Bab 108: Restart, Spider-Man! [108]
"Next time, don't hit the face," she said flatly.
"Understood."
Xia Luo lowered his right hand behind his back. "I respect my elders and protect the young. As long as you're calm, I'll always choose at least one of those options."
"Let's talk business."
Carter turned around and tapped on a virtual console, and a complex set of data projections lit up the screen before Xia Luo.
"Dr. Banner has discovered that the black spines are completely different from human spines. They contain no DNA but possess a unique substance that promotes rapid cellular regeneration, effectively achieving a near-immortal state.
"What's more, this process has no adverse effects on the body. However, because of the accelerated cell metabolism, this substance speeds up cellular evolution in humans."
"Evolution?"
Xia Luo raised an eyebrow. "I'm not sure 'evolution' is the right word for what your ex turned into."
"He's not my ex."
Carter corrected him firmly, "Right before he was about to become my boyfriend, he tried to kill me. So, no, it doesn't count."
"Fair enough. Hydra's Captain probably should've waited until after the dance to try and kill you... Fine, I'll shut up. Please continue."
Seeing the glare in Carter's eyes, Xia Luo quickly covered his mouth.
With a warning glance, Carter explained, "Due to the speed of evolution, the human body struggles to adapt, often resulting in deformities… like the kind we saw in Steve."
"Bucky also had the black spine implanted, but his transformation process differed from Steve's," Xia Luo added.
"Bucky?"
Carter frowned, "I thought he ingested a mutated spider?"
"That was a clone. The real Bucky took me away two weeks ago."
Xia Luo gave a brief rundown of Bucky's mutation process, which set Carter into a thoughtful silence.
"My guess is that the black spine adjusts the direction of evolution to fit each individual—or perhaps the mutation's external effects vary by physique. We'll need further research by Dr. Banner to confirm this."
"Does S.H.I.E.L.D. have any scientists besides Dr. Banner?"
Xia Luo recalled Banner's desperate expression from earlier. "I think he's reaching his limit."
Carter sighed, "We're reaching out to other top scientists worldwide, but geniuses like Dr. Banner, with seven PhDs, are rare. Only someone like him could even begin to uncover the black spine's secrets."
"Well, you sure have high standards."
Xia Luo glanced thoughtfully at the black spine on the lab table. "If our bodies were strong enough to withstand this level of evolution, does that mean we could use this to enhance our life force?"
"It's possible, but not advisable."
Carter responded, "Dr. Banner also found that the special substance in the black spine doesn't seem to have a concrete source—it appears to emerge out of thin air."
"Out of thin air?"
Xia Luo stroked his chin. "So, it's possible that the black spine is merely a medium, a transport device for this substance… similar to a kind of spatial transfer."
Carter nodded. "I thought about that, too. But even Dr. Banner can't determine the exact mechanism by which the black spine transports this special substance. So, we're guessing in the dark."
"Even so, there's still no evidence that the substance in the black spines is harmless," Xia Luo pointed out.
Carter shook her head and tapped the screen again, and historical files from the last century filled Xia Luo's view.
"When I gained access to some of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s records, I discovered that as far back as the last century, the SSR had already encountered something similar to the black spine."
"They found them in certain individuals, including Hydra's previous leader, Johann Schmidt."
"And?"
"We discovered one trait they all shared: they weren't ambitious or inherently evil people to begin with."
At this, Xia Luo raised an eyebrow.
"So, you're saying… it was only after the black spine was implanted that they underwent a personality shift, turning to darkness?"
Carter sighed, "It's possible. Which is why I've never doubted Steve's loyalty. He was truly an exceptional soldier."
Xia Luo scrutinized the files before him and noticed there were exactly nine individuals who had received black spine implants. An idea sparked in his mind.
"Nine black spines… So that's the origin of Hydra?"
Carter saw where Xia Luo was heading and explained, "Hydra's emblem is a skull with six octopus tentacles, and the six black spines recovered in the last century were found inside their members' bodies."
Xia Luo's expression turned skeptical. "Octopuses are soft-bodied invertebrates. Isn't it a bit sloppy to use octopus tentacles to symbolize the black spine?"
"It's probably related to the tentacle-like mutations caused by the spines," Carter suggested, tapping the virtual screen again.
