Restart, Spider-Man!

"Peter, you need to be more mindful of your image," Miles reminded.

"I'll try."

Disheveled Peter wiped his finger on Miles' back. "There, clean now."

Miles' face darkened. "Disgusting."

Nearby, a Spider-Man cloaked in darkness and wearing a black trench coat tipped his round, dark hat in a show of respect for their gathering.

"I'm Peter Parker," he introduced himself.

A bright-eyed schoolgirl with a backpack smiled. "I'm Peni Parker," she said, patting the spider-robot by her side.

Finally, a small pig in a red-and-blue outfit stepped forward.

"I'm Peter Porker—Spider-Ham."

Standing with his hands on his hips, Spider-Ham's pig ears twitched like boomerangs atop his head.

"I've heard of you," he said, pointing at Xia Luo. "You're the one who stole Thor's hammer."

Xia Luo twitched. "No, that was some old man."

Spider-Ham's eyes narrowed. "Thor knows you told that old man to steal his Mjolnir."

Xia Luo's face turned awkward. "It's all a misunderstanding! I swear!"

It seemed no matter where he went, he couldn't avoid familiar faces. The resurrection tournament was going to be impossible to navigate now.

Turning to Gwen, he asked, "Still no progress on finding a way back?"

"We were close," Gwen said. "Miles stole a USB drive from Doctor Octopus containing the coordinates of our worlds. But after you left, some strange individuals attacked us.

"To protect the collider, we retreated."

Lizard Parker interjected, "At this world's Peter Parker's house, we found this."

He stepped aside, illuminating a darkened room. A set of Spider-Man suits lit up in sequence.

"And us," Noir Spider added, stepping forward. "Perhaps it's fate that brought us all together."

Peni Parker tightened her grip on her backpack straps, her large anime-like eyes brimming with nervous energy.

"Thankfully, they didn't leave earlier. Otherwise, we might never make it back," she said with tension in her voice.

Xia Luo clutched his chest dramatically, his face filled with pain.

"What's wrong?" Gwen asked, frowning.

"She's so cute!" Xia Luo exclaimed, pointing at Peni.

Gwen: "..."

Xia Luo turned to Lizard Parker. "You didn't summon me here just to deal with those useless villains again, did you?"

"Useless?" Lizard Parker growled through gritted teeth. "They're formidable!"

"And?" Xia Luo tilted his head. "Does it matter in front of me?"

Lizard Parker deflated, sulking in a corner and drawing circles on the ground.

As Xia Luo turned away, Peni Parker tugged at his sleeve, her wide eyes glimmering with curiosity.

"They said you defeated Kingpin! In my world, Kingpin is a terrifying beast. You're amazing!"

Her soft, sugary voice hit Xia Luo right in the heart. He smiled warmly and patted her head.

"Of course I'm amazing," he said.

The spider emblem on his chest began to glow.

"What are you doing?" Gwen's face turned stern. "Even a kid isn't safe from you?"

Xia Luo scowled. "What are you thinking? I'm a respectable Spider-Man."

As he spoke, Peni's chest lit up with a mecha-inspired spider emblem.

Aside from the glowing symbol, she remained unaffected.

Seeing this, Gwen relaxed.

Lizard Parker sidled up to her and whispered, "She's a little girl, not… developed. Unlike you… I mean—uh, I'm sorry!"

Under Gwen's glare, Lizard Parker quickly crouched and resumed drawing circles on the floor.

Xia Luo, meanwhile, noticed that each Spider-Man had their own unique spider emblem.

"Good, that simplifies things," he said, standing.

"Time's short, so I'll get to the point.

"To protect yourselves and those you care about, you need enough power."

Raising his hand, a shimmering wave of magical energy danced in his palm.

"Spider-specific magic. You can learn it too. Whether you escape Spider-Man's tragic fate depends on you."

"Magic?"

Spider-Ham shook his head. "Not interested."

Noir Spider pondered. "Magic and firearms? That could be fun."

Peni clapped excitedly. "Yes! I want to learn magic! It's so pretty!"

A vein throbbed on Xia Luo's forehead. "That's why you want to learn magic?"

Peni's big eyes shimmered as if about to overflow with tears.

"Is that… not okay?" she asked, her lips trembling as if she might cry at any moment.

Xia Luo clutched his chest again, wincing.

"Overwhelmed by cuteness again?" Gwen asked.

Xia Luo shook his head. "No. This one's way too crafty."

Gwen: "..."

In the following moments, Xia Luo taught the basics of spider-magic to Noir Spider and Peni Parker. Whether they succeeded or not would depend on them.

The emergence of successors and Gwen's universe's interference signified that the multiverse of Spider-Men had officially begun.

The Web of Life and Destiny now interconnected all Spider-Men, binding their fates.

Back in his home universe, primordial threats like the Tiger of Mutants loomed, renewing the sense of danger that had long been absent.

Xia Luo knew the quickest way to grow stronger was through the resurrection tournament.

But where could he find death-worthy challenges?

Apocalypse wasn't trying to kill him just yet, and the opponents he encountered in the multiverse weren't strong enough.

He could tempt fate but wouldn't actively seek death—let alone take his own life.

Who knew what the conditions for entering the tournament even were?

One wrong step, and there'd be no turning back.

With these thoughts, Xia Luo's figure vanished into the darkness of the room.

---

Back in his home universe, sunlight streamed onto Xia Luo's face, its warmth helping him relax.

Opening his window, he took a deep breath of the fresh morning air.

Closing his eyes, he spread his arms as if embracing the world.

"Ah… another beautiful day."

Whoosh—

A light breeze swept by, and suddenly, a nutrient-rich breakfast appeared in Xia Luo's hands.

Xia Luo: "???"

He poked his head outside, spotting Pietro waving at him from the street corner, grinning.

"Spider-Man saved me once, so now I'm in charge of your breakfast. Oh, and I'm your new bodyguard," Pietro declared cheerfully.

Xia Luo blinked, momentarily stunned. This guy was thoughtful—much more so than the other two slackers.

But being so nice to Spider-Man? Did he have a death wish?

It was only then that Xia Luo noticed how strangely peaceful things had been lately.

No one close to him had been hurt. The seven spider totems hadn't drawn any threats.

Could it be… a storm was brewing?

Xia Luo couldn't figure it out and didn't know how to prepare.

To be safe, he'd already installed trackers on all his loved ones and set up teleportation contingencies to reach them instantly if needed.

That thought brought him some comfort.

After finishing breakfast, Xia Luo glanced at the living room couch where Wade and baby Kingpin were still fast asleep. He shook his head.

"Eat, sleep, repeat. You're both pigs."

Frustrated, he kicked Wade's rear, only to watch both figures dissolve into shimmering light.

"Huh?"

Xia Luo frowned. Those two snuck off?

He was a bit surprised.

Could they have actually gone to film their spin-off movie?

Now that would be something to watch.

After washing up, Xia Luo changed into fresh clothes, raised his hand, and drew a glowing circle.

A portal opened.

---

Empire State University

At the park near the lake, Xia Luo stepped through the portal, quickly making his way to Dr. Curt Connors' lab.

Since his condition had stabilized and the lizard scales on his forehead had disappeared, Dr. Connors had left Carter's villa to resume teaching.

---

In the Lab

"Hey, Professor Connors. How's everything lately?"

Hearing Xia Luo's voice, Dr. Connors smiled warmly.

"Good! What about you? Keeping busy?"

"What's this you're working on?" Xia Luo asked, his curiosity piqued as Connors revealed a mechanical arm prototype.

"A gene recombinator," Connors explained. "It can suppress genetic abnormalities to a certain degree."

Xia Luo immediately understood. Connors was developing the device as a safeguard against turning into the Lizard again.

"Need funding?"

Connors chuckled. "Not at all. Harry Osborn is financing this project. It might even cure their family's genetic disorder."

"Oh, I should've guessed."

Xia Luo smiled. "Congrats in advance, Professor. I hear Oscorp's been making a lot of successful investments lately, so they're flush with cash."

"Harry's a good kid," Connors said with a nod.

"Didn't you once call him an unreliable trust fund baby?"

"Did I?"

"Of course."

"Well, I forgot. Don't slander senior citizens."

"Heh, you remind me of an old man I knew. Always throwing his weight around."

"And?"

"And I beat him up."

"Xia Luo, that's not right."

As they chatted, Xia Luo's spider-sense tingled, drawing his attention to the door.

"Hi, Professor Connors. Here's the data you requested."

Gwen walked in, a stack of files in hand. She gave Xia Luo a curt nod.

Connors accepted the files. "Thank you, Gwen."

Noticing the awkward air between the two, he offered some unsolicited advice.

"Young people shouldn't hold grudges. Sit down and talk things through—everything will be fine."

Xia Luo: "..."

Gwen: "..."

They exchanged a glance before leaving the lab together.

"What was that about?" Gwen asked.

"He thinks we had a fight."

"And he thinks he's a wise elder."

"Ridiculous."

They strolled along the lake, chuckling.

"Actually…"

"Actually…"

They both spoke at the same time, then stopped in surprise.

"You first," Xia Luo offered.

"No, you go ahead."

"Alright, I'll—"

"No, I will—"

This time, Gwen clasped her hands behind her back, nervously picking at her nails.

Xia Luo chuckled.

"Fine, I'll go. I already know what you know."

Gwen raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Then tell me—what do you think I know that you know?"

"Bit of a tongue twister, but I'm good at those. Are you sure?" Xia Luo teased.

Gwen giggled. "Alright, enough games."

Xia Luo gestured to a bench by the lake, and they sat down.

He gazed at the shimmering water and spoke slowly.

"Symbiotes are fascinating creatures. Every host they bond with leaves behind traces of their abilities—and memories."

Gwen's smile faded.

"So it wasn't a dream. You're him," she said softly, looking at Xia Luo's profile. She opened her mouth to speak but found herself at a loss.

Her expression grew increasingly complicated.

Xia Luo glanced at the faint glow of his spider emblem, reassured that it remained dormant.

This Gwen didn't possess a spider totem. For now, she was safe.

Hum—

The emblem flickered suddenly.

Xia Luo fell silent.

Gwen noticed something strange about her body and looked down at her chest.

"What's this?"

Her face flushed as she realized where her hands were, quickly dropping them in embarrassment.

"It's a spider totem," Xia Luo explained. "Having one makes you a true Spider-Man."

"That's a good thing," Gwen said, her excitement growing.

Xia Luo sighed. "No. It's not."

Under her puzzled gaze, he looked out over the lake, his tone tinged with sorrow.

"Spider-Man's fate is tragic. Always alone. You've seen it in the symbiote's memories."

Gwen fell silent, her face clouded.

After a long pause, she said bitterly, "Spider-Man brings misfortune to those around them. Is that why you keep your distance from Mary Jane?"

Xia Luo's eye twitched. Did girls always focus on the gossip?

"She's a friend," he said simply.

"And Harry? Your family?"

"I try to limit contact with all of them."

"I'm the same," Gwen admitted.

The sun cast their shadows long across the ground.

"On my second day as Spider-Woman, George got hurt. It was supposed to be a routine arrest."

Xia Luo shook his head. "The Web of Life and Destiny dictates Spider-Man's fate. But I refuse to believe it has to end in tragedy. Something's wrong."

"The Web of Life?"

Gwen frowned, unfamiliar with the term.

"It's a mystical force that governs Spider-Man's fate," Xia Luo explained.

His expression darkened. The Web of Life, controlled by the Master Weaver, had clearly fallen into the hands of the Inheritors.

To change Spider-Man's fate, he would have to confront them.

But why had the Master Weaver created such a tragic destiny for Spider-Man in the first place?

Maybe he was just bored.

---

Suddenly, Gwen said, "Since we both have spider totems now, you don't have to avoid me anymore."

Xia Luo considered this. "You're sure?"

"Of course."

"Alright then."

Before Xia Luo could demonstrate the spider totem's power, Gwen's body began to shift. Liquid tendrils formed a demonic face that lunged at him.

"Hahaha! I'll eat you!"

"No!" Gwen yelped, but Xia Luo calmly grabbed the creature by its "throat."

"What a nasty symbiote," he muttered.

"I'll eat you!" the creature snarled before curling its tongue into a heart shape.

"Or… maybe I'll love you," it purred, its eyes turning pink.

Xia Luo's expression twisted in horror.

This… this was Venom Girl all over again.

Gwen hastily reabsorbed the symbiote, her face red as she scanned their surroundings.

"Sorry, Abby's emotions are a bit unstable," she said awkwardly.

"Abby?" Xia Luo asked, stiffening. "You named it Abby?"

"Yes. Why?"

Xia Luo: "..."

Of course. It was her.

---

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