Restart, Spider-Man!

That night, Director Pierce's Office.

Outside, the flicker of red and blue passed by as Xia Luo swung into the room.

The office looked like it had been ransacked, papers and furniture scattered everywhere, as if a robbery had just taken place.

Seeing this, Xia Luo's heart sank. He was too late.

"Carter, Pierce has fled."

"What?"

On the other end, Carter's face hardened.

"How is that possible? He's risen to Defense Secretary—this is HYDRA's highest position in the system. For him to suddenly abandon it… there's something we're missing."

Xia Luo nodded. "I have a bad feeling about this. It's like they anticipated our moves and withdrew early.

"For them to abandon all these years of infiltration, their next plan must be far beyond what we're expecting."

Carter's face turned grim. "Let's check on the other HYDRA agents."

Before she could finish, Agent Hill burst into her office, visibly distressed.

"Ma'am, it's terrible! Many agents are unresponsive. We can't reach them—or their families."

"What?"

Carter's heart sank. She realized what this meant: these missing agents… they were all HYDRA.

"How many agents have gone dark?" she asked.

"Almost two-thirds of the agency."

"What?!"

Carter was in complete shock.

Two-thirds of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents?

So S.H.I.E.L.D. had been HYDRA territory all along.

No—SNAKE S.H.I.E.L.D. seemed more appropriate.

If HYDRA's leadership had just given the word, they could have flipped S.H.I.E.L.D. without resistance.

What was Steve, then?

As HYDRA's top leader, killed by Spider-Man in his own home, it was practically absurd.

What made it even worse was that HYDRA hadn't chosen to take over S.H.I.E.L.D. first before acting, but instead, abandoned years of hard work for some unknown plan.

And the unknown is terrifying.

Carter's hands were trembling.

She was afraid.

Over the comms, Xia Luo heard Hill's report.

He sprang out the window, pressing close to the sleek glass of the skyscraper.

Looking out over the neon-lit city, he felt his arm hair rise; his body's natural sense of danger told him this time, even if he wasn't the target, he wouldn't escape unscathed.

"A global catastrophe all over again?"

He took a deep breath, calming his racing heart.

"Guess Spider-Man saving the world one more time wouldn't be so bad."

With a faint smile, Xia Luo leapt from the building.

Before long, he arrived in Hell's Kitchen.

In Kingpin's mansion, Ben Parker and Aunt May stood on a high platform, passionately addressing their underground followers.

"With great power comes great responsibility. Today, we may be feared as an underground syndicate, but tomorrow, we can be the heroes of New York!

"Yes, maybe once we didn't have a choice, but now we do.

"We don't have to live like rats in the dark anymore."

The crowd raised their fists, echoing the call.

"A better future!"

"Long live Spider-Man!"

"Hell's Kitchen forever!"

But after the rally, murmurs started.

"What a joke—does he expect us to help old ladies cross the street?"

"You think she'd pay us for that?"

"Doubt it—I robbed that lady last week."

"Last time, I beat up the kid from the corner store. Now I'm supposed to apologize? Retirement sounds good."

Overhearing the grumbling from the rooftop, Xia Luo chuckled.

"Uncle Ben and Aunt May's careers as crime bosses are off to a rough start. Good luck."

He swung off, returning to Bleeker Street, where he decided to make a fresh bottle of formula for Baby Kingpin.

Baby Kingpin, seeing Xia Luo in his suit, looked puzzled and a bit suspicious.

"What's going on?" he asked through the neural sensor. "You're not going to scheme against me again, are you? I've already told you everything I know. Don't do this—I'm scared…"

Xia Luo shrugged. "Relax. I'm not scheming. I just… figured I'd been a little too hard on you lately, so maybe it's time I made up for it."

This only made Baby Kingpin even more alarmed.

"Something's not right. You must be up to something. Stop it! I'm just a baby—I'm harmless!"

Xia Luo stuffed the bottle in his mouth. "I have a feeling… I might not make it back this time," he said softly.

Baby Kingpin's eyes widened. "?????"

