This time, Gwen made her decision even faster than she had when picking out a car for Uncle Ben. In less than half an hour, she had settled on a model.
However, Gwen didn't pick the massive pickup truck Tobey had originally imagined. Instead, she chose the latest top-of-the-line Jeep Wrangler Rubicon.
In Gwen's words, pickup trucks were practical, but they were ultimately "old-man cars." They lacked the adventurous, rugged appeal a young guy should project.
For a guy Tobey's age who didn't want a sleek sports car or a boring sedan, an off-road SUV was the absolute best choice.
Furthermore, the four-door Wrangler was massive—standing nearly two meters tall and stretching almost five meters long. It perfectly complemented Tobey's towering, two-meter frame.
Aesthetically, the Wrangler's aggressive, muscular, and inherently powerful design perfectly matched Tobey's own overwhelming physical presence.
After sitting in the driver's seat and testing the interior, Tobey found himself genuinely impressed. Without hesitating, he paid for the vehicle in full with cash.
Unfortunately, unlike the Ford Raptor he had bought for Ben, the dealership didn't have a fully loaded Rubicon in the specific color and trim Tobey requested on the lot. It had to be shipped in from another state, which meant there would be a brief waiting period.
So, Tobey was forced to drive Gwen to the amusement park in his "crappy" Audi R8.
The moment they stepped into the amusement park, the bright, radiant smile never left Gwen's face. She immediately grabbed Tobey's hand and dragged him straight toward the massive Ferris wheel—the absolute mandatory first ride for any couple on a date.
As their cabin slowly ascended above the park, the two of them settled into the comfortable, intimate banter typical of new couples.
They discussed lighthearted things, like whether she was allowed to drink iced beverages today given her "schedule"...
Eventually, the conversation drifted toward the massive case her father was currently handling: last night's explosive battle between the Lizard-man and the Spider-man on the Williamsburg Bridge.
When Gwen first saw the breaking news footage, she actually thought the Spider-man fighting the Lizard was Tobey.
After all, when Tobey had rescued her two years ago, he was wearing a highly tactical, spider-themed combat suit that looked remarkably similar in design, differing only in color.
But upon closer inspection of the news footage, Gwen immediately noticed that the vigilante's physical build was vastly smaller than Tobey's massive frame.
Because Gwen had known Tobey's secret identity for two years, she possessed a solid understanding of his physical capabilities and the origin of his powers.
Connecting the vigilante's powers, the similar suit design, and the smaller physical build, Gwen's genius-level intellect instantly deduced the truth last night: the new Spider-man was Peter.
When Gwen casually voiced this deduction, Tobey didn't bother denying it. He openly confirmed that Peter was indeed the hero who made headlines last night.
After all, Gwen had figured it out entirely on her own. Denying it to her face would be pointless and insulting to her intelligence.
Besides, Gwen had proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that she could keep a secret. She had known Tobey was a lethal underground vigilante for two whole years and hadn't breathed a single word of it to anyone—not even her police captain father.
But Gwen's brilliant deductive reasoning didn't stop there. By confirming Peter was Spider-Man, she extrapolated backward and deduced that the Lizard-man was highly likely to be Dr. Curt Connors.
However, unlike her absolute certainty regarding Peter, she wasn't entirely positive about Dr. Connors.
Because of her lingering suspicions, she had actually called Dr. Connors this morning to check on him.
Over the phone, the doctor sounded completely normal. There was no sign of distress or mutation in his voice.
He simply told her that the preliminary synthesis of the lizard regeneration serum was complete. Because the upcoming human trials were highly classified Oscorp corporate secrets, she—a high school intern—lacked the necessary security clearance to participate. Therefore, she didn't need to come into the lab to assist him this weekend.
It was a perfectly logical, legally sound excuse. While Gwen still harbored a deep, nagging suspicion, she had absolutely no concrete evidence to prove her mentor had mutated into a giant reptile.
But during their conversation in the Ferris wheel, Tobey casually shattered any remaining doubt she had.
He explicitly confirmed her worst fear: the Lizard was, in fact, Dr. Curt Connors.
Tobey explained that Dr. Connors's lizard serum was vastly inferior to the permanent genetic rewrite granted by the super-spiders. The serum's effects degraded over time, meaning Connors had to continuously inject himself to maintain his reptilian form and enhanced abilities, or else he would violently regress back into his crippled human state.
