Bab 128: Restart, Spider-Man! [128] [DDD!]
December Double Drop!
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With a crackle of electricity, Lizard Parker stepped out from the twisted metal of the cage, the damaged electric arcs flickering around him. The latex mask on his face sizzled under the voltage and fell away, revealing a much younger face underneath.
Hydra Steve's expression turned dark as night.
"It's you… Xia Luo Parker!"
"Bingo! That's right, it's me—the most dazzling Spider-Man on the scene!" Xia Luo smirked, ripping away the remnants of the mask, and shot a grin at Old Man Steve. "Not bad work, old man."
Old Man Steve shrugged. "That's Carter's spycraft training for you. It's taken years, but it finally paid off."
With their similar features and a bit of dim lighting, the switch hadn't been hard to pull off.
Carter raised an eyebrow, clearly a bit thrown. "I taught you that?"
"Not you," Old Man Steve said with a wry smile. "Another Carter. In that world, she finally became my wife."
"Congratulations."
"Thank you."
"You knew about Hydra's scheme all along?"
"It was Spidey who first noticed," Old Man Steve explained, recalling the battle on the bridge. "My eyes can sometimes see through illusions, but it needs preparation and can only be used once a day. When Spidey brought up the lack of bodies, I activated it. That's when I saw it—they weren't dead. Some strange ability had just made it look that way, tricking us into believing the Black Order was defeated."
Carter looked thoughtfully at Xia Luo. "So that's one of your abilities?"
Xia Luo shrugged. "Kind of." After using his 100% critical strike ability, his "kill count" usually reset. But after he'd taken down Ebony Maw, the counter hadn't budged for Proxima Midnight or Cull Obsidian either. Add to that the fact that their weapons hadn't disappeared, and he'd suspected the entire battle might have been a trick.
Carter exhaled slowly. "I suppose you had your reasons for not telling us."
Xia Luo caught the hint of annoyance in her voice and offered a gentle smile. "Don't be like that. Of course, I trust you. But, as you saw, at some point, Felicia had been replaced by the Chameleon. It was safer not to reveal everything."
Gwen's curiosity piqued. "When did you realize Felicia had been replaced?"
"I wasn't sure," Xia Luo admitted, "not until Felicia… or rather, the Chameleon attacked Peter."
Chameleon's disguise was flawless, and choosing Felicia as his guise had been a smart move. Xia Luo wasn't as familiar with her, so subtle changes went unnoticed. If Chameleon had tried posing as Old Man Steve, Xia Luo would've spotted the differences right away. But for Gwen, Carter, or even Lizard Parker—all formidable fighters—there would've been no way for Chameleon to take their place silently. Felicia, being the least skilled in combat, had been the perfect target.
At first, Xia Luo hadn't planned on switching places with Lizard Parker. But after how surprisingly smooth their hunt for the Sinister Six had gone, and with Hydra Steve nowhere to be seen, Xia Luo had decided to play along and set up a countertrap.
If Hydra Steve truly intended to eliminate Spider-Man, his only option would be to use the genetic disruptor. Thus, Xia Luo arranged for Lizard Parker to bear the brunt of it.
A wasted chance to reset was a minor inconvenience—there was no way the Invincible Spider-Man would get fooled again!
Lizard Parker, putting the pieces together, glared at Xia Luo, clutching his bleeding wound. "You… you jerk! You said I'd get to be Spider-Man and save the world! But you lied again! Did it ever occur to you that I might die?"
Xia Luo grinned. "Relax. You're not the real Spider-Man, so you'll be just fine."
The disruptor was ineffective against the Lizard's regenerative abilities.
"But I'm bleeding!" Lizard Parker snapped.
"Once you shift back to your lizard form, your regeneration will heal the wound in no time."
"…Right, I almost forgot," Lizard Parker muttered, realizing his injury wasn't that serious after all. He sighed with relief, grateful his kidneys were safe.
Hydra Steve, having silently observed the whole exchange, glared at Chameleon. "You idiot! Why didn't you confirm it was the right target before acting?"
Chameleon growled back, baring his teeth. "You're the idiot! You told me to go after Xia Luo Parker, and he was wearing the Spider suit! This whole plan was a bust because they outsmarted us—you're not blaming me for that!"
"Enough! I'll deal with you later," Hydra Steve snarled, forcing himself to stay calm. "Fine, Xia Luo Parker. You may be clever, but today, you're still going to die."
With a cold grin, he waved his hand, and figures emerged from the shadows, revealing a large team ready to fight.
Xia Luo crossed his arms, unfazed. "I assume this isn't the full extent of your plan?"
"Of course not."
Hydra Steve clapped his hands, and a truck drove up. A team of men in suits offloaded crates and pulled out the Black Order's weapons.
"I have the weapons from your truck," he said, flashing a smug smile as if he'd turned the tables on them.
Xia Luo simply shook his head. "Seems you still don't get it. If I was expecting this, what makes you think those weapons are the real deal?"
"What?"
Hydra Steve jumped from the armored vehicle and inspected the weapons himself.
"They're fakes!" Ebony Maw hissed, crushing Cull Obsidian's battle axe with his telekinesis until it crumbled.
"How can this be?" Hydra Steve's face contorted in rage. He'd been completely outplayed.
It didn't matter, though. He'd bought enough time—his reinforcements had arrived.
Seeing the figures around them closing in, Xia Luo glanced over his shoulder at Old Man Steve.
"So, old man, got your pick?"
Old Man Steve raised his shield, his face lighting up with confidence. "I'm taking them all!"
With that, he spun and flung his shield forward.
"Start with the lizard!"
Whirr!
Slice!
The shield flew through the air at an impossible speed, whizzing past Chameleon before embedding itself in the steel bars of the cage.
Chameleon's eyes went wide as he looked down, his torso slowly separating from his legs. He collapsed, his final words barely a whisper.
"Wasn't… ready…"
Hydra Steve's face twisted in fury, and a thick cloud of red mist enveloped him. Nine massive, tentacle-like arms sprouted from his back.
"Attack! Kill them! This time, victory will be ours!"
The Black Order members exchanged glances before surging forward, going all out from the start.
For them, the prize of resurrection was everything—not obedience to Hydra Steve. Under ordinary circumstances, they wouldn't have cared if he begged on his knees. After all, to them, he was just another lowly human from Earth, unworthy of their attention.
But after the bridge battle, they'd come to understand the true threat Spider-Man posed. If not for Hydra Steve saving them at the last moment, they wouldn't even have a second chance.
Now, their only hope of winning lay in fighting him together.
Crunch, crunch, crunch.
Ebony Maw's expression grew dark as he waved his hand, directing the massive alloy cage with his telekinesis.
Under his control, the surrounding buildings trembled violently. Reinforced concrete mixed with countless steel beams and iron pillars, forming a towering metal column over a hundred meters tall, swirling with debris and wind as it shot toward Xia Luo, aiming to crush him completely.
"Boom!"
With a roar, the massive column descended, forcing Old Man Steve and the others to fire webs and swing out of the impact zone.
"Wait for me!"
Still in his Spider-Man suit, Lizard Parker jolted up, transforming into the Lizard. The nanometal armor shifted and stretched to cover his now-massive frame.
"Boom!"
The ground shook as Xia Luo dodged up the colossal column, leaping at the last second.
Whoosh!
He latched onto the air with a webline, hurtling toward Hydra Steve like a cannonball.
"What?! You're not wearing your suit! How can you still—"
"Crash!"
In a single, explosive impact, Hydra Steve was sent flying back a hundred meters from Xia Luo's charge.
Xia Luo flipped and landed with a smirk. "You still don't know me well enough."
He pulled something from his pocket—a tiny spider.
Squeak, squeak.
Thunk!
Two small fangs pierced his skin, releasing a rush of red and blue energy that coursed through Xia Luo.
Buzz~
In an instant, dazzling web patterns spread across his body, swirling as they transformed into a brilliant, magical suit.
"Die!!"
The next moment, Ebony Maw conjured a massive metal disc with his telekinesis, lifting Cull Obsidian, Corvus Glaive, and Proxima Midnight as they charged at Xia Luo atop it.
Before Xia Luo could react, an explosion erupted at his feet, swallowing him in flames.
His Spider-Sense had dulled.
"Ha! Got him!"
In the night sky, a streak of green flames danced as the Green Goblin laughed, only to be blindsided by Old Man Steve's shield smashing into his glider.
Thunk!
"No!!"
Boom!
The Green Goblin spiraled down, crashing into a nearby building in a series of fiery explosions.
