Restart, Spider-Man! [39]
"Boom!"
At that moment, the cyborgs abandoned their firearms entirely. Using their metal arms, they violently struck the crumbling walls and debris, sending rocks flying in all directions as they trampled the ruins beneath their feet.
With this, Xia Luo had completely lost his terrain advantage.
On top of an armored vehicle, Xia Luo crouched, surveying the rapidly approaching cyborgs.
About thirty of them—it was going to be a hassle.
And the masked man not far away gave Xia Luo an incredibly dangerous feeling.
In the past, Xia Luo might have resigned himself to defeat.
But this time, he wasn't going to die!
As the first wave of cyborgs charged toward him, Xia Luo's eyes glowed blood-red, and his red-and-blue suit rapidly morphed into a black, inky texture.
Venom Mode: Activated!
"Crack, crack, crack!"
His black suit was soon adorned with streaks of white webbing, and four black tendrils whipped from his back.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The leading cyborgs were violently struck by the tendrils, smashing into the ground.
"Hiss!"
In an instant, three more cyborgs scrambled onto the armored vehicle, their metal fingers extending into sharp claws, glinting coldly as they aimed to tear Xia Luo apart.
But Xia Luo leaped into the air, avoiding the deadly swipes. As he landed, the black tendrils from his back shot out, skewering the three cyborgs, sending their heads flying in a spray of blood.
Yet this display didn't faze the other cyborgs. With cold, emotionless eyes, they charged, fists and claws at the ready, showing no signs of defense.
Seeing the relentless assault coming his way, Xia Luo's body swelled in size, his immense strength unleashed as he grabbed the armored vehicle beneath him.
"Boom!"
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Under the masked man's intense gaze, Xia Luo swung the armored vehicle down like a giant hammer, smashing the charging cyborgs into pulp. All that remained in the craters were twisted, sparking metal arms.
In Venom Mode, Xia Luo's forty-ton strength was absolute against the cyborgs.
Those who managed to get close enough were ruthlessly impaled by the black tendrils, their heads split open.
The cyborgs' bodies had undergone modifications that made their bones tougher and muscles stronger than the average human. Their metal arms could wreak havoc, their strength nearing that of the Green Goblin.
This was a testament to Hydra's advanced cybernetic enhancements.
But they were up against Xia Luo, whose ferocity and power left no room for the cyborgs' numerical advantage to make a difference.
"Boom!"
With each swing of the armored vehicle, the ground shook, turning the battlefield into chaos. Soon, only a few scattered cyborgs were left alive, barely clinging to life with their mangled bodies buried in the rubble.
As the armored vehicle, now just a pile of scrap metal, hit the ground with a resounding crash, Xia Luo's chest heaved. He panted heavily, exhaustion finally catching up to him.
His steps faltered, and the red glow in his eyes flickered.
Three times in two days—activating Venom Mode that often was taking a toll on his body. He needed food, and a lot of it, as well as rest.
Despite his fatigue, Xia Luo focused his gaze on the masked man not far away.
He eyed the metal arm of the man and noticed how his claws extended menacingly. A flash of memory resurfaced—the image of Norman Osborn's death.
Was it this guy?
As if confirming his suspicion, the masked man suddenly spoke.
"Norman warned you, but you chose to keep being Spider-Man."
Hearing this, Xia Luo frowned.
"So, you're the one who killed him."
The masked man's gaze turned cold, and he stepped forward.
"Crack, crack…"
With each step, the stones beneath the man's feet crumbled. The familiar sense of pressure bore down on Xia Luo like a heavy weight.
He spoke coldly, "I didn't want to kill him. It was an accident. His mission wasn't finished; he wasn't supposed to die."
"But because of you, he did. And now, we have to start over. This is your fault. You must die!"
In a sudden burst of speed, the masked man charged, his metal arm slicing through the air, aiming straight for Xia Luo's heart.
Xia Luo's Spider-Sense screamed in warning, and he instinctively threw a punch.
"Bang!!"
A shockwave exploded between them, a deep, resounding thud instead of the usual clanging of metal. There was no screech of steel—just raw power clashing.
Xia Luo's mind raced. This guy's strength wasn't nearly forty tons—he shouldn't be able to match him in power.
"What the...?"
His eyes widened in surprise, and he quickly directed his black tendrils to strike.
But before the tendrils could land, the masked man's metal arm absorbed the force of Xia Luo's punch and unleashed it, slamming Xia Luo into the ruins with overwhelming strength.
"Boom!!"
Debris flew everywhere as Xia Luo crashed into the ground. His gaze locked on the advancing masked man, the red glow in his eyes flickering.
"It's a Vibranium arm," he muttered to himself.
Firing a web, Xia Luo swung away, unwilling to engage directly.
This guy's arm was made of Vibranium, like Captain America's shield. It could absorb and store kinetic energy, then unleash it with devastating force.
The harder Xia Luo hit, the more power the masked man could absorb and release.
Unlike the bumbling villain who had a similar arm in the movies, this guy knew how to use his power efficiently.
Xia Luo realized he had to avoid direct hits.
With that thought, he fired a flurry of webs.
"Splurt, splurt…"
The masked man barely had time to raise his arms to shield his eyes before he was wrapped tightly in a web cocoon.
"Hiss!"
The black tendrils, gleaming ominously in the firelight, shot forward, aiming for the masked man's head.
"Interesting," the masked man sneered. With a surge of strength, he tore through the webbing and, with uncanny precision, caught all four of Xia Luo's tendrils in his Vibranium arm.
"Crack, crack…"
He twisted his arm, pulling the tendrils taut as if reeling in a catch.
"Spider-Man, you're finished!"
But just as he prepared to strike, his expression shifted.
The tendrils in his grasp liquefied, snaking around his arm and dragging him like a ragdoll, slamming him into the rubble.
"Boom!"
"Bang, bang, bang!"
The ruins exploded around them as the masked man was flung back and forth, his Vibranium arm still intact, but the rest of his body wracked with pain from the repeated impacts.
"Argh, damn you..."
"Boom!!"
With one final throw, the masked man crashed to the ground. Xia Luo's black suit retracted, and the tendrils withdrew into his back.
His body was at its limit, forcing Venom Mode to deactivate.
Weakness washed over him, but Xia Luo managed a small smile.
"I told you, I won't die this time."
Just as he moved forward to remove the Vibranium arm, a helicopter roared overhead. Suddenly, Steve Rogers, clutching his iconic star-spangled shield, descended from the sky.
"Boom!"
Landing in a perfect crouch, Steve rose with a stern expression. "Sorry I'm late."
Xia Luo sighed. "..."
Did Steve pick up that pose from Black Widow?
"You're definitely late. The fight's over," Xia Luo said, shrugging.
Steve stood up, his gaze landing on the battered figure of the masked man in the pit. His eyes widened in shock.
"Bucky, you're alive?!"
Xia Luo's heart sank.
How did Steve recognize him through the mask?
Before Xia Luo could react, his Spider-Sense blared again, but his exhausted body couldn't keep up.
Watching as the star-spangled shield hurtled toward him, Xia Luo had only one thought.
Great… another game over.
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