Restart, Spider-Man! [177]

Inside Carter's Office.

Buzz…

Magical sparks flickered as Xia Luo stepped through the portal, smoothly sidestepping a shield hurtling toward him.

"Captain Carter, you're feisty tonight," he teased.

Carter's face remained impassive. "I can tolerate you not using the front door, but not even knocking on the window? That's crossing the line."

Xia Luo shrugged. "Sorry, Spider-Man's moving with the times—swinging on webs is passé."

"Right, Wade?" he added, turning to see Wade struggling to pull the shield off his head.

"Oh, that cleared my sinuses—perfect! Next time, let's see if it can fix my digestive tract. I've been constipated lately."

Carter: "…"

"What is he?" she thought, taken aback.

From the look of it, he was someone with a healing factor, and she couldn't recall Xia Luo ever having friends like that.

Due to the reset, Carter had completely lost all memory of Deadpool. For her, it was a small blessing.

Xia Luo wiped the blood off the shield using Wade's suit, then placed it back in the corner.

"He's human, not a 'thing,'" he clarified.

Wade's face lit up with appreciation.

Then Xia Luo added, "Feel free to call him 'jerk.'"

Wade: "…"

"Well, I don't mind that at all. Unique nickname," Wade said cheerfully.

Carter got a strange feeling from Wade's shameless response, yet somehow it felt... familiar.

"I see you two even have matching color schemes on your suits. Looks like you found a new friend," she remarked with a slight smile.

Xia Luo approached her desk. "I came for two things. First, I'd like to bring my friend here for some cosmetic surgery. Dr. Helen Zhao's nanotech might make his, uh, face a little more tolerable."

"You know, women are visual creatures. Even if his girlfriend doesn't say it, she probably feels… let's say, put off. Rotten flesh isn't exactly... appealing."

"No, no, no."

Wade raised a hand, interrupting. "I have to correct you. She's actually very pleased, because of all the... bumps on my little buddy, if you know what I mean," he said proudly.

Xia Luo fell silent.

Carter's face darkened. "That's the worst crude joke I've ever heard."

She turned to Xia Luo. "I went through a lot of trouble to recruit Dr. Zhao, and I won't let this creep scare her off."

"I get it. I underestimated his gross-out factor," Xia Luo admitted with a shrug. "Alright, we'll skip that."

"Second, I need to see the Time Monolith. If necessary, I'll take it with me."

He had a hunch that word had spread about the monument's powers, and in the wrong hands, it could lead to serious problems.

At the mention of the Time Monolith, Carter's expression shifted.

Seeing this, Xia Luo felt a pang of unease.

"Don't tell me it got stolen again?" he asked, his face filled with disdain.

Carter quickly shook her head. "No, it's still in the lab, but… there's an issue."

"What kind of issue?"

"A very, very… significant one."

Shortly afterward, Carter led them toward the lab where the Time Monolith was stored.

On the way, they passed Dr. Banner's lab, which was conspicuously empty.

"Did Dr. Banner quit?" Xia Luo asked, curious.

Carter shook her head with a sigh. "He wasn't really fit to stay in this job anymore."

"So you fired him?"

"Of course not."

Carter explained, "I set up a lab for him on a deserted island. Dr. Banner is there, working on a way to manage his... transformations."

"Wouldn't that count as imprisonment?" Wade chimed in.

Carter shot him a look. "It was his own request. He doesn't want to hurt anyone—or gross anyone out."

"Oh, okay. I get it. You're talking about me again, but I was being completely serious about all those, uh—"

"Please, shut up," Xia Luo cut Wade off, exasperated.

Wade folded his arms, pouting. "What's so gross about that? There's a guy out there whose power is literally the ability to sense poo. Isn't that worse?"

"Shut it!"

Before Wade could continue, Xia Luo landed a punch that knocked his head into his chest.

Thud!

Wade's body collapsed to the floor, limp. Xia Luo sighed in relief.

"Damn it, Wade. You can't just say stuff like that."

He rubbed his fist, then covered Wade's "corpse" with a cloth.

Seeing Carter's raised eyebrow, Xia Luo shrugged. "Don't worry. He'll be back on his feet in a minute."

"Alright," Carter replied, turning around. Then she paused.

"Actually, since there's no one else around, I don't mind if he talks. I already know about that... situation anyway."

Hearing this, Xia Luo's eyes flashed with mock malice.

"Give me one reason not to silence you."

"Because I'll be paying your salary next month."

"Oh, sounds good to me."

Xia Luo immediately reached over, massaging Carter's shoulders and grinning. "Boss, does that feel alright? Need some juice? Oh—your shoes are a bit dirty; I'll clean them up for you."

"Enough. We're in public; don't cause a scene."

She looked around, then whispered, "Save it for later."

Hearing this, Xia Luo's heart skipped a beat.

Damn, what did she mean by that?

Could it be...?

Well, he wasn't opposed to the idea. After all, she was a powerful woman.

He glanced at Wade, suddenly cautious.

He couldn't let Wade catch wind of this opportunity. Fewer competitors, after all…

Without another thought, he unceremoniously tossed Wade out the window.

Problem solved.

Dusting off his hands, Xia Luo gestured for Carter to lead the way. "After you, Boss."

"Good. I like that attitude," Carter said approvingly.

This kid knew how to work the system.

Laboratory.

"Dr. Helen Zhao, what are you doing here?"

They entered the lab to find Dr. Helen Zhao, an Asian woman in a crisp blue coat, standing in front of a console.

Seeing Carter, Dr. Zhao nodded politely. "I was looking into whether any fragments of the Time Monolith could be integrated into nanotechnology."

She then looked over to Xia Luo in his suit.

"Spider-Man!"

"Spider-Man!"

Dr. Helen Zhao's eyes lit up, and Carter silently stepped aside.

"That second 'Spider-Man' wasn't me," he clarified.

But Helen wasn't paying attention; she rushed up to Xia Luo, inspecting him with bright-eyed fascination.

Xia Luo leaned casually against the wall, placing one hand on his forehead in a mock display of nonchalance mixed with pride.

"Ah, here we go again. Another crazed fan, I see? I hear you're friends with Tony, so alright—I'll sign a photo for you. Hang it on your bedroom wall, so the first thing you see every morning is my dashing figure."

Helen apologized politely, "Actually, I heard your suit is nanotech. I was hoping to study it, if you'd allow?"

Helen's voice was gentle and refined, yet her words struck like a cold blade into Xia Luo's heart.

Not "like" a blade.

Schlick!

Unbeknownst to him, Wade had sidled up, plunging a knife into Xia Luo's chest.

"What the—?"

Carter gasped, and Helen staggered back, horrified.

"Murder…"

"Relax," Wade said, pulling the blade out and stabbing Xia Luo again. "Toy knife."

"Of course," he added, wiping his brow with satisfaction. "I heal faster when I'm in a good mood."

Carter and Helen finally exhaled in relief.

"For a second, I thought the Invincible Spider-Man was done for," Carter muttered.

Helen patted her chest. "Good, the nanotech suit wasn't damaged."

Xia Luo: "…"

"Oh, right—did you just mention 'fragments of the Time Monolith'?" he asked, suddenly registering her words.

Carter scratched her head awkwardly. "Yes, about that… sorry, but it, well, cracked. We're not entirely sure how."

She pressed a button, and the lab's wall lifted, revealing the Time Monolith, its surface webbed with fine cracks.

"Ah~ such an ancient energy," Wade said, spreading his arms as if to absorb it.

Xia Luo shoved Wade's face aside and stepped closer, inspecting the cracked monument with a furrowed brow.

"Artifacts can break?"

He suddenly recalled the words of the Ancient One.

The Time Monolith has limits.

He turned to Carter. "How many times have you used the monument since the mission ended?"

Carter shook her head. "After you finished, I locked it away. Some politicians wanted to use it to restore their youth, so I gave them a fake monument, claiming it required a long cooldown between uses."

Wade raised a hand sheepishly. "Actually, I, uh… 'borrowed' it about a dozen times to mess with Tony."

"What?" Carter exclaimed.

"That's impossible. Our system would have detected any unauthorized access," she insisted.

Wade patted his belt smugly. "Your system could use an upgrade."

"Oh, for god's sake…" Carter muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose.

Xia Luo considered this. "Even if you used it a dozen times, that wouldn't be enough to shatter it. There must be another reason."

"We have no leads," Carter admitted.

