Jessica Drew was in a deep sleep. Or rather, Dr. Jonathan Drew had injected her with a sedative to ensure she remained in a state of slumber.
He was hesitating and agonizing over what fate awaited him and his daughter once the twenty-four hours were up. Regardless of whether Otto was satisfied with the experimental results, they likely wouldn't make it out alive. Of course, they had actually established contact with the resistance, but the resistance currently lacked the energy and manpower to help them. In the end, they would have to rely on themselves to solve this problem.
Jessica, in her sleep, did not share these doubts. In fact, her mind became even more active during her sedation. She was constantly thinking, stringing together fragments of the past. For some reason, she dreamed of more and more fragments related to Spider-Man.
Furthermore, she was instinctively conducting a deduction of her own.
What were the known facts? First, there was a high probability that Spider-Man was in the tour group that went to Europe at that time. Second, Spider-Man likely knew Felicia. Third, although she wasn't a real detective, she had accumulated a lot of relevant knowledge; from their few encounters, she could discern Spider-Man's approximate height. Moreover, he knew her father, and her father worked with Spider-Man under the framework of Osborn Tech.
About 172 centimeters tall, a student in the Europe tour group, at Osborn, so his identity should be an intern, and he knows Felicia...
Peter Parker is Spider-Man? How could I have such a dream?
Jessica almost sat up with a start, as if rising from her deathbed. Of course, there was another person who fit all these criteria—Harry Osborn—but Felicia truly didn't believe Harry was Spider-Man. The first conclusion she reached was Peter Parker. She opened her eyes and looked at the floor, only to realize something was wrong.
Why was she looking down at the floor?
"Oh... uh..."
Jessica looked up in shock to find herself "stuck" to the ceiling. She then jumped down, her movements still slightly stumbling. Seeing this, Dr. Jonathan was incredibly excited and rushed forward to ask his daughter, "Are you alright, Jessica? How does your body feel? Phew, we need to take a blood sample..."
Jessica remembered that she was at Avengers Tower and why she was there. She looked toward the laboratory door with some confusion and decided to skip the question of whether Peter Parker was Spider-Man for now—a question that would have an answer as long as she survived. Instead, she asked her father strangely, "Shouldn't we be considering how to escape?"
"Listen, Jessica, we can't right now. Wait, let me draw your blood first..."
Dr. Jonathan performed a blood test on Jessica first. To be honest, he didn't want Jessica to gain any superpowers at all; he only hoped her ALS could be cured. Looking at it now, the latter seemed to be accomplished, but what about the former?
As the actual operational head of the Web Base, Dr. Jonathan knew how many enemies Spider-Man had to face and how terrifying they were. Of course, perhaps not everyone was Spider-Man, and not everyone needed to fight supervillains non-stop like Peter Parker.
But Dr. Jonathan still didn't want Jessica to get involved in such things. There were already enough superheroes and Spider-Men; there was no need for another one.
However, from a medical standpoint, Jessica was at least very healthy now...
"Dad, look!"
Hearing Jessica's response, Dr. Jonathan turned around and watched in surprise as Jessica floated in the air. "I found out I can't spin webs, but I seem to be able to fly! Let's just run away!"
"You can't... you won't get out, Jessica."
"At least I can try," Jessica muttered as she walked to the wall and threw a hard punch at it, only to wince in pain. The Avengers Tower laboratories were built to withstand the daily life of the Hulk, so the material strength here was terrifyingly high. A single punch effectively did nothing.
Right at that moment, the lab door opened. Otto emerged with the Sinister Six. Seeing the scene, Otto was visibly delighted. "I'm glad to see you've regained your health, Miss Drew. I can understand your desire to regain your freedom, but I'm afraid I cannot let your father go until Spider-Man is utterly defeated."
"Now, Dr. Jonathan, please step aside. I know what the correct experimental data should look like." Pushing Dr. Jonathan away with a mechanical claw, Otto began to analyze the data in his hands. He remarked "incredible" several times before clapping in appreciation.
"A very effective design, Dr. Jonathan. It's simply perfect. You've successfully created the Spider Serum that your mentor never finished researching. In essence, you have truly completed the Savage Strength project."
"I haven't. Each spider needs to be specifically adapted and adjusted according to the user's DNA. The DNA of every spider is completely different..."
"I know, Dr. Jonathan. After you injected your daughter with the serum, I re-edited those spiders in your lab. They are now Otto Octavius's spiders."
Doctor Octopus flashed a brilliant smile. Now, he had obtained all the elements for success. He was about to gain the power of Spider-Man—no, he was about to surpass Spider-Man, to surpass the Doctor Octopus of the past.
If he were Spider-Man, he would be the Superior Spider-Man! If he remained Doctor Octopus, he would be the Superior Octopus!
"Get some good rest, Dr. Jonathan. You'll have plenty of time for that. When the new Octavius Industries is established, perhaps you can even become my new employee. For now, you and your daughter just need to stay here quietly."
As Doctor Octopus spoke, he led the entire Sinister Six out of the room. Jonathan sighed helplessly. He might have created an unprecedented enemy for Spider-Man, but there seemed to be nothing he could do.
At the very least, he couldn't bring himself to sacrifice his own life and his daughter's to stop the man.
However, Jessica curiously walked to the door to take a look, then turned back to her father. "I noticed something, Dad."
"Jessica, I can guarantee you that the Avengers' security measures are foolproof. You won't be able to open that door."
"But it's not locked."
Dr. Jonathan looked at Jessica in confusion.