Dr. Curt Connors was enthusiastically introducing his latest research to Carl.
Although he wasn't sure why Carl had suddenly appeared here, Connors believed the man meant no harm—after all, he was a hero of justice.
Besides, everyone knew Carl was a wealthy man.
If he could demonstrate more of his research, perhaps there might even be a chance for collaboration.
And, like any scientist, Connors took great pride in his own work—he naturally hoped more people would recognize it.
『Carl』: "I see. That's impressive."
Carl smiled and nodded. "If this serum succeeds, it will truly be a blessing for all humankind."
Dr. Connors gave a modest smile. 『Connors』: "Perhaps. But that's assuming it actually works…"
『Carl』: "Mm." Carl nodded again, then added, "If it does work, your contribution will indeed be remarkable. But in your current condition, continuing your research must be rather inconvenient."
『Carl』: "So—let me lend you a hand."
『Connors』: "Huh?"
Dr. Connors froze, not understanding what Carl meant.
Help him?
Could it be that the world-famous Superman was also a scientist?
No, that couldn't be—he'd never heard of anything like that.
Superman wasn't like Iron Man… but then again, wasn't he also a super-rich man? And come to think of it, didn't he hold shares in the Osborn Group as well?
Just then, Dr. Connors felt an itch on his right arm.
Instinctively, he reached over to scratch it.
!!!
The moment he did, realization struck—he lowered his head, staring in disbelief at his own arm.
There were… two of them.
Because of the structure and length, one normally couldn't scratch the right arm with the same arm.
He had always used his left.
But his left arm had been amputated long ago.
Yet just now, he'd used it!
Now, as he looked down at both intact arms, tears welled in his eyes.
Could he be dreaming?
Otherwise, how could a man who had lived over twenty years without his left arm suddenly see it restored before his very eyes?
Just moments ago, it had still been gone.
Then a calm, smiling voice reached his ears.
『Carl』: "Since your research could one day benefit all mankind…"
『Carl』: "Then keep going."
『Carl』: "As for your arm—I've taken care of that for you. But promise me this: your experiments must be absolutely safe before they're ever tested on a human."
!!
Dr. Connors's mind went blank in shock.
That voice—it was Superman's!
Did Superman… really heal his missing arm?
It wasn't impossible. After all, there were only the two of them in this lab.
If his arm had truly been restored without him doing anything, then the only possible explanation was the man standing before him—Superman.
He looked up instinctively toward where Carl had been standing…
But the lab was now empty.
No one else was there.
Only himself.
『Connors』: "…A hallucination?"
He sighed softly. Perhaps he simply wanted his arm back too badly—badly enough to imagine something like this.
He gave a small, self-deprecating laugh.
Yet when he looked down again
His once-severed arm was still there, perfectly intact.
!!!
『Connors』: "Oh my God!"
Dr. Connors stared at his hands, overwhelmed with disbelief.
He clenched both fists, then slammed them against the wall beside him.
『Connors』: "Tch!"
The pain was real.
It was real!
Looking at his fully restored left arm, Dr. Connors was beside himself with joy.
Superman had truly given him back his arm!
All this time, his obsession with reptilian biology and regenerative serums
Yes, part of it was to help humanity evolve… but the real reason, the original reason
Was to heal himself.
He had never imagined… that before his serum was even complete, his wish would already be fulfilled.
It was the greatest miracle of his life.
『Connors』: "Superman… Superman is truly great!"
『Connors』: "He and I share no bond at all—he didn't heal me for my sake, but for the sake of mankind!"
The professor's voice trembled with excitement.
He remembered what Carl had said before leaving—
That since his research could benefit humanity, Carl had restored his arm simply so that he could continue his work unhindered.
From that day on, Dr. Connors swore he would become Superman's most loyal admirer.
After all, Superman wasn't just powerful—he was noble.
And he had saved him.
From now on, Connors vowed to complete his serum, and, as Superman had instructed, ensure it was absolutely safe before any human trials.
───
At that very moment, Carl had already finished his sign-in routine in New York.
He was back at Zhang Manyue's dorm.
After doing what he loved most and taking a quick shower, he'd casually taken a look at the Osborn Building
And unexpectedly ran into Dr. Connors.
Of course Carl knew who that was.
Dr. Curt Connors, better known as the Lizard in Spider-Man's story.
In the original plot, Connors was actually a good man
At least, before he became the Lizard.
Once he injected himself with the reptilian gene serum, everything changed.
His body transformed into that of a half-man, half-lizard monster, and his mind twisted along with it.
Before that, however, he had been an ethical scientist
He'd refused to use the serum on humans without sufficient testing.
But when Oscorp forced him to cooperate and he refused, they fired him and seized all his research.
Losing both his job and his life's work, Connors, in despair, injected himself with the unfinished serum.
And the result? Tragic.
His arm grew back—but he became a monster.
A tragic villain, in every sense.
Now, though, with Norman Osborn's disappearance, Oscorp had temporarily halted human experiments.
Still, that might not last forever.
Seeing Connors working late tonight, Carl had stepped in and restored his arm—so that the man would no longer be tempted to use the serum on himself.
Honestly, Carl didn't want to see him become the Lizard, wreaking havoc and bringing harm to others.
If Connors could really perfect that serum, it would be a genuine blessing for humanity.
And besides—Carl had never liked watching tragedies unfold.
So he had intervened.
Of course, if Connors still chose to repeat the same mistakes and become the Lizard
Carl wouldn't hesitate to deal with him personally.
Just like he had with Norman Osborn.
He had done all he could
Shown compassion, lent a hand.
If the man still insisted on walking toward destruction, then no one could save him.