Chapter 152: Restart, Spider-Man! [152]
At the Coastside Villa.
The lab was temporarily closed to the public as Dr. Otto Octavius enthusiastically greeted the scientists arriving to witness the experiment. Even the business tycoons who came to learn about the project were not neglected by Dr. Octavius.
Under the flashing cameras of numerous journalists, he exuded a calm confidence, openly discussing the potential of his artificial sun experiment.
From the back of the crowd, Xia Luo folded his arms and chuckled. "If Dr. Octavius hadn't gone into science, he'd definitely have a promising career as a businessman."
Harry nodded. "True, it's rare to see a scientist this comfortable with the public."
Due to last night's events, Carter had deduced Adrian's real target, so S.H.I.E.L.D. agents had been stationed around the villa, waiting to intercept Adrian if he showed.
"Hey, you guys made it too."
Turning to the familiar voice, Xia Luo spotted Gwen striding over, dressed in a sleek evening gown. Her radiant presence made his eyes light up.
"Wow, is that a real gemstone necklace you're wearing?" he asked, leaning in to look closer at her neck.
Harry facepalmed at this. Seriously?
"I've seen that necklace before," he muttered. "At an auction."
Hearing this, Xia Luo gave Gwen a curious look.
"Gwen, everything okay with your dad?"
Gwen raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"
"I mean… he didn't come into some extra cash or anything, did he?"
"Do you think that's funny?" Gwen rolled her eyes. "I bought it myself, thank you. It was from my patent royalties, nothing to do with my dad."
"Patent royalties?" Xia Luo looked impressed.
"Yes, from my synthetic webbing formula. While I was working on it, I developed an artificial spider silk material and sold the rights to—oh, speak of the devil."
She pointed at Tony Stark, standing confidently in a tailored suit, across the room.
"What?" Xia Luo's expression darkened. "He told everyone he created that formula himself."
Harry shrugged. "If you buy a patent, it's legally yours."
He had known Spider-Man wanted to profit from his synthetic webbing. As a close friend of Spider-Man's "liaison," Harry had felt pretty bad for Xia Luo; after all, if Spider-Man had successfully made a profit, Xia Luo would have surely benefited too.
Instead, Tony Stark and Gwen had beaten him to it.
Watching Tony's back, Xia Luo clenched his fists. "That… jerk! This means war!"
Harry leaned over. "Don't forget about Gwen, too."
Xia Luo's gaze flicked to her, annoyed. "What's with the fancy dress? This isn't some ball."
Gwen grinned. "Dr. Octavius plans to throw a celebration right after the experiment's success. I just figured I'd come prepared."
Glancing down at his own casual outfit, Xia Luo fished a black bow tie out of his pocket and fastened it around his neck.
"I came prepared too."
Gwen raised an eyebrow. "Okay… that's something, I guess."
Suddenly, gasps filled the crowd. A striking figure in a red dress entered, commanding everyone's attention.
"Is that… Captain Carter?"
"My God, what elegance…"
"I've never seen her like this. Absolutely stunning."
The men's admiration was palpable. Standing beside her, the once-glamorous dates of these businessmen suddenly seemed dim in comparison.
In an instant, everyone flocked toward Carter, eager to greet her.
Carter accepted their greetings with a polite smile, then walked over to Dr. Octavius.
"Congratulations, Dr. Octavius. You're about to become the world's most renowned scientist."
Dr. Octavius hadn't expected Captain Carter to come in person, but after a brief moment of surprise, he nodded with a smile.
"Captain, having you here to witness the experiment is an honor."
After exchanging a few more words, Carter made her way over to Xia Luo and his friends.
"What's the matter? Don't recognize me?" she asked, catching Harry staring at her.
Startled back to reality, Harry blushed. "Uh, no! I mean, yes, of course, Captain Carter."
There was no mistaking it—this was the same fearsome trainer who had put him through the ringer.
Xia Luo, however, simply looked her up and down, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
Long legs, red lipstick, huge… gem.
He honed in on the impressive gemstone necklace she was wearing.
"Who's got the pricier jewelry?" he asked Harry in a whisper.
Harry sighed. "If I'm right, that's the 'Eye of Poseidon' from last century. Just one of those could buy a few buildings in New York."
Hearing this, Xia Luo blinked, wiping away an imaginary tear.
They're all loaded!
Looking at Carter, he spoke up in a serious tone. "So, if something happened to you… could I inherit all this?"
Carter's smile froze.
"Not a chance."
"We're family, aren't we?"
"Distant family. Very distant."
Across the room, Tony had noticed Carter as well. Smiling, he made his way over to her.
"Captain Carter, you look amazing tonight," he said. "Planning on stopping that vulture in style?"
Though he didn't know the details, Tony was aware there'd be a mission today.