Hearing Tobey lay out the stark reality, Gwen didn't doubt him for a second. A heavy wave of anxiety washed over her.
She was deeply worried about her mentor's deteriorating mental state, but she was infinitely more terrified for her father.
As the police captain spearheading the investigation, her father would inevitably be forced onto the front lines against the Lizard.
Based on the footage from the bridge, the Lizard possessed unimaginable physical strength, blinding speed, and an extreme regenerative healing factor. Standard police-issue firearms would be completely useless against it!
Her father was just an ordinary, unenhanced human. If he engaged the Lizard in a firefight, it would be an absolute slaughter!
Despite her rising panic, Gwen remained incredibly mature. She didn't beg Tobey to intervene or demand that he fix the problem for her.
Instead, she forced a bright smile, pretending to let the heavy topic drop.
Internally, however, her brilliant mind was already racing, desperately trying to formulate a logical, evidence-based excuse to warn her father that the monster was Dr. Connors, so he could prepare accordingly.
Tobey wasn't a telepath, so he couldn't read her exact thoughts.
However, his superhuman perception effortlessly detected the subtle shift in her heart rate, the slight tension in her smile, and the faint scent of anxiety replacing her genuine joy. He immediately understood what was weighing on her mind.
Reaching out, his massive hand gently enveloped her slightly cold, trembling fingers.
"Relax, Gwen," Tobey said softly, his deep voice radiating absolute confidence. "Dr. Connors's ultimate goal is simply to cure his amputation. Even if his mutation has warped his mind, he will likely retreat to the shadows to perfect the serum formula. Logically speaking, there is absolutely no reason for him to surface and cause mass public destruction."
"Therefore, the statistical probability of Captain Stacy actually running into the Lizard today is virtually zer—"
BOOOOOOM!
WEE-WOO-WEE-WOO-WEE-WOO!
Before Tobey could even finish his profoundly reassuring, logic-based sentence, a deafening explosion and the frantic wail of police sirens aggressively slapped him right across the face!
Both of them whipped their heads toward the reinforced glass of the Ferris wheel cabin.
Down below, on the streets directly outside the amusement park, several NYPD cruisers were currently engaged in a high-speed pursuit with a massive, rampaging green dinosaur!
The explosion they had just heard was the result of the Lizard effortlessly picking up a moving police cruiser and hurling it directly into another one!
Tobey: ....
Well, that slap in the face came as fast as a goddamn tornado...
To make matters worse, as the police relentlessly boxed the Lizard in, the panicked beast violently changed direction—smashing straight through the main gates and charging directly into the crowded amusement park!
And, in an act of absolute, cosmic irony, the very first officer to step out of the lead pursuit cruiser was none other than Captain George Stacy.
Seeing her unenhanced, mortal father draw his service weapon and step out of the car to face a nine-foot-tall biological nightmare, Gwen stopped breathing.
Pure, unadulterated terror seized her heart. Instinctively, she turned her wide, pleading eyes toward Tobey.
Even though she had desperately wanted to avoid dragging him into her family's danger, right now, Tobey was the only being on Earth capable of saving her father's life.
Tobey perfectly understood the silent plea in her eyes.
He didn't say a word. He simply stood up in the confined space of the cabin and pulled the emergency lever, forcefully sliding the iron doors of the Ferris wheel open.
A sudden, fierce internal struggle flashed across Gwen's eyes. She lunged forward, grabbing his arm from behind.
"Tobey, wait! If you go out there like this, you'll expose your secret identity to everyone! Let's just... let's think of another way..."
Tobey gently pried her hands off his arm.
He reached up, grabbed the collar of his tailored dress shirt, and violently ripped it open, exposing the deep crimson armor and the jet-black spider emblem hidden underneath.
He offered her a fearless, charming smile.
"Gwen, a true warrior never takes off his armor. Not even on a date."
With that iconic line delivered, Tobey completely tore away the shreds of his civilian clothes.
Under Gwen's awe-struck, completely infatuated gaze, Tobey transformed into the Scarlet Spider and dove straight out of the Ferris wheel's highest cabin, plummeting toward the chaos below!