Restart, Spider-Man! [146]

The sky was overcast, with a light drizzle falling.

Xia Luo strolled down the street, umbrella in hand. Though the rain blurred the view, he was in high spirits today, donning a casual red-and-blue knit jacket for a relaxed look.

Unlike the hurried passersby around him, Xia Luo walked at a leisurely pace, graceful and unhurried.

Droplets dripped from the eaves, splashing onto the stone pavement and occasionally landing on Baby Kingpin's cheek, making him grumble in discontent with a series of "wah-wah" sounds.

Finally, some people sheltering from the rain noticed that the strange man wasn't carrying a trash bag in his hand—but a baby!

"Oh my god, this guy's a total demon!"

"Heavens, what is he doing? That's a baby!"

"No, the baby's going to catch a cold! What an irresponsible father!"

"Yes, I've never seen a father this awful."

"Wah~" Baby Kingpin chimed in, as if in agreement.

Wait, father?

Baby Kingpin's chubby face darkened instantly.

Ignoring the whispered judgments around him, Xia Luo stepped into a nearby café.

"Hey, Captain Carter."

Xia Luo casually placed Baby Kingpin on a chair next to him.

Seeing him finally enter, Carter rolled her eyes.

"I saw that. You were walking so slowly—took you half a minute to cross less than ten meters."

Xia Luo replied without emotion, "If I walk too fast, my shoes get wet."

"A little over-the-top, don't you think?"

Carter's gaze then drifted over to Baby Kingpin. "If I'm not mistaken, that's Kingpin, isn't it?"

Hearing this, Baby Kingpin forced a harmless smile onto his face.

I'm a baby, not Kingpin.

Although he'd endured quite a bit over the past few days, he was getting used to it.

No need to start planning his prison escape just yet.

Xia Luo nodded. "Yep, Aunt May and Uncle Ben brought him home. You already knew about this."

Kingpin: "…"

So he knows those two are actually Aunt May and Ben Parker?

Has he just been pretending all along?

He's known who I am this whole time!

Cursed bastard, I'll make him pay.

Meanwhile, Carter chuckled. "I did know. We have enough evidence of Kingpin's crimes, but now that he's like this, it's tough to prosecute him. Leaving him with them works just fine."

Baby Kingpin's face twisted into a cold smirk.

Fine. When I'm grown up again, all of you will pay.

But in the next instant, Xia Luo's response made him tremble with dread.

"It's fine. I've accepted him as family now. As long as he's with me, his survival is entirely up to chance."

Kingpin: "…"

He really is a demon!

Carter: "…"

"You plan to keep him with you?" she asked.

Xia Luo nodded. "That's the plan for now. I've been getting along with him quite well these past few days."

Baby Kingpin eyed Xia Luo with a sidelong glance, his whole body shuddering as memories of recent humiliations replayed in his mind.

Carter looked at Kingpin, who was drenched from the rain. "You call that 'getting along well'?"

"He didn't wash his face this morning."

Xia Luo pulled a napkin from his pocket and wiped Kingpin's face—not exactly gently.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" he asked.

Carter's expression turned serious. "The Time Monolith has been stolen."

Xia Luo: "…"

His mouth twitched. "Captain Carter, I'd honestly love to know how such an incompetent S.H.I.E.L.D. can even justify asking for operational funding?"

Carter shrugged. "No clue."

"So you're here to ask me to track down the Time Monolith?" Xia Luo asked.

"No, Nick Fury's handling that himself."

"Then why come to me?"

"To find the Monument before Nick Fury does."

Xia Luo: "…"

"You're saying those are two different things?"

"Of course."

Carter kept a straight face. "Helping him and helping me are two different things."

Xia Luo facepalmed, while Kingpin's tiny face scrunched up in distaste.

Back when he was the kingpin, the intel he'd received described Captain Carter as a no-nonsense, by-the-book type. Serious, no humor, strict with her subordinates.

In other words, a normal woman.

Turns out his intel was all wrong.

No wonder he'd lost to her.

But if they were looking for the Time Monolith, they should be contacting Spider-Man instead.

Xia Luo was just an ordinary guy—what good would asking him do?

Oh, right. Spider-Man had been killed by the genetic disruptor.

The memory of Spider-Man's demise filled Kingpin with smug satisfaction.

Carter glanced at Baby Kingpin.

"Are you sure it's fine to discuss this in front of him?"

