"You've heard of me?"
Dr. Dong Wu never imagined anyone in this world would actually call him by name. For a moment, his eyes lit up as he looked at Ben. His tone rose with genuine delight, his expression almost childishly excited.
Despite his gaunt frame and oddly bluish skin—giving him a sickly, malnourished appearance—his gaze now shone with the expectant eagerness of a kindergartener waiting for praise.
Of course I've heard of you, Ben thought.
Dr. Dong Wu—real name Aloysius James Animo—was once a brilliant veterinary biologist who descended into madness. He became obsessed with reconstructing animal DNA to create "super animals."
A move that completely destroyed his career.
He lost the Truth Prize he had coveted for years, disappeared for half a decade, and finally resurfaced with his invention: the Gene Mutator.
Ben's attention drifted to the device on Dong Wu's head—an odd contraption shaped like Loki's curved horn-helmet. Crude in appearance, terrifying in capability.
The only problem was…
"Why are you here?" Ben frowned.
Dong Wu was a classic villain from Ben 10, even rumored in some settings to be the smartest human on Earth. But he shouldn't exist in this universe.
And clearly—he didn't recognize Ben. He hadn't noticed the Omnitrix on his wrist either.
"'Dong Wu'?" The doctor's voice chilled instantly.
He glared at Ben, pressing a palm to his chest like a knight receiving honors. "You rude brat—address me properly. It's Dr. Dong Wu!"
"Doctor?"
"Alright, Dr. Dong Wu," Ben replied without resistance. Titles didn't matter. What he needed to know was why this man was in the Marvel universe.
"I mean no offense, Dr. Dong Wu." Ben dropped lightly from the ceiling. "But I really want to know—how exactly did you end up in this world?"
"This world?" Dong Wu finally caught the implication in Ben's words. His eyes sharpened with new meaning. "So you're not from this world either?"
But before Ben could answer, Dong Wu snapped in frustration:
"You ask me? Who am I supposed to ask?!"
"I was ready to lead my little darlings and claim the Truth Prize—my Truth Prize! And then—out of nowhere—I end up in a place like this!"
"No Truth Prize!"
"No one here knows the great Dr. Dong Wu!"
"Those idiots even thought I was a beggar!"
His face contorted with fury. His entire body trembled. The obsession he was so close to grasping—the accolade he had dreamed of—vanished at the final moment. Five years of research, all reduced to worthless scrap.
And the humiliation he'd suffered after landing in this world only fueled his rage further.
But then, slowly, his expression loosened. His clenched fists relaxed. The anger that had nowhere to go seemed to dissolve.
"But never mind," Dr. Dong Wu hissed with a sinister grin, as though all that bitterness no longer mattered. "It makes no difference which world I'm in. I am destined to restore the glory of prehistoric creatures and remake this Earth into a paradise for mutant life!"
"You're insane."
"Insane?" Dong Wu sneered. "Don't you think New York City is a little too urbanized?"
Ben: ???
Alright, great. Another anti-urbanization extremist.
Dong Wu didn't care about Ben's expression. In fact, he felt his arrival in this world was a blessing.
Because this world's biotechnology thrilled him.
He pulled out his phone, showing a blurry image of a Lizardman. His eyes gleamed wildly."Look—look at this beautiful creature! That powerful physique, those razor-sharp claws… If I can turn everyone in this world into Lizardmen, then I'll rule them all!"
"Beautiful? Your taste needs serious recalibration. Wait—don't tell me you're the kind of guy who likes Black Mermaid and Black Juliet?"
Ben couldn't help the jab.
"My advice? Stop watching those weird videos on YouTube. Try checking out Twitter. Plenty of 'teachers' there—you might learn something."
No matter the universe, Dr. Dong Wu was always the same unhinged lunatic.
Ben had nothing in common with him—his mouth just ran on its own.
Dong Wu's expression darkened as he looked at Ben. He had already noticed the boy's powers—but misidentified him completely.
"That Spider-Man on the news—that's you, right?"
"No, you've got the wrong guy. That's my brother—"
"Enough! Everyone knows when someone says 'I have a friend,' they're talking about themselves!" Dong Wu interrupted sharply.
Ben: "…"
"Believe whatever you want."
Dong Wu looked at him with a strange sense of pity."You're lucky, I suppose. You gained animal abilities. But alas—not lucky enough."
"Your body is still so ugly, so weak…"
"A failed evolutionary reject like you shouldn't step foot into the new world," he said coldly.
Then Ben saw the device on Dong Wu's head begin to spark—electric arcs snapping across the metal.
A chill ran down his spine.
A rustling rose around him, surrounding him from every direction.In the darkness—dozens of crimson eyes glowed like burning coals.
Ben's stomach dropped.
His gaze flicked to the Omnitrix.Still on cooldown.Ten minutes—maybe more—before he could transform again.
And the Lizard creatures numbered in the dozens.
These weren't ordinary mutants. They were transformed from the lab's rats—and Dong Wu had clearly used the Gene Mutator on them, pushing their mutation into something far more vicious.
Each monster now stood like a miniature dinosaur—hulking, feral, terrifying.
Their teeth and claws were sharper than daggers. Their gazes burned with hunger and bloodlust.
"Pathetic creature—your journey ends here."Dong Wu's voice slithered from the shadows before he retreated into the darkness.
From the start, he never planned to let Ben leave alive.Not out of spite—but because Ben had created a serum capable of reversing genetic mutation.
To him, Ben was the greatest threat to his grand design.
If he eliminated him, nothing would stand in his way.
His next step was simple: find the Lizardman from last night. Combine their intellects. Improve the Lizard Serum.
The glorious prehistoric world could not have only one species.
"This world needs to be far more diverse."
/-\
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