Bab 81: Restart, Spider-Man! [81]
Crackle!
Before the shield could get anywhere near Max, a surge of electricity shot out, knocking it away. It clattered to the ground, spinning.
Steve stared. "..."
How does anyone fight criminals in this era?
He reached up to scratch his head, only to realize his mask was getting in the way.
"You look like a complete fossil, Old Man," came a mocking voice from above.
Gasps filled the street as a red and gold Mark suit descended from the sky.
Boom!
A pulse of energy fired from the suit, blasting the blue-skinned Max straight into a nearby storefront.
"Oh my god, it's Iron Man!"
"It's Mr. Stark!"
"So cool! This time I'm definitely voting for him to be New York's mayor!"
As the Iron Man suit landed, a drone zoomed overhead, showering money down from the sky.
"Oh my gosh, look at that!"
"So much cash!"
"We're rich!"
Immediately, the crowd, seemingly unfazed by Electro's danger, surged into the street, grabbing the falling bills.
Click.
Tony removed his helmet and waved to the excited crowd with a charming grin.
"Thank you! Thank you all for your support. Make sure to vote for me, and I promise to bring even more wealth to New York."
Xia Luo's face went blank.
This version of Tony Stark was... off.
Crackle!
Suddenly, arcs of electricity erupted from the wrecked storefront as Max, now radiating with electric fury, hovered in mid-air, surrounded by a storm of crackling energy.
"Iron Man, you've made me angry!"
Max bellowed, and a massive blue bolt of electricity, over a hundred meters long, shot down the street. The crowd screamed and scattered.
Crackle.
Boom!
Lightning flared across the street, forcing the Mark suit to rapidly ascend.
"Hey, Electric Baby, calm down. I'll give you money—a whole lot of money—just promise you'll vote for me…"
Tony maneuvered deftly in the air, trying to appease Max, but it was having no effect.
"Sir, I've detected Spider-Man in the vicinity," JARVIS's voice suddenly chimed in Tony's ear, making him grin.
"Finally, you show up, Xia Luo Parker."
On his HUD, JARVIS had zoomed in on a figure in the crowd, using facial recognition to pinpoint the target.
It was the guy who had used symbiote cells to save his life once.
"Hey, Spider-Man, fancy meeting you again."
Tony dodged another arc of electricity before diving down, landing directly in Xia Luo's path.
"Where's your cool black suit?" he asked, clearly intrigued.
Xia Luo sighed inwardly.
Oh, so it's this guy.
"You've got the wrong person," he said, pulling his hood down lower and turning away.
I should have worn the mask for the entire second Resurrection Tournament, he thought bitterly.
He hadn't expected to end up in the universe of the symbiote-enhanced Tony Stark.
Now that he'd been recognized, he was in for a world of trouble.
"Hey, Old Man Popsicle, I saw you too."
Tony's voice cut through as he called out to Old Man Steve, who was attempting to slip away.
"After the way you disappeared last time, I had a hunch. When I saw the younger Steve and Natasha, I knew you were from…"
Before Tony could finish, a powerful blast of electricity engulfed him, sending him crashing into a nearby alley.
The older Steve blinked, staring at the empty space before him.
"From where, exactly?"
The next moment, a cloud of blood-red mist exploded from the crowd. A familiar figure charged directly at Xia Luo.
"Hahaha, I found you, Xia Luo Parker! I know the secret of your resurrection!"
The blood mist quickly spread, and HYDRA Steve lunged forward, grotesque red tendrils shooting out from his spine, creating an overwhelming aura.
Xia Luo instantly shot a web and swung away, landing on a nearby billboard. His headache was already pounding.
Damn this world's Tony! Why did he have to shout so loudly?
Across the street, the younger Steve had just retrieved his shield. Seeing a monstrous, crimson version of himself suddenly appear, he froze.
"Stark was telling the truth?" he muttered.
He remembered the first time he met Stark, how the man had ranted about parallel universes and claimed to have seen another Steve and Natasha.
And now, on the billboard, he saw the familiar sight of red and blue metal covering a teenager's body—the Spider-Man Stark had talked about.
But this one didn't seem to be wearing black.
Boom!
With a powerful whip, HYDRA Steve's crimson tendrils obliterated the billboard, forcing Xia Luo to swing towards the rooftops.
"Haha, little Xia Luo, I let you win last time, but not this time. You won't escape!"
From the night sky, the Green Goblin shot forward at breakneck speed, hurling pumpkin bombs in rapid succession.
Boom!
Heatwaves surged, but Xia Luo's silhouette emerged from the explosion, rocketing away without hesitation.
"What the—?"
Crash!
The two figures collided in mid-air, sending Norman spiraling out of control.
"How is he even stronger now?" he shrieked.
HYDRA Steve cast a disdainful glance at the flailing Norman, shouting, "You useless piece of trash! Chase him down—Spider-Man must die this time. No chance of resurrection!"
With that, crimson tendrils dug into the walls, propelling HYDRA Steve after Xia Luo.
"Damned idiot thinks he can order me around," Norman growled. But he quickly recovered, determined to use HYDRA Steve as a pawn to secure his own resurrection.
Meanwhile, the electricity crackling around Max surged as he caught wind of the words "Spider-Man." His eyes narrowed with fury.
"Spider-Man, I hate you!"
Roaring, Max abandoned his fight with Tony and transformed into pure electricity, disappearing into the night.
"Is... is that considered an early exit?" Tony blinked in surprise, before JARVIS chimed in.
"Sir, the suit's power levels have reached 300%."
"Wow! Thank you, Electric Baby, you're the best," Tony laughed, jetting off in pursuit.
He couldn't pass up this chance to win favor. His election as mayor could hinge on tonight's performance.
Then again, the guy was moving fast—he might not catch up.
Oh well, maybe throwing more money at the problem would work better.
As the other dangerous figures dispersed, Old Man Steve breathed a sigh of relief.
"Good luck, Little Spider! Use your powers to take them down—I believe in you!"
After a distant cheer, he approached his younger self.
"Hey, kid, you need a wardrobe upgrade. You look like you're in some kind of theater production," Old Man Steve said, shaking his head.
Young Steve, stunned, stared at his older counterpart, eyes fixed on the familiar shield in his hand.
"You... are you...?"
"Yes, I'm you. Well, another version of you."
Old Man Steve's face grew stern. "There's a horde of dangerous people invading this world. Take me to Fury. We need a plan."
"But what about your friend—Spider-Man, right? He's out there all alone," Young Steve asked, concerned.
"Don't worry about him. His superpowers are... well, pretty terrifying."
"Superpowers?"
"Yes."
Old Man Steve leaned closer, whispering conspiratorially, "His powers let him sense poop."
"What?!"
Young Steve's jaw dropped, utterly flabbergasted.
---
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Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone