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John Wick stood motionless for over an hour.
Not even a hint of impatience crossed his face.
Finally, Ron was done.
Holding a vial of serum, he turned around.
"This is the Lizard Serum. Its effects… Jarvis!"
With a snap of Ron's fingers, Jarvis projected a hologram.
It was footage of Connors fighting Gwen.
John Wick focused intently.
He had heard of Spider-Woman—one of New York's new street-level heroes.
Stronger than an ordinary person, but still within the range of someone he could take down.
At least, that's what he had assumed.
John Wick wasn't naive.
The moment Ron mentioned the Lizard Serum and played this footage, it was obvious—the serum had something to do with that monster.
He sharpened his focus, analyzing the creature's traits:
Sharp claws. Incredible strength.
Insane regenerative abilities.
And armor-like skin that made it ridiculously tough to injure.
The hologram only showed the beginning of the fight.
Jarvis had edited out the part where Ron stepped in.
So, soon enough, the projection ended.
"What do you think?" Ron asked, watching him closely.
John Wick nodded seriously.
"Very strong."
"But… it seemed to have lost its mind."
"If I were fully prepared, I'd say I have a 50% chance of killing it."
Ron nodded slightly. "Now, what if it was someone just like you?"
"What if they transformed into a Lizard without losing their mind? How confident would you be then?"
John Wick thought for a few seconds.
Then, he slowly shook his head. "Less than 10%."
"And that's assuming they know nothing about me."
"If they're familiar with my tactics… maybe 1%."
Even that 1% was assuming luck was on his side.
Without luck, the chance of him getting killed was 100%.
And at best, his opponent would only be severely wounded.
Ron nodded. It was an honest assessment.
After all, Connors had been a soldier before—a combat medic, sure, but still far stronger than an average person.
For John Wick to have a 50% chance against his Lizard form?
That was already proof of how formidable Wick was.
"This serum will turn you into a Lizardman."
"It's a perfected formula."
"Stronger than what you saw in the footage."
"And no side effects."
"You'll have to test the specifics yourself after injection."
"This is my offer to you."
"If you still want to follow me, take it."
"If not, I won't force you."
Ron extended the serum towards him.
John Wick's eyes burned with determination.
Without hesitation, he grabbed the vial, tore off his shirt, and injected it straight into his shoulder.
"Ugh… AARGHH!!"
A wave of excruciating pain hit him instantly.
His face turned crimson.
Blood seeped from the corners of his eyes.
His jaw clenched so hard that blood dripped from the sides of his mouth.
Blood gushed from every pore, every opening of his face.
Veins bulged violently beneath his skin.
His hands clenched into tight fists.
Every muscle in his body tensed, fighting against the unbearable agony.
The pain wasn't just skin-deep.
It felt like something was scraping his bones from the inside.
Like an invisible brush was stripping his flesh apart, layer by layer.
Yet, despite the unimaginable pain—
John Wick remained in control.
Ron nodded in satisfaction.
At the same time, he recorded every detail.
This data would be useful for refining the formula.
The first batch had been a bit excessive in dosage.
But a higher dose also meant stronger effects.
There was no real 'better' or 'worse'—
For someone with an iron will, more was better.
As time passed—
Green scales began to spread across John Wick's body.
More and more, until they covered him entirely.
His body began to change.
His height shot up from just under 6'6" (2m) to a towering 11'6" (3.5m).
His limbs grew thicker and more powerful.
His hands and feet morphed into razor-sharp claws.
A massive tail sprouted from his back, shredding his clothes in an instant.
Ron estimated his full length—
From head to tail, about 20 feet (6m).
Bigger and stronger than Connors' transformation.
The only downside?
Ugly as hell.
Flat, reptilian facial features. A bald, scaly head.
But if you squinted, you could still tell it was John Wick.
His eyes burned with rage.
The pain was gone.
But the sheer torment had pushed his mind to its limits.
And now, as the pain faded—
A surge of anger filled the void.
There was only one person in front of him.
Ron.
John Wick's monstrous claws rose into the air.
He swung them down, aiming straight for Ron's head.
Just before impact—His vicious eyes flickered with clarity.
The claws halted inches from Ron's face.
"Ron… Stark… sir… I apologize… my mind… is a bit… unstable… I…"
Before he could finish—
His eyes rolled back.
His massive body collapsed with a loud thud.
Unconscious.
As he passed out, his body rapidly reverted to normal.
Ron lifted him effortlessly with one hand.
He placed him on the lab table.
Hooked him up to various machines.
And began analyzing his genetic data.
The results popped up on the screen.
A smile spread across Ron's face.
"Perfect."
"....."