Chapter 86: Marvel: Awakening the Little Universe at the Start, Chapter 40

Besides, he isn't really a spider, so he can't possibly be out on patrol twenty-four hours a day.

Peter thought, dwelling on the topic that hadn't been finished last night, and lowered his voice.

"What do you think Dr. Connors is trying to do by acting like this?"

"Don't know, don't care, not interested."

Hawk shook his head, delivering the triple-threat response.

Peter watched as Hawk, having finished that sentence, returned to his usual taciturn self and stared at the scenery outside the window; Peter opened his mouth, but didn't say anything else.

He hadn't thought about inviting Hawk to join him as a vigilante.

After all, just because he likes something doesn't mean others do, and one shouldn't force others to like it.

Peter understood at least that much.

They arrived at school.

The buzz regarding the lizard monster not only failed to subside, but with students from every grade gathered together, it showed every sign of intensifying.

All sorts of rumors.

All sorts of gossip.

It flew everywhere among the fifteen, sixteen, and seventeen-year-old students, a demographic with more hormones than they knew what to do with.

At noon.

Hawk, who had ordered his usual burger and cola, was buried in his meal when Gwen, who had finished class later than him, arrived late and sat down opposite him with her tray.

"Just got the news, I don't need to go to Oscorp Industries for the time being; Dr. Connors' lab was robbed by a lizard-man, and Dr. Connors has gone missing."

"Uh..."

Hawk looked up, thought for a moment, looked at Gwen, and lowered his voice: "It wasn't robbed by a lizard-man; it was robbed by Dr. Connors himself."

He had originally intended to tell her this when he saw Gwen at school in the morning.

But in the morning, the gossip girl Mary was also by Gwen's side, so Hawk thought about it and didn't say anything at the time.

But saying it now was the same.

It wouldn't delay anything.

Upon hearing Hawk's words, Gwen's expression froze, then instantly shifted to shock, her chest heaving at a visible rate.

But quickly.

She seemed to remember that they were in the cafeteria and it wasn't appropriate to make a scene, but she stared with wide eyes at Hawk, who had gone back to eating his burger after saying that.

"What, Dr. Connors is... is that for real?"

"Ninety-nine percent probability. Spider-Man said the lizard-man had my scent on him, though it was very faint."

"Spider-Man?"

"Yeah."

Hawk nodded naturally.

Gwen, however, was stunned once again.

If her eyes hadn't already been widened to their limit, she felt she could have widened them even further.

"You know Spider-Man?"

"Yes."

"Who is he?"

"Can't say."

Hawk shook his head, choosing not to tell Gwen that Peter was the Spider-Man.

He told Gwen about Dr. Connors' identity because there was a chance Dr. Connors might harm her.

That wouldn't be good.

But Peter was different.

Especially since this version of Peter was the original Spider-Man, the friendly neighborhood New Yorker who, even when possessed by Venom, had his greatest evil thought be wanting to buy a discounted suit, get a raise from his newspaper boss, and throw dust in the eyes of people he didn't like.

Moreover, Peter wasn't going around with a megaphone telling everyone about his powers.

Naturally, he wouldn't tell others that Peter was Spider-Man either.

Hawk said as much, then smiled at Gwen, who was staring at him without blinking: "Even if you look at me like that, I'm still not going to say."

Gwen then withdrew her gaze.

If you won't say it, you won't say it; I'll just find out myself.

Still the same point.

No one knew Hawk better than she did; Hawk's social circle was very simple, and basically, everyone Hawk knew, she knew too.

So...

If Hawk knew Spider-Man, then, in all likelihood, she knew Spider-Man too.

She was very confident.

As Gwen mentally filtered through the people she and Hawk both knew, she lowered her voice.

"No, how could Dr. Connors have turned into that lizard-man yesterday?"

"Don't know."

Hawk shook his head: "I guess only God knows what happened. The last time I spoke to Dr. Connors on the phone, he told me his regeneration serum had succeeded on a white mouse with a severed tail."

This was only because Gwen asked him, so he gave it a little thought.

If it had been Peter, he wouldn't have bothered to use his brain for this.

Even if Dr. Connors tore through New York City, it wouldn't be his turn to worry; there would be others more anxious than him.

Hawk thought to himself, and then saw Gwen's eyes widen again.