Restart, Spider-Man!

"Spider-Man!"

A reporter huddling in the corner snapped away at the scene unfolding in the lab.

"Spider-Man's back to face the Vulture again. Can he actually beat him this time?" Eddie, the reporter, was watching with bated breath.

Tony frowned. "I thought he was dead?"

Carter chuckled. "He was… and then he wasn't."

Harry limped over to Carter. "Captain, you knew he'd show up, didn't you?"

"No."

Carter's smile faded. "I didn't know."

Gwen sighed in relief. "At least he didn't take long this time. Talk about perfect timing."

Dr. Octavius gently squeezed his wife Ruth's shoulder. "It's all right now. It's all right."

Ruth, still rattled, said, "Let's get out of here. Spider-Man can't beat him; I've seen the news."

"Hahaha, exactly! That bug doesn't stand a chance against me."

Adrian quickly recovered his composure.

Hovering above Xia Luo, he leered down at him, a sinister grin spreading across his face.

"Pathetic bug, your speed is pitiful. You'll never win."

"Never win? I don't understand the concept."

Xia Luo raised his hand, and a spark of electricity crackled in the air.

"Chirrrp!"

The little lightning spider crawled up his hand, its round core pulsing with energy that caught Tony's eye.

"It's magic—he's using his magic!"

Tony recalled that mission to save the mutated spiders.

And Carter connected the dots as well.

He used the massive energy of the reactor explosion to summon his pet spider.

That explains everything.

She looked thoughtful.

Gwen's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Spider-Man's got a new pet. That must mean he's gained a new power too."

At that instant, Xia Luo gripped the little lightning spider tightly.

"All right, Baldie, time to pay for your sins!"

Sizzzzzle—

In a flash, the lightning spider crawled onto his chest, where its mechanical legs spread across him in a display of pulsing electric arcs, replacing the original spider emblem.

Hum—

Electric arcs surged along his suit, causing the blue spider emblem to glow brightly.

Lightning. Speed.

Crackle—

With a blinding flash, Xia Luo vanished.

An instant later, there was a tremendous crash from above, and green feathers fluttered to the ground. Adrian, wreathed in electric arcs, had been blasted through the ceiling, disappearing from view.

"So fast!"

"I couldn't capture it on camera at all."

Eddie's jaw dropped. "Spider-Man came prepared this time."

Carter pushed herself up. "Shut down the reactor. We can't let the artificial sun go haywire."

She had barely spoken when another hole erupted in the ceiling, and a glowing blue streak slammed Adrian back to the floor.

Boom!

Amid the scattering debris, Adrian scrambled up with a furious roar. "Impossible! How do you have this speed?!"

But before he could take off again, a blue flash shot toward him.

Sizzzzzle—

BAM!

The blue figure landed hard as Adrian desperately tried to take to the air.

"You're not getting away."

Electricity surged around Xia Luo as he smirked. The spider reactor embedded in his chest whirred, unleashing a burst of electricity that engulfed him once more.

Crackle—

Legs coiling with energy, Xia Luo launched himself in pursuit of the green figure.

As he shot forward, Tony hastily called to Jarvis.

"Jarvis, did you catch that?"

"Yes, sir. It appears that Spider-Man is utilizing an arc reactor for his power source."

"Just as I thought."

Tony now understood: the explosion last night hadn't killed Spider-Man at all; it had merely been him summoning his magic spider using the massive reactor's energy.

"Spider-Man's using the arc reactor's high-speed rotation to boost his own speed. The immense power would strain the human body, but he can probably handle it," Tony noted.

"Boosting speed with the arc reactor's rotation?" Carter raised an eyebrow. "But if that's the case, then Spider-Man should have been able to injure Adrian with his hits. He should have shattered him with a single blow."

Dr. Octavius, listening, speculated, "I'm unfamiliar with magic, but it's clear the Vulture's incredible speed must come at some price."

"If it were only a matter of speed enhancement," Tony pointed out, "I would have already captured him by now."

