Chapter 64: Spider-Man Exposed
As the phone floated up, it projected a holographic image, revealing none other than Tony Stark's "arrogant" face.
"Haha! You rebellious brat! What, still dreaming of going head-to-head with your dad Tony Stark? Let me tell you, that'll never happen!"
Tony, with a smug look of complete control, continued, "Little AI is my creation. Even though I gave you full permissions, I programmed the 'Tony Stark Supremacy' directive as the highest command. Even I can't change it unless I rebuild her from scratch. Hahaha!"
"Do you think I recorded this video just to mock you? I..."
"Daddy! Daddy!"
Just as Tony was reveling in his arrogance, the voice of little Morgan interrupted the video.
"Alright, you should thank Morgan. Otherwise, I would have made sure you couldn't sleep tonight," Tony said with a helpless shrug.
"Lastly, while Little AI is customized as your phone, that's just incidental. More importantly, it's actually a nanobot container."
"It contains a brand-new set of Mark 85 Nano Armor. Uh… you probably don't understand, right? Let me simplify: I gave you a suit of armor identical to the one I wore when we fought Ultron together."
"Wear it and stay alive. Emm… though your magic is impressive, I've personally seen Strange get taken down by one of Thanos' goons. Your spell-casting is way too slow!"
"In the future, remember to put on the armor first when dealing with strong opponents. Alright, that's it. Morgan's about to cry, and Pepper is definitely going to be furious."
Just as Ned thought the video was about to end, Tony suddenly reappeared in the projection, emphasizing, "Protect the Earth. Strange said Thanos' snap was the inevitable destiny of all life in the universe, but I don't believe it."
"So, kid, alright, I forgot you and Lebowski did that fat-removal thing. Anyway, kid, wear my armor and give that bastard a good beating!"
The video finally ended, the projection shut down, and the phone gently landed back on Ned's chest.
"Well, their Avengers killed Thanos twice, but it seems Tony still hasn't fully recovered from the trauma."
"Just for this armor, we have to leave our Thanos for Tony to kill," Ned thought, feeling reassured by the weight of the phone on his chest. With the most advanced Nano Armor by his side, he felt much safer.
"Speaking of which… where did Xiwen go?"
Ned muttered to himself before saying, "Little AI, I want to watch a movie."
"Okay, sir. What movie would you like to watch?"
Little AI's voice sounded as the phone floated up again.
"You pick."
Ned wanted to watch the Avengers series, but he was sure Little AI wouldn't find any of those films, so he let her choose.
"Okay, sir."
As the voice fell, another holographic image appeared from the phone. If Ned wasn't mistaken, it showed Captain America—Steve Rogers—dressed in his star-spangled uniform, holding a shield, and... dancing?
"Mr. Stark, in his infinite wisdom, set it up so that if you let me choose a movie, I'd start with footage of Captain Steve Rogers' national tour from the 1940s," Little AI explained as the video played. "Additionally, to enhance your viewing experience, the meticulous Mr. Stark had Friday colorize and remaster the footage for better clarity."
"..."
Ned was speechless. Completely speechless.
"Switch it. I don't want to watch America's ass."
"Okay, sir."
…
Time flew, and before he knew it, night had fallen.
Still waiting for Huang Xiwen to return, Ned was tempted to have Little AI hack into all the cameras in New York to find her—if not for the fact that the cloak was still with her.
After all, New York's nights were nothing like back home, where it was safer. And… who knew if she'd gone out for BBQ? How could a girl go out for BBQ alone at night?
…
"Mia, take a break. Dinner will be ready soon."
Gwen, ever perceptive, pulled Xiwen away and took her on an entire afternoon shopping spree. Both of them were now so exhausted that they collapsed into chairs in Gwen's house, too tired to move.
"Alright, Gwen."
Since Gwen had shown no unusual behavior throughout the day, Xiwen didn't suspect anything. She simply assumed Gwen had wanted to hang out and invited her over for dinner.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Suddenly, a noise came from the window. Gwen's face immediately changed, and she rushed to stop Xiwen from heading toward it, but she was too late.
"P... Parker?"
Xiwen looked at the window, shocked to see Peter in his Spider-Man suit, covered in injuries.
"Uh…"
Peter had never imagined his identity would be exposed like this. Just as he was about to say something, Gwen hurried over, looking helpless at the sight.
Finally, she grabbed Xiwen's hand and said, "Mia, please keep this a secret. Peter, he…"
"Mm, I understand. Don't worry," Xiwen nodded. While she was surprised that Peter Parker, often bullied at school, was actually Spider-Man, a famous New York superhero, it wasn't a big deal to someone who lived with a sorcerer like Xiwen.
"Oh, Peter!"
Relieved by Xiwen's response, Gwen turned and was startled again by Peter's injuries. She quickly helped him inside, asking nervously, "What happened? You…"
"It's all my fault…"
Peter shook his head in regret, saying, "It's all my fault. Dr. Connors… he's the Lizard. He experimented on himself, and the confidence to do so came from the formula I gave him…"
"Oh my…"
Gwen covered her mouth in disbelief at Peter's words.
"Dr. Connors? The Lizard? How are they connected?"
Xiwen, of course, knew about the Lizard—his notoriety in New York was nearly on par with Spider-Man's.
But that's exactly why she was shocked. After all, Dr. Connors was a highly respected figure. How could he be the Lizard?
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