章 137: Restart, Spider-Man! [137]
Clearly, she had gone into alert mode.
"Ophelia, is that you?"
Seeing the woman before him, Hydra Steve's eyes flashed with a strange emotion.
Bucky glanced at Steve and frowned. He knew exactly what Steve had endured to gain the power of Hydra.
In the last century, Hydra had not been controlled solely by Red Skull. Ophelia was one of its core figures.
And without her consent, Steve would have never been granted the power of Hydra. He'd gone to great lengths to earn her favor, finally winning her trust only after killing Carter with his own hands.
Now, meeting Ophelia again dredged up painful memories. A wave of regret washed over him—especially with Carter's blood on his conscience.
But he reminded himself that this Ophelia wasn't the same formidable adversary from his past. He needed her support and couldn't afford to show the slightest hostility.
Forcing a smile, he opened his mouth to speak—only to spot the red-and-blue figure on the bed.
"Spider-Man!" he exclaimed, and Ophelia frowned.
"Your target is him?" She shot a glance at Xia Luo sprawled on the bed, then drew the curtain around him, shielding him from Steve's view.
Hydra Steve's face grew anxious as he stared at the shadowed figure behind the curtain.
Had this Spider-Man somehow convinced Ophelia to join forces with him?
How would he even have known how to reach Hydra in the first place?
On top of that, Ophelia from this world might not harbor any specific hatred toward Spider-Man…
His face darkened even further.
Watching the shift in his expression, Ophelia appeared to understand. She paced a circle around the two men, observing them intently.
"Steve Rogers," she said with a faint smile. "Care to share your secrets with me?"
Hydra Steve exhaled a quiet breath of relief.
Good, Ophelia recognized this world's Steve. He had a chance.
"Madame Viper," he said quickly, "allow me to introduce myself.
"I'm from another universe, entirely separate from the Steve Rogers of this world. But in my own universe, you granted me the immense power of Hydra."
As he spoke, he activated the power in his spine, releasing a thick red mist. His blood-colored tendrils exuded a sinister aura that piqued Ophelia's interest.
"Hiss…"
Ophelia's serpent-like tongue flicked out, capturing the essence of Hydra's power.
"Hmm, intriguing," she murmured, "but still far from perfect."
Her expression turned disappointed. "I won't blindly trust anyone, least of all you. Remember, seventy years ago, you died by my hand."
"What?" Steve's heart jolted.
The Steve of this world and Madame Viper were enemies?
That complicated things.
He opened his mouth to explain, but Ophelia cut him off.
"You must need my help with something. Very well—I accept."
Hydra Steve: "???"
"I haven't even told you what it is yet."
"You already did," Ophelia said, smiling slyly. With a wave of her hand, her sleeve pulled aside the curtain.
Xia Luo sat on the bed, silently assessing the scene.
The fact that Hydra Steve recognized Ophelia implied that the main universe also had a Madame Viper—one who'd kept an incredibly low profile.
Carter had found no trace of her, despite investigating for so long.
The more deeply hidden the threat, the greater its danger.
One day, she'd undoubtedly emerge with the intent to kill him.
Having gained this clue, this reset wasn't a waste.
"Swish—"
In the next instant, Ophelia reached out and tapped the spider emblem on Xia Luo's chest. His nanotech suit receded, and Hydra Steve's body went rigid.
"So it's really him, Xia Luo Parker!" Steve's gaze landed on the familiar face, and a hint of resentment glimmered in his eyes.
Ophelia wiped her lips with a fingertip, her smile widening.
"From the moment you first looked at him, I knew you knew him—and that you weren't friends."
She smirked. "If you're Steve Rogers from another universe, then he must be Spider-Man from another universe as well."
"Yes, Madame Viper," Hydra Steve admitted, drawing a deep breath. "Was he here to propose an alliance?"
As he posed the question, anxiety flickered in his eyes.
Ophelia's answer, however, filled him with elation.
"No, he's my slave now. I can kill him anytime I wish."
"Perfect, Madame Viper! This man is sly and dangerous. We must eliminate him, or else—"
Steve faltered, realizing he'd misspoken. Whenever he dealt with Spider-Man, his wits always seemed to falter.
Ophelia's smile turned mocking. "Or else, what?"
"Or else…"
Steve cursed silently. He'd grown overexcited, and now Ophelia had sensed his intentions. His well-prepared excuse was no longer going to fool her.
He knew Ophelia better than anyone.
Though this Ophelia was from a different universe, she was likely just as cunning and shrewd.
Seeing him hesitate, Ophelia's tongue flicked out like a serpent's. With a slight breath, a green mist spread throughout the room.
"Hoo—"
In an instant, Hydra Steve and Bucky felt their strength drain away as if every ounce of energy had been stripped from their bodies.
"Madame Viper, you—"
Face pale, Hydra Steve collapsed onto the floor, horror filling his gaze as he looked up at the woman before him. Fear gripped him.
This was it.
Even with Hydra's power, he couldn't withstand the venom Ophelia had released.
No one had ever survived.
Not even in this world.
Ophelia smirked as her toxin took effect, covering her mouth to stifle a laugh.