"We will soon," Xia Luo replied, lifting his hand to draw a circle of magic, sparks forming into a portal.

"When you're stuck, call the Sorcerer Supreme."

"What's a Sorcerer Supreme?" Wade asked.

"Bald. And mighty," Xia Luo replied.

On the other end of the portal, the Ancient One paused mid-sip of a stolen soda, blinking.

"Yes? What's the matter?" She quickly stowed the soda, her expression turning serious.

Xia Luo stepped through into the sanctum. "The Time Monolith cracked. Is it still usable?"

The Ancient One frowned slightly. "So, it's begun."

She murmured something to herself, then looked at him.

"It can still be used, but not for much longer."

Upon hearing this, Wade clutched his head and groaned.

"Why are women so cryptic? She could've just said that from the start!"

"She's probably non-binary," Xia Luo mumbled.

Wade's eyes widened. "Non-binary? I like!"

"Knock it off."

Xia Luo kicked Wade aside, then turned to the Ancient One with a more serious expression.

"Sorcerer Supreme, can you tell me why the monument cracked?"

The Ancient One thought for a moment. "Simply put, it's been overused."

"Overused?"

Xia Luo pulled out a dollar bill from his pocket. "Here's a buck. Explain a bit more."

"Very well."

She took the bill and tucked it under her meditation mat.

"In forty days, the world advanced by about forty years. Don't you find that odd?"

"Of course not… This is Marvel, after all."

"Even Marvel must obey basic logic."

The Ancient One continued, "The Time Monolith holds the power not only to reverse aging but, when combined with certain spells, can accelerate time to serve an obscure purpose."

"Explain that more clearly." Xia Luo borrowed another dollar from Carter.

The Ancient One pocketed it with a slight smile. "Time is not something most people can perceive easily. Someone used the monument's power to accelerate world development, and nobody noticed anything amiss."

Xia Luo's heart raced. "Who?"

"That, I cannot determine."

The Ancient One shook her head. "This person's magic surpasses mine. I can sense the anomaly, but I can't locate them."

"So they're a sorcerer too?" Xia Luo asked, deep in thought.

"Yes."

"Why would someone want to accelerate the world? What's their endgame?"

Xia Luo fished out another bill, but the Ancient One waved it off.

"One dollar isn't enough."

Xia Luo: "…"

"You're serious?"

"You started this," she replied dryly.

"Alright, my bad." He glanced at Carter, who gestured to call Agent Hill for a suitcase.

"Perfect."

The Ancient One gestured to Wong, who entered, grabbed the suitcase, and walked out.

"Extra meals tonight," she reminded him.

"Got it," Wong replied before leaving.

With that settled, the Ancient One explained, "Accelerating world development only serves one purpose: to push technological progress toward a specific goal."

"That's it?" Carter felt her wallet burn at the price of that answer.

But then the Ancient One continued, "I also sensed that the monument's power didn't just accelerate time—it brought things from the future into this era."

"More importantly, certain… 'visitors' from other multiverses have exposed this world to powerful eyes watching from beyond."

"Spider-Man, you understand what I'm saying."

"Yes, I do."

Xia Luo's unease grew.

The reset rounds had triggered a domino effect far messier than he anticipated.

The reset mechanics had inadvertently drawn the attention of ancient powers, which might inevitably lead to interference.

The fallout with Marvel's "big players" was bound to come sooner or later.

He hadn't expected it this soon.

And now, with futuristic phenomena appearing prematurely, it seemed he'd soon be fully back in action as Spider-Man.

The good news? Spider-Man wouldn't be out of a job after all.

The bad news? The hero's trials were far from over.

There was no path but forward for him. If he didn't grow stronger, he'd lose everything.

Losing his own life didn't matter, but he couldn't afford to lose his loved ones.

Taking a deep breath, he said, "Alright, one last question. What exactly are these 'things from the future'?"

The Ancient One nodded toward the magic portal behind Xia Luo.

"They're already here."

"What?"

Xia Luo's senses went on high alert as Carter received a message.

"Commander Carter, bad news—the Time Monolith has been stolen."

Carter: "…"

"Good news, though: I caught the thief," came Wade's voice over the intercom.

Xia Luo: "…"

This guy was everywhere, wasn't he? Time to start locking the bathroom door.

---

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