"A total of nine black spines were discovered back then. However, due to wartime chaos, all were lost—until Steve and Bucky appeared. Along with the one they tried to implant in Tony, we've now recovered three."
"So that means there are six more out there."
Xia Luo groaned, "That's at least six more potential threats we'll have to deal with."
"Indeed. It's very likely."
Carter's expression grew grave. "After Steve's death, they've likely gone into hiding or are waiting to find suitable hosts. Tony Stark was one such candidate."
Xia Luo thought for a moment. "If all nine spines reappear, will it summon a dragon or something?"
"Get some exercise, and cut down on the anime," Carter said dryly.
"Those with implanted black spines can't be killed through conventional means. You'd need heavy artillery to destroy their bodies completely."
"Your method is effective, though—removing the spine. That guarantees death."
"Right, but death itself is an issue."
Xia Luo shrugged, "If I end up in a match against all nine black spines, I'll be in for quite a thrilling survival round."
Carter rolled her eyes. "If you were more careful, almost no one could kill you."
Xia Luo looked indifferent. "Spider-Man has to die—that's what Hydra's Captain said. I'm a prime target, always fending off those who lurk in the shadows."
"Well, at least your powers give you a good shot at winning any revival match."
Carter closed the virtual console. "You know everything I can tell you. But be on guard—there's certainly more to their plan than just the mutant spider disruptions. It's all just misdirection."
"Yeah, but it's a huge pain."
Xia Luo asked, "How's the cleanup of the mutant spiders going?"
Carter nodded. "Dr. Banner developed a detector for them, and our agents have captured a decent number. Clearing all of them will take time."
"Again with Dr. Banner—you should be careful. Scientists tend to make mistakes when they're overworked."
Xia Luo warned, "Don't let him take on any dangerous projects for a while, or he might turn into a furious green giant. He'd probably trash this place for making him work overtime."
"Is that your 'power' telling you that?" Carter asked cautiously.
"Yes, my intuition is usually spot-on."
"All right, I'll take it seriously," Carter agreed, then added, "Why not use your 'power' to sense if there are any Hydra moles left in S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
Xia Luo's eye twitched. "Good thing I'm not with you guys, or I'd be the next one to get dragged into this spiral of resentment."
He offered a few names from memory. "I can't say for sure. You'd better investigate carefully."
"Don't worry—I'm not about to frame the wrong people."
They left the lab, chatting as they went.
"Hey, Captain, what happened to your eye?"
Harry, who'd come looking for Xia Luo, raised an eyebrow as he noticed Carter's black eye.
The next second, he erupted with rage.
"You jerk! What did you do to our Captain?!"
Grabbing Xia Luo by the collar, Harry whispered, "Nice one."
Xia Luo: "…"
So Banner isn't the only one harboring a grudge against Carter.
"It wasn't me. I'm innocent," he said, only half-convincingly.
"If it wasn't you, then who?"
Harry gritted his teeth. "I'm telling everyone! They'll see how you treated our dear Captain! I'll make you a pariah in S.H.I.E.L.D.!"
At that, Carter's face darkened.
She warned, "If a fourth person hears about this, you'll spend the next two weeks in the training room."
Harry's face fell with regret, and he released Xia Luo's collar, looking put out.
"Captain, I won't allow anyone to bully you, not even my best friend!"
Xia Luo covered his face, whispering to Harry, "Friendly advice—vanish in the next three seconds, or you might dodge a bullet."
"Xia Luo Parker, I won't let you off the hook. Tonight, a one-on-one. No calling for backup."
With that, he vanished into a shadowy corridor.
Xia Luo scratched his head, that line sounding all too familiar.
He glanced over at Carter, who looked ready to explode, and asked cautiously, "Does S.H.I.E.L.D. serve hard-boiled eggs for breakfast?"
"Yes, take a left at the cafeteria—you'll find them there."
"No, I was hoping to use one as a compress for your eye."
"Get lost!!"
"Bye~!"
Xia Luo darted down the hall and dragged Harry along with him.
"Come on, let's go."
"I was waiting for you."
"Good buddy, let me ride your hoverboard!"
"Sure, but what's it like?"
"Huh?"
"I've wanted to punch her for ages. She makes me get up at five a.m. for training! She's a demon."
