Restart, Spider-Man!

Sensing something unusual about Old Man Steve, Xia Luo's gaze turned sharp.

"You're not him!"

He shoved the man away, his hands erupting in brilliant magical light.

In his soul state, Old Man Steve felt an overwhelming sense of dread.

Without hesitation, he unleashed a torrent of words, speaking faster than the speediest rapper:

"When you left, we tried finding Strange, but he couldn't open a cosmic portal! However, he discovered a better method—opening a passage to hell itself to save Tony! But only souls can enter Mephisto's Hell, so what you're seeing now is just my soul! If you attack me, I'll die! You must believe me because… I know your superpower is sensing sh—!!"

Before he could finish, a fist the size of a sandbag stopped right in front of his nose, cutting through the air like a gale.

Old Man Steve's face turned pale. Wiping the cold sweat that wasn't even there, he let out a long sigh of relief.

"If I were even a second slower, I'd be toast."

Xia Luo withdrew his fist with a benevolent smile.

"You really shouldn't say such secrets out loud. If I hear it again, I'll personally send you to meet Jesus."

His tone was calm and gentle.

Old Man Steve's mouth twitched. "Don't threaten seniors like that. I might just drop dead right here."

"Fine. But wow, your speed was incredible—didn't even pause for punctuation."

"Just average. Practice makes perfect."

"You dating someone?"

"No. Just practiced before."

"No wonder your butt isn't as firm as it used to be. Instead of working out, you picked up rapping."

"That's because I'm old."

"Fair enough. By the way, as you might've noticed, I'm currently a very tasty bug. Got anything to help mask my scent?" Xia Luo asked.

Old Man Steve turned to walk away. "Follow me."

Xia Luo raised a brow but followed.

"I was only joking. Do you really have a solution?"

"Nope."

Xia Luo: "..."

"Strange knows a lot of magic, but he couldn't do anything either?"

Old Man Steve replied without turning back. "We snuck in. The Sorcerer Supreme is busy keeping the hell portal from closing."

Hearing this, Xia Luo shook his head helplessly.

"I get it. The Sorcerer Supreme always has his hands tied at crucial moments. That's just how it is."

In other words, he's slacking off.

"By the way, what was that earlier? Looked like you wanted to eat me."

Old Man Steve scratched his head. "I don't know. You just smell really good."

"The wraiths think so too."

"So, I'm turning into a wraith?"

"Maybe I'm just that fragrant."

"Yeah, you are."

On the streets, Old Man Steve scanned their surroundings. Wherever Xia Luo went, nearby souls gravitated toward him as if drawn by instinct.

Their gazes were ravenous, like they might pounce and devour him at any moment.

"Should we kill a few of them to make a statement?" Old Man Steve suggested.

Xia Luo rolled his eyes. "Do I look like some kind of maniac? Don't think of me as so violent."

Without another word, he turned and smashed the head of a nearby dog-headed wraith.

Old Man Steve: "..."

The surrounding wraiths, now wary of Xia Luo's brutal display, hesitated, a flicker of fear in their eyes.

Before they could act, a voice filled with disdain cut through the crowd.

"You despicable wraiths, scram! This living human belongs to the master!"

A group of alien apes, armed with electromagnetic weapons, shoved the wraiths aside as they encircled Xia Luo and Old Man Steve.

As the aliens laid eyes on the pair, they exchanged confused glances.

"These two… look familiar."

"Like we've seen them somewhere before."

Both Old Man Steve and Xia Luo glanced at each other.

"These guys are..."

"Chitauri soldiers!"

"Earth's superheroes!"

In an instant, both sides shouted in unison. The Chitauri turned and bolted without hesitation.

"Oh no, it's Spider-Man!"

"And that terrifying guy who caught Thanos' punch!!"

"Run!!"

Seeing this, Xia Luo leapt into the air, firing magical webbing to bind the fleeing soldiers together.

Old Man Steve grabbed one Chitauri soldier and interrogated him. "Where's Thanos?"

The soldier trembled in terror. "I-I don't know…"

"Then who's your master?" Xia Luo asked.

"It's… it's…"

"It's us."

A massive axe suddenly tore through the air toward them. Without even glancing back, Xia Luo raised a hand and caught the massive weapon effortlessly.

Thud, thud, thud…

The ground trembled as a towering figure stepped forward—a sneer full of disdain on his face.

"Earth's superheroes. You've come here as well. Perfect. We can have another round."

Black Dwarf grinned menacingly, revealing his sharp teeth.

Behind him, Ebony Maw, Corvus Glaive, and Proxima Midnight emerged in turn, sending ripples of panic through the surrounding wraiths.

"It's the Black Order!"

"They wiped out the local guard and took over Bone City not long ago."

"Damn it! With them here, that living human won't be ours to feast on."

"Shut up! If they notice us, we're done for."

"Let's get out of here..."

Some wraiths fled the scene, while others stayed hidden to watch, clearly scheming for an opportunity.

Little did they know, such an opportunity existed only in their imaginations.

Xia Luo studied the Black Order and noticed something different about them.

"You're not the ones I encountered before. Who are you?"

Ebony Maw crossed his hands behind his back, exuding an air of elegance.

"Earth's superheroes, forgetting us so soon. How heartbreaking!"

He raised a hand, manipulating the giant bone structures around them, lifting them into the air with immense telekinetic force.

"You used Pym Particles to travel through time and space. Now, you face the consequences. But it's not enough. For ruining Lord Thanos' plans, you must die again!"

His eyes gleamed with malice as he finished his declaration.

With a deafening BOOM!, the levitating structures crashed down toward them.

Old Man Steve clenched his fists, his Captain America suit shredding to tatters as his muscles bulged grotesquely.

With a roar, he bellowed, "Old Man Serious Punch!"

BOOM!!

The air itself seemed to freeze as the structures crumbled under his strike.

Xia Luo, now crackling with lightning, dodged effortlessly, marveling as Steve went head-to-head with Ebony Maw's telekinesis.

"Wow, old man, you're gutsy!" he shouted.

Among the debris, Steve exuded a commanding presence that made even the Black Order falter.

"What's going on?"

"Why is he still so strong despite his age?"

"Could he have become an Asgardian god?"

"Asgardian gods only get stronger with age. That must be it…"

Their expressions turned grim.

Xia Luo landed lightly beside Steve, smirking.

"Sorry, I avoid brute force when I can run. My speed's unmatched."

With that, he formed a series of hand seals. Behind him, several arms materialized in shimmering magical light.

"Strange's magic?" Steve asked, a hint of excitement in his voice.

"Nope. This is Spider-Man-exclusive magic!"

With a flourish, multiple clones of Xia Luo split off, instantly filling the battlefield with chaos.

"Man, it's so hot and sticky here…"

"This time, I'll take the lead."

"Count me in!"

"Alright."

"Unstoppable Friendly Neighbor Whirlwind!"

Two of the clones leapt into the air, spinning rapidly as they plummeted downward, their combined momentum creating a blazing, whirling wheel of destruction.

"What is this?!"

Ebony Maw's face twisted with horror. He manipulated the surrounding debris into an impenetrable shield, but the dazzling wheel of magic effortlessly tore through it, reducing his telekinetic barrier to nothing.

BOOM!!!

The whirlwind struck the ground with devastating force, creating a massive crater. A shockwave rippled outward, flinging Black Dwarf and the others off their feet.

Sparks crackled in the air as an electrified Xia Luo darted past Black Dwarf, extending two fingers toward his opponent's face.

"Poke!"

"No! My eyes!!"

Black Dwarf let out a howl of agony, clutching his face as he stumbled back. Xia Luo's clones seized the opportunity, raining kicks down on him mercilessly.

"Help! Somebody help me!!"

"Ha! Scream all you want—nobody's coming to save you!"

Meanwhile, two other clones flashed forward, disarming Corvus Glaive and Proxima Midnight of their weapons.

"My blade!" Proxima gasped, her voice trembling.

"Here, take it back!"

Xia Luo flung the spear-like weapon, his aim deadly precise.

Thud!

The trident pierced straight through Proxima's chest, pinning her to the ground.

Corvus could only watch as his partner disintegrated into countless shards of soul fragments.

"Proxima!!"

Heartbroken, he let out an anguished roar, only for another electrified Xia Luo to slice him clean in two with the blade he had just retrieved.

Within mere seconds, the formidable Black Order had been wiped out.

As his clones dissolved, Xia Luo flexed his fingers with a nonchalant air.

"All done?"

Surveying the battlefield littered with destruction, he shook his head with a wistful sigh.

"Being unbeatable is just so lonely."

Steve blinked, clearly impressed. "That was amazing! Can you teach me?"

"Sure, but only if you become Spider-Captain."

Steve nodded solemnly. "Deal."

He raised his right hand high before bringing it down in a dramatic flourish.

"Rule number one: Never act out of anger!

"Rule number two: Never let any wrongdoing escape your grasp.

"Rule number three: As the founding Avenger of ultimate justice, Spider-Captain, I—"

Before he could finish, Xia Luo punched him square in the eye, leaving a dark bruise.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"You disgusted me."

Xia Luo dusted off his hands, his gaze sweeping across the now-cleared battlefield where the wraiths had completely vanished.

"Let's move."

"Wait for me!" Steve called, scrambling after him.

---

Before long, they arrived at a densely populated, grimy slum.

The open space was crowded with greedy wraiths. At the center of the commotion, Xia Luo nonchalantly dispatched an out-of-control shark-man before turning his calm gaze toward Old Man Steve.

"Why'd you bring me here?"

"Because Natasha and the others are here. It's crowded and chaotic, making it easier to stay hidden."

"Right. But in places like this, your elite agent habits might need a bit of adjusting."

Xia Luo glanced at the time on his wrist. "We've got thirty minutes left."

"Thirty minutes?" Old Man Steve froze in surprise.

"That's right," Xia Luo replied with a nod. "This resurrection match only gave me an hour."

"What?"

Old Man Steve's expression darkened. "There's no way we can save Tony in just one hour."

"Which is why we need to move quickly."

Xia Luo remained standing in place as Natasha and the others emerged from the crowd.

"We should find somewhere quieter," Clint suggested.

Xia Luo shrugged. "Anywhere with decent ventilation works for me."

"Yeah, I can smell it," Natasha said, swallowing hard as she gazed at Xia Luo.

"You smell amazing!"

Unable to resist, she reached out, fingers aimed toward Xia Luo's chest.

Xia Luo immediately stepped back, his eyes sharp with caution.

"What are you doing? We agreed to just be friends."

"What a shame," Natasha sighed, catching on to what Xia Luo's words implied.

No matter where this guy went, a swarm of ravenous ghouls always followed. Finding a quiet place to talk business was impossible.

"Time is short," Xia Luo said. "Tell me everything you know."

Natasha nodded, exchanging glances with Peter Parker and Clint Barton.

"We've been here for three hours," she began. "The city is called Bone City. Recently, we spotted the souls of Chitauri soldiers here. The Black Order has taken control of this place, but we haven't been able to confirm if Thanos is here as well."

Before Xia Luo could process this information, Clint spoke up.

"I've scouted the city and marked suspicious locations. Based on what I found, I've narrowed down a few spots where Tony might be."

"Give me the locations."

"Got it."

Moments later, Xia Luo received a rough map of the targeted areas.

Finally, it was Peter's turn.

He scratched his head, then asked, "There's a Hell Arcade nearby. Want to check it out?"

Xia Luo's expression darkened. "Great. So you've got nothing useful."

"Sorry." Peter chuckled awkwardly.

"It's fine. I didn't expect much from you anyway."

Xia Luo's attention shifted back to his watch, lost in thought.

Time was running out. Once the timer reset, things would restart from scratch.

Maybe... it was worth a try.

As soon as Xia Luo made his decision, a distant hellish volcano erupted, spewing an endless torrent of dark matter into the air. The already gloomy sky grew darker still.

The dark matter surged toward Bone City, sweeping up wandering wraiths and corpses along its path, painting a scene straight out of an apocalypse.

"Damn it! Lord Mephisto is furious!!"

Panic spread like wildfire among the gathered wraiths, their faces twisted in terror.

Forgetting all about the mouthwatering Spider-Man, they turned toward the volcano and dropped to their knees, praying desperately to escape the impending disaster.

And at that moment, Xia Luo finally understood.

Why the mission's time limit was only an hour.

Because in one hour, Mephisto would sense Xia Luo's presence.

And under the gaze of a multiverse-level demon, there would be nowhere to run.

No matter what, he was doomed.

---

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