Restart, Spider-Man! [138]

Once symbiote cells spread, their evolution could easily surpass Ophelia's expectations.

If they developed an immunity to her gene toxins, Ophelia's plan would collapse, even backfiring spectacularly.

At that point, not only would she fail to conquer the world, but she'd also turn Earth into a playground for symbiotes.

That would be the real end of the world.

But Xia Luo couldn't wait around for the apocalypse to come.

As Ophelia slowly drew the curtains around him, he blinked again, only to find himself back in the cosmic spiderweb.

Attempt #14.

This time, he needed to understand how Ophelia had defeated Steve and the others.

With his gene toxin resistance now increased by 13%, Xia Luo's sight and hearing had completely returned, and most of his other senses were starting to come back. Yet he still couldn't move.

Maybe at 20% resistance, he'd be able to manage some degree of movement.

But he couldn't guarantee he'd return to full strength.

The thought left him mildly exasperated.

"小蜘蛛,我感觉你好像有点不开心." ("Little Spider, you don't seem too happy.")

In the forest near Osborne's castle, Old Man Steve's sharp instincts caught on to Xia Luo's frustration.

"Nothing serious," Xia Luo replied with a sigh. "Just… tired."

Tired of this endless struggle.

It felt like every world he went to was out to make life miserable for Spider-Man.

The experience was downright demoralizing.

Taking a deep breath, he looked towards Osborne Castle.

"They've developed a gene toxin specifically targeting Spider powers. Anyone I get close to can neutralize my abilities. So when we launch the assault, I'll need you to carry me on your back. I need to get closer to learn more of their secrets."

"Carry you on my back?" Old Man Steve raised an eyebrow.

"Are you sure about that?"

"Of course."

"Feels a little weird… like I've got a kid again."

Xia Luo's expression darkened. "Have you ever had one?"

"No."

Steve sighed. "Maybe it's one of the super-soldier serum's side effects. I could never have kids with Carter. It's our one regret."

Carter gave him a sideways glance. "You'd better clarify which Carter you're talking about."

"My bad." Steve quickly collected himself.

Beside him, Felicia wore an odd look.

"Funny enough, Kingpin once mentioned wanting Xia Luo as his kid," she recalled.

"What?"

Old Man Steve's grip tightened on Mjolnir, jaw clenched. "The nerve of that brute, trying to steal my son! If I see him…"

"Enough chit-chat," Xia Luo cut in. "The longer we wait, the more prepared they'll be."

Not in the mood for Steve's humor, Xia Luo scanned their team.

They had Carter, Felicia, and Lizard Parker.

He'd left Gwen behind this time—she wouldn't be able to help much here.

Each of them now carried weapons from the Black Order.

Yes, they'd made a detour to Brooklyn, where he'd defeated Ebony Maw and stolen weapons from Cull Obsidian, Corvus Glaive, and Proxima Midnight—without killing them.

With those weapons, their fighting strength was much higher, giving them a better shot at victory.

They'd also taken out Hydra Steve and Bucky to keep Ophelia from learning about the revival game and reinforcing her defenses.

"Let's move."

With a wave from Xia Luo, Old Man Steve instantly braced himself. His uniform stretched taut over his bulging muscles as he transformed into a tank of pure muscle, offering his back to Xia Luo.

"Little Spider, hop on!"

"Coming up."

Xia Luo attached himself to Steve's back with webbing, just as Mjolnir unleashed a burst of lightning, propelling them both into the castle.

"Who's there?" someone shouted from inside.

"An old man!" Steve's hammer swung wide, flooding the room with crackling light.

Thunder rumbled as bolts tore through the armed guards, sending them crashing into walls.

"Boom, boom…"

Walls shattered one after another as Old Man Steve barreled through the castle with Xia Luo, ignoring the guards as he charged straight for the underground base.

"Careful, here come more of them," Xia Luo warned as he felt his body weakening.

Steve grinned. "Don't worry. With my spider-sense and Mjolnir, I'm unstoppable."

"Not spider-sense—just my body's honest feedback," Xia Luo muttered.

Any Cindy nearby would immediately dampen his powers and silence his spider-sense.

Ophelia had cleverly laced her gene toxins into each Cindy's body, letting them bypass Xia Luo's nanotech suit and directly weaken him—a vulnerability he had no defense against.

Soon, as Steve charged into the underground corridor, Cindy clones poured in, and Xia Luo's powers were fully suppressed.

Thankfully, with his growing toxin resistance, he could still speak.

"Behind you. Four mechanical arms, three pumpkin bombs."

"Got it."

Lightning erupted as Steve smashed his hammer down, releasing a web of electricity that scattered the ambushers.

"Let's not waste time—straight to Madame Viper," Xia Luo urged.

"Understood."

More Cindy clones crowded in—dozens in a flash.

Knowing he was outnumbered, Steve began swinging Mjolnir, using its flight to pull them through obstacles, ignoring everything in their path.

"Whoosh!"

The wind whipped around them as Mjolnir dragged them past the gene lab, where tendrils from Octo-Cindy lashed out to seize them while more Cindys formed a blockade.

But Steve didn't stop. He simply gripped Mjolnir and flew onward.

And so, an almost comedic scene unfolded in the underground base.

Their bodies were covered in tentacles, with dozens of Octo-Cindys in tow.

"Ha! They're way too fragile," Steve laughed.

Xia Luo watched the tangled mess of tentacles dragging along behind them, grimacing.

Both he and Steve had strength far beyond a normal person's.

Though these Cindy clones were persistent, they'd be in for a rude awakening if they thought they could bring down Steve before he could let go of Mjolnir.

Nothing could stop the hammer in flight.

Suddenly, the corridor vanished ahead, replaced by an inferno.

"Mysterio Cindy's illusions," Xia Luo observed.

"I know what to do."

Steve put on Mysterio's glass helmet, blocking the hallucinogenic gas and helping him see through holograms.

"Bang, bang, bang…"

"Boom!"

Steve launched Mjolnir again, pulling them through narrow passages and leaving Cindy clones crammed helplessly in the corridor.

When they broke free, tentacles severed and trailing in their wake, Steve roared with laughter.

"They're handled."

"Watch the map and head to the inner chamber," Xia Luo instructed.

"On it."

With Mjolnir swinging, Steve hurtled forward, ignoring guards as he smashed through doors to reach Ophelia's chamber.

"Bang!"

The heavy blow sent the ornate door crashing to the ground, kicking up a gust of wind that parted the green curtains inside.

On the plush bed, Ophelia was already draped in her serpentine robe, smiling with eerie calm.

"Steve Rogers, I didn't expect you to be alive. Shouldn't we have a drink, old friend?"

Steve didn't hesitate. Remembering Xia Luo's instructions, he swung his hammer the moment he saw her.

"Boom!"

Lightning split the bed in two, but Ophelia's figure vanished.

"What?"

Steve frowned. "Fast—she moved before I could track her."

"No, it wasn't speed," Xia Luo muttered, catching a glimmer of green mist reforming into Ophelia nearby.

"You're poisoned. That wasn't her you saw."

"What?"

Before Steve could respond, his legs buckled, and cold sweat beaded on his brow.

His limbs trembled as he gasped for breath.

"Feels… like my body's been drained," he stammered, unable to hold Mjolnir any longer.

"I wasn't aiming to drain you," Ophelia murmured, her snake tongue flicking as she leaned toward Xia Luo with a wicked grin.

"The perfect Spider-Man. Steve, I should thank you for the gift."

She reclined gracefully on the undamaged sofa. "Tell me, Steve, how are you still alive?"

A glint of green flickered in her eyes.

"Seventy years ago, I was sure you died—killed by my own hand," she said.

Because Xia Luo had taken out Hydra Steve earlier, she was still unaware of the "mission."

Old Man Steve's face had gone pale, and he spoke weakly.

"You'll have to tell me first… why my body is like this," he said, referring to the poison coursing through him.

Ophelia twirled a finger, a cold green glow coiling at her fingertip.

"You're in no position to bargain," she sneered.

Steve shook his head. "If there's no bargaining… then I'm giving up."

Ophelia: "…"

Momentarily taken aback, she let out a chuckle.

"Ha! Old men do get craftier with age. You've matured."

"I'm older than you."

"I can see that."

She continued with a smirk, "Injected with the super-soldier serum, you should know I didn't kill you back then because I didn't need to—it wasn't that your serum could protect you."

Steve's eyes glinted with realization. "If I hadn't been injected, would your toxin still work on me?"

Ophelia's expression faltered but quickly settled into a smile.

"Clever guess—but it won't matter. You're out of chances."

Her finger moved, and a sliver of green mist seeped into Steve's skin.

Instantly, his pupils began to dilate, and he went completely still.

Xia Luo knew he wasn't dead, but the difference was negligible.

Ophelia would want to investigate his "revival" abilities.

And after this fight, Xia Luo had confirmed one crucial thing.

Ophelia's toxin wasn't just deadly to Spider-Men—it could also take down a super-soldier like Steve.

Yet Steve's unintentional remark had revealed her fatal flaw to Xia Luo.

With Ophelia's expertise, she didn't need to mutate everyone to control them—ordinary people would be far easier to poison. So why make everyone Spider-Man?

The answer was simple:

Her toxin only worked on super-powered beings, not ordinary people.

More precisely, Ophelia could only create gene toxins targeting mutated cells.

It sounded absurd, but it made perfect sense.

No ability was completely unbeatable, especially with toxins. Every poison had an antidote somewhere.

The realization filled Xia Luo with renewed hope for his next reset.

But until then, he'd have to endure for a little longer.

"Well, my little Spider," Ophelia purred as she approached, malice glinting in her eyes, "now it's your turn."

In the wrecked room, the evil woman reached out to Xia Luo with a predatory grin.

Oh no, his sense of touch was back.

---

[You have been eliminated. No revival slot granted. Spider Mutation Gene Toxin Resistance +1%.]

[16 resets remaining. Restart?]

Inside the room, Xia Luo looked at Gwen.

"Are you up for this?"

Gwen frowned. "Even though Peter's told me about your abilities, mounting a direct assault on Osborne Castle sounds impossible. You don't have solid evidence linking it to any kind of criminal organization."

"Without proof, your plan won't get approval. George won't be able to convince his superiors to greenlight such an operation either."

Old Man Steve nodded in agreement. "I've looked into how their department operates—missions like these need time for clearance. Without something massive to spark a response, they won't mobilize any sort of armed force."

"Something massive?"

Xia Luo smirked. "That's not too difficult."

Carter shook her head, doubtful about the success of this plan.

"If this is really Hydra, George's clearance wouldn't be nearly enough to make any real decisions. And the higher-ups—well, you know what I mean. The moment anything official is in motion, Hydra will get wind of it. You get what I'm saying," she said, serious.

Xia Luo nodded. "Right. If they've managed to stay hidden all these years, they must be deeply entrenched. Relying on those guys… it's not going to work."

He dropped the idea of getting official forces involved for an assault.

Too many potential moles.

Without a S.H.I.E.L.D. in this world, infiltrating the government was all too easy for Ophelia.

Not worth the risk.

He'd have to move on to Plan B.

---

T/N: Right...he definitely meant to say oh no, I know what you are parker

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