"I get it, but maybe don't try it."
"Yeah, I wouldn't stand a chance against her."
"Well, you could try a sneak attack."
"Great idea!"
"You'd just end up suffering more."
"Fine, then I'll send a thousand roses to the hospital for Gwen. She'll love it."
"Get lost!"
"Ha! You can't catch me! Take that!"
"Wait up!"
After leaving S.H.I.E.L.D., Xia Luo returned to his trashed apartment, where the construction workers were already fixing it up.
Harry's efficiency wasn't half bad.
In the corner of the bedroom, he spotted his tiny pet spider still sound asleep. He scooped it up and tucked it carefully into his pocket.
Not even last night's racket had woken the little guy—he must've been utterly exhausted.
Xia Luo decided to find a nearby hotel to stay in while repairs were underway.
As for Uncle Ben and Aunt May… he'd avoid them if he could. Now that he was carrying four spider totems, things were way too dangerous for him to be around them.
He slept soundly until eight in the evening, then got up to wash. Once he was ready, he placed the now-awake spider on top of his head, stepped onto the hotel window ledge, and leaped out.
"Whoosh—"
The high-altitude wind howled around him as nanometal spread across Xia Luo's body.
"Fwoosh!"
Just before hitting the ground, he shot a web, swinging down the street, drawing cheers from the bystanders below.
"Oh, it's Spider-Man!"
"Yeah, he's got the metal suit on."
"I saw today's news—he saved a bunch of people again."
"But lots of those fake Spider-Men have lost their powers, and they're blaming him for it."
"Oh, I read about that! It's hilarious."
"A bunch of clowns."
Right as she finished speaking, a motorcycle zoomed by, snagging her designer purse right out of her hands.
"Aah! My bag! Spider-Man, help!"
She called after his retreating figure, but Xia Luo was too far to hear her.
As her despair turned to fury, she finally let out a helpless yell.
"Argh! Damn Spider-Man! This is all your fault!"
Bystanders nearby just sighed.
Brooklyn.
On the outer wall of an apartment building, the red and blue Spider-Man silently scaled the high-rise balcony.
This was Professor Connors' home.
The apartment was pitch black, and Xia Luo couldn't hear a sound from inside.
Professor Connors wasn't home.
Earlier, he had asked Harry about him, and Harry mentioned that Professor Connors had taken a leave of absence a week ago.
After last night's incident, Xia Luo was nearly certain that Professor Connors was the Lizard from the previous night.
Nothing had changed, after all.
Sitting at the edge of the rooftop, Xia Luo gazed out at the neon-lit city and the steady flow of traffic below, his faintly blue eyes dimming.
Would he end up like that too…?
Thinking of this, he pulled out his phone from his pocket.
Secretly, he had set up cameras in his home.
On the screen, he could see Uncle Ben and Aunt May sitting side by side on the couch, engrossed in their TV show.
"Xia Luo called me today," Aunt May said.
Ben Parker chuckled, "He's off on another trip. I know."
Aunt May nodded, looking absentminded. "He's getting busier and busier. He must be under a lot of pressure."
"Don't worry. He's not a kid anymore. He can handle himself."
"Oh, do you want some fruit?"
Ben Parker raised a hand, shot a web, and snagged a banana from the table.
"No, I want an apple."
With a flick of her wrist, Aunt May's web retrieved an apple from the table.
Xia Luo put his hand to his forehead in exasperation.
Seriously?
Both Uncle Ben and Aunt May were infected by the Spider-Man virus. It seemed fate had a twisted sense of humor.
Just then, his phone chimed with an alert from the downtown hospital.
This was Carter's warning system, designed to alert him to any serious incidents in the city the moment they occurred.
He'd built up enough experience through repeated resets to handle increasingly difficult revival matches.
Putting his phone away, Xia Luo pushed all other thoughts aside and glided off in the direction of the hospital.
When he arrived, he found this particular incident to be a real challenge.
But his little spider, sitting on his head, was practically buzzing with excitement.
"Chirp Chirp!"
It was more than ready.
---
WATER POSTURE CHECK NOOOOOOOOOOOW
Thanks for reading! Let me know if you spot any mistakes or inconsistencies!
If you wish to support me or read ahead here's a link! [patreon.com/WiseTL]
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone