Chapter 154 - 141: The Cost of Recklessness_2

"What’s wrong with him?" Gwen retorted, then realized it seemed odd to care so much, "Uh... I mean, how should I know?"

Peter lowered his head and explained his motivation, "I wanted to complete the Lizard Serum research quickly because it might help treat Harry’s disease.

He might be suffering from a rare genetic disorder."

Lille raised his eyebrows slightly.

Where did he find out? Considering the context, it must have been from Norman.

Interestingly, Harry seemed to always be on medication; whether he knew about his condition was another matter.

If one were to be a bit conspiratorial—did he happen to forget his medication today and then relapse?

What exactly did Norman tell Peter? What were his true intentions?

George, unaffected, shifted his focus to Lille, "So, Mr. Lee, do you believe Peter Parker had any malicious intent? How did he perform in the laboratory?"

"It is clear he didn’t follow lab regulations and conducted experiments illegally, at the very least—violating the Human Subjects Protection Act.

But considering he experimented on himself, I don’t believe he had malicious intent—of course, I am not excusing the objective reality of his violation.

He must be held accountable for the damage he caused."

Lille’s response was quite firm, leaving George and Gwen momentarily silent—

In such cases, Lille could have easily said something else, like blaming the experimental error.

That would have made the motives—good, the consequences—no casualties, and Peter still a minor—with a month left till adulthood, and financially dependent on his guardian.

Plus, with the lab’s understanding and responsibility—

But Lille didn’t want to support any idea of good intentions but a flawed execution with such a defense.

Punishment should be served as it should be.

Peter hung his head even lower.

Lille continued, "I believe it is necessary to restore the full truth of the situation, whether his motives could be called ’benevolent,’ or the actual damage he caused.

Peter—you might think I am being cold-hearted, but consider how much this event will impact experimental ethics if the truth is not fully revealed?

You think this is a very important experiment—yes, that’s exactly why we can’t take ethical considerations lightly."

No punishment or a light punishment would imply that everyone can get away with criminal ruin by claiming it was an accident in the future.

But with punishment, it’s crucial for everyone to understand what circumstances led to such a level of penalty, the clearer, the better.

Peter won’t be heavily sentenced, that’s for sure—considering his motives, the damage caused, and witness descriptions, plus George’s support.

A year or so in prison is inevitable, it’s not very long.

But the economic compensation will be astronomical, undoubtedly a debt impossible for ordinary people to repay.

People must be clear about the basis for this judgment; otherwise, it will have terrible implications on all fronts.

Of course, even if the full story of this event is restored, the damage is already done—

Wrongdoers could entirely rely on this judgment, forging evidence chains to mimic similar situations.

George quickly grasped Lille’s point.

"... Yes, this incident is rare and will be used as a typical case and must be detailed."

As George was about to conclude, Lille added, "And another crucial detail, Captain, a genetically modified lizard went missing from the lab."

"This... could have consequences?"

Lille nodded, "The Lizard Potion was synthesized in our lab; someone might reverse-engineer the potion’s design route from the Lizard Potion."

George was instantly troubled—meaning someone could create a second lizard?

"I... sigh, I understand your point more and more; I’ll make sure to tell New York the truth."

The motives and events were mostly recorded matter-of-factly.

Gwen looked at Peter’s bewildered expression and felt a deep heartache, but she couldn’t comfort him at this moment.

She suddenly stood up, "Officer, and Mr. Lee... I will leave now."

George looked at this heroine and said, "Alright, thank you for your cooperation, and— I was wrong about you before. I always thought you were just a weirdo trying to attract attention who could do something but wouldn’t.

But today, you’ve done New York City a great service."

It was the biggest gain of Gwen’s distressing day.

She nodded, leapt high, and disappeared among the tall buildings.

Lille then looked at Peter, squatting down to his level, "Peter, you must bear the consequences, whether it’s prison or compensation; I hope you understand my point."

"I... I understand, sir; I’m just... in excruciating pain and regret."

It was then that Peter remembered Lille’s words—he was still young, he shouldn’t always fixate on things he didn’t have.

By the time he realized how wonderful his possessions were, it was too late.

Originally, he was Midtown High Science and Technology’s top talent, joining Professor Conners’ experiments at a young age, with a high possibility of participating as an assistant research intern in a world-shocking study.

He was about to enter university, enjoy four beautiful years of campus life, and could even have become a somewhat renowned scientist.

But now, the school wouldn’t want him, campus life turned into prison life, and potential achievements were buried altogether.

This is the kind of mistake young people often make—recklessness, and its price.

Seeing Peter’s tears stream down, Lille patted him on the shoulder, "But you can still look at what you have left, like knowing that significant contributions to society might help reduce your sentence or repay your debt.

And... it might even save your best friend Harry."

Hearing this, Peter suddenly raised his head—

Lille smiled, "You must be penalized, but I didn’t say we’re firing you; just look at it—student loans turned into compensations, and your study place became a prison.

But you still have that sharp mind. Just, don’t get disheartened while in jail, don’t always hang your head down, feeling worthless—you need to be strong, understand?

And... apologize to your aunt and uncle."

With that, Lille stood up, making way.

A gray-haired couple stood not far away, looking at Peter sorrowfully.

He thought the demanding Uncle Ben would look at him disappointedly, and Aunt May would be dissatisfied, but in reality...

They just felt deep sadness and pain, not for themselves but for him.

As if they had aged ten years in an instant.

Seeing this scene, Peter burst into tears—

"I... I... I’m sorry, I truly am..."

Peter covered his face, unable to control his sobbing.

George, observing this, felt deeply moved. Suddenly, a police officer rushed in, handed him a bag of files, and whispered something in his ear.

His face changed immediately; he patted Lille on the shoulder, signaling him to step aside.

...

Standing up, Lille walked to the side with George.

With a heavy expression, George said, "Someone died at New York University, Lab 2 of the Biological Laboratory, four bodies, the deceased had scales, and... look for yourself."