Gwen seemed to have a theory. "So Spider-Man's magic is allowing him to convert the arc reactor's rotation into speed, but at the cost of weakening his raw power. He can't go all out without hurting himself."

Carter nodded. "That makes sense. Adrian's speed comes from the Time Monolith, so he's got no drawbacks. But Spider-Man's magic can't keep up with an artifact's power, so the side effects are clear."

At this, Harry limped over to the power switch.

"Are you guys done chatting? The priority is still stopping the artificial sun from going haywire, isn't it?"

Shaking his head, he pulled the lever, and the glow of the artificial sun dimmed as its energy supply was cut off.

Without it, the Time Monolith fell inert, drifting to the ground and returning to its original, ancient state.

Carter moved to examine the stone, but Dr. Octavius stopped her.

"Hold on. If it could withstand the artificial sun's heat, it's probably scorching right now…"

He didn't finish his sentence before the ceiling shattered again, and Adrian came tumbling through with a storm of green feathers, hotly pursued by a streak of blue lightning.

BOOM!

Bam, bam—

A continuous clash of blue and green tore through the lab, leaving trails of sparks as they went.

Barely visible, Adrian swooped down and snagged the Time Monolith as he zipped past.

Dr. Octavius froze, speechless.

Carter gave him a side glance. "Too hot to touch, was it?"

"Maybe he doesn't mind getting burned," Octavius mumbled awkwardly.

Sizzzzzz—

With a crackling sweep, Xia Luo cut Adrian off.

"Where do you think you're going?" he sneered.

"Damn you, bug."

Adrian's expression soured. Holding onto the Time Monolith had affected his speed, slowing him down just enough to lose his edge.

If he had the upper hand before, that slight speed reduction was now making all the difference. Xia Luo was now closing in, tilting the balance in his favor.

Crackle—

Wham!

With a flash of lightning, Adrian took a brutal hit, crashing into a corner piled high with lab equipment.

"Too slow! Far too slow! Your speed's abysmal."

Xia Luo held up a torn piece of Adrian's green wing, a mocking grin on his face.

The edge of the wing sputtered with sparks, the internal mechanisms scorched by the electric current.

"Curse you, bug!"

Adrian growled under the debris, struggling to his feet.

He tried to take off again, but with only one wing, he couldn't recover his former speed.

With the glow of the Time Monolith flickering, the green light faded from his skin, and his youthful face aged rapidly.

"No! My face—"

"Vain old man, your time's up."

Tossing aside the broken wing, Xia Luo pressed a hand to the electric spider emblem on his chest.

Electricity surged over his body, gathering in a charged, pulsing glow.

As he crouched down, the floor beneath him cracked under the pressure.

BOOM!

The ground trembled as Xia Luo shot forward, darting around Adrian in a lightning-fast weave, circling him like an electric storm.

Crackle—

Bam, bam, bam!

"No!!"

With each scream, Adrian's green suit was torn to shreds by the electricity surging around him, piece by piece disintegrating.

"Old man, remember to wear some underwear next time you put on a suit."

Three seconds later, the crackling stopped, and Xia Luo appeared in the midst of the flickering arcs.

He casually tossed aside a scrap of green fabric, then turned and kicked the stunned Adrian straight into the wall.

BAM!

Bricks exploded as Adrian slumped down, coughing up blood, his face frozen in shock before he passed out cold.

"Captain Carter, could you call an ambulance? Let's make sure he doesn't die on us," Xia Luo called, giving a wave.

Carter snapped out of it. "Right… absolutely."

Nearby, Eddie and the other reporters frantically snapped photos.

"Spider-Man won."

"He's still unbeatable, the one and only Spider-Man."

"Boss, we've got tomorrow's front-page story! And it's not about Dr. Octavius's artificial sun experiment; his whole lab got trashed!"

"It's about Spider-Man. He's defeated the Vulture."

As the crowd watched, Xia Luo picked up the Time Monolith and slowly walked out of the lab.

Once he was safely out of sight, he leaned back against a wall, rubbing his leg.

