บท 102: Restart, Spider-Man! [102]
Main World, New York.
"Breaking news: Biological experts have confirmed that the recent surge of Spider-Man sightings is due to cases of Spider-Virus infection. The virus is spread by mutated spiders; other transmission methods are yet unknown."
"This is the Nightly News. Health officials report a record high of Spider-Virus infections, totaling one thousand and eighty-nine cases."
"Global News reports new developments in the disappearances of Spider-Virus patients, a phenomenon first noted two weeks ago. Authorities are actively hunting the suspects. Infected individuals are advised to stay indoors unless necessary."
"Brooklyn News reports another case of a Spider-Virus patient abduction in Zone C. Local infected individuals are urged to seek police assistance immediately."
In his dark bedroom, J. Jonah Jameson cowered under the covers, trembling.
The radio's constant updates on the Spider-Virus patient disappearances left Jonah shaken.
After all, he lived in Zone C. He was the witness, and the Spider-Virus victim abducted was his neighbor, Jack.
If it weren't for him never showing his Spider-Man powers in public to keep up appearances, he might've been taken, too.
Those people were ruthless. Jonah was scared, lonely, and freezing cold.
Or, not really. The sweat soaking his sheets actually made him burning hot.
But, fearing that those people might still be nearby, he stayed put under the blanket.
When he was young, his mom had said that hiding under the covers would make everything better... but he only felt more scared.
Jonah shivered, wiping the sweat from his brow. Hiding under the blanket was his only comfort.
Beep beep beep!
The phone rang suddenly, startling him.
After a moment of hesitation, he gingerly reached a hand out from under the blanket to answer.
"Ahem, hello? This is J. Jonah Jameson, editor-in-chief of the Daily Bugle."
His voice trembled, but he tried his best to sound gentlemanly and composed.
"Mr. Jameson, this is Luna from the TV network. About tomorrow's show…"
"I'm sick. Get someone else."
"Mr. Jameson, if you don't attend, there's no refund."
"I know. Goodbye."
Jonah quickly hung up, a pained expression crossing his face.
"Oh no, my money!"
Everyone else earned a fee for appearing on shows; he paid out of his own pocket.
To build his reputation, he was nearly bankrupt.
But to fulfill his childhood dreams, he had no choice but to push on.
Just a little longer—if he could ride out this rough patch, his reputation would grow, and then he could finally earn enough to keep the Bugle afloat.
Beep beep!
Another call came through. Jonah grabbed the phone in frustration.
"I already told you—"
"Sorry to bother you, Mr. Jameson. I'm Agent Coulson, assigned to cases involving Spider-Virus patients. Could you go over what you saw earlier? It'll help us track down the suspects."
"Oh, thank goodness you're here! I just saw…"
Overjoyed, Jonah relayed every detail of what he had witnessed.
Across the street, in a mobile unit, Coulson put down his headset and looked over at Carter.
"It's them. We're on the right track."
Carter nodded. "Good. Let's begin the operation."
"No problem. Our agents already have them in sight."
Carter adjusted her uniform and stepped out, shield in hand.
"Harry, Natasha, Barton, execute Plan A and prepare to engage."
"Yes, Captain."
High above, Harry, on his hoverboard, tapped his earpiece and immediately went into a dive.
By the waterfront factory, streaks of green from his board lit the sky as pumpkin bombs rained down.
Boom!
Explosions rocked the factory, and armed guards poured out, weapons raised.
Rat-a-tat-tat!
Gunfire erupted as Harry quickly ascended.
"Captain, they're armed."
"Leave it to me."
On the nearby tower, Barton launched one explosive arrow after another with deadly precision.
Whoosh!
Boom!
Arrows exploded among the guards, scattering them. None of them could pinpoint where the arrows were coming from.
"Agh!"
"Damn it, where is he?"
"I can't see him!"
Boom!
With another arrow detonation causing chaos, Carter led her team of agents to surround the site.
"Drop your weapons!"
Bang bang bang!
Carter's shield ricocheted through the crowd, drawing screams wherever it went.
From the rooftop, she sprinted forward, catching the shield as it flew back into her grasp.
"Wow, Captain, your shield's awesome," Harry called out from above, watching her in awe.
Carter ducked into the factory. "It's alright. Steve's shield doesn't feel quite right, though. I still can't find my old one."
"I could make you a custom shield."
"Thanks, but my shield would cost at least three hundred million. You're generous."
"Forget I offered, Captain."
