Restart, Spider-Man! [117]

The next day.

Xia Luo returned to Blake Street.

The mutant cells in Uncle Ben and Aunt May were a lingering issue that he needed to resolve personally.

"Hey, Xia Luo, you're back."

Next door, Mary Jane, who was weeding the garden, noticed Xia Luo's figure.

Xia Luo waved. "Hi, Mary Jane. Rare to see you doing actual work."

Mary Jane put down her trowel and wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand.

"I heard you joined Dr. Octavius' research project. Congratulations." She walked over, managing a small smile.

She'd heard from Gwen that Dr. Octavius was one of the world's top scientists, with a good chance of winning a Nobel Prize this year.

That Xia Luo had been invited to join Octavius' lab wasn't just for an assistant role; he was set to officially participate in one of the most significant projects—the Artificial Sun experiment.

He'd become a renowned scientist.

Meanwhile, she was just an ordinary girl. Though young, beautiful, and attractive, with a good personality and cooking skills, her troubled family and lack of outstanding abilities left her feeling insecure.

Compared to Xia Luo, who was on the brink of scientific greatness, her so-called "advantages" seemed cheap.

She understood that the gap between them was only growing.

Seeing her rare silence, Xia Luo struggled to grasp her thoughts.

"Gwen told you, right?"

He smiled. "I turned it down. If I actually joined Octavius' project, I'd be bald within a few years."

"What?"

Mary Jane looked surprised, though she felt a bit happy, she still thought it was a pity.

"It's a great opportunity. You should really think it over," she said, not wanting Xia Luo to regret it later.

Xia Luo shook his head. "No need. I've told you before—people should do things suited to their abilities. I wouldn't be much help to Dr. Octavius in that experiment, so I didn't agree."

Hearing this, Mary Jane lowered her head.

"Do you really think you're not capable?"

"Of course. I know my limits."

"Good, then I'm relieved."

Mary Jane cheered, "Yay! Great! You're just as much of a dummy as I am." She beamed brightly.

Xia Luo: "…"

"Fine, fine, you're nuts. I'm going home for lunch. Want to come?"

"Sure, but I need to go change first."

"Such a hassle."

Watching Mary Jane skip away, Xia Luo shook his head.

"She's a lost cause."

Mary Jane's family life was tough; as a child, she often came over for meals.

Under Xia Luo's influence, Mary Jane's sense of values turned out better than the Mary Jane in the movies; at least she wasn't going out to bars or hanging around with troublemakers.

This made Xia Luo glad.

What worried him, though, was that ever since she'd temporarily become "Spider-Man," she'd started living a bit wildly.

Had the mutant cells unleashed her true nature?

Hmm, maybe.

Anyone who'd ever been Spider-Man knew that once you put on the suit and hid your identity, it was easy to act without restraint.

Click!

Just then, Aunt May, hearing a noise, opened the door.

Seeing Xia Luo, she broke into a delighted smile and reached out to pinch his cheeks playfully.

"Oh, my little Xia Luo, you finally came home! Come on in, I'll make your favorite… oh, wait, what was your favorite?"

Xia Luo: "…"

Love might fade, but could family ties?

Or maybe it was just her memory slipping.

"I like beef," Xia Luo replied.

Aunt May's eyes lit up. "Oh, yes, right! I remember now! I'll make it right away; there should be some in the fridge."

She pulled him inside and was about to dash into the kitchen.

"No need, I hired a cook."

Xia Luo stopped Aunt May. "Mary Jane's cooking tonight."

"Did she agree?"

"No."

"You little troublemaker. Well, let's see if her cooking has improved."

Aunt May said this, giving Uncle Ben a look as he sat on the couch.

"Old man, why don't you go grab that wine you've been hiding?"

Uncle Ben sighed, setting down his newspaper. "Kids shouldn't drink."

"They're not kids anymore."

"Oh, right. Almost forgot."

Uncle Ben got up to fetch the wine, and Aunt May pulled Xia Luo down to sit on the couch.

"My poor little Xia Luo, you've gotten so thin recently."

"Not really. I've just been busy lately."

Xia Luo chatted with Aunt May, looking for a chance to release Little Spider.

Meanwhile, the news on TV was reporting last night's stage incident.

"Mr. Jonah Jameson, you were on the scene at the time. Is it true, as people say?" the host asked.

Jonah, looking incensed, stroked his mustache.

"I can confirm, Spider-Man is a menace, a downright devil! He took something that was rightfully mine—"

"What?"

"He stole what little fondness I had left for him."

"Fondness? Did you have any?"

"Of course not."

The host seemed accustomed to Jonah Jameson's rambling nonsense.

"According to official information, Spider-Man acted to prevent the mutant cells from losing control again," he continued.

Jonah scoffed. "That's just an excuse! That wretched Spider-Man is a selfish guy, and he's got a legion of haters—everyone knows what a scoundrel he is."

"Alright, let's move on to our next topic: Spider-Man's new web…"

The screen went black as Aunt May turned off the TV.

"That guy named Jonah doesn't seem like a good person. I don't believe a word he says."

"Neither do I."

Uncle Ben returned with the wine. "But it's clear what Spider-Man's intent is. He wants to get rid of the mutant cells in our bodies. He might be on his way to us soon."

Aunt May nodded and sighed. "Yeah, but I'm not done having fun yet!"

She raised her hand, firing a web to pull an apple from the table into her palm.

"Here, Xia Luo, have an apple," she said with a sly smile.

Xia Luo's eye twitched. "Uh… sure, I'll eat it."

As he took the apple, Aunt May frowned.

"Xia Luo, aren't you going to ask why we have superpowers?"

Xia Luo shrugged. "It's hardly news at this point."

"Because he installed a security camera in the house," Uncle Ben reminded her.

Aunt May smacked her forehead. "Oh, right! I keep forgetting—I did know that."

"Hahaha, since you know… why don't you come quietly with us?"

Suddenly, a group of men in dark suits burst through the door, the leader aiming his gun at them.

"Xia Luo Parker, your friend hasn't found what the boss wants. The boss is getting impatient, so we're here to bring you in ourselves."

"Who are you people?"

Uncle Ben moved protectively in front of Aunt May, his face showing fear, though his hand behind his back was tense, ready to strike.

Xia Luo saw this and subtly pressed down on Uncle Ben's wrist, stepping forward.

"I'll go with you."

"Good, I'm glad you understand the rules. I won't harm your family."

The leader gestured with his gun, and his men covered Xia Luo's head with a black hood, leading him out into a black SUV parked by the curb while Uncle Ben and Aunt May watched, hugging each other, hands clamped over each other's mouths.

The leader looked at them, surprised.

"Have you two been through this before?"

They shook their heads.

The man frowned. "You seem pretty experienced, though."

Uncle Ben's response was quickly silenced by Aunt May's hand over his mouth again.

The man blinked, then chuckled. "Alright, if all my clients were as cooperative as you, my job would be a lot easier."

With that, he led his team out.

As the black SUV drove away, Uncle Ben finally exhaled.

"They're gone."

Aunt May nodded. "Xia Luo's gotten himself into some trouble."

The next moment, the two exchanged a grin.

"Wanna try being the real Spider-Man for once?"

"Absolutely. I'll go get my suit."

"Haha, get ready for Xia Luo to be completely starstruck!"

"Yeah, Xia Luo will be so proud of us."

---

"Hey guys, can I request a new hood? This one smells awful," Xia Luo complained.

The man in charge glanced at him, replying coldly, "No new hood."

"Then just take this one off."

"Do you really think that's possible?"

"Of course. Your boss must've told you to treat me well."

"How do you know?"

"It's a classic line—Kingpin's no exception."

"'Treating you well' doesn't mean what you think it does."

"Buddy, you're trying to interpret Kingpin's intentions—that's dangerous. He definitely didn't say to be rough with Spider-Man's friend. Kingpin and Spider-Man might not even be enemies. You'd better be polite, unless you're his most trusted lackey. Otherwise, he wouldn't mind handing you over to Spider-Man."

"…Fine. Now shut up."

The man finally relented.

The moment Xia Luo's hood was removed, he found himself staring at Mary Jane, tied up tightly in front of him.

Her mouth was taped, and she looked at Xia Luo with wide, terrified eyes, astonished at this sudden revelation.

This guy… was Spider-Man's friend? He'd never mentioned that before.

Xia Luo was silent for a moment before turning to ask, "Why isn't she wearing a hood?"

The man sneered. "She's pretty. A hood would ruin the view."

