Restart, Spider-Man! [23]
In the Ten Rings camp, the armed guards remained on high alert.
Meanwