Marvel: Ned the Master of Mystic Arts

"Is that… Mia?"

Gwen stared blankly at Huang Xiwen, who was jogging away from the school.

Because of what just happened, Huang Xiwen knew she'd be the center of attention if she stayed at school. Coupled with the fact that there were no classes in the afternoon and an injured "guest" waiting for her at home, she decided to head back early.

"Yes, that's Mia," Peter affirmed with a nod before adding, "It's not some kind of Chinese Kung fu. The weird thing is the contents of Mia's backpack."

"You're saying she has some kind of super monster in her bag?" Gwen asked incredulously.

"Maybe it's a mutated cat or dog," Peter shrugged. "Whatever it is, it doesn't matter. From what I saw earlier, Mia's 'ability' is clearly under control—even if whatever's in her bag accidentally hurt Flash."

Peter casually shrugged. "Anyway, no classes this afternoon. I'm planning to visit Dr. Connors to ask him about that giant lizard."

"Alright," Gwen nodded.

"Doctor?"

Peter arrived at Dr. Connors' lab in Oscorp Tower. Finding the room empty, he called out hesitantly.

He noticed an empty syringe on the desk. Just as he picked it up for a closer look, a voice sounded from the side. "Sneaking around isn't a good look."

"Dr. Connors," Peter greeted awkwardly, hastily placing the syringe back on the table.

"I've given all the staff a week off," Connors explained, addressing the empty lab. He then looked at Peter. "Shouldn't you be at school?"

"No classes this afternoon," Peter said. "I came by to ask you something. How do predators track reptiles?"

"Oh?" Dr. Connors raised an eyebrow. The two of them delved into a discussion, which eventually ended with Connors leaving Peter alone in the lab that no longer really belonged to him.

Just as Peter was about to leave as well, his eyes caught sight of something horrifying—a feral, lizard-like white mouse devouring its own kind.

"Fred?" Peter gasped as he recognized the mouse. The realization hit him hard—Dr. Connors was the lizard monster!

After lab feeling defeated, Peter wandered aimlessly down the street, replaying his conversation with Connors in his head. Suddenly, a small lizard appeared in his line of sight. Under Peter's watchful eyes, it slowly crawled into the sewer…

"Mia!"

While on her way home, Huang Xiwen was suddenly stopped by Gwen, who appeared out of nowhere and called out to her excitedly.

"Gwen? What are you doing here? Your house isn't anywhere near this area," Huang Xiwen asked, surprised but also a bit wary. After all, she had a secret back home—a certain injured individual who couldn't be exposed.

"Uh... well, Mia, I was actually looking for you," Gwen stammered, trying to come up with a reason.

Yes, Gwen was here to investigate the mysterious contents of Huang Xiwen's backpack. Peter might have said to let it go, but Gwen couldn't help herself. To her, Huang Xiwen was a kind-hearted, slightly airheaded Chinese girl who didn't seem like someone who'd get tangled up with anything extraordinary.

Now, however, Huang Xiwen had something special, and Gwen feared the thing in her backpack could be dangerous. It might not have shown its true nature yet, but that didn't mean it wasn't harmful.

"Looking for me? Alright, Gwen, I'd normally invite you over, but right now… it's not convenient," Huang Xiwen replied evasively. "Maybe another day. I promise I'll invite you over to hang out properly."

Her nervous tone and wandering gaze immediately gave Gwen enough clues. Gwen realized there was something—or someone—at Huang Xiwen's house that couldn't be seen by others. And whatever it was, it was big.

Something big, impossible to hide. The moment you entered Huang Xiwen's home, it would be right there in the open!

'Big and impossible to hide… Could it be the lizard monster Peter mentioned?!'

The thought sent a shiver through Gwen, and she couldn't stay calm. Grabbing Huang Xiwen's hand, she said, "No, actually, I wanted to invite you to my house. My mom is making her famous lemon bass tonight, and you're my best friend. You wouldn't say no, would you?"

"Uh… okay," Huang Xiwen hesitated. Thinking of the injured "guest" back home, she wanted to go back but feared Gwen would grow suspicious if she refused again. Reluctantly, she nodded in agreement.

Meanwhile, lying in bed all afternoon, Ned could sense the Cloak of Levitation, which had been hovering near Huang Xiwen earlier, moving farther and farther away. Clearly, she had changed her plans again, and all Ned could do was sigh in resignation.

Bored, he remembered he had the vibranium phone Stark had given him. Hoping it had survived his battle with the mysterious black-robed figure, he called out softly, "Hey, Smart Assistant?"

"I'm here," came the familiar voice from his pocket.

"Fantastic! Vibranium truly is top-notch quality!" Ned exclaimed.

"Smart Assistant, can you fly? I mean, did Stark design you with that feature?"

"Of course. Smart Assistant is omnipotent, just like the genius of the universe, Mr. Stark," the voice replied.

Something felt off to Ned. "Wait, what do you mean by the second half of that sentence? From now on, you're not allowed to praise Tony Stark in front of me."

"Ding! Command failed. Stark programmed a priority directive that requires all references to him to include positive modifiers," the assistant replied.

"Ugh! I knew it!" Ned grumbled. After a moment of thought, a mischievous grin spread across his face. "Fine. From now on, refer to me as the Father of Tony—the Great Howard Leeds."

Even if he never met this universe's Stark again, Ned was determined to take some credit for himself.

"Ding! Command failed. Additionally, sir, you've triggered a special video. The video will now play," the assistant announced.

As the voice trailed off, the vibranium phone floated out of Ned's pocket—yes, floated—with no propulsion system visible. Clearly, it was using anti-gravity technology!

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