Carter kept her polite smile. "Thank you, Mr. Stark. But today, I'm not the star of the show, so it hardly matters what I wear."
"Oh, really?"
Tony smirked, stroking his goatee. "I know the real star of the day is me. That birdbrain's going to see exactly what I'm made of."
Xia Luo scoffed. "Are you listening to yourself? Spider-Man is the real star here."
Tony's attention shifted to him, finally recognizing him.
"Oh, right—you're Spider-Man's liaison. I hate to break it to you, but your intel's out of date. Spider-Man's dead. Even if he somehow pulled off a miracle, it wouldn't be today." He was annoyingly smug.
To this, Xia Luo simply leaned closer and whispered, "I loved your anti-Spider-Man suit, by the way."
At that, Tony's grin faltered.
"You know, kid, I finally understand why Spider-Man picked you as his liaison."
He gave Xia Luo a firm pat on the shoulder, his expression oddly thoughtful.
"Because you're just like him."
"Like him how?"
"You make people want to throttle you."
"We live in a society governed by law, Mr. Stark. Let's all stay calm."
"Thanks for the reminder."
Just then, the lab doors slid open, and Dr. Octavius clapped his hands together with a big grin.
"It's time! The final phase of the artificial sun experiment is about to begin!"
Amid the crowd's intrigued murmurs, Dr. Octavius led everyone inside.
At the center of the lab stood the experiment's setup—a gleaming, spider-like rig equipped with multiple mechanical limbs that gleamed under the lights. Gasps filled the room.
"That's the apparatus for the final fusion stage of the artificial sun! Dr. Octavius wrote about it in his memoir!"
"This is incredible!"
"Once the artificial sun is completed, it's going to change the world."
"I hope I'll have the chance to collaborate with Dr. Octavius."
"Well, Tony Stark's already here, so I doubt there'll be much room for competition."
"And there's Osborn's heir too, though I doubt he stands a chance against Stark."
"Right. If we want a piece of this project, we'll have to go through Stark."
In hushed whispers, the guests discussed their hopes for partnership, and Dr. Octavius allowed them to chat for a while before raising his hand to regain their attention.
"As you may know, the apparatus behind me is critical for the final phase of this experiment. It's about to become part of history."
"But first, I want to introduce another one of my inventions," he continued, holding up a small chip.
"What's that?" someone murmured.
"It looks like Spider-Man's mechanical arms…"
"It really does. Could it be that Spider-Man's suit was actually Dr. Octavius's work?"
Noticing their curiosity, Dr. Octavius continued. "You may be familiar with this device already. Spider-Man stole one of my prototypes, a despicable act, but today I'll show you all how he misused it.
"This is the robotic arm system I designed specifically to aid in the final stages of the artificial sun experiment. It connects directly to my nervous system, allowing me to control each limb with complete precision."
He held up the chip between his fingers. "Everything is commanded through this tiny device."
His confidence drew more whispers, and Harry leaned over to Gwen, perplexed.
"Is he showcasing another invention?"
Gwen nodded. "He's a scientist, but he's also a shrewd businessman. If Dr. Connors were half as strategic, he wouldn't constantly struggle for funding."
Just then, Tony raised his hand with a grin.
"I'm in. Count me as an investor."
Xia Luo muttered under his breath, "Must be nice to be so loaded…"
Carter quickly followed suit. "The Carter family would also be interested in partnering with you, Dr. Octavius."
Though Carter's family was wealthy, they couldn't compete with Stark Industries for a stake in the artificial sun. But a partnership on the robotic arm project? That was doable.
Carter and Stark's bids created a ripple effect, prompting other businessmen to express interest, which seemed to greatly please Dr. Octavius.
He glanced toward the crowd and exchanged a smile with Ruth, who looked on with admiration.
At last, his years of hard work were about to pay off.
As the assistants fitted the mechanical arms onto his back and connected the chip to his nervous system, the dark-gold arms flexed, moving as if they were extensions of his own body. The crowd erupted in astonished gasps.
"Now, we begin the final phase!"
Dr. Octavius turned toward the apparatus, the mechanical arms whirring to life as everything aligned for the big moment.
Crackle—
The horns of the machine hummed to life as a small, pea-sized golden glow began to swell, gradually growing larger under the regulated energy feed.
The energy orb expanded, radiating a fiery intensity, yet the temperature in the lab didn't spike, nor did any of the lab's sensors register any radiation leakage. The attending scientists were shaken—had Dr. Octavius truly achieved such technological mastery?
Meanwhile, the businessmen were oblivious to these scientific intricacies; they simply stared, captivated, at the expanding artificial sun, their breaths collectively stilled.
Though equally awed, Carter and her team kept their focus on a different target—the imminent arrival of Adrian Toomes.
This was, after all, the real reason for their presence here.
