Restart, Spider-Man!

"Victory."

The monstrous mutant spiders were gone, and Carter and the others finally exhaled with relief.

The mutants held in their cages, realizing they'd been saved, cheered as well.

"We're rescued!"

"Thank God!"

"No, thank Spider-Man!"

"Wait, thank God for sending Spider-Man!"

"Wait—he met God?"

The SHIELD agents began to release the captives, while Xia Luo watched the notification hovering in his field of vision.

You played Friendly Neighborhood Hero and rescued the mutants. Restart Count +8.

Kill Count reached 100. Critical Hit Unlocked. Can be stored for next use.

Until he used this stored critical hit, it looked like the kill count wouldn't increase any further.

As the magical energy faded from his body, the glowing web patterns on his skin receded to his wrist, reforming into the little spider. The spider emblem on his chest also dimmed after the intense battle.

"Chirp chirp…"

The little spider, now perched on his hand, gave a small yawn before promptly falling asleep.

Since the self-destruct device had been its primary summoning ingredient, it had emerged with an innate ability to detonate webs and channel magical energy into Xia Luo. While its power was limited by the energy it could borrow from the spider totem, he wasn't worried.

After all, he had more than one totem.

With that thought, Xia Luo gently patted the spider's tiny head and placed it atop his own. After all, every Spider-Man knew: no pouches for pets.

The little spider lay comfortably on his head, and with each sleepy breath, it drew energy from the spider totem to regain its strength, casting a faint red-and-blue glow above him.

Then, turning to see Mary Jane and Gwen being freed, Xia Luo simply smiled, stepping away to speak with Carter.

"It seems that Kingpin has allied with Hydra," he said, "or he's one of them himself. Do you have any way to take him down?"

Carter shook her head. "We have no evidence linking him to Hydra. He's never at the scene, and his legal team rivals Stark's."

"Yes, I've heard. Kingpin managed to poach one of my best lawyers," Tony added with a shrug.

Xia Luo thought for a moment. "This guy's a big problem. Do you have any way to track him?"

Carter leaned in, lowering her voice. "I know what you're thinking, but his movements are a mystery. He rarely appears in public, and we'd have a hard time finding him quickly."

"No worries. I think he'd be interested in meeting with me," Xia Luo replied with a casual shrug.

There was no way he'd ignore a threat like Kingpin.

Suddenly, an uproar came from the mutants, who had begun to check themselves over.

As one mutant realized they'd lost their web-slinging powers, the others quickly discovered they'd lost all their Spider-Man-like abilities.

"No!"

"My God, why have you done this to me?"

"We're just ordinary people again…"

"Why did this happen?!"

Many sank to their knees, wailing in despair.

Harry attempted to console them. "Don't be upset! You were targeted because of those powers. Without them, you won't be in danger anymore."

Some muttered agreement, relieved. But others reacted with anger, rounding on Harry.

"If you'd saved us sooner, we wouldn't have lost our powers!"

"Exactly! You useless hacks, give me back my powers!"

"This is your fault!"

"You owe us for this!"

They crowded around the agents, shouting and demanding explanations.

Carter sighed, watching them with a resigned expression.

"Are they serious?" she muttered.

Tony only chuckled, unbothered. "You'll get used to the era's stupidity."

Meanwhile, Xia Luo adjusted his web shooter and fired, sending a net of webs that suspended the group from the ceiling.

"Oh, hell! It's Spider-Man! Why is he doing this to us?"

"We're his fans!"

"He's supposed to be on our side!"

"The hell with Spider-Man! I'm not his fan anymore!"

"He's scared we'll outshine him. What a selfish jerk!"

As realization dawned, they began shouting insults at Xia Luo. He merely rolled his eyes, shooting another web to silence them.

"There. That's better," he said, turning to Harry. "Say thanks."

Harry blinked. "Uh…thanks?"

Since when did Xia Luo have this strange sense of humor?

Carter shook her head. "Coulson, handle the rest."

"Understood," Coulson nodded.

Carter gestured to Xia Luo. "Come on, Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. Although, with the way you treated them, you might be gaining a legion of anti-fans."

Xia Luo fell in step beside her. "I don't need their support, unless I decide to run for office someday."