"For you, isn't that pretty normal?"

"Sure, but this time feels… different."

Raising his arm, Xia Luo could still see the goosebumps there, signaling something much more sinister lay ahead.

"I know what this is—it's your Spidey-Sense," Baby Kingpin said.

Xia Luo shook his head. "No… it's something else. I've never felt like this."

He placed Baby Kingpin on the sofa, propping him up.

"If you're lucky, you'll hang on until I come back."

With that, Xia Luo put down a spare bottle and headed to the window.

In the apartment next door, he spotted Mary Jane, bent over her desk, studying late into the night.

He tapped on the window, startling her.

"Oh! Spider-Man!"

Seeing his masked face, Mary Jane held her hand to her chest.

She opened the window. "You nearly scared me to death."

Xia Luo shrugged. "Studying this late? You didn't use to try so hard."

"How would you know what I used to do?" she asked suspiciously.

"Xia Luo told me."

"He really does talk too much," she muttered, then added, "What else am I supposed to do? Xia Luo's getting better every day, Harry's a superhero now too, and me… I'm just a normal girl. I have to try harder if I want to keep up with my friends."

Xia Luo clapped. "You know, that's great to hear."

"Great for you?"

"No, great for Xia Luo."

"Well, tonight you're acting a lot more… sentimental than usual."

Mary Jane leaned her chin on her hand. "Everyone feels down sometimes. Even Spider-Man, I guess?"

"Not me." Xia Luo shook his head.

After a pause, he asked, "If it were the end of the world… what's the one thing you'd want to do?"

"The end of the world?"

Mary Jane raised a brow. "You really are feeling down."

She looked out the window in thought.

"I think I'd go back to being a kid… back when we didn't have to worry about…"

"Wait, I didn't ask what you wished for. I asked what you'd do."

"Oh, well, that's not the same at all. You should have been clearer."

"I was perfectly clear."

"Well, if it were really the end… I guess I wouldn't do anything. Because if the world was ending, Xia Luo would protect me."

"You mean Xia Luo?"

"Yes, I'm sure of it."

Xia Luo fired a web and swung away into the night.

Watching his retreating figure, Mary Jane's eyes narrowed, thoughtful.

"He's acting… really weird."

With a shake of her head, she returned to her script.

Maybe she couldn't become a top scientist, but she could still become a famous stage actress. That was the plan, anyway.

---

Before long, Xia Luo landed on the castle rooftop.

"Hey, you alone out here?" he called down to Harry in the courtyard.

Harry looked up from his bottle of whiskey. The red and blue figure shimmered in the moonlight, reflecting a metallic sheen.

"Spider-Man, huh? Care to join me for a drink?" he asked with a grin, raising his glass.

Xia Luo nodded, swinging down to grab the offered glass.

"Actually, I only drink juice."

"Juice?"

Harry blinked. "Don't tell me—you don't drink alcohol?"

"Maybe."

Xia Luo shot out a web and fashioned a hammock midair, sprawling out comfortably with his hands behind his head as he gazed up at the stars.

"I think I'll sleep here tonight."

"You're welcome to," Harry replied, downing his drink and then lying back on the grass himself.

He clasped his hands behind his head, looking up at the same stars. "Feels like old times," he murmured.

"What does?"

Harry laughed. "Back in the day, whenever school was out, Xia Luo would come over and hang out."

"Are you sure he was here to hang out?"

"Okay, fine. He was mostly here to raid the fridge. Most of the imported food was devoured by him."

After a pause, Harry noticed Xia Luo hadn't replied.

Turning his head, he found Xia Luo already fast asleep.

Harry chuckled. "Right. Nobody wakes a sleeping Spider-Man."

Then he shut his eyes, dozing off on the grass.

Soon, the old butler appeared, gently draping blankets over both of them.

Looking at the slumbering Spider-Man in the web hammock and Harry on the grass below, a smile wrinkled his face.

"Just like old times. They're still kids at heart."

He cast a glance toward the castle, and for a moment, he could almost see Norman's shadow there.