Xia Luo grinned. "No problem. He's family. The more he knows, the faster he'll die."

Kingpin: "???"

He quickly covered his face with his chubby hands.

Xia Luo pried his little hands away and placed them over his ears instead. "There, that's better."

Kingpin: "…"

Carter thought it over. "You're right; he can't do much right now, so knowing these secrets won't hurt. But if one of his lackeys was the one who stole the Time Monolith, we'll be in trouble if he returns to his original form."

"He won't get the chance."

Xia Luo patted Baby Kingpin on the head, smiling. "You don't want to grow up, do you?"

He mimed snapping a rubber band, and Kingpin's face turned grim as he nodded reluctantly.

Carter looked surprised. "He actually gave in? How'd you manage that?"

"I just found his weak spot."

Xia Luo shrugged, then asked, "Was there any evidence left behind at the scene of the Monument theft?"

Carter nodded and pulled a small green feather from her pocket.

"This was all we found. No DNA traces, and it looks synthetic. I'm guessing it's the work of another mad scientist."

"A feather?"

Xia Luo took it, mulling over which villain it could be.

The Vulture?

Probably.

The multiverse plotlines were hard to predict, but in any given universe, there were only so many villains... a dozen or so, a few dozen... okay, maybe hundreds.

Alright, he couldn't be sure—but he'd find out soon enough.

"Look into a guy named Adrian Toomes. He was an electronics engineer and probably still is. Keep an eye on him," Xia Luo suggested.

"Toomes?" Carter frowned.

"What's wrong?" Xia Luo could tell something was up by her expression.

Carter replied, "You know Dr. Banner's current situation is pretty unstable, so Nick Fury brought in someone else to replace him. This guy isn't as versatile as Banner, but he's still one of Fury's most trusted scientists.

"If it's him, it's quite possible... but Fury wouldn't believe me."

Xia Luo rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "If that's the case, then yes—it's probably an inside job. Which is a good thing since it means Fury's the one who let the Monument slip away."

Carter shook her head. "Not really a good thing. Even if we prove Toomes stole the Monument, all Fury has to do is claim it was part of a 'secret plan.'"

"A secret plan doesn't need to be reported?"

"He's the Director. He has that kind of authority."

"Well then, guess we'll need Felicia's help."

Xia Luo smiled. "The Time Monolith is her father's only hope for a cure. She'll help."

Carter raised an eyebrow. "You're saying…"

"Felicia should steal the Monument back and make sure someone else takes the fall. Then you'll get all the credit."

Xia Luo turned to look at Baby Kingpin, a thoughtful gleam in his eye.

Kingpin: "!!!!"

Why are you looking at me?

I'm just a baby!!

He fumed internally.

They're really going to pin this on me, even like this?

Carter glanced at Baby Kingpin as well, a small smile appearing on her face.

"Perfect. I already sent Felicia off. Now that we have a target, she'll bring us news soon."

She took out a communicator and contacted Felicia.

"Breaking news: New developments in the recent downtown incident. Sources reveal the green monster's first appearance was at S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, leading us to suspect a secret S.H.I.E.L.D. experiment may have caused its creation…"

Suddenly, the café's TV switched to footage from three days ago, showing a dazzling comet smashing through a building. Kingpin's eyes went wide.

He hadn't seen any news during his time with Xia Luo.

Now, he was starting to piece things together.

At the pyramid... Carter and Felicia had both been there.

The pyramid had collapsed, the entire mountain reduced to rubble.

How did they survive?

Did Spider-Man save them?

Those Hydra fools were even more useless than he'd thought.

The genetic disruptor hadn't killed Spider-Man after all!

Or maybe it had, but it couldn't stop him from resurrecting.

Anyone following Spider-Man news would notice that every time he came back, he emerged with a massive power boost.

By now, Spider-Man had become an extremely dangerous figure.

One fight could demolish a building.

Kingpin felt a twinge of despair.

And it only got worse.

Carter said to Xia Luo, "Following your suggestion, we're now calling Dr. Banner's transformed self 'Hulk.'

"Dr. Banner's back to normal now, but his state is still volatile. With any significant emotional shift, that green monster will resurface.

"And from the battle data we gathered, if he loses control again, Hulk's strength will be even greater than before."

Xia Luo mused, "So Hulk's already starting to adapt to Banner's body. That first time, I was just lucky enough to catch him right after he transformed. Is that why I managed to beat him?"

