Bab 112: Restart, Spider-Man! [112]
She quickly stepped over to look at Xia Luo's notes in Otto's hand. The complex, intricate formulas made her head spin, like flipping through Dr. Otto's personal notes.
"This… Did you actually solve this?" Gwen asked, her disbelief evident.
Xia Luo shrugged. "Alright, I'll admit—I cheated. I copied it."
"I knew it."
Just as Gwen's face filled with scorn, Dr. Otto tucked the notes away, looking at Xia Luo with admiration.
"Your name is Xia Luo Parker. Quite a talented young man. How about you join me to create the sun?" he joked, his tone light.
Gwen froze. "Dr. Otto, didn't you hear him? He just admitted he cheated."
Dr. Otto gave Gwen a sidelong glance. "Gwen, you don't understand a man's humor."
He gestured around the room. "He's sitting next to you. Do you think he could have copied from you?"
Gwen: "…"
"Well, maybe he looked it up online—I saw him using his phone earlier."
"If the answer was online, why have I spent all these years studying this? For laughs?" Dr. Otto scoffed.
Finally, Gwen realized the truth.
"Xia Luo, you tricked me," she said, her gaze filled with exasperation.
Xia Luo shook his head. "Sorry, I'm not in the habit of lying."
"Except, lying to girls is too much fun."
Dr. Otto chuckled, patting Xia Luo on the shoulder. "I get it. I did the same thing when I was your age."
Xia Luo: "…"
Gwen: "…"
So, this was guy... humor?
"Gwen, head back to the lab and feed that lizard for me. Curt left it in my care, and I can't have it starving to death. He'd drive me mad if anything happened to it."
After assigning Gwen her task, Dr. Otto invited Xia Luo over to his place.
Xia Luo had been curious to see how far Otto's artificial sun experiment had progressed.
As the two left, chatting amiably, Gwen watched them with envy.
Dr. Otto had never invited her over.
Feeling left out, she took out her phone.
"Hey, MJ, I have news for you—your ex-hero's a genius."
9:00 p.m., Beachside Villa
"Oh, you're home,"
As Otto led Xia Luo into the house, a refined-looking woman approached them.
"Ruth, sorry I'm late today."
Otto took off his coat, then stepped forward to greet her with a gentle kiss, their love enduring through the years.
"Is this your student?" Ruth looked at Xia Luo, curious.
Otto rarely, if ever, brought his students home.
Before Xia Luo could introduce himself, Otto spoke up.
"I got lucky today—discovered a genius. A guy who was busy chatting with a girl in class," he quipped.
Ruth linked her arm around Otto's. "When I was in class, boys would chat me up all the time," she smiled.
Otto raised an eyebrow. "If I remember correctly, that boy was me."
"Your memory's still sharp."
"Naturally."
Otto patted Ruth's hand, then turned to Xia Luo.
"This is Xia Luo Parker. He'll be working with me to finish the artificial sun."
"Dr. Otto, I haven't actually agreed yet," Xia Luo replied, managing a polite smile.
The thought of Spider-Man working on an artificial sun experiment felt a bit surreal.
Otto, unfazed by Xia Luo's reluctance, seemed confident he'd win him over.
"Ruth, bring out that special wine. We have a reason to celebrate today."
"Of course. Dinner will be ready shortly, so take your time."
As Ruth went to fetch the wine, Otto gestured for Xia Luo to follow him upstairs to the lab.
Soon, they arrived at Otto's private lab, with various pieces of high-tech equipment neatly set up.
Compared to Dr. Connors, whose funding was always at risk of drying up, Dr. Otto's lab was significantly better equipped.
"This is my personal lab. The university's outdated equipment would only hold me back," Otto explained.
Xia Luo scanned the room, his gaze settling on a massive machine near the window.
It looked like four articulated mechanical arms, resembling octopus tentacles.
"You noticed it."
Seeing Xia Luo drawn to the machine, Otto proudly stepped forward. "This is my masterpiece, built for the final stage of the artificial sun experiment. It'll allow me to complete the thermonuclear fusion.
"If I succeed, I'll become the most renowned scientist in the world. The entire world will change because of my artificial sun."
Otto's face lit up with excitement. "This year's Nobel Prize will go to me, as I'll be the scientist who changed humanity.
"With a source of energy nearly unlimited, our society would undergo a revolution. Wars would cease to exist. I'll save countless lives, and this era will remember one name: Otto Octavius."
Xia Luo nodded. "If the experiment succeeds, it'll certainly be revolutionary."
But in the next moment, Otto's excitement faded as he sighed.
"Unfortunately, I'm still one step short. I'm so close to the optimal tritium calculation. Just one step."
"That's why, Xia Luo Parker, I need your help."
Otto extended an earnest invitation. "Join me, and let's complete this monumental experiment together."
Xia Luo deflected, changing the subject. "I'll think about it. But, Dr. Otto, do you work alone in here?"
Otto's disappointment was evident, but he humored the question.
"I have two assistants. I think I know what you're asking."
He led Xia Luo to the corner of the lab.
"The artificial sun experiment requires absolute precision, so my assistants need to work in perfect harmony.
"But that level of coordination is impossible for humans. So, I created this machine to assist me. It connects directly to my nervous system, allowing me to control everything with precision.
"Especially in the final fusion phase, it can handle tasks as smoothly as a team of experts."
Otto pulled back a white cloth, revealing a set of four dark-golden mechanical arms, connected by a spine-like structure that linked to a control panel.
At the base of the spine, a chip about the size of a thumbnail blinked red intermittently.
"Well? Isn't it impressive?" Otto asked, pride evident.
Xia Luo smiled. "It's amazing. But be careful—it'd be a shame if someone stole it."
He was already picturing how well it'd integrate with his nanotech suit.
"Don't worry. This lab has the world's best security system," Otto assured him, unconcerned.
Xia Luo kept his thoughts to himself.
Even if Otto failed to secure limitless energy, just this set of tentacle arms would be enough to win a Nobel Prize and earn him international fame.
But Dr. Otto wouldn't be satisfied with just that.
After all, the world's progress was driven by scientists' ambition.
Well… and sometimes, its destruction.
Xia Luo decided to swipe the device in a few days.
Without the tentacle arms, Otto's progress on the artificial sun would be stalled.
If he could sabotage the fusion machine along with it, even better.
Unlike Dr. Connors' single-minded obsession, Otto wasn't likely to go insane if the experiment failed, as long as he stayed away from the influence of the tentacle arms.
"Otto, dinner's ready," Ruth called from downstairs, snapping Xia Luo out of his thoughts.
"Thank you for showing me around, Dr. Otto," Xia Luo said with a smile.
Otto shook his head. "Think nothing of it. Just consider this—a chance to become one of the world's top scientists."
"I'll give it some thought."
"Good. Let's go eat; Ruth's cooking is excellent."
At the dinner table, Ruth poured wine for all three of them.
"You two didn't seem to have an easy chat," she noted, catching the hint of frustration on Otto's face.
Otto shook his head. "Nothing serious. At least he didn't accuse me of blowing up New York," he joked.
Xia Luo raised an eyebrow. Did this guy know what he was saying?
"I have every confidence in Dr. Otto's work," Xia Luo replied politely.
"Of course."
The three ate and chatted casually.
After a sip of wine, Ruth turned to Xia Luo with a smile.
"I heard you've been pursuing a girl."
Xia Luo: "…"
He sighed. "That's a misunderstanding."
"Sorry, I didn't mean to pry. I just spoke with a student earlier, and he mentioned it."
"Who's he after?" Otto asked, intrigued.
"Gwen Stacy—she's one of your students too."
"Oh, her. They were talking during class. I should have known," Otto replied knowingly. "If you want to impress a girl, you should recite poetry."
Xia Luo: "???"
"I think buying things for her might show my love more clearly."
"This young man's funny."
Ruth looked at Otto warmly. "When you studied physics, and I studied English lit, remember how you used to act?"
Otto looked a little embarrassed. "Yes, I was trying to explain relativity to Ruth, and she'd counter with Eliot's poetry."
"'Time past and time future, what might have been and what has been…'" Ruth said patiently.
"…Are both perhaps present in future time," Otto finished with a sheepish grin.
"Yes, in future time." Otto gazed at her lovingly.
Xia Luo watched, reflecting on those words.
Future time…
An omen?
Suddenly, an alarm blared from the lab above, filling the villa with noise.
"What happened?"
Otto turned to the screen, his face darkening.
"Damn it, they've stolen my equipment!"
"Oh my God, it's Spider-Man—three of them!" Ruth exclaimed.
On the screen, three red-and-blue-clad figures carried off the experimental equipment, vanishing from view.
"It's those recent impostors. They must've been watching me all along," Otto cursed. "I knew I was being followed."
He rushed up to the lab, finding the place in disarray and the tentacle arms missing.
It was the easiest piece of equipment to steal compared to the bulky machinery.
"Damn Spider-Man! Ruth, call the police. We have to catch them."
Otto scratched his head in frustration, while Xia Luo could only stare in silence.
So, this was the world's best security system?
And the tentacle arms were stolen…
That was supposed to be his job. Now he was taking the blame regardless.
Well, if he was taking the fall, he'd definitely retrieve the arms himself.
"Dr. Otto, I'll go after them."
Ignoring Otto and Ruth's warnings, Xia Luo bolted from the villa, vanishing into the night.
"This young man is reckless," Ruth said, worried.
Otto felt a pang of gratitude.
"It looks like he's made up his mind. He wouldn't be this eager to help otherwise," he said, a hint of relief in his voice.
"How can you be so happy when he could be in danger?" Ruth shot back.
Realizing her point, Otto tensed. "Yes, those three are Spider-Man impersonators. Xia Luo could be at risk—contact George immediately. We need to ensure Xia Luo's safety."
"I've already called. They're on their way."
"Let's hope Xia Luo stays safe…"
A Dark Alley.
"Hahaha, this is amazing! We actually stole his equipment! That fat jerk must be fuming right now."
"Yeah, we trashed his lab. Serves him right."
"Hmph, so what if he's working on some artificial sun experiment? He dared to look down on us."
"We may be his students, but we're also Spider-Men, we're superheroes. He has no right to treat us like that."
"Exactly. Now, let's figure out what this octopus-looking thing does."
"Yeah, looks pretty cool…"
In a shadowed corner, the three removed their masks, revealing three young faces. They huddled around the octopus arms, fumbling cluelessly with it. Just as they were about to toss it aside like junk, a friendly voice called out from above.
"Hey, boys! Working so late must be exhausting. How about a cup of coffee to keep you going?"
"What?"
"We've been found!"
The sudden voice startled them, and they instinctively looked up. There, balanced gracefully on a web stretched above the alley, was Spider-Man in his sleek metal suit, holding a coffee cup and watching their every move.
"It's Spider-Man!"
"The metal suit—it's definitely him."
"Spider-Man, we're huge fans! Can we get a selfie?"
The trio was thrilled, but Xia Luo just shook his head.
"Only if you're willing to take that back where it belongs. Then we'll talk."
"No way."
They didn't hesitate to refuse.
"That fat jerk was so full of himself, he needs a lesson."
"Yeah, he insulted us!"
"He called us idiots. Unforgivable!"
"We're punishing the bad guys!"
The three of them puffed up with righteous indignation, convinced they were in the right.
Xia Luo just listened patiently.
"Are you done?"
"What?"
Xia Luo looked down at them from above. "The doctor was right. You really are idiots."
"What?!"
Their eyes widened, not understanding why Spider-Man was also insulting them. But that didn't stop them from snapping back.
"Damn you, Spider-Man! Siding with that fat jerk makes you our enemy."
"We're done being your fans!"
"You've lost our respect!"
"Oh wow, a bunch of moronic fans. Who cares?"
Just then, sirens blared at the end of the alley, and the trio started panicking.
"How is this possible? We ran so fast! How'd they catch up to us?"
"No way—Spider-Man must've sold us out!"
"It's gotta be him. Damn you, Spider-Man!"
Seeing they still hadn't figured out how they'd given themselves away, Xia Luo sighed.
"Of course you got caught. Here's a tip: next time, don't start celebrating before you're out of sight."
With a flick of his wrist, he shot a web and grabbed the octopus arms.
Just as he caught it, a dark shadow shot across the alley. A ferocious lizard monster intercepted the arms mid-air, then lunged forward, crashing through a sewer grate and disappearing from sight.
Xia Luo: "???"
Again really?
Does he really think I'm that easy to mess with?
Without hesitation, he dove after the creature into the sewer.
---
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