Old Man Steve recalled his shield, nodding matter-of-factly. "Not much of a threat."
Beep beep.
"What's that sound?"
He glanced down, noticing a pumpkin bomb ticking at his feet.
"Aw, hell. Parker's Spider-Sense must be out of commission again."
Old Man Steve dove forward.
BOOM!
Flames roared as the blast swept over them, forcing Carter to raise her shield against the heat.
"You swore," she noted as Steve tumbled through the air, blown back by the explosion.
Dusting off his uniform, he shrugged. "I've known how to swear for a long time now."
His gaze trailed to the night sky, catching sight of the green streak overhead. "It's the Green Goblin."
"Another Norman?" Carter asked, frowning.
"No… it's the same one."
As he spoke, a toy car shot toward him at breakneck speed, launching Steve across the battlefield and into another warehouse.
Carter blinked. "A… bumper car?"
"No, that's Rhino!"
The toy car flared up before the massive figure of Rhino emerged, charging at full speed.
"Time to smash!!"
BOOM!
Just like Old Man Steve, Carter was launched backward by the sheer force of Rhino's charge.
"It's Mysterio—watch out for illusions!" Gwen called out as she swung over the warehouse on a webline.
Suddenly, a paper airplane drifted across her path and detonated in a fiery blast, sending Gwen tumbling toward the rubble below.
"Gwen! I'm coming!"
In his nano-suit, Lizard Parker leaped toward Gwen, reaching for her, only for a speeding train to appear out of nowhere and slam into him, sending him flying in a daze.
"Holy crap! Trains can fly?"
Landing hard, Lizard Parker clutched his head, screaming, "These illusions are terrifying!"
In the wreckage, Carter pushed herself up, taking in the chaotic scene.
Surrounded by the Black Order, Xia Luo was struggling against attacks from all sides. Each time he was close to striking down an opponent, they vanished into smoke.
"Hey, Cap! Can your special eyes spot that illusionist?" she called.
Old Man Steve, still being chased by a toy car, shouted back, "There's so many decoys, how am I supposed to know which one to look at?!"
With only one shot, he had to make it count.
Carter was about to respond when venomous snakes slithered out of the cracks in the rocks, lunging for her.
"Snakes from the rubble?!"
"No… it's a giant serpent!"
The snake's eyes glowed red as it hissed, speaking in a human voice. In the next moment, it morphed into a massive python, coiling around her, lifting her into the air.
"Metal? It's Otto!" The cold touch of the snake's metallic skin confirmed Carter's suspicion.
Boom!
A puff of smoke burst out, revealing a squat, grinning figure in green armor.
"Congratulations, you guessed right."
With a flick of his tentacle, he flung Carter back into the debris.
CRASH
Rubble scattered as Xia Luo dashed through, only to have a boulder hurled toward him by Cull Obsidian. He punched through it just in time to dodge an incoming paper airplane.
Boom!
The paper airplane exploded in flames as Xia Luo shielded his face, then was abruptly hit by a speeding toy truck that sent him tumbling once more.
Clatter
Rising from the rubble, Xia Luo brushed the dust off his shoulder. "So they can disrupt my Spider-Sense? Not bad. This world's got no shortage of surprises…"
Bang!
Before he could finish, a surge of telekinetic energy whipped a torrent of rocks and metal at him, burying him in debris once more.
Ebony Maw intensified his telekinetic hold, turning to Cull Obsidian beside him.
"What was he trying to say?" Ebony Maw asked.
Cull scratched his head. "I think he was… complimenting you?"
"You understood that?"
"Just a guess."
BOOM!
The rubble exploded as Xia Luo leapt out, swinging through the air.
"Hey, old man! It's time to start!" he shouted.
"I already did, but nothing happened yet!"
Old Man Steve was still dodging a swarm of toy cars.
"No, here it comes!!"
Suddenly, Old Man Steve's eyes gleamed with excitement. He stretched his hand out, a grin breaking across his face.
"It's here! Finally! This time, I'm hitting everyone!"
CRACKLE!
In the night sky, thunder rumbled, and a bolt of lightning streaked down toward the battlefield.
Mjolnir!
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T/N: that reminds me where's Thor???
Thanks for reading! Let me know if you spot any mistakes or inconsistencies!
Posture and water check! Remember this is a fan translation!
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Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone