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Ron stepped out of the bathroom, casually toweling himself off after his shower.
Neither he nor Gwen had spoken while he was showering.
Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at her screen—and noticed complete darkness on her end.
Two wide, unblinking eyes were staring straight at the screen, completely transfixed.
She was so absorbed that she didn't even react until he finished showering and picked up his phone. Then, she hastily turned her head, pretending to have been busy with something else the whole time.
But her act was far too obvious.
Her face was flushed red, the color even spreading to her ears. Her eyes shimmered as if filled with mist.
If not for the screen between them, she might have pounced on him.
Ron thought back to the angle of his phone while he was in the shower.
Hmm, nothing to worry about.
It only showed his upper body.
Just the upper body. She's seen that before. So why was she reacting like this?
"You really didn't call just to chat?"
Gwen quickly spoke up. "Of course not!"
"I wanted to ask... About tomorrow's medical check-up—is it you conducting it?"
A blood test would be involved.
She couldn't just let anyone take her blood.
"Yeah, it's me," Ron admitted directly.
"That big lizard guy—it's Dr. Connors."
Gwen was stunned. "What? Dr. Connors?!"
Ron nodded lightly. "That's right."
"From what I've found out, Connors has been desperate to regrow his lost arm."
"That's why he was researching lizard serum—trying to integrate their regenerative abilities into humans."
"Obviously, his experiment didn't fully succeed—or rather, it only half-succeeded."
Gwen suddenly understood. "So that's what happened."
She had known about the lizard gene experiments.
She also knew that Dr. Connors had lost half an arm.
Back when she worked as his assistant, she had often helped with lab mice experiments.
Every time they ran an experiment, Connors paid special attention, his eyes filled with excitement and anticipation.
And every time the experiment failed, he would erupt in furious outbursts.
On the screen, Ron finished getting dressed.
"You can't exactly say he completely failed—after all, when he turned into the giant lizard, his missing arm regenerated."
"That proves his research was heading in the right direction."
Thinking about today's battle, Gwen nodded in agreement.
Ron continued, "So, I've decided to take over his research."
"I want to continue this experiment."
"Huh?" Gwen was momentarily stunned.
Then her expression turned to worry.
"Ron, you're already strong enough—you don't need to do this, right?"
"What if something goes wrong? You could end up turning into a giant lizard too!"
Ron chuckled.
"What are you thinking?"
"I never said I was going to use it on myself."
"Besides, Gwen, have you ever wondered—"
"Where did your powers come from?"
Gwen, being the academic she was, froze for a moment at his words.
Then, her eyes widened in realization.
She had developed tiny barbs on her fingers, allowing her to cling to surfaces.
She had also developed a heightened sixth sense.
She had instinctively chosen to use webbing as a tool.
She had always thought it was because of the spider bite—an unconscious adaptation.
But now, she stared at Ron in shock.
"You mean... the spider that bit me was carrying some kind of spider serum?"
Ron nodded slightly. "That's my theory."
"And it's highly possible."
"Your successful transformation proves that this kind of experiment can work."
"That's why I want to continue the research."
After her initial shock, Gwen's expression turned serious.
"I support you. If you ever need help, just ask."
"I'll be at the medical check-up tomorrow, too."
"You can use my blood for comparison—maybe you'll discover something."
Ron smiled warmly. "Don't worry, if I succeed, you'll be the first to know."
"Alright, I'll be waiting for good news," Gwen said with a bright smile.
She felt incredibly happy.
The person she liked had entrusted her with his secret.
That kind of trust made her heart overflow with joy.
And she was able to help Ron in a big way.
The next day.
Just after lunch, Ron received a notification from J.A.R.V.I.S.
Tony had finished setting up his lab.
All the materials he needed had been delivered, including the blood samples from the medical check-up.
Ron's eyes lit up.
As expected of Stark.
He had requested a top-tier lab.
For any other company, gathering all the necessary equipment would have taken at least a week.
For those with insufficient resources, it might have taken six months to fully set up.
Ron wasted no time and rushed into the lab.
With Connors' knowledge and Tobirama Senju's extensive research experience, he quickly immersed himself in his work.
Whether it was operating the machines or mixing materials, he was incredibly skilled—like a seasoned researcher who had been doing this for years.
There wasn't a single pause in his actions.
First, he analyzed Peter Parker's blood.
Then, he applied his findings to the serum formula.
Ron's excitement surged.
As he expected—
This was the hidden core secret of Richard and Mary Parker.
With Peter's blood, he now had what he needed to create a serum.
Then, he picked up Gwen's blood sample and began analyzing it.
When the results came in, he stared at the data in shock.
"So that's how it is..."
"....."