"Office?" Carter laughed, intrigued. "Alright, tell me more…"

After glancing back at Tony and the others, she leaned in. "How'd you win the revival match this time?"

Xia Luo waved it off. "Nothing to it. I hardly broke a sweat."

"Oh, by the way, I took out two troublesome guys for you. So, be sure to cut me in on the funding."

Carter narrowed her eyes.

Before she could respond, Xia Luo sidled over to Tony. "Interested in a little collaboration?"

Tony raised an eyebrow. "You want me to market Spider-Man merch for you?"

"That could be tricky—you always wear a mask, so licensing rights might be difficult."

Harry, listening in, offered, "Why don't you just take off your mask secretly? I can help you—"

Xia Luo cut him off, deadpan. "Not necessary. I'm interested in developing artificial webbing."

"I'm in!" Harry grinned, intrigued by the idea.

Xia Luo shook his head. "No, you should be focusing on something else—like finishing your father's work."

More involvement would only complicate things, and Harry probably couldn't handle it.

After all, Xia Luo now had four and a half spider totems.

At that, Harry seemed to understand, nodding as he mentally set aside the webbing idea.

Meanwhile, Tony shrugged, unimpressed. "Sorry, but I've already collected enough web samples to replicate superior synthetic webbing."

Xia Luo blinked, momentarily deflated.

"Oh… Well, mine works better," he tried to insist.

Tony smiled. "I've tested your samples, too. They're not that different."

"Unless…" Tony said, "it's the kind of web that suspends in mid-air. Now, that would be interesting."

Xia Luo sighed. "Forget it. Spider-Man's fated to be poor."

Tony gave him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. "Cheer up, buddy. I'll sponsor you as the face of our web line."

"Really?"

"Of course."

"Then how about taking off that tracker you just stuck on me?"

"Oh…you noticed. Awkward!" Tony's grin never wavered.

As they bantered, the group finally reached the factory yard.

In the aftermath of the battle, Xia Luo noticed something amiss.

Aleksei's body was missing.

"Did you take the body?" he asked Carter.

Carter shook her head. "No. If any agents had moved it, I would know."

"So, it must mean Kingpin found some use for the Rhino's remains," Tony observed.

"Looks like you already figured it out."

Xia Luo crouched by a large pit, examining it thoughtfully.

"He walked away on his own." He pointed at a set of footprints. "He wasn't completely dead."

Harry pulled out his phone. "While the trail's fresh, I'll get a team tracking him."

As if on cue, thunder rumbled overhead, and raindrops began to fall, quickly washing away the traces.

Harry sighed. "Well, it looks like even God's on his side."

Carter turned to Xia Luo. "We'll find him. Also, you should come to SHIELD tomorrow. We've uncovered something new about that strange black spine."

"Alright, no problem."

With that, Xia Luo fired a web and disappeared into the stormy night.

Watching him go, Harry seemed lost in thought before heading back to the car.

"Mind if I catch a ride?" Tony asked, squeezing into the back seat. "I'm all out of juice in the suit."

Boom!

In a rain-soaked alley, under a leaky tarp, Aleksei lay quietly on a makeshift bed covered in newspaper.

His chest bore a gaping wound, gruesome yet healing quickly as new flesh slowly closed the hole. But there was no relief on his face.

As rats scurried through the trash for scraps, Aleksei stared up at the tarp, watching water pooling until it eventually began to leak.

Drip…

A droplet fell onto his lips, prompting him to lick it away and setting off a chain of memories.

Long ago, he'd lived in a place like this, a place that resembled a garbage dump.

He could devour five burgers in one sitting, but he could also go hungry for three days straight. Rain was a welcome chance for him to wash up; it was a rare comfort he looked forward to.

The trash was his only possession, all he had to his name. Yet people would often steal it from him, just to watch him scramble to protect what little he had.

"Trash belongs in the trash," they'd sneer—the words he'd heard the most in his life.

He had no money, no power to defend himself. He was trash, and trash belonged in the shadows, always.

This continued for years, until he met a man called Kingpin. It was then his fate began to shift.

Kingpin had been a low-level gang leader back then, but he'd taught Aleksei how to get money, how to gain power.

