----
For the next several days, Nolan was holed up in the lab with Connors, obsessively refining what he referred to as the gene scissors.
Yes, gene scissors.
Once he took full control of Oscorp's lab, Nolan realized the current gene-editing technology was painfully underdeveloped. Even for a company once hailed as the vanguard of bioengineering, Oscorp's tools lacked precision.
It wasn't just disappointing it explained a lot. The problems with both the Lizard Serum and Goblin Formula likely stemmed from this flaw.
Every day, Nolan and Connors scoured bacterial strains for enzymes capable of embedding genetic material swiftly and cleanly.
"Boss! I think I've found something in Staphylococcus aureus—"
Connors waved Nolan over, pointing at the microscope. Nolan peered in and gave a slight nod.
"That's it. That's our cutter."
"What virus were you using in your previous experiments?" Nolan asked.
"Adenovirus."
"Switch to lab mice. Take the regenerative component from the Lizard Serum and recreate your experiment directly inside the host."
Nolan manipulated the interface at his workstation while the mechanical arms in the lab carefully carried out the procedure on a test mouse.
Under the microscope, the new virus armed with what he called the Overlapping Cleaving Enzyme and spliced with Lizard DNA was injected.
Then, it happened.
Connors stared in disbelief as the genetically edited mouse began shedding fur. Patches of emerald green scales started to emerge across its body.
"This is… incredible," Connors whispered. Directed mutation. Clean and precise.
He had spent years trying to create stable mutations backed by mountains of experimental data. Yet Nolan had done it on his first real attempt.
"How did you figure it out?" Connors asked.
"I've spent days poring over evolutionary biology, bacterial mutation patterns, and genetic compatibility," Nolan replied, eyes still locked on the microscope. "If you want reliable gene-editing, you need organisms with high mutability."
Connors was stunned. 'Is this what genius looks like?'
"Start prepping the Phoenix test subject," Nolan said. "And get the company to start recruiting volunteers."
The enzyme that Nolan had dubbed "Overlapping Cleaving Enzyme" was about to become the foundation of a new era in genetic engineering.
Soon after, Logan was brought in.
Assistants entered the lab, getting things ready. Logan, still fully conscious, looked at Nolan with narrowed eyes.
"She wants to kill you, y'know. What the hell did you do to her?"
"Phoenix test subject secured," one of the techs reported.
Nolan gave Logan a passing glance. "You mean Jessica? Not my concern."
He had all four viable test subjects contained in vibranium cages. Logan, being capable of extending his Adamantium claws at will, was considered the highest risk. After each trial, they had to restrain him again using vibranium shackles.
If he went berserk, he could escape more easily than Jessica ever could.
Logan grunted. "Just don't turn me into some green freak, and I'll cooperate. Deal?"
"I already know what you two talked about in the holding cells," Nolan said without looking at him. "You were being recorded the whole time. Five hundred micro-cameras. Every move. Every word."
Nolan waved an assistant over. "Extract his bodily fluids. Connors give me a sample of your blood."
He needed both of their genetic sequences, Logan's mutant regenerative DNA and Connors' previous mutations, to find optimal insertion points and build a stable fusion model.
While Connors watched in awe, Nolan worked with two displays of full gene sequences. At first, both sequences glowed red.
Then Nolan started manually simulating structural edits rearranging the four nucleotide bases with surgical precision.
Eventually, a new genetic structure materialized between the two sequences, glowing brightly on screen.
Wiping the sweat from his brow, Nolan said, "Compare the resulting sequence to the component that nearly turned Logan into a lizard last time."
Connors quickly ran the data and lit up with excitement. "Boss, 99.87% match! But your model is more refined and stable, with no external corruption."
"Run the test on mice first. Then on Logan. Once the volunteers are in, we start human trials."
…
Later, Connors stood beside a caged lizard mouse, watching its scales peel away as white fur began regrowing in their place.
"Boss…"
"Run a self-healing test," Nolan ordered. "I reduced some of the regenerative factors just enough to trigger programmed cell death in the mutated tissue."
He turned to Connors. "You want to conduct the human trial yourself?"
"I do. I never want to be the Lizard again," Connors said, voice thick his eyes flickering with vertical slits.
"What's wrong with being a lizard?" he whispered.
Green scales began to creep up his neck again.
"Get out of my body!" Connors growled, wrestling with the mutation.
Life had changed. He had money now. Security. A future. No more desperation.
"Let's begin," Nolan said, mixing the components.
The fluids swirled and fused in his hands until a gleaming green serum formed Phoenix 2.0.
"Go ahead."
Connors took a deep breath and injected it into his triceps.
At first, the same thing happened green scales erupted across his skin, climbing up his neck.
"Boss… did it fail?" Connors asked, voice trembling as his head began reshaping into that of a giant reptile.
"Wait," Nolan said calmly. "The regenerative factor is starting to destroy the mutated cells."
"Damn… humans—!"
The Lizard form let out a cry of pain before the transformation reversed. Scales flaked away. His head returned to its human shape.
Connors collapsed to the floor, gasping—but grinning.
The Lizard was gone.
"Get up," Nolan said. "Phoenix 2.0 works. It was not the perfect result I wanted but it was better than Version 1. No cellular collapse. The downside? Lower regenerative efficiency."
Connors scrambled to his feet, glancing at his still-attached left arm.
"You're a superhuman now. But be careful how many times you trigger your healing factor," Nolan warned. "Overuse it, and you might turn back into the Lizard."
He had figured out that the Lizard Serum drew its regenerative properties from the reptilian mutations. Without a perfect balance between the serum and the healing factor, side effects were inevitable.
Phoenix 2.0 managed to suppress the side effects but at a performance cost.
"Boss, you're like a god sent to save me," Connors said with admiration.
"Cut the dramatics," Nolan replied. "Bring over one of the enhanced spiders. I'll handle the Spider project next. Your job is to replicate my process."
"Got it. You want me to convert the Lizard Serum into Goblin Formula?"
"You're more familiar with it than I am," Nolan said. "You'll figure it out."
"Yes, sir!"
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