"Cindy, take them to the…"
"Wait! We're telling the truth," Bucky gritted out. "There's no need for the mind-control chamber—we're all too familiar with it."
No one understood Hydra's hypnotists better than they did.
Seeing how well Bucky seemed to know Hydra, Ophelia's suspicion eased slightly.
"Fine. State your purpose in coming to me, aside from Spider-Man," she said, her smile fading as she fixed them with a cold stare.
Hydra Steve and Bucky exchanged glances and reluctantly shook their heads.
"Our mission is to destroy this world," Hydra Steve finally admitted. "If we succeed, we'll be able to return to our universe. Does that make sense to you?"
"Perfect sense."
Ophelia sat back on her bed, lazily tracing a finger along Xia Luo's cheek.
"And you, my little dear? Are you here to destroy the world too?"
Xia Luo blinked.
Yes, yes, we're on the same side! Please, just give me the antidote already!
"No, he's here to save the world," Bucky cut in.
Xia Luo: "…"
Ophelia's expression remained unfazed. "So, who exactly issued these missions?"
"We don't know," Hydra Steve sighed. "Maybe… a god?"
"A god?"
Ophelia scoffed and stood, casting a disdainful glance at the ceiling.
"I don't believe in any so-called gods. If one existed, it would be me!"
She turned her gaze to Xia Luo. "Saving the world? You? Ridiculous.
"The Spider-Man of this world was my creation—any Spider-Man is at my mercy.
"If every person on Earth were a Spider-Man, then I would be the entire world to them!"
Hearing this, Hydra Steve and Bucky stared at her in shock.
The whole world turned into Spider-Men?
How could that be possible?
Unless Ophelia had access to an unlimited supply of mutated spiders…
But Xia Luo had pieced together her plan.
She intended to release mutated cells across the world, then use a targeted toxin to control everyone who was affected.
Not just Spider-Men—even the cells of the Sinister Six could serve as her instruments of conquest.
Spider-Man's cells, though, were the easiest to control.
The toxin she'd engineered was most potent against Spider-Men—virtually impossible to overcome.
But it seemed Ophelia had yet to perfect a method for rapidly spreading the mutated cells.
The real global crisis was still brewing.
Or had she just figured it out?
"Madam, I sensed another Spider-Man in New York," Cindy reported as she entered the room, moving more naturally than the other, stiffer Cindys.
This was likely the "true" Cindy.
All the others were merely clones—trial-and-error experiments.
Hydra certainly had the technology for it.
Xia Luo watched her, nodding to himself.
Hearing Cindy's report, a glint of excitement appeared in Ophelia's eyes.
"Another Spider-Man? Excellent. Bring him to me.
"Ah, but avoid Gwen… No, on second thought, do as you please—she's no longer my ideal subject."
She eyed Xia Luo, her snake-like tongue flicking greedily.
At Ophelia's dismissal of Gwen, a flicker of hatred crossed Cindy's face.
Gwen, her best friend.
Both had been chosen for Madame Viper's spider experiments.
But their treatment had been worlds apart.
Gwen had successfully gained the powers of Spider-Man, commanding Ophelia's full attention.
Cindy, however, was dismissed—left as a "lesser" version of Spider-Man who required further experimentation to gain abilities.
Gwen had been allowed her freedom, and her painful memories of the experiments had been erased so she could live unburdened. But Cindy had received no such mercy.
Instead, Cindy had become Ophelia's loyal hound, denied all hope of freedom.
She despised Ophelia, the source of all her suffering.
But her hatred for Gwen burned even hotter because Gwen had the life Cindy could only dream of.
If Gwen could have it, why not her?
She had long wanted to kill that cursed Spider-Man.
At last, she had permission to do so.
A twisted expression of excitement spread across Cindy's face as she thought of her "revenge."
"Understood."
She swiftly left the underground base and returned less than two hours later.
Her clothes were spattered with blood; her revenge was complete.
Behind her, Octo-Cindy threw a limp black substance onto the ground.
"What is this?" Ophelia frowned. "I wanted Spider-Man."
Cindy smiled. "This is Spider-Man. It's a strange creature that's gained Spider-Man's mutated cells. It's capable of parasitizing humans."
"A parasite?"
Ophelia's intrigue grew, and she flicked her tongue, gathering a sample of the creature's genetic material.
"Ah… how marvelous," she laughed. "A symbiotic cell that can rapidly divide on its own. With this, and the spider-mutation gene from my little dear here, my plan will reach perfection."
She cackled, then turned to Cindy.
"Have the lab create a dispersal device. I want this symbiote spread across the city by morning."
"Yes, ma'am."
Cindy bowed and withdrew.
At last, Xia Luo fully grasped Ophelia's plan to "destroy" the world.
By unleashing the symbiote cells and their parasitic properties, she could ensure they spread across the globe.
Once the symbiote cells infected humans, the spider-mutation cells would enter their bodies, transforming them into something akin to Venomized Spider-Men.
And if they became Spider-Men, Ophelia would own them all.
It truly was a horrifying crisis threatening the entire world!
---
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