Restart, Spider-Man! [37]

Xia Luo shook his head and then turned to look at Tony, who was tied up on the operating table.

"Hey, red-and-blue kid, I hear your pajamas are made of metal," Tony quipped, blinking as his hands and feet were bound.

Xia Luo glanced at Tony briefly, then violently broke the handcuffs restraining him.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

Tony sat up carefully, rubbing the blood marks on his wrists.

"I'm fine, almost died, but you know, no big deal," he said, pointing to the arc reactor in his chest with a false sense of nonchalance.

"Did Pepper send you guys to rescue me?" he asked.

Xia Luo didn't answer but turned to look at Harry, who had just entered the room. "He seems fine. Let's get out of here."

"Got it," Harry said after a brief introduction, then helped Tony onto his glider.

"My ride can't handle three people," Harry said to Xia Luo.

"I'll drive."

"All the cars were blown up."

"There's still one left outside."

"Alright, I trust your abilities," Harry said as he flew out of the cave.

Xia Luo looked at the struggling Yinsen and noticed a silver suitcase on the table.

"This thing…"

Yinsen suddenly grew tense at the sight of Xia Luo eyeing the suitcase. Smiling, Xia Luo grabbed both Yinsen and the suitcase before heading outside.

Not long after, in the desert night, an off-road vehicle kicked up clouds of dust as it sped across the sand.

"Okay, you can tell me your conditions now. How much did Pepper promise you—one billion, or maybe ten? Actually, it doesn't matter to me," Tony said from the passenger seat, his eyes closed, trying to rest while rubbing his tired face.

"Call Pepper; she'll send someone to pick me up," he added.

"I've already contacted her. It's been a pleasure working with you, Mr. Stark," Harry said with a smile, extending his hand.

"Working together?" Tony asked, confused, not used to shaking hands.

"Yes, I agreed to save you on the condition that Stark Industries funds Oscorp."

"Oh, now I remember, you're Norman's son," Tony chuckled. "To be honest, Oscorp won't last another three months; this is a losing deal."

"Will you agree to it?" Harry asked, slightly nervous.

"Of course. After all, you did save me," Tony said, turning to Xia Luo. "Hey, you saved me too. Want me to get you a gold suit?"

Xia Luo scoffed. "You already know who I am."

"Alright, you're Spider-Man. I didn't expect you to still be alive," Tony said, scratching his nose awkwardly. "But since you came to rescue me, I'm guessing you know I have no ill will toward you."

He continued, "Someone bought weapons from me. She made a very tempting offer, so I didn't refuse. But I didn't expect them to bomb the villa district. When S.H.I.E.L.D. found me, I knew I was in trouble."

"So you used selling weapons as an excuse to come here and hide?" Harry asked.

Tony nodded reluctantly. "Yeah, I wanted to lay low before things went public."

"You didn't have to run. S.H.I.E.L.D. has no real evidence," Xia Luo commented.

Tony laughed. "True, but my company's weapon just happened to kill the beloved Spider-Man. That's put me in an impossible public relations nightmare. I realized it was a conspiracy—against me and Spider-Man. I couldn't show my face. I have no idea what they plan to do next."

Yinsen, who had been silent until now, spoke up, "Now you know what they plan to do."

Tony turned to look at Yinsen, mocking him. "Yeah, now I know. You people caught me so easily in this godforsaken place and even wanted to modify my body. But I survived. You must regret not killing me outright."

Yinsen sneered but fell silent.

"No, they wanted to give me a new spine."

"A spine?"

Xia Luo raised an eyebrow and opened the silver suitcase under Yinsen's nervous gaze. Inside was a glowing black spinal implant.

"That's the thing," Tony said, his voice trembling slightly with unease.

Xia Luo looked at Yinsen. "Alright, I know you won't talk."

He reached out and touched the black spine, feeling a cold energy seeping through the nanometal into his hand. Quickly, he pulled his hand back, deciding not to investigate further.

"It looks like a snake's backbone," Xia Luo remarked, closing the suitcase. He turned to Tony. "You still haven't told me who bought the weapons from you."

Tony sighed deeply. "It was a woman. A stunning woman. That night was truly unforgettable…"

"The irresistible part wasn't the deal she offered, but her, right?" Harry chimed in, grimacing as he pieced it together.

Tony shrugged. "Exactly. You know I don't care about money. I like beautiful things."

Xia Luo rubbed his forehead. "You clearly have no idea who she really is."

"I was attracted to her the moment I saw her, like a fire on a cold winter night—"

"Please spare us your inner thoughts," Xia Luo cut in. "I need to know who's trying to kill me. Any chance of getting more information?"

Tony shook his head. "Not right now, but I think killing you was just incidental. Their real target was me. Maybe they wanted my company to supply them with a large number of weapons."

"It's not that simple," Xia Luo said, patting the suitcase. "This thing is the real key."

At that moment, Yinsen's body tensed, further confirming Xia Luo's suspicion.

If they kept this item with them, whoever was behind it would definitely show up again. They wouldn't expect Tony to have been rescued so soon, or that they'd lose such an important spine implant.

"By the way, Norman's injuries were caused by claw-like weapons. You can compare this metal arm," Xia Luo said, handing Harry the metal arm he had taken earlier.

Harry's grip on the steering wheel tightened. "If these guys really did it, I'll make them pay," he said through gritted teeth as he accepted the arm.

"Hmph, you won't be able to," Yinsen sneered.

"So, it really was you," Harry shouted, slamming on the brakes and glaring at Yinsen.

Yinsen's smile faded. "So what? Even your father had to obey us. What can you do?" he said with disdain.

Hearing this, Harry lost his temper and lunged at Yinsen.

"I'll kill you!"

"Don't be rash. He's trying to provoke you on purpose," Xia Luo warned, stopping Harry. Then he turned to Yinsen. "You want Harry to kill you because if your own people catch up to you, you'll die a much worse death, right?"

Yinsen's face paled. He gritted his teeth and said, "Yes, I admit it. But I have no regrets."

He glared at Tony's back. "Stark ruined everything for me. He's a war profiteer with blood on his hands. Do you know how many people die each year because of Stark weapons? My wife and daughter were among them. They were so kind, so innocent. But Stark's greed and his arms deals killed them and destroyed my family. I will do whatever it takes to get revenge on him. And you, Spider-Man, you help a bloodstained devil. What kind of hero does that make you? You're not worthy!"

Yinsen's emotions boiled over, and he struggled furiously. Xia Luo nonchalantly shot more webs to bind him.

"But I'm innocent too. Do you know how painful it is for a poor little spider to have a huge missile dropped on it?" Xia Luo muttered, while Tony's expression darkened.

"Stark Industries only supplies weapons to the military. What they do with them is beyond my control."

Stark Industries was born out of war in the last century, and its weapons were key to securing victory and protecting people during those dark times.

No one questioned the morality of Stark Industries back then.

But as times changed, so did the people who used Stark's weapons.

That was part of what led to tragedies like this.

After this event, Tony began to reassess himself and the entire Stark Industries.

---

T/N: Sorry only 2 chapters today! I uploaded all the translated chapters I had stockpiled on patreon (Chapter 67) so I need to make more now! Tomorrow it should be 3 chapters then back to 5 chapters for a little bit.

If there are any mistakes let me know!

Read up to 30+ Chapters! [patreon.com/WiseTL]