"Numb…"

You've defeated the Vulture as the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. +15 restart points.

Seeing the message pop up, Xia Luo finally relaxed a little.

Current restart points: 35.

But despite the increase, he couldn't shake an uneasy feeling.

Because right at times like these, a powerful enemy always seemed to show up and try to mess him up, usually draining away all his newly gained points in the process.

Just as he thought this, his Spider Sense tingled with a warning.

"They're here!"

Xia Luo narrowed his eyes and reached up to intercept a metallic fist.

BOOM!

Wind blasted as the two fists collided, and the wall nearby splintered, bricks crumbling under the shockwave.

"Crashhh!"

As debris rained down, Xia Luo looked up to see the familiar rhino-shaped mech glinting ominously in the sunlight.

"Alexei?" he asked.

"It's me, you damn bug—you're dead meat!"

The mech's cockpit door burst open as Rhino, covered in layers of hardened polymer, charged forward with a roar.

"Oh, if it's you, then I don't need to worry," Xia Luo said with a smirk, flipping back to avoid the punch.

BOOM!

The punch missed, smashing into the ground, leaving Alexei's fist embedded in the dirt, stuck.

"Wait, hold on! Just give me a sec, and I'll—thanks," he said, straining to pull his hand free.

Xia Luo shrugged. "If you ran off from prison again, I'm reporting this to S.H.I.E.L.D. and getting your late-night snack privileges cut."

"No, please!" Alexei's eyes widened in horror. "I was just kidding, really!"

"Not funny at all."

Xia Luo flung the Time Monolith at him, then spun in mid-air to deliver a solid kick.

"Agh! That hurts!"

Crash!

The garden wall cracked as Alexei's bulk toppled into it. Xia Luo landed smoothly, catching the falling Time Monolith.

"Phew. Scared me for a moment there. See you later."

He was just about to shoot a web and leave when Alexei called after him.

"Is Xia Luo all right in there? Is he okay?"

Xia Luo paused, glancing back. "He's fine."

With that, he shot out a web and disappeared.

Moments later, Xia Luo re-entered the chaotic lab.

Right then, Dr. Octavius was surrounded by reporters.

"Dr. Octavius, do you know why the Vulture tried to sabotage your experiment?"

"Doctor, if Spider-Man hadn't stopped him, would the artificial sun have destroyed all of New York?"

"Doctor, when will you attempt the artificial sun experiment again? Can you give us an exact date?"

"Doctor—"

Outside the circle of reporters, Harry was being bandaged up by the medical staff. When he spotted Xia Luo, he gave a grimace.

"Where were you?" he asked, wincing.

Xia Luo took a look at his friend's injuries, then shrugged. "Obviously, I was hiding. I'm not a hero like you guys. I don't get my wounds treated right in the lab."

"You're the worst," Harry grumbled, though it was hard to tell if his pain was from his injuries or the nurse's rough handling.

Nearby, Carter was tearing the hem of her dress to help bandage an injured businessman.

Noticing how the man was staring at Carter in awe, Xia Luo raised a brow. "You had gauze. Why use your dress?"

Carter thought about it for a second. "Because the reporters are taking pictures of me," she said, nodding toward Eddie.

Xia Luo was speechless.

Even heroes are afraid of public opinion, he thought.

Glancing around, he saw Tony leaning in a corner, seemingly lost in thought about improving his suit since it hadn't been much help in the fight.

Xia Luo approached him. "There's no need to make any changes."

"What?" Tony looked up, surprised.

Xia Luo smirked. "Because you're only going to use it once."

Tony blinked, then laughed. "You know, you're right. Why stress over it?"

He stood up, still grinning. "I get why Spider-Man made you his contact guy."

"You've said that before."

"Did I?" Tony shrugged. "Maybe I had two reasons."

Just then, a commotion broke out as Nick Fury entered the scene, immediately drawing the reporters' attention.

Trailing behind him was Alexei, which, of course, caused quite a stir.

"Mr. Fury, is that the super-criminal Rhino?" a reporter called out.

"Obviously," Fury replied coolly.

Eddie pushed forward with his mic. "Rhino should be in prison, not here. The public deserves an explanation."

Fury's expression didn't change as he replied, "I came to provide one.

"Before Alexei appeared, I'd already initiated a special program, the Thunderbolts Initiative, which will assemble a team of super-criminals who'll work to take down other super-criminals, repaying their debt to society for their past actions."

The journalists were stunned.

"What's the difference between this and the Avengers?"

"The difference is clear. The Avengers embody justice. The Thunderbolts… will only seek redemption."

With that, Fury officially announced the Thunderbolts Initiative.

Watching this unfold, Carter's expression darkened.

"What is he thinking? He's telling criminals that it's okay to break the law because they'll still get a chance," she said, clenching her teeth.

Xia Luo crossed his arms, amused. "That's the point. Every super-criminal despises Spider-Man. By playing off their hatred, he's able to recruit them."

At that moment, Alexei spotted Xia Luo and beamed, pushing through the crowd to reach him.

"I asked Spider-Man, and he said you were fine!" Alexei said with a broad smile.

Xia Luo gave him a nod. "Thanks for asking."

Alexei glanced over at Fury. "He said you'd be here, so I agreed to come along."

Xia Luo raised an eyebrow and glanced over at Carter. "I guessed right."

Carter's face grew serious. "This means there's no way we can let Adrian fall into Fury's hands."

She looked at Alexei, a thought forming. "Xia Luo is your friend?"

Alexei nodded. "Of course. He's my best friend."

"Good. If you join my Thunderbolts, you'll get to see your friend whenever you want."

Xia Luo's expression grew amused. "Wait… are you building your own Thunderbolts too?"

"Of course. If Nick has his Thunderbolts, I can have my own as well," Carter replied with a smirk. "And, at the very least, I'd have more candidates than he does."

Xia Luo rubbed his temples. "This rivalry is getting intense. Poaching recruits? Not exactly the most honest approach. Fury's definitely not going to let that slide."

"He will," Alexei chimed in, grinning. "All I have to do is mess up a few of his missions, and he'll write me off completely."

Xia Luo raised an eyebrow, impressed. "Wow, look who got clever."

"See? You guys think I'm just muscle. But when it matters, I can be pretty smart!" Alexei declared, looking quite proud of himself.

"All right then, it's settled." Carter extended her hand to Alexei, sealing the deal in a handshake—a sight that Nick Fury happened to witness from across the room.

For some reason, seeing this unfold left him with a sense of foreboding.

Xia Luo also felt a little strange about it all, though he couldn't quite put his finger on why.

After exchanging farewells with everyone, he eventually returned to his rented apartment, where Felicia was already waiting for him.

"You found the Time Monolith," she said, cutting to the point. "Now we just have to figure out how to use it to save my father."

Xia Luo waved a hand dismissively. "We've got Adrian in custody. He'll spill everything we need to know."

Felicia, however, looked doubtful. "No one's going to help their enemy out of the goodness of their heart."

"True. I'm his enemy, but you're not."

Xia Luo gave the Time Monolith a little pat. "Here's the plan: I'll arrange for you to 'break Adrian out.' Earning his trust will be easier than you think. After all, no one knows you're on our side."

Felicia's eyes lit up at the idea.

"Perfect. Let's do it."

She left to make preparations, while Xia Luo stared down at the Time Monolith, lost in thought.

If he could unlock the Stone's secret to reversing aging, the Old Man wouldn't have to keep putting himself through those grueling revival tournaments.

But the biggest challenge was figuring out how to actually get the Time Monolith to old Steve.

Through the revival rounds?

No, that was pretty much impossible—unless he gained the ability to traverse the multiverse.

And even then, it wasn't guaranteed he'd find him.

This was definitely going to be a headache.

---

T/N: Aww he does care!

If you notice anything that feels off, just let me know—I don't mind fixing things up.

Oh, and don't forget to sit up, grab some water, and take it easy while you're here. No rush, right?

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