Xia Luo: "…"

"Let her go. I'm the one you want."

"No, grabbing you was the boss's decision. Bringing her along was my idea."

The man looked Mary Jane up and down, as if admiring a piece of art.

Xia Luo rolled his eyes. "You sure you want to go down that path?"

"Of course. The boss doesn't care what we do after the job's done."

"Seems you didn't hear what I said earlier—be polite to Spider-Man's friend."

"You're Spider-Man's friend; she's not."

"She's a friend of Spider-Man's friend. A friend of a friend is still a friend. You probably don't have friends, so you wouldn't get it—friends of friends are friends too."

"Shut up!"

The man looked a bit frustrated, turning to his subordinates.

"Let her go."

"What?"

His men looked reluctant.

"Boss, we can't trust this kid. Besides, the boss and Spider-Man…"

"Shut up!"

Bang!

The man fired a shot, blowing off the subordinate's head. Blood spattered across the car window, and Mary Jane's eyes widened in sheer terror.

Xia Luo simply shook his head. This unlucky fool had just exposed Kingpin's plans.

"Idiot. That's what happens when you talk too much. Let her go," the man said, his face dark.

"Yes, yes…"

Seeing their boss snap, the rest of the men dared not argue.

The SUV pulled over to the side of the road, and they tossed Mary Jane out.

"Mmmph!"

As she watched the SUV drive away, Mary Jane struggled to her feet.

Those jerks hadn't even bothered to untie her before leaving her there.

Swish!

The next moment, two red-and-blue figures landed in front of her.

Spider-Man?

Mary Jane blinked, but quickly realized who they were.

"It's Mary Jane," Uncle Ben said, reaching out to peel the tape off her mouth.

Finally able to breathe, Mary Jane shouted, "Quick, go save him! They took Xia Luo—it's Kingpin behind it!"

Aunt May gently brushed Mary Jane's hair back. "It's alright, dear."

At SHIELD Headquarters

"Captain, we just got word. Xia Luo's been taken by Kingpin. It happened over on Blake Street."

Agent Hill knocked as she entered Carter's office.

Carter looked calmly at Agent Hill. "I see. Go find Nick Fury; he'll make the call for this operation."

"What?"

Agent Hill thought she must've misheard. Wasn't Xia Luo Captain Carter's relative?

Why wasn't she more concerned?

Frowning, Hill replied, "Director Fury isn't particularly interested in Spider-Man's friends. It's unlikely he'd take much interest in this."

"Just go. He'll take action. I'll provide backup," Carter said, her face still calm.

"…Alright. Understood."

Agent Hill nodded and left the office.

As she walked out, Carter smiled slightly.

"A miraculous stone that can reverse aging. This time, we should be seeing SHIELD's full strength, right?"

She knew that for the past few missions, the agents she'd been able to summon weren't exactly SHIELD's elite.

Nick Fury had only been allocating a small fraction of SHIELD's resources to her.

But now, with the Monument of Time involved, even if Fury knew she'd leaked the information on purpose, he'd still be very interested in taking over this operation.

This would give Carter a chance to see what SHIELD was truly capable of.

With that thought, she tapped her virtual computer, tracking Xia Luo's location—a red dot on the map moving continuously.

After a brief moment of thought, she made a call.

"Hello, Felicia? It's Carter. Spider-Man may have mentioned me. The plan has changed—Xia Luo's been taken by Kingpin. Now you can take the Monument of Time to him. Spider-Man will be there soon."

"I understand."

On the other end of the line, Felicia hung up.

Looking at Walter on the hospital bed, she took a deep breath.

"Dad, you're going to be alright."

With that, she quickly left the underground hospital and drove to the Aisen Apartments.

Thankfully, Spider-Man had told her earlier where he'd hidden the Monument of Time.

She quickly found it in Xia Luo's apartment.

Under the bed, of course.

The original plan was for Spider-Man to take the Monument of Time and wait for Kingpin to arrange the trade.

But it seemed Kingpin was getting impatient.

Kidnapping Xia Luo was a direct move to threaten Spider-Man.

The plan had changed, but it wouldn't impact things much.

She just hoped everything would go smoothly.

Felicia silently prayed.

---

T/N: Goddamn Parker Luck

Thanks for reading! Let me know if you spot any mistakes or inconsistencies!

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