Under Kingpin's guidance, Aleksei amassed wealth and strength, though his life didn't necessarily improve. He had to constantly prove how ruthless and terrifying he was, killing enemies in the most brutal ways he could imagine. It almost drove him mad.

After all, he'd been nothing more than a bullied child. All he wanted was a quiet life.

As long as he had three burgers a day, a place to sleep, and no rats around him, he would've been happy.

But he was forced to adjust to the underworld life.

Just recently, when he wore the experimental battle suit for a mission, he'd been beaten down by Spider-Man and had to flee back to Kingpin.

Kingpin had offered him salvation through radiation treatments.

Aleksei knew he was only a test subject to him, a pawn.

Yet he agreed.

Survival depended on luck.

He'd survived, yes—but he had also failed.

Once more, Spider-Man had crushed him.

This time, Aleksei didn't go crawling back to Kingpin. He knew that Kingpin wouldn't tolerate a worthless failure twice over.

So he'd returned to the one place that would take him, to accept his fate.

To become trash once again.

Aleksei let out a bitter chuckle. Nothing had changed after all.

Regaining some strength, he leaned over and searched through the trash next to his bed.

Ah, a half-eaten slice of pizza, his old favorite.

Swatting away a rat trying to nibble on it, he grabbed the slice and took a bite.

It still tasted the same.

Satisfied with his last meal, he closed his eyes.

Whoosh

Amidst the pounding rain, a woman swayed gracefully forward, holding an umbrella as she came to a stop before him.

Aleksei had no idea how she'd appeared so suddenly.

The woman was intoxicatingly alluring.

The black, skintight suit outlined her figure perfectly, and as his eyes traveled upward, his pulse quickened inexplicably.

Though her face was masked, it did nothing to hide her beauty. The bold red lips seemed designed to unnerve any man, and her long, silver hair was tied in a ponytail.

With that, he realized who she was.

Black Cat—the most infamous thief in New York and one of Kingpin's enemies.

He hadn't expected her to be a woman.

"You here to kill me?" Aleksei asked, hurriedly swallowing his pizza as he resigned himself to his fate.

"Go ahead," he said politely. "Just make it quick. I'm not good with pain."

It was the last lesson his mother had taught him before she passed.

The Black Cat gazed down at him, shaking her head slightly.

She tossed him to the ground with a flick of her wrist and reached under his bed to retrieve a bag she'd stashed there days ago.

Inside was the jewelry she'd stolen three days prior.

"I'm not interested in killing anyone," she replied.

"Oh." Aleksei was taken aback. "Well, that's a relief. You should leave, then. There's bound to be someone coming to kill me any moment now."

Black Cat raised an eyebrow, watching him with amusement.

"Interesting. But before you die, could you do something for me?"

"Why should I help you?" He wasn't exactly motivated to do favors.

Black Cat smirked. "Because it's a rather interesting thing to do."

She pulled a set of keys from her collar and tossed them his way.

"Go to this address and tell the man inside that I'm planning to steal his most prized possession."

Aleksei scowled. Did delivering a threat really require stepping into the guy's house?

"Sounds fun, but I'm done with all this. I just want an end to everything." He waved her off.

Black Cat shrugged, turning away. "It's your choice. Though I should mention, I ran into a group of assassins on my way here. I took care of them, assuming they were after me."

She glanced back. "But now I see they were probably meant for you. So, looks like you'll live a little longer."

She gave him a wink. "Do this for me, and if you're lucky, maybe the guy will beat you to death himself."

With that, she leapt into the shadows, vanishing from the alley.

Aleksei stared at the keys in his hand, lost in thought.

He'd never done something so absurd in his life.

Well, he'd do it—just this once.

One last time.

Late that night, Xia Luo finally returned to his rented room.

He'd stopped by to see Uncle Ben and Aunt May, so it was later than usual.

Click!

As he slid the key into the door, his heightened senses picked up the sound of breathing inside.

"Hm?"

He opened the door without a hint of surprise, his face becoming a mixture of curiosity and amusement as he spotted the intruder.

Perfect. Looks like someone's come right to his doorstep, ready to die.

---

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