"That's right." Carter nodded.

Baby Kingpin stared at Xia Luo, slack-jawed.

What was he saying?

He beat that monster?

He's Spider-Man!

No!

No way it's him!

"Wah-wah~"

Kingpin immediately started crawling towards Xia Luo in a panic, only to be pushed back with one hand.

"Oh no, he's figured out my identity." Xia Luo said, feigning disappointment. "Looks like I'll have to silence him."

Baby Kingpin: "…"

He calmed himself, squeezing out an innocent smile.

I have no idea what you two are talking about.

So please, spare me.

Xia Luo ignored Baby Kingpin and turned back to Carter.

"If Toomes stole the Time Monolith, he's bound to make a move soon. Keep an eye out for any strange events and let me know right away."

"Understood."

Carter rose, suddenly remembering something.

"Oh, by the way, Dr. Otto's artificial sun experiment has been drawing a lot of attention. It should enter its final phase in a couple of days.

"But I remember you saying that it might fail, so maybe you should talk to him about it."

With that, Carter turned to leave.

"Don't forget to pay," Xia Luo reminded her.

Carter: "…"

After Carter paid and left, Xia Luo breathed a sigh of relief.

"Wah~"

Baby Kingpin grunted to get his attention. Xia Luo took a milk bottle from his pocket and handed it over.

"Drink it yourself."

"Wah…"

Baby Kingpin held the bottle with a pout.

It's cold. How am I supposed to drink this?

Xia Luo paid him no mind, staring out at the misty rain outside the window, his brow furrowing.

Dr. Otto was finally moving forward with the experiment…

He'd have to prepare.

With that, he got up and approached the server. "Keep an eye on the baby for me, will you? I'll come back for him later."

Server: "???"

Baby Kingpin: "???"

With the bottle clutched in his tiny hands, Baby Kingpin looked the server dead in the eyes.

Am I really the world's first deposited baby?

Stark Tower, Rooftop Garden

Poolside party. Tony, in his Mark suit, danced by the pool to booming music.

"Yo, yo, yo, let's go!"

Tony downed a cocktail and tossed the glass aside.

Buzz~

Bang!

A palm repulsor shot out, blasting the glass to powder mid-air.

"Yes! That was awesome!"

"Iron Man, I love you!"

The women by the pool cheered wildly, and Tony spread his arms, closing his eyes to bask in their adoration.

A second later, the cheers grew even louder.

"Oh my god, it's Spider-Man!"

"So cool!"

"Spider-Man, I love you!"

"And I love you all!"

In a flash of red and blue, Xia Luo swung down beside the pool.

He blew kisses to the crowd before Tony, now opening his eyes, shot him a sour look.

"I don't remember inviting you to my party."

He gestured to a server. "Want a drink?" he asked Xia Luo.

Xia Luo shook his head. "No, I'll take two. Freshly squeezed juice."

With a snap of his fingers, Tony summoned the drinks.

"Oh, you like snapping your fingers?" Xia Luo asked, accepting the juice.

"It's alright."

Tony placed his helmet on the table. "You came here because you need something, don't you?"

"Yep."

Xia Luo lounged on a pool chair, hands behind his head.

"I saw you the other day."

"When?" Tony removed his armor and lay back on the chair next to him.

"Three days ago," Xia Luo replied with a grin.

Tony nodded. "So, you're here to pay me back?"

"For what?"

"That building I just bought."

"Oh, Mr. Stark, actually, the Spider-Man that day wasn't me. I was on vacation."

"S.H.I.E.L.D. agreed to cover the damages."

"Alright, fine, it was me that day. Who else could pull off those moves?"

Tony: "…"

"You came here to talk about that thermonuclear fusion experiment you mentioned last time?"

"Sort of."

Xia Luo tapped his nanotech device, transmitting files to Tony's computer.

"I sent over the Goblin project data."

Before arriving at Stark Tower, he'd swung by to see Harry.

---

so... turns out the weapon master can die. webnovel blocked it again for copyright stuff, so i'm not reposting it. don't wanna risk losing my other translations too.

but don't worry, the weapon master's alive and well on patreon. thinking about setting up a scribble hub for stories like this—because some battles can't be won on webnovel.

thanks for sticking with me. you're the real MVPs.

If you notice anything that feels off, just let me know—I don't mind fixing things up.

Oh, and don't forget to sit up, grab some water, and take it easy while you're here. No rush, right?

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