Restart, Spider-Man!

Felicia looked at Kingpin nervously. The Time Tablet was her only hope to heal her father.

"Spider-Man, you promised me," she pleaded, glancing anxiously at Xia Luo.

Xia Luo sighed, rubbing his forehead.

"Felicia, you just made it crystal clear to Kingpin how important the Time Tablet is to you."

Sure enough, Kingpin's eyes shifted between them, a self-assured smile spreading across his face.

"With the Time Tablet in my hands, you really have only one choice."

Xia Luo shook his head. "No, I think we have other options."

"What?" Kingpin frowned.

Xia Luo raised his fingers and started counting down.

"One, two—"

Boom!!

In that instant, rubble exploded as the crazed Professor Connors leaped out from the debris.

"I'm going to eat Spider-Man!!"

In his frenzy, Professor Connors couldn't tell who was Spider-Man anymore. All he wanted was to tear into anything alive in front of him, hoping it would dull the agonizing effects of the regenerative serum.

"What?"

"No!!"

Kingpin's scream filled the air as Professor Connors tackled him to the ground, causing the Time Tablet to fall. A web shot out, and Xia Luo snatched it up.

"Sorry, I usually only count to two," he said apologetically to the pinned Kingpin before landing in front of Felicia.

"Your injuries look pretty severe."

He looked to the corner. "Hey, you two Spider-Men, can you…?"

But halfway through his sentence, something felt off.

Uncle Ben looked much stronger, his posture straighter than before.

And Aunt May… well, her figure had definitely changed.

"Spider-Man, you want us to help save this woman, don't you?" Aunt May asked, her voice smooth and youthful, missing its usual raspy tone.

Xia Luo: "…"

Aunt May had become young again.

Which probably made Uncle Ben's day.

"Your voices…"

He glanced at the two, then at the Time Tablet in his hand. It was starting to make sense.

Aunt May shrugged. "You guessed it. This strange tablet made us young again."

"What?"

Felicia's eyes went wide, then lit up with excitement. "You know how to use the Time Tablet?"

"Yes," Ben Parker nodded, pointing to the ceiling. "All you have to do is sincerely pray to the sun god, and it works."

Felicia: "????"

"That easy?"

"Yes, just that easy."

Just then, Kingpin, pinned beneath Professor Connors, let out a furious roar.

"Get off me!"

Boom!!

With a powerful punch, he sent Professor Connors flying into the wall, then staggered to his feet, covered in blood, and lunged toward the Time Tablet.

"That's mine!!"

He stepped forward, and a golden beam descended from the sun totem on the ceiling. Despite some cracks dimming the light, it still reflected off the statue and hit the Time Tablet.

Buzz!!

Instantly, the Time Tablet flared, its radiant light enveloping Xia Luo, trapping him in a cage of sunlight so dense he couldn't move.

"Great… your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is about to turn into your tiny neighbor," he thought, realizing his predicament.

The spider totem on his chest flashed, momentarily holding off the Time Tablet's effects on his body.

But as Kingpin stepped into the light, the Time Tablet's power shifted to him.

"No, my body…"

Kingpin's expression turned to horror as his enormous frame started to shrink, his once-menacing face becoming unexpectedly cute.

"Spider-Man, I'm going to eat you!!"

Next, Professor Connors, still dazed from Kingpin's blow, stumbled back into the light as well.

Buzz~

Immediately, a green totem mark appeared on Connors' forehead, making Xia Luo's eyes widen.

"Is that… a lizard totem?"

Since when did the Marvel Universe have a lizard totem?

He didn't have time to ponder before Connors, too, was subdued by the sun's power. The lizard totem on his forehead shrieked and lunged toward Xia Luo.

Hiss!!

The spider totem on Xia Luo's chest flared in response, and five spider totems shot out, surrounding the lizard totem.

Hiss!

Snap snap snap

Under the sunlight, the five red-and-blue spiders ganged up on the lone green lizard. Despite its ferocity, the lizard totem was overpowered, forced to retreat.

Realizing defeat, the green lizard tried to flee back to Connors' forehead, but the spider totems wouldn't let it escape.

Thwip thwip~

The spiders burst into glittering webs, wrapping around the lizard totem. As the red-and-blue webs pulsed with light, the lizard totem was completely unraveled and absorbed.

Shhhhh

The shimmering webs reformed into a spider totem and settled back into Xia Luo's chest. He could even swear he heard it burp in satisfaction.

The onlookers blinked, as if unsure whether they'd actually seen what just happened.

"What was that?" Ben Parker scratched his head.

Aunt May crossed her arms. "It was like watching a cartoon."

"No!! My body!!"

At that moment, Kingpin stared in horror at his own hands, which continued to regress in age.

Meanwhile, Professor Connors, now devoid of his totem's power, passed out, his green scales beginning to fade. One clawed hand returned to a human hand, while the other melted back into flesh.

However, three or so green scales still clung to his forehead, remnants of his transformation. The mutated cells in him hadn't fully reverted.

As his body continued to shrink, Ben Parker quickly shot a web to pull Connors out of the light.

"It's Curt Connors, Richard's classmate." Ben looked at him in disbelief.

"So he's the monster!" Aunt May exclaimed. "We even saw him when Xia Luo was born!"

Richard Parker, Xia Luo's father, had once been close friends with Curt Connors during his school days.

"Oh, and look, a little baby!"

Aunt May lifted the now-infant Kingpin, swaddled in webs, into her arms.

"Waaaahhh~!"

Baby Kingpin cried, and Aunt May's maternal instincts kicked in.

"Aww, the big bad guy was actually pretty cute as a baby."

Ben Parker frowned. "He still has his memories. We should eliminate him."

Aunt May chuckled, letting the baby bite her finger with all the "ferocity" it could muster.

"Look, he can't even hurt a finger now. What harm could he possibly do?" She laughed, clearly unbothered by the thought of "disposing" of the adorable baby.

Ben Parker hesitated, still uncertain.

"He did kidnap Xia Luo. That's a fact."

Aunt May considered it, then nodded. "Right. Xia Luo's more important."

"Got it."

She squinted thoughtfully. "Why don't we raise him, then send him to jail when he grows up?"

Kingpin: "…"

These maniacs, are they even human?

All he could do was make garbled baby noises in protest.

Meanwhile, still trapped in the sunlight, Xia Luo let out an exasperated sigh.

"Hey, are you two done talking? I'm still stuck here!" he reminded them.

Realizing this, Ben and Aunt May finally snapped back to reality.

"Sorry, we'll get you out right away."

"'Get me out' sounds a little strange," Xia Luo muttered as two webs latched onto his waist.

"Come on, pull harder!"

"Old man, I am pulling!"

"Then pull harder!"

"Keep going! Just a bit more!"

"He hasn't moved an inch!"

Their banter grew increasingly odd, and Xia Luo glanced up at the sun totem on the ceiling.

"Try hitting the totem above. That might shut off the light," he suggested.

The two exchanged glances.

"That makes sense."

"Of course, Spider-Man's always brilliant."

"Yes, though Xia Luo is still just a little smarter."

"I'd agree."

They let go of the webs and began chucking rocks at the ceiling.

"No!!"

Suddenly, Felicia fired a grappling line to stop them.

"Wait! Don't smash it! If you destroy it, my father will die." Sitting helplessly with broken legs, Felicia looked at them with pleading eyes.

"Spider-Man, there has to be another way, right?"

"Uh…"

Xia Luo looked down at the five spider totems on his chest, each one flickering in turn, seemingly still able to hold out for a while.

"This… doesn't seem to have any other solutions."

"I might have an idea."

No sooner had he spoken than Carter arrived, shield in hand.

Taking in the scene, her gaze flickered over Ben Parker and the others, lingering briefly on the baby in Aunt May's arms, before she stepped up in front of Xia Luo.

Buzz~

She raised her shield, deflecting the sunlight. Instantly, Xia Luo felt the restraint lift from his body.

"It worked," Carter smiled.

Xia Luo grinned back.

Perfect, the plan hadn't fallen apart.

He was still alive.

"Wait… do you hear that?"

Suddenly, Carter's face turned puzzled as she glanced over at the disabled Spider-Slayer.

Noticing its red eyes flickering, Xia Luo's smile froze.

Of course it couldn't be that simple.

Without missing a beat, he shot webs to shield Ben and the others.

As for Carter and Felicia, there was no time left.

"Move!!"

Whoosh~~

With a rush of air, Ben and the others flew out through a crack in the pyramid just as a massive explosion erupted, collapsing the entire structure.

Boom rumble

The golden building vanished into a cloud of dust as the whole mountain quivered under the force of the blast.

"No, Spider-Man!"

"Get moving! This place is coming down!!"

Dodging falling rubble, Ben and the others narrowly avoided disaster, escaping just before the mountain collapsed entirely.

It was unclear how much time had passed.

Amid the pitch-black ruins, a faint light flickered several times before intensifying.

Sizzle…

The narrow stone chamber was dimly lit, and a slanted pharaoh statue provided just enough support for three people to survive beneath the rubble.

Or, more accurately, it was Xia Luo, holding up the precarious statue with both hands, that kept the rubble from crushing them.

Black blood oozed from the wound in his abdomen, squirming into the wound only to be quickly dissolved by a strange force, making self-healing impossible.

Below him, Felicia and Carter stirred awake, their eyes widening at the sight.

"Spider-Man, you…" Felicia's gaze was complicated.

She looked around the cramped space, realizing they'd been buried alive.

It was this man who'd given them a chance to survive.

But Carter's attention was on the wound in Xia Luo's abdomen, her brows furrowing.

"This is odd. What could pierce your skin and prevent the wound from healing?"

"The wound keeps getting worse," Felicia added, worry creasing her face.

Xia Luo gritted his teeth, his body trembling.

"If I'm right, it's a Gene Destroyer."

Considering Kingpin's partnership with Bucky, it made sense he'd get his hands on one.

What he hadn't expected was for Kingpin to incorporate vibranium shards into the Spider-Slayer.

After the explosion, the vibranium fragments had breached his skin, allowing the Gene Destroyer to infiltrate his body and wreak havoc on his powers at a genetic level.

Turns out, the Spider-Slayer really could kill Spider-Man.

Even with his enhanced Titan Physique, Xia Luo wouldn't die immediately.

But as his powers faded, they'd be trapped under the debris, and no one would make it out.

Unless he found a way to rid himself of the mutated spider gene entirely, this would keep happening.

His body had no resistance to the Gene Destroyer.

He'd held on this long only to make a final request.

"Carter, we're dying, and I wanted to…"

"I love you."

Xia Luo: "…"

Felicia's jaw dropped. Did she hear that right?

Carter blinked, her face reddening in embarrassment. "Sorry, been watching too many movies lately—force of habit."

Xia Luo's expression darkened. "I told you not to watch those cheesy dramas. They're rotting your brain."

"Alright, alright, I'll cut back. So, what is it you want me to do?" Carter replied seriously.

Feeling the debris above press down with greater weight, Xia Luo took a shuddering breath.

"We're close to death. Is there a way to keep them from discovering my identity?"

With his spider sense, his body had instinctively avoided some of the debris, preventing his immediate disintegration by the Gene Destroyer.

His powers were nearly gone, and death was certain.

But he had to make the necessary preparations before that happened.

After all, Carter was going down with him this time.

Without her to cover for him, Xia Luo wasn't at ease.

Looking at his wound, Carter nodded. "There is. Let the Gene Destroyer fully disintegrate your body. That way, they won't be able to identify you through DNA."

"Alright, do it. Let's give it a try."

"Understood."

Under Felicia's incredulous stare, Carter pulled the vibranium shard from Xia Luo's wound.

"Wait! Are you two insane? At a time like this, you're still worried about keeping your identity hidden?"

Felicia grabbed Carter's arm. "We should be thinking about survival right now!"

Carter's expression remained calm. "Survival? There's no surviving this."

"No! I can't die. My father is still waiting for me."

"You may not want to die, but he's on the brink, and I don't have the power to save you."

"I can't die! You're all maniacs, crazy…"

Felicia burst into tears, while Carter shook her hand free and began smearing Xia Luo's black blood over his wounds.

"Yes, yes, right there. Apply a bit more."

"I can feel it working. Keep going; it's having an effect."

"Move over here, too. Yes, a little more."

"Wait, don't touch there. That feels… odd," Xia Luo muttered, holding his breath.

Carter remained unperturbed, continuing to apply pressure.

"Oh, come on, you're not a kid anymore. No need to be shy!"

"Relax, I'm old enough to see you as a kid—don't think anything of it."

"Well, look at that, holding up pretty well for a tough Spider-Man."

"Say, should I, uh… apply it there too?"

Before she could finish, Xia Luo, now completely powerless, finally collapsed. The statue toppled with a resounding crash.

Boom!!

The narrow, dark space fell silent.

Just before his consciousness faded, Xia Luo had one last thought.

He wasn't even hurt there!

Damn you, Carter!!

---

T/N: omg carter stop trying to mark your mans

Thanks for reading! Let me know if you spot any mistakes or inconsistencies!

Posture and water check! Remember this is a fan translation!

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