"I'd suggest putting the chit-chat on hold," Coulson said.
The agents took control of the area as Coulson studied the thick smoke billowing from the factory, frowning.
"Something's gone wrong."
"I know. I just saw something weird."
Inside, Carter found herself standing in front of a machine resembling a containment pod.
Thud thud thud…
The machine shook, belching out smoke as something inside struggled.
Beep beep…
A red dot blinked on her wrist monitor, and Banner's voice crackled through.
"Captain Carter, there's a strong radiation reading at the site. You're likely near a highly radioactive substance."
"There's just this giant tin can in front of me—like a sci-fi movie machine."
"Get out of there quickly."
"But I haven't found the missing Spider-Men yet."
Before Carter could finish, the containment pod burst open, a sharp odor filling the factory as thick smoke spread.
"Damn, something's coming out."
Her expression changed. Covering her nose, she quickly backed toward the door.
"What's going on?" Harry landed beside her.
Carter frowned. "I just saw a shadow. There's someone inside."
"Who?"
"Rhino!"
A low, rasping growl echoed through the smoke, followed by heavy footfalls that made the ground quake. A massive figure emerged.
Thump… Thump… Thump…
Each step cracked the ground underfoot.
Soon, a terrifying, horned creature came into view.
Standing nearly ten feet tall, his body was covered in a dark gray material fused onto human flesh. Bulging, stone-like muscles hinted at a once-human face, now almost unrecognizable.
"Hahaha, Rhino! That's right—you heard me. That's my new name, and I'm your worst nightmare!"
Aleksei laughed, his muscle mass expanding further, a crushing aura radiating from him that made Carter and her team's faces pale.
"He… really looks like a rhino."
"Rhino. He's using that name to challenge Spider-Man."
"He looks terrifying. We're in big trouble."
"Oh, you're in serious trouble now."
With a cruel grin, Aleksei charged forward, a raging bull of a man—no, he was a bull.
Boom!
Rhino stampeded forward, gravel flying as a wave of terror swept over the team. Harry immediately rocketed up on his hoverboard.
"Captain, look out!"
On the ground, facing Rhino head-on, Carter braced herself, raising her shield as he closed in.
Crash!
Her figure went flying like a cannonball, slamming into the factory wall as bricks rained down over her crumpled form.
"Ugh! What a useless shield… not nearly as good as the old man's."
Crawling out of the rubble, Carter cursed Hydra's inferior shield.
Winning that last resurrection match had enhanced her, or she might've had broken bones from that hit.
And that was with the shield's protection.
Without it, she didn't want to think about the result.
This guy's strength had to be at least fifty tons!
Carter guessed.
"Haha, you're still standing! Woman, you've got my attention now," Aleksei sneered, striding toward her.
"Killing you will definitely earn me a hefty year-end bonus from the boss."Two weeks ago, he had been nothing more than a pathetic thug, his Rhino suit destroyed by Spider-Man.
Afterward, his boss had arranged for a mysterious scientist to treat the side effects from swallowing mutated spider venom, using a series of chemical and radiation experiments.
The experiment was a success. He had transformed into something far more terrifying—a Rhino with superhuman strength and an impenetrable body.
He felt invincible!
If he met Spider-Man again, he'd surely pound him into dust.
But no—Spider-Man was dead.
No one could stand against him now.
The more he thought about it, the more excited he became. But then arrows rained from the night sky, followed by a barrage of pumpkin bombs.
Boom!
Firelight engulfed him, and Carter used the chaos to retreat from the scene.
"Hey, big Rhino! How do you like pumpkins?"
Harry swooped over on his glider, but before he could celebrate, the ground shook violently.
Crash!
Rhino smashed the ground, the blast of wind dispersing the flames.
"Annoying little Goblin! You think I can't handle you?"
With a twisted grin, Aleksei reached to his chest and pried off a tough chunk of armor, revealing a stolen spider emblem.
"What the—?"
Everyone gawked as Aleksei placed the spider emblem on his chest, red and blue nanometal spreading over his massive frame.
In an instant, the red-and-blue-armored Rhino raised his hand and flung white webbing into the night sky.
"No!!"
Harry barely dodged the surprise attack, his face grim.
"Damn it! How did he get his hands on Spider-Man's nanotech suit?"
Carter rubbed her temples in exasperation. "So that's why we couldn't find it. This idiot had it all along."
Whoosh!
Explosive arrows rained down again, covering the team's retreat amid flashes of firelight.
"You won't escape!!"
Enraged, Aleksei charged through walls and cars, flattening everything in his path, with no one daring to get close.
"Fall back!"
"Move!"
Coulson led the agents in a rapid retreat, but the defeated mercenaries regrouped for a last-ditch counterattack.
"Don't let them get away!"
"Hahaha, now it's our—"
His sentence was abruptly cut off as Aleksei's massive gray fist flattened him into pulp.
"What?"
Everyone froze in horror, eyes locked on the brutal Rhino.
Aleksei snorted. "Don't steal my spotlight."
"Y-yes, boss."
His terrified subordinates quickly backed away, unwilling to provoke the madman.
Just then, a fiery streak lit up the sky—Stark's signature red-and-gold armor streaking toward them.
"It's Stark!" Harry cheered.
Carter raised an eyebrow. "His suit's operational?"
Natasha let out a sigh of relief. "Looks like it. He's been locked in his lab ever since he got back. Coulson couldn't even get a word with him."
"Hey, everyone! Looks like you could use a hand."
With his trademark flair, Tony greeted the crowd, launching a blue device from his arm toward Rhino.
Pop!
The device flew with blinding speed, attaching itself to Rhino's nanotech armor.
Sizzle…
Electric arcs crackled, and the nanometal burst into sparks, retracting quickly into the Spider emblem.
"What was that?"
Everyone looked at Tony, stunned.
"Mr. Stark, how'd you have that gadget ready in advance?" Harry asked, flying over in amazement.
Tony rubbed his nose. "Actually, I secretly designed an anti-Spider-Man suit. Didn't expect to be using it like this."
Harry stared.
Just like Xia Luo had said—classic Tony move.
Meanwhile, Aleksei clenched his fists, glaring up at Tony's armor with murderous rage.
"You bastard, you ruined my toy! I'll kill you—"
Pow!
Before Aleksei could finish, Tony's repulsor shot hit him square in the mouth.
"Mmmph—damn it!" Aleksei groaned, clutching his mouth in pain.
Tony shot a wink at Harry. "Who was he planning to kill?"
"If I had to guess, it'd be you."
"Oh, what a shame. I'm real hard to kill—oh crap!"
Tony's sarcastic grin vanished as a steel beam hurled him off balance.
Harry blinked at the spot where Tony had disappeared. "Who's hard to kill now?"
Tony's suit, in a graceful arc, crashed into the distance.
"You damn rhino—you've made me mad."
Rising from the wreckage, Tony's battered suit launched a volley of micro-missiles from his shoulder, sending an unending cascade of explosions toward Rhino.
Boom, boom, boom!!
With the relentless barrage of fire, Aleksei stood in the middle, chuckling.
"Hahaha! Is that all you've got? You're pathetic."
With a smirk, he lifted a wrecked car, slamming it at Tony as the Spider emblem flew from his chest and into the air.
Meanwhile, in the command room, Nick Fury's voice crackled over the comms.
"Hold on, folks—looks like Spider-Man just arrived."
"What?"
"Spider-Man?"
Harry beamed with joy, and Carter let out a relieved breath.
"It's really him?"
Instinctively, everyone looked to the sky, eyes widening.
"This can't be!"
"No way…"
Above them, a masked figure launched himself into the air, his webs sticking to thin air. Each time he used his web slingshot, he soared several hundred meters.
Everyone was left dumbstruck.
"What happened to science!" Tony yelled from his position in the rubble.
Harry could hardly believe it. "Is physics broken?" he muttered.
Then, in a streak of red and blue, the figure grabbed the Spider emblem midair.
Crackle
In the rush of wind, red-and-blue nanometal swirled around him, shimmering as it solidified into the Spider-Man suit.
Dressed in his iconic suit, the returning Spider-Man dove toward the ground.
Boom!!
With a resounding crash, Xia Luo landed in the middle of the battlefield.
The classic super hero landing!
---
Translator's Note
Hi, besties! I'm so excited to bring you I Don't Want to Be a Heroic Spirit!—a wild and fun adventure where our MC gets to travel through different anime worlds while becoming a Heroic Spirit! With the help of Chaldea's MVPs (yes, Mash and Da Vinci are here to cheer us on), this story is full of iconic moments, unexpected twists, and all the anime goodness we love.
Oh, and guess what? I've got one more story to share after this, so stay tuned because the fun doesn't stop here! As always, thank you so much for reading and supporting—you're all amazing! Hope you enjoy every moment of this journey!
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]
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