"John, let them be. Get some rest; staying up late is bad for your health."

"Sir, you should rest too."

"No, it's different for me. I'm staying up for Harry's future."

"Then, sir, I am too. For both of your futures."

"Ha! We both have a bright future, I'm sure of it."

But in the butler's blurred eyes, Norman's shadow was fading away.

"Our future…" he whispered, his eyes glistening with tears.

Silently, he approached Xia Luo, turning his back to him.

He lifted his collar at the nape of his neck, where a red marking glinted faintly under the moonlight.

It was HYDRA's emblem.

"Spider-Man, if you can see this, find Dr. Otto—maybe there's still time."

With that, the old butler adjusted his collar and walked away, his steps heavy.

In the hammock, Xia Luo's half-closed eyes flashed a soft blue.

He sat up, watching the butler's retreating figure with a sigh.

"Thank you, Mr. John."

"Chirp chirp!"

The Arc-Spider crawled up his chest, emitting a small surge of blue light that tore through the night.

The Dark Before Dawn.

On the coast, a team of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were adjusting the devices around them.

"Power stabilized."

"Tritium levels calibrated."

"Prepare to output energy."

A faint golden light pulsed to life, expanding rapidly within the dust-filled room.

The light pierced through the window, casting a glow across the night. Dr. Otto Octavius stirred, finally waking from his sleep.

"Huh… what happened?" he murmured, blinking to find his wife Rose arranging surgical tools nearby.

"You're awake."

Rose's smile was gentle as she wrung out a bloodstained towel, the sharp scent of iron filling the room. She seemed utterly unbothered by it, as though it was routine by now.

Softly, she dabbed the cloth against Otto's face, wiping away stray specks of blood.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"I feel… fine. But what happened?" Otto struggled to sit up, confusion clouding his gaze.

Rose smiled serenely. "I implanted something remarkable. It'll help you control your mechanical arms better and fulfill our dream."

"Our dream…"

The mechanical arms on Otto's back twitched, their red lights flickering.

In that moment, Otto looked through his mechanical limbs and saw it—the little sun slowly rising.

It was his artificial sun.

"What? How is it—?" Otto's eyes widened.

Rose stroked his face gently. "Relax. No one stole your research. They've simply helped make your dream a reality."

She glanced toward the glowing light in the lab.

"Maybe we don't have much of an audience here tonight, but I know you'll be pleased.

"As we speak, identical experiments are happening all over the world.

"By tomorrow, Otto, you'll go down in history as the world's most celebrated scientist."

"Identical experiments?"

Otto's eyes widened. "No, you can't. I realized from the last test that the tritium values still need precise adjustments! If you do this now, you'll ruin everything… you'll destroy the world!"

He tried to rise and intervene, but Rose held him tightly.

"No, my love, don't. We can't stop it now."

Her eyes were pleading. "The instability of the artificial sun is exactly why they decided to initiate this plan."

"What… what does that mean?" Otto stammered.

With a sigh, Rose turned and pulled down her collar, revealing the HYDRA emblem on her neck.

"You understand, don't you? I'm not just your wife. I'm also part of HYDRA. This was always their plan. To keep you alive, I had to share your research with them."

She clasped Otto's hands, her voice almost a prayer. "Please, don't try to stop them. The black holes created by the unstable sun will wipe out military bases worldwide.

"What nuclear weapons can't achieve, this flawed artificial sun will.

"HYDRA will rise from the ashes of the apocalypse. No one—not even Spider-Man—can stop this."

"You… you're insane!" Otto's body was trembling uncontrollably.

"Black holes consume everything! Don't you know that?"

"But they can't consume their ambition."

As that voice cut through the room, blue electricity surged, a streak of light flashing between them as Xia Luo raced toward the artificial sun.

"Dr. Otto, you must stop them. Your experiment was meant to improve the world, not to aid in its destruction!"

---

T/N: welll yeah if he fucks this up it's actually over, doesn't matter if you can revive when the whole world is gone

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