Restart, Spider-Man! [78]

As the train sped down the tracks, a dark swarm of mutated spiders rushed towards it, only to be caught in a violent gust of wind. In an instant, countless mutated spiders were swept away by the furious airflow, spinning wildly into a black vortex.

"Oh, no! No, no, no!!" Aleksei's frantic shouts echoed as some of the mutated spiders slammed into the train's metal sides, making a noise like falling hail. Many disintegrated into a bloody mist, carried off by the relentless wind.

As the train sped onward, the mutated spiders quickly regrouped along the tracks, reforming Aleksei's body. He looked up at the black figure perched on the roof of the train and roared, his rage reaching a fever pitch.

"Why!! Why am I so stupid!!"

But before he could launch another attack, a thunderous noise came from above.

"Carter's finally here."

Xia Luo stood atop the train, exhaling a breath of relief as he spotted the approaching helicopter. These endless foes were too much trouble, and now it was time for S.H.I.E.L.D. to deal with them. If Kingpin was collecting so many mutated individuals, there was no way this would end quietly.

Maybe HYDRA was involved, too.

He had no interest in wasting more time on Aleksei. Just as he prepared to make his exit, the helicopter soared past Aleksei and headed directly towards Xia Luo.

"What the...?"

Something felt off. A heavy sense of foreboding gripped Xia Luo's chest.

And he was right to worry—suddenly, a burst of fire lit up the night as a rocket launched from the helicopter, heading straight for him.

Without hesitation, Xia Luo's web-shooters fired, filling the air with a dense weave of webs aimed at the incoming rocket. He leapt from the train just in time.

"You dropped something!"

With a mighty shout, Xia Luo performed a perfect discus throw, swinging the web-entangled rocket in a wide arc before flinging it back toward the helicopter.

BOOM!!

The rocket struck its target, and the sky lit up with a fiery explosion.

[You played the Friendly Neighborhood Hero and saved everyone on the train. +3 Restart Attempts]

The helicopter, trailing smoke, crashed to the ground, exploding once more. Its spinning rotors tore through the tracks, scattering debris and chunks of metal everywhere. Amidst the flames, a lone figure emerged, surrounded by a crimson mist that carried a familiar, metallic scent.

"Wait, is that...?"

Xia Luo's eyes widened as he saw the metal arm splinter apart, revealing bloody tendrils writhing and growing, forming a monstrous claw that gleamed like a beast's fang.

"Xia Luo Parker! I'm here to avenge Steve!"

Bucky stepped out of the inferno, his face cold and unyielding, his blood-red arm transforming into a massive blade.

"Die!"

Bucky charged, the blood-red blade crashing down with terrifying force. Xia Luo's Spider-Sense flared wildly, prompting him to dodge just in time as the ground where he'd stood turned into a massive crater.

BOOM!

Debris flew in all directions as Bucky, shrouded in a crimson mist, darted forward with astonishing speed, appearing right in front of Xia Luo in a blink.

Whooosh!

The air whistled with the force of Bucky's next strike, but Xia Luo's fist reached him first.

CRASH!!

A deafening blast shook the air as Xia Luo's punch, packed with over fifty tons of force, sent Bucky hurtling a hundred meters away, leaving a deep trench in the ground.

"So, you've been implanted with HYDRA's power, huh?"

Xia Luo slowly lowered his fist, his crimson eyes gleaming as his swollen muscles returned to normal.

"Good. Let's finish this once and for all."

With a sudden surge, his body expanded, his augmented strength unleashing the full might of his Titan-enhanced Spider-Man physique. He launched himself like a black bullet towards Bucky.

In their brief clash, Xia Luo had noticed that Bucky's abilities were far below Steve's. Whatever enhancements HYDRA had given him were minimal; he wasn't going to be a difficult opponent.

BOOM!!

The air crackled with their combined force. Feeling the overwhelming pressure, Bucky grit his teeth and charged to meet Xia Luo head-on, the blood-red blade morphing into razor-sharp claws.

"Whoa, Prototype vibes," Xia Luo smirked, feeling the twitch of his spider legs behind him.

WHAM! BAM! SLAM!

"Aaagh!!"

Bucky roared in agony. Before he could retaliate, Xia Luo was already behind him, ready to end the fight.

His plan was simple—if he could rip out Bucky's spine, this battle would be over.

Shrrraaaa!!

But suddenly, a swarm of black insects surged toward them, forcing Xia Luo to retreat. He had no desire to be swarmed by those creepy crawlies.

So, he did the next best thing—he grabbed Bucky's body and swung it like a club, smashing through the oncoming wave of spiders.

SMASH!

CRACK!!

Each blow was followed by the loud crack of breaking bones and shattering metal. The crimson mist around Bucky seemed to flare with each impact, and the mutated spiders caught in the spray shriveled and disintegrated. This made Aleksei's eyes widen in horror.

That crimson mist... it had the power to nullify his regeneration!

Seeing this, Xia Luo's lips curled into a savage grin.

"Perfect. Double kill, coming right up."

Shhhhiiick!

In a desperate move, Bucky ripped off his own arm, freeing himself from Xia Luo's grasp. He rolled to the side, the severed stump already regenerating, sprouting new flesh in seconds.

"Let's finish him. Together!" Bucky shouted to Aleksei.

Aleksei sneered. "I'm not your lackey."

"I'll pay you."

"Deal."

In an instant, Aleksei's mutated spiders piled together, forming a massive, three-meter-tall humanoid spider monster. He stayed back, shooting corrosive webs from a distance.

Splat, splat, splat!

The acidic webs coated the battlefield, and Xia Luo barely had a moment to react before Bucky lunged forward, unconcerned about getting hit. The crimson mist enveloped him, disintegrating any white webs that touched it. It had no effect on Bucky.

But Xia Luo wasn't so lucky.

He could feel the white webs' dangerous acidity, knowing that getting caught in them would spell trouble.

"Die!" Bucky roared, his clawed hand growing new tendrils that stretched out like tentacles, surrounding Xia Luo from all sides.

Xia Luo remained calm. His black suit rippled, forming huge, fan-like hands at the end of his arms.

Any friend of the Hulk knew exactly what was coming next.

"SPIDER SMASH!"

In an instant, Xia Luo's hands clapped together with seventy tons of force. A massive shockwave exploded from the impact, sending debris and dust flying. The white webs reversed direction, flung back by the sheer force, while the crimson mist dispersed under the blast.

Ssssshhhhh!

Caught off guard, Aleksei's mutated spider form disintegrated as the mist corroded his body. He dropped to the ground, writhing in agony.

"It burns! It burns!!"

Meanwhile, Bucky, who had taken the full brunt of the shockwave, staggered, his vision swimming. Before he could react, Xia Luo was already upon him.

"No!"

SHLIIICK!!

An agonizing pain shot up his spine as Xia Luo wrenched his spine out of his back, leaving Bucky's entire body drenched in blood. With all his strength drained, he crumpled to the ground, fighting the urge to scream. His pride wouldn't let him cry out like Aleksei.

In fact, he couldn't help but smile.

Because, despite everything, he had succeeded.

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