At some point, Xia Luo had slipped away unnoticed.
But with everyone's eyes fixed on the artificial sun, no one registered his absence.
Including Spider-Man himself.
Crackle—
Suddenly, a stray arc of electricity danced across the machine's surface, and the artificial sun began to flicker erratically.
As it shrank and then rapidly expanded again, the crowd gasped, startled by its instability.
Dr. Octavius scrambled to steady the energy output, fingers flying over his keyboard.
"Damn it! This kind of rookie error shouldn't even be possible…"
Meanwhile, an unfamiliar man in the crowd narrowed his eyes, his expression shifting.
"Hell, the artificial sun's going out of control… It's now or never."
With a quick motion, he hurled his briefcase directly toward the artificial sun.
Whoosh—
Boom!
The moment it touched the artificial sun, the briefcase vaporized, revealing the Time Monolith encased within, which immediately began absorbing the chaotic energy, stabilizing the sun—at least for now.
Reacting instantly, Carter whipped up her dress's hem and pulled out a concealed handgun strapped to her thigh.
"There! That's him! Move in!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Gunshots echoed as the crowd erupted into panicked screams, the mysterious man dodging through the chaos before leaping up to the ceiling.
Boom!
His clothes tore away to reveal green wings unfurling with a fierce gust.
"Caw, caw! Without Spider-Man, you fools are nothing but ants to me!"
Adrian Toomes ripped off his disguise and burst into a fit of manic laughter, then dived toward the ground like a green bolt of lightning.
"Look out!"
A shield came crashing through the window at that very moment.
With no time to waste, Carter raised the shield in front of her.
Clang!
The shield absorbed the blow, yet Carter's knees buckled under the impact.
She glanced at the retreating green vulture, pale and shaken.
"That… was close. Too close."
Adrian smirked above. "Not bad, Captain Carter. This time, you got lucky."
With that, he shot straight up, bursting through the ceiling and vanishing from sight.
The Time Monolith he left behind continued to siphon energy from the artificial sun, causing the orb to pulse even more intensely.
Too absorbed in managing the unstable artificial sun, Dr. Octavius barely registered the vulture's attack. Frustrated, he tried to use his mechanical arms to push the Time Monolith away, only to be thwarted by the sun's unbearable heat.
"Damn it! What the hell is that thing?! With it here, my experiment will never succeed!"
"Dr. Octavius, shut down the experiment! It's too dangerous here," Carter urged.
"Not a chance!"
Dr. Octavius scowled. "Do you have any idea how much I've invested in this experiment? I don't get a second shot at this."
"I have money," Tony offered. Grabbing the metal briefcase Happy had delivered, he quickly suited up in his portable armor.
"That guy's gunning for the artificial sun. You know what'll happen if he succeeds. I'll handle any future funding."
Dr. Octavius hesitated, his jaw clenched.
After a pause, he nodded. "Fine."
He extended one arm, intending to cut the power, but before he could reach the lever, the ceiling shattered. A green streak darted past, slicing through one of his mechanical limbs.
"What the—?"
The crowd gasped as Adrian zipped through, barreling past people and sending bodies flying in every direction.
Thud, thud!
The shield clattered to the ground, Carter's impact taking down a large swath of lab equipment as she staggered back.
"He's too fast… I can barely track his movements." She frowned, trying to steady herself.
Nearby, sparks flared from Tony's damaged suit as he slowly rose to his feet. The thrusters in his hands and feet had been severed.
"He took out my propulsion system first. He came prepared."
Clutching his bruised abdomen, Harry grimaced, beads of sweat lining his forehead. "Pretty sure he cracked a few of my ribs…"
Dr. Octavius, his face drenched in sweat, cradled his wife as the remaining three arms hung uselessly from his back, each severed.
"Captain Carter! Where's your backup?" he demanded.
Carter shook her head. "Most likely… he's already taken them out."
Nearby, Gwen was clutching a pistol in one hand and a wound at her waist in the other.
"We don't stand a chance without Spider-Man," she muttered, her voice laced with frustration.
At this moment, she longed for her powers more than ever.
If she were still Spider-Gwen, she wouldn't be feeling so helpless.
The man's speed was a nightmare to contend with.
Hovering above, Adrian sneered at the group's sorry state, crossing his arms.
"Too slow! Far too slow! Victory and defeat hinge on speed alone, you fools! To possess speed… is to possess everything!"
His voice had barely faded when, out of nowhere, a red-and-blue figure swung in through the window, landing in the middle of the room.
"Much as I disagree, I think I'll send you to hell by beating you at your own game."
Seeing Xia Luo, Adrian's face twisted with shock.
"WHAT?!"
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T/N: By my power the time tablet disintegrated into the time stone when thrown into the sun!
ignore above message I've been changing it to Time Monolith when I'm posting them
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