Restart, Spider-Man! [73]
[You played the Friendly Neighborhood Hero and saved the Butt-Webbing Spider-Man. Restart Chances +1]
Staring at the notification, Xia Luo was beyond words.
Beep!
His phone buzzed with a video call. Xia Luo swiped to accept.
"Hey, Xia Luo. Have you made contact with the mutants? What's the situation?" Carter asked.
Sitting on the bed, mirroring Carter's posture, Xia Luo rubbed his temples.
"Not great. Most of the mutants aren't particularly strong, but some of them have... peculiar abilities."
"Peculiar?" Carter raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah. Have you ever seen a Butt-Spider?"
Carter: "???"
"You wouldn't believe it, but that place can shoot webs too."
"Oh, Xia Luo, that's just how spiders work."
Xia Luo: "..."
"What do you need from me this late at night?"
"Hydra's on the move again. It seems they're targeting the mutants."
"I know. I just had a run-in with them."
Xia Luo paused to think. "If possible, try to protect them."
"I understand," Carter nodded. "We've already extended invitations to those mutants."
"Inviting them to join S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Xia Luo's eyes narrowed. "You guys that desperate for superhumans?"
"No. I'm just worried they might cause trouble," Carter replied seriously. "Even if they're not powerful, they're still superhumans. We can't just let them run wild."
"There's one more thing," she added, locking eyes with Xia Luo. "You have Steve's spine. I need it."
"Sure, send someone to pick it up," Xia Luo said without hesitation.
The blackened spine had no use in his hands. Better to hand it over to Carter for research. He was also curious why Hydra had implanted it in Tony.
He was sure there were more than just two of those spines. It was just a hunch.
Seeing Xia Luo's willingness to cooperate, Carter felt a bit awkward.
"I won't take it for free. I have access to some discretionary funds. Send me your account info."
"Huh?"
Xia Luo's eyes lit up. "We're all friends here. How can I possibly—"
Beep!
Less than two seconds later, Carter received Xia Luo's account details.
She wasn't surprised. She was used to this by now.
"By the way, there might be Hydra agents within S.H.I.E.L.D. Be careful," Xia Luo warned.
Although he didn't know if this world's S.H.I.E.L.D. was the infamous "Hyrdra S.H.I.E.L.D.," it was better to be cautious.
Carter's connections within S.H.I.E.L.D. were valuable, and he felt she needed to be warned.
"What?"
Her brow furrowed. "Are you sure?"
"Not entirely. But if Steve could infiltrate S.H.I.E.L.D., others could too."
"Alright. I'll investigate discreetly. Thanks for the heads up."
Carter ended the call.
Not long after, Xia Luo heard a knock at his door. He opened it just enough to pass the blackened spine to the person outside.
But they didn't leave.
"Xia Luo Parker."
The stern female voice made Xia Luo poke his head out. A pretty agent with a ponytail was staring at him intently. Reflexively, he smoothed back his hair.
"I get it. Let's be clear, I'm a man of integrity. Your colleague Natasha once tried to woo me, but I turned her down. I could make an exception for you though, if it's to help a friend. Of course, a little compensation would be—"
"Do you know Spider-Man?" Agent Hill cut him off, clearly not in the mood for his nonsense.
Xia Luo: "???"
Did I... read the situation wrong?
"Uh, sort of," he replied vaguely.
Without a word, Agent Hill pulled out a photograph and handed it to him.
Then, to his shock, she bowed. "I want Spider-Man's autograph. Please."
Xia Luo: "..."
"Uh, sure... I'll see what I can do." He felt a bit unsettled by this strange fan who was both cold and enthusiastic.
"Thank you," she said, expressionless, before turning and heading back to the elevator.
Watching her go, Xia Luo looked down at the blurry photo she had given him.
"Hmm, it's a bit grainy. I'll get you a high-definition one," he muttered with a grin, closing the door.
Meanwhile, Agent Hill took a deep breath inside the elevator.
"Whoo..."
She patted her chest. "Carter was right. There's no way he's Spider-Man."
In her mind, Spider-Man was supposed to be a dashing hero, like Steve—someone magnetic and handsome, not some narcissistic teenager.
Thinking of Steve, she sighed again.
The revelation that Captain America was Hydra had been a massive blow to everyone. Especially the female agents.
At least she was different. She always liked unattainable men.
Spider-Man fit the bill perfectly.
Downstairs, the least injured of the agents, Coulson, had been discharged from the hospital.
As he waited for Agent Hill, he occasionally pulled out a signed photo of Steve from his pocket.
"Hey, Agent Coulson, I'm Steve Rogers. Nice to meet you."
"I bet you ten bucks I can finish this mission in under ten minutes."
"Coulson, you're giving me that look again. Back off, or I'll file a complaint."
"Oh, so you're a fan? I can sign something for you."
"Agent Coulson, is this my dorm? Thanks for setting up my room."
"Agent Coulson—"
Memories of moments with Steve flooded his mind, the disappointment cutting deeper each time.
This was his idol, but not anymore.
Tear!
In a fit of resolve, he ripped Steve's picture in half and looked up at Agent Hill as she approached.
"Steve taught me never to trust anyone—not even your idols," he said.
Agent Hill walked past him without a word.
Sliding into the driver's seat, she glanced back at Coulson. "I'm not like you. At least he proved he wasn't Hydra."
The next day, Xia Luo visited the hospital first thing in the morning.
After chatting with Harry for a bit, he hopped on his bike and headed to school.
"Liar!"
"Fraud!"
At the school gate, Xia Luo watched with amusement as Jenny, chased by a mob of angry girls, fled in disgrace.
"A one-day Spider-Man experience pass... think of it as a gift," he chuckled.
With more mutants revealing themselves, Jenny's deception had finally caught up to him.
"Whoa! Spider-Man's here!"
Suddenly, a chubby figure swung past the school entrance, drawing gasps from the students.
"That's one chunky spider!"
"Haha, his web-shooting style is so... unique!"
Amid the laughter, the "Butt-Webbing Spider-Man" zipped into the campus—clearly another student at the school.
"Ned... Leeds?" Xia Luo murmured, recognizing him, then rode his motorcycle through the gate.
He was certain there were more mutants in the school.
Because there were just too many Spider-Men.
"Hey, want to join the Spider-Man Club?"
On the sidewalk, a student dressed in a homemade red and blue suit stopped Xia Luo, enthusiastically thrusting a flyer into his hand.
Xia Luo's eye twitched. Were there really that many mutants now?
He glanced at the flyer, noticing the club's name:
Charlotte's Web!
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