Chapitre 110: Restart, Spider-Man! [110]
[Remaining Restart Attempts: 20]
Looking at his updated number of restart attempts, Xia Luo couldn't help but smile in satisfaction.
Plenty of cushion.
"What's got you smiling? You still haven't explained what you meant earlier!" Carter eyed Xia Luo suspiciously.
He snapped out of it and pointed to his masked face.
"You can tell I'm smiling?"
"I guessed."
"Nice one."
Xia Luo gave her a thumbs-up and was about to speak, but just then, George arrived with a squad of officers, rushing to the scene.
"Gwen, are you alright?" George's face was tight with worry as he pulled Gwen close.
Gwen gave a small smile. "I'm fine."
George glanced over at Xia Luo, then signaled for the officers to start securing the area.
He then turned back to Gwen, guilt evident in his expression. "I'm sorry. I didn't come find you right away."
"It's okay, Dad. You had important work to do," Gwen replied, her tone patient and understanding.
George shook his head, his voice trembling slightly. "I mean, I didn't look for you when you disappeared for two weeks. I couldn't find you anywhere."
Gwen maintained her smile. "It's alright, Dad. You're responsible for so many people's safety. I get it."
"I'll have someone take you home."
"I can get back on my own. You should handle things here first."
Xia Luo watched the exchange, sensing something a bit off between father and daughter.
But other people's family matters weren't his concern.
Still, he couldn't help noticing the white bandage wrapped around George's wrist.
Not wanting to linger and test George's tolerance any further, Xia Luo turned to leave.
"You're leaving?"
Seeing him shoot a web to make his exit, Carter quickly spoke up, "You still haven't explained why they're mutating!"
"I was just speculating. Go ask Dr. Banner for the real answer. Oh, and I'm borrowing something of yours."
With that, Xia Luo vaulted off the ledge, his web latching onto Natasha's mutant sensor device as he swung away.
As Spider-Man disappeared, Gwen looked disappointed.
"I didn't get a chance to thank him."
Mary Jane consoled her, "Don't worry, the next time you're in danger, you'll see him again and can thank him in person."
Gwen fell silent.
This friend's not the sharpest—no wonder she didn't get into Empire State University.
George didn't have time to dwell on Spider-Man either, not with the mountain of issues now waiting for him to handle.
He walked up to Carter. "Hello, I'm George Stacy, the precinct captain for this area. Coulson couldn't make it?"
George's tone was respectful when addressing these government types from shadowy organizations.
"Coulson had other priorities. I'm in charge of mutant spider-related incidents."
Carter was all business as she handed him another mutant sensor from her belt.
"We'll be supplying these to your precinct. From now on, report any instances of spider virus infections you come across."
"And this is…?" George examined the device, curious.
"It detects the unique bioelectric signals emitted by infected individuals. Here's the switch."
Carter was about to demonstrate but was cut off by a visibly nervous George.
"Hold on, I think I've got it. There are other things I need to handle right now, excuse me…"
With that, George hurried off.
Carter watched him leave, her brows knitting slightly.
"Something's off with him."
Natasha stepped forward, a slight smile on her lips. "A bit, maybe, but nothing major."
Later that night, after working overtime, George finally made it home.
Despite the exhaustion etched across his face, he still went to Gwen's room and knocked softly.
"How are you doing?"
After a moment, Gwen's voice came through the door.
"I'm fine, Dad. No need to worry."
"Good."
A faint smile appeared on George's face, and he quietly removed his gear before heading to the bathroom to wash up.
Turning the faucet to its highest setting, he looked up at his reflection in the mirror.
Another gray hair.
Gwen was growing up too.
He smiled in bittersweet contentment, but his gaze fell on the white bandage on his wrist, and his smile faded.
Slowly, he unwound the bandage, revealing a deeply cut scar beneath.
From the wound oozed a strange, silky substance—a spider's web protein.
Whenever he touched it, the silk strands would form into thin webbing on his skin.
Yes, he'd been bitten by one of those mutant spiders and had turned into… Spider-Man.
He had become what he despised most—Spider-Man.
Unable to accept it, he had tried slashing his wrist to prevent the repulsive webbing from spreading.
But it was futile.
His healing factor was accelerating, and no matter how much he injured his wrist, the wound healed almost instantly.
And each time, more webbing emerged, stabbing his nerves with raw disgust.
He had become the very thing he loathed.
Looking at his reflection, memories of his first encounter with the red-and-blue hero surfaced.
When he first met Spider-Man, the guy didn't even have that name.
He was just a young superhero, who'd happened to help the police solve a tricky case. Every officer was intrigued by him.
George included.
He had appreciated the guy, especially when he saved one of George's men with his webbing.
In fact, George even praised him in front of the media.
The name 'Spider-Man' had actually come from him, and from there, the media latched onto it.
Soon, Spider-Man was helping out with more cases, and all of New York began to know the super-powered man in the red-and-blue suit.
But George soon noticed that Spider-Man was mostly going after petty crooks. He just happened to be around for some of their cases and saved them by pure luck.
Despite this, George still appreciated him.
But, gradually, he sensed something amiss.
His colleagues and subordinates couldn't stop talking about Spider-Man. Every time, they hoped he'd show up, hoping he'd take some of the workload off their hands.
Something felt wrong about it. Counting on an unknown masked vigilante to uphold the law? It was making his officers lazy, dependent, complacent.
It was then that George first started feeling a bit sour about Spider-Man.
But that alone wasn't enough to make him hate the guy.
As the days passed, people talked about Spider-Man more and more.
George was the precinct captain, known for being the best at what he did. But praise for his hard work seemed to dry up.
Now every successful bust was attributed to Spider-Man.
How did it come to this?
After all, he was the one who worked tirelessly, putting in all his effort to rid the city of crime.
He'd given up so much—time with his daughter, his marriage, his entire family life was in ruins. He'd sacrificed everything.
All he had left was his job.
Yet Spider-Man would show up at the last minute, and all the applause, all the glory, was showered on him.
So what did that make George?
Soon, even his precious daughter started talking about Spider-Man.
Since she'd met him, Gwen was always asking her dad about him, which oddly improved their relationship.
While he was glad, it hurt too.
Ever since she was little, Gwen had looked up to him. Even though she never blamed him for her mother leaving, a distance had always remained.
A distance that felt insurmountable, like a chasm that would last a lifetime.
The more Gwen matured, the more guilt George felt.
There were so many times he wanted to make it up to her, but work kept him away.
And now, thanks to Spider-Man, they were closer than ever… but Gwen's admiration for him was slipping away.
He could feel it.
Damn that Spider-Man. Was he even stealing Gwen's respect?
He was angry, resentful.
He started to hate Spider-Man.
When Spider-Man appeared again, he wanted to arrest him.
Charges flooded his mind—obstructing police work, breaking New York's laws, having no right to enforce the law…
But whenever he tried, Spider-Man seemed to sense it and slipped away just in time.
After a while, George began to take Spider-Man's disappearing act as a personal challenge.
Finally, the day came.
Spider-Man was dead. The Green Goblin claimed he'd killed him.
At last, there was no one left to steal his spotlight.
That day, he took Gwen shopping, buying her all the clothes and makeup she liked.
But Gwen was heartbroken.
Because Spider-Man was dead.
But it was fine; kids got over these things quickly.
Soon, her father would be the only hero she'd look up to.
And finally, his colleagues and subordinates would see who really had the skills and dedication.
But…
Then everything went wrong.
Spider-Man wasn't dead. He showed up again.
He defeated the Green Goblin, and even more people idolized him.
Once again, George was the one left behind.
Not long after, Spider-Man vanished again. Rumors spread that he'd died.
Then he returned—alive.
He was around for a while, then disappeared again.
People said he was dead.
No, he was alive.
Damn it. Was he ever going to die?
George was losing his mind.
Then, two weeks ago, Gwen went missing.
People from a shadowy department told him Gwen had become Spider-Woman and had likely been kidnapped by Kingpin.
God, not my Gwen.
She'd become the thing he despised most—a "Spider-Man."
But there was no time to be angry. He had to save his daughter from Kingpin's grasp.
Except… Kingpin's reach was everywhere.
George couldn't find him.
No one knew where Kingpin was.
Then, to top it off, he himself was bitten by one of those damn mutant spiders and turned into Spider-Man.
He snapped.
He hated spiders, hated Spider-Man.
It was all Spider-Man's fault—he was to blame for Gwen's predicament.
Where was he? Gwen's life was on the line.
Oh. He showed up. Gwen was safe.
George finally let out a breath of relief.
