Chapitre 32: Restart, Spider-Man! [33]
"Hey, Mary Jane, what brings you here?" he asked, a bit surprised.
"Xia Luo said he was treating me to dinner," Mary Jane replied as she sat down across from Harry. She rested her chin on her hands and gazed out the window, putting on an air of melancholy.
"Harry, Xia Luo's been acting all mysterious lately. He's barely home and becoming more distant with me," she said.
Harry waved for the waiter. "One black coffee for the lady, please."
"I don't like black coffee," Mary Jane refused.
Harry shrugged. "But it suits your current mood. And besides, he's always been distant with you. You're just noticing now."
Mary Jane glared at him. "Mind your own business."
"Fine, if you don't want me involved, I guess I won't be paying for your meal tonight."
"You're not paying anyway. Xia Luo is."
"Please. When has he treated us and I haven't been the one footing the bill?"
"Well, now that you mention it…" Mary Jane looked around, but still didn't see Xia Luo.
"Where is he? Why isn't he here yet?" she muttered.
Harry chuckled, noticing her growing concern. "You're getting more and more into him, aren't you?"
"I am not."
Mary Jane turned her head away, but she couldn't help smiling as she thought about the recent private conversations between her and Xia Luo.
He really seemed to understand her—how had she not noticed this all these years?
"What are you guys talking about?"
At that moment, Xia Luo walked into the restaurant and waved at them.
"We were talking about you," Harry said as he signaled the waiter to bring over a menu.
"Talking about me?" Xia Luo glanced suspiciously at Mary Jane.
Did she tell Harry about their chat logs?
As if reading his mind, Mary Jane said softly, "Don't worry, I didn't say anything."
"You two have secrets?" Harry asked, eyeing the pair curiously.
"Nope, you're overthinking it," Xia Luo said quickly, taking the menu. "I'll have the Wellington steak. Two orders. No, make that three. Actually, I want five."
"Are you a pig?" Mary Jane teased.
Xia Luo shot her a glance. "You wouldn't understand men." He handed the menu to her.
"I don't need to," Mary Jane said as she placed her order, while Harry turned to Xia Luo.
"What's been going on with you lately? You've been hard to find," Harry asked.
Before Xia Luo could answer, Mary Jane quipped, "He's been busy with some resurrection game."
"Resurrection game?" Harry blinked, immediately thinking of the recently resurrected Spider-Man.
Xia Luo shrugged. "Yeah, it was fun. A bit life-threatening, though."
Harry shook his head. "I'm serious."
"Fine. I ran into some trouble, but Spider-Man saved me," Xia Luo admitted.
"Spider-Man?" Mary Jane was startled.
Harry feigned shock as well. "Wow! The one and only superhero, Spider-Man!"
Xia Luo: "..."
What terrible acting.
"Right, you said you had something important to tell Spider-Man?" Xia Luo asked.
Harry hesitated for a moment before answering.
"I have a friend."
Xia Luo: "..."
"Okay, what does your 'friend' want with Spider-Man?" he continued.
Looking more serious now, Harry said, "My friend is in some trouble. It's related to Spider-Man, but I don't have his contact information." He hadn't thought to ask Spider-Man yesterday.
Xia Luo nodded. "I can try. He'll probably agree."
"Thanks. If you can get in touch with him, have him come to my place. I'll give you the address."
"No problem."
As they talked, Mary Jane couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.
"You two are hiding something!" she declared.
"No, we're not."
"Hmph, a woman's intuition is never wrong," she said, pouting.
Both Xia Luo and Harry immediately looked away, avoiding eye contact.
That night, at the Osborn mansion.
Under the moonlight, a red-and-blue figure swung gracefully across the rooftops, landing softly atop one of the buildings.
Xia Luo gazed into the distance at the wreckage left behind from the explosion that had nearly killed him.
"You're here."
In the garden below, Harry looked up at the figure on the roof. "Tony is missing. He's likely been kidnapped."
"That's bad news," Xia Luo said as he jumped down to stand in front of Harry. "So, that's why you needed my help?"
"Yes," Harry replied.
He motioned for his butler, John, to bring over two cups of coffee.
"You want to find out who tried to kill you, too," he continued, gesturing toward the bombing site. "Aside from the military, Stark Industries doesn't sell MI1 missiles to anyone.
We can rule out the military, since their use of these weapons would be recorded.
That leaves only one possibility—Tony sold those weapons illegally, and not even his assistant knows about it."
Xia Luo nodded as he took the cup of coffee from the butler.
"Yes, only by finding Tony can we learn who bought the weapons from him."
He raised the cup to his lips, then paused.
Harry was as sly as his father. Xia Luo had almost fallen into his trap.
Deciding not to drink it, he made sure not to expose any of his facial features.
Harry, a bit disappointed, continued, "Tony disappeared in that desert region. We could go search for him ourselves."
"No problem. But why are you so interested in finding Tony?" Xia Luo asked curiously.
Harry sighed. "This is a mission from S.H.I.E.L.D., and Oscorp is in desperate need of funds. Only Stark Industries can help me."
Hearing that, Xia Luo grew thoughtful.
"I heard from your friend Xia Luo that Oscorp pulled funding from Dr. Connors' research. Is this because of that?" he probed.
"You two must be close if he told you that," Harry said, a bit wistful. "My father had high hopes for Dr. Connors' research. His work is crucial for perfecting the genetic serum.
Once I secure funding from Stark Industries, I'll continue supporting Dr. Connors' research—for my father, and for myself," he said with determination in his eyes.
Seeing that Harry hadn't given up on Dr. Connors' experiments, Xia Luo breathed a sigh of relief.
Mutual benefit. This was good for both of them.
"Good luck. When do we head out to find Tony?"
"Tomorrow. I need to make some preparations."
"No problem. To make things easier, I'll stay here tonight."
"You're always welcome."
"No need to prepare a room. I'll sleep in a web."
"Wow, that's cool."
The next day, Xia Luo and Harry boarded a private jet provided by Pepper Potts, bound for Afghanistan.
"Is this jet from Stark Industries? Has Oscorp really fallen on hard times?" Xia Luo asked as they settled into the cabin, still in his nanotech suit.
Harry looked out the window. "We're cutting costs where we can."
"Xia Luo mentioned you recently bought a limited-edition sports car," Xia Luo said, teasing.
Harry: "..."
Cough. "Pepper just provided some new intel."
Quickly changing the subject, Harry pulled up a virtual map. "She's marked several militant groups that might be responsible for Tony's kidnapping. Let's analyze them."
"No need. I've already found the answer," Xia Luo said, pointing to an inconspicuous spot on the map. "This is Ten Rings territory. They're the most likely culprits."
"Ten Rings?" Harry frowned.
"They're a relatively new group. They shouldn't have the guts to target Tony."
"Trust me. My sources are reliable."
"Alright, I'll go with your judgment."
"You won't be disappointed."
"There are still eleven hours before we reach our destination. Are you sure you don't want to take off your mask and relax a bit?" Harry asked, feigning concern.
"I don't trust sudden shows of concern."
"Alright, you got me."
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