Chapter 31

"Sure, he's doing well." Mizni first thanked Dr. Connors for his concern and then said, "My father is currently working as a driver for Mr. Tony of Stark Industries."

Dr. Connors chuckled and said with a sigh, "I never would have thought that Hogan Jon Favreau, the best mathematician among our old classmates, would end up being a driver. Is he using algebra or quadratic equations to drive Mr. Tony?"

Yimir was taken aback. He tugged at Mizni's clothes and whispered, "You never told me that your father is a driver for Iron Man!"

Mizni shrugged, answering both Dr. Connors and Yimir, "Maybe it's my father's special hobby..." He seemed a bit embarrassed and repeated, "Yeah, a special hobby..."

He gritted his teeth at Yimir and said, "Do you think it's a glorious thing to have a father who is a high math expert and likes to be a driver for others?"

Yimir was stunned, seemingly agreeing, "But, but... it's Iron Man, Tony Stark..."

"So what? I don't feel any different." Mizni hung his head in dejection. If he had half his father's intelligence, he wouldn't have ended up in the Divinity School when applying to Columbia University; he would have long ago applied to the School of Engineering and Applied Science, which he loved.

After all, Columbia's School of Engineering and Applied Science is the third oldest engineering school in American history and the second oldest in New York State. Its applied mathematics, biomedical engineering, and computer science programs are considered among the best in the nation, and its financial engineering program is ranked among the top three in the world.

Among the faculty and alumni of Columbia University's School of Engineering and Applied Science, there have been 10 Nobel Prize winners.

This was the ideal major that Mizni believed was most suitable for him.

"It's okay, don't be discouraged. We were also very surprised when we learned about Hogan's choice. But you can trust that Mr. Tony Stark is not a fool; he will provide a suitable environment for your father."

Dr. Connors patted Mizni's shoulder and said, "If you need anything, feel free to come to me. I'm happy to help!"

"Um, thank you, Dr. Connors." Mizni seemed to suddenly remember something and immediately said, "By the way, Dr. Connors, you are an expert in DNA recombination and reptilian organism mutations, right?"

Dr. Connors laughed, "No, I wouldn't dare call myself an expert."

He asked with some confusion, "Why do you ask?"

Mizni became excited and nodded vigorously, "Yes, yes, Dr. Connors, have you heard of the lizard people in the sewers?"

Dr. Connors's face changed, and he asked with some alarm, "Lizard people?"

Yimir perked up, his eyes scanning Dr. Connors as if he could spot a few scales of a lizard person on him. Mizni said, "There are rumors that lizard people live in the sewers of New York City. Several newspapers have reported that a large lizard person has been spotted in the subway tunnels."

"In New York City? Impossible!" Dr. Connors firmly denied, "From an ecological and genetic perspective, a large lizard person would not have a place to survive in the city. This kind of hearsay is probably just another urban legend."

"Okay, I see." Mizni's ears drooped in disappointment, and he said listlessly, "I heard that James, the owner of the Daily Bugle, has offered a thousand dollars to the first person who can take a photo of the lizard person for the evening news!"

"Wait, how much?" Yimir suddenly interjected, clearly interested by what Mizni said.

"A thousand dollars, but it seems that the story of the lizard person might just be a hoax."

Dr. Connors agreed, "Mizni, you're right. It's just a publicity stunt by the newspapers. Don't let yourself be fooled."

It was clear that Dr. Connors's words carried a lot of weight with Mizni. He nodded and walked out of the classroom dejectedly, "Thank you, Doctor, I understand."

"Is that so? Just an urban legend?" As Yimir turned, he subtly examined Dr. Connors, who was covered in cold sweat, "Heh, if I hadn't seen the movie, I might have been fooled by you."

"Wait for me, Connors, Dr. Lizard!" Yimir imagined a camera in his mind. He wasn't particularly interested in Dr. Lizard, but the thousand-dollar reward from the Daily Bugle was very appealing to him, especially to help his sister with household expenses!

After walking Mizni out of Dr. Connors's classroom, Yimir sent Mizni back to school and then used his dark powers to transform himself into an invisible ghost.

He didn't know Dr. Connors's schedule, and who knew when he would turn into a lizard person. If he followed Dr. Connors all day, watching him do boring experiments, he might get bored and give up before Dr. Connors transformed.

But Yimir had another plan. He knew that if he followed Peter Parker, he would naturally encounter Dr. Lizard.

Moreover, he was more curious about Spider-Man's ordinary day than the strict and rigid Dr. Connors.

"Bad luck, first my spider powers are acting up, and now I'm late..."

Peter had been quite troubled lately. His usually reliable spider powers had been malfunctioning, and if he lost his ability to stick to walls while swinging between buildings, falling from a great height would not be pleasant.

He walked out of New York University, completely unaware that the temperature around him had suddenly dropped several degrees, as if a cold wind was accompanying him.

"You're late, Peter. What happened? Did you forget the time because you were reading comics this morning?" Just when Peter was feeling down, a girl's voice came from behind him.

"Not again, Debra Whitman." The overly concerned girl always gave Peter a headache, "I'm not in the mood for your jokes, Debra. I'm not feeling well today..."