He wanted to rush to the hospital right away, but his duties kept him busy.
But as long as Gwen was safe, that was enough.
She was a good kid. She wouldn't blame him.
Then trouble struck again—this time, at the hospital. Gwen was in danger again.
With so many civilians on-site, he couldn't focus on Gwen alone. His job was to protect everyone, Gwen included.
But his strength only went so far.
All he could do was pin his hopes on Spider-Man.
The rescue went well; though there were casualties, Gwen had survived.
Oh, God… what am I thinking?
Someone had died. He shouldn't feel relieved.
But Gwen was alive.
George was caught in a spiral of conflicting emotions.
When he saw Gwen again, things seemed back to how they'd always been between them.
There had been a chance to close the distance between them.
But he might have lost that chance forever.
And it was all Spider-Man's fault.
No… he couldn't blame him. Spider-Man had saved Gwen twice.
This was all his own doing.
Becoming Spider-Man was his punishment.
No matter how many pills he took or how much he tried to destroy the web-slinging organ on his wrist, every time he took a shower, there it was—disgusting and ever-present.
He had become the very person he loathed.
In the mirror, George's face twisted with rage.
He wanted to smash the mirror to pieces for showing him the reflection of his most hated self.
He was George Stacy, the one who protected New York, Gwen's father.
But what had he become?
A joke, that's all.
That was his opinion of himself right now.
What a cruel irony.
God had played a massive joke on him.
He hated God, as much as he hated Spider-Man.
At least no one knew about this.
After tomorrow, he'd still be George Stacy, the man filled with justice.
This secret he'd hide for the rest of his life.
"Creak~"
Suddenly, the bathroom door creaked open, and George scrambled to regain his composure.
"Splash"
He cupped some water in his hands and splashed it on his face, trying on the smile a father ought to have as he looked at Gwen.
"What's wrong? Did I wake you? Sorry about that. Tell you what, tomorrow, I'll take you shopping!" he said with a grin.
Gwen shook her head, drawing a deep breath as she looked at him with a complex expression.
"Don't pretend, Dad. I already know."
"What?" George's face twisted with alarm, but years of practice quickly forced calm into his expression.
He struggled to keep his lips steady. "What are you talking about? I don't understand."
Gwen glanced at the bandages he hadn't quite hidden on the sink.
"The medicine in the house, the blood and webs you didn't finish cleaning up in here… it's enough to tell me what's going on with you."
"I…"
George hastily threw the bandages in the trash, stammering, "No, it's not what you think—"
"You really hate Spider-Man, don't you?" Gwen interrupted.
George raised a hand in protest, "No, I don't hate him. Don't overthink it."
"I know you hate him."
Gwen lowered her gaze. "When I became Spider-Woman, I was scared of you finding out."
George fell silent at her words.
After a long moment, he let out a deep sigh.
"Yes, I hate him. I know my reasons are ridiculous.
"Truthfully, it's just my own helplessness I can't stand."
His face grew bitter. "I've worked so hard for years, and I'm still nothing compared to some kid with powers. And my daughter… she seems to really like him, too.
"It makes me feel… lost. Afraid. Angry. I can't accept it, so I just curse him from the shadows.
"Even though he saved you, I still despise him. I know it's wrong.
"But I can't make myself like him. He's a hero, and being a hero was once my pride."
As he finished, he turned away, not wanting Gwen to see the ugly look on his face.
But her next words shattered his composure completely.
"But, Dad, no matter how much I like Spider-Man, the one I love most is still you!"
"Because you're my father, the closest person to me, the person I admire most."
"Spider-Man is a hero, but he's everyone's hero. You're mine alone."
Gwen moved behind him, wrapping her arms around him, her voice filled with a plea.
"So, Dad… please, stop comparing yourself to others."
Her voice cracked, as if she too was enduring some inner struggle.
"Gwen…"
At that moment, George's shoulders trembled as he fought to hold his head high, not wanting her to see the tears filling his eyes.
"I—I promise you, Gwen, I won't compare myself to Spider-Man anymore. Forgive me…"
"Dad, I already forgave you a long time ago."
"Thank you, my dear Gwen."
"Oh, and by the way, I forgive you too."
Suddenly, a masked head peeked through the bathroom window, startling them both.
"Spider-Man!"
"Spider-Man!"
"Spider-Man!"
---
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(IN THE STORY)
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État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone