passive skill. 

Empty the magazine!!! 

"Get out! All of you, get out!" 

"Stop, George Stacy! I'll have them leave!" 

Finally, at the last second, Councilman Smith's furious voice comes through again. 

He can't handle the pressure anymore. 

He's not willing to risk his political career and future over something so trivial. 

He doesn't dare! 

George Stacy sneers and tosses the phone back to the stunned captain, nodding at him. 

The message is clear. 

Get out! 

The captain hurriedly catches the phone, takes a deep breath, and gestures to his soldiers. 

All the soldiers breathe a sigh of relief. 

It's the order to retreat. 

So, the soldiers quickly back away, still holding their guns. 

Watching them flee, the previously silent police station erupts in cheers. 

This time, George Stacy's reputation within the NYPD reaches its peak! 

Listening to the cheers through his earpiece, Ronan on the other end of the phone smiles and hangs up. 

It's safe to say that his father-in-law will continue to rise through the ranks in the police system. 

Not only will he climb higher, but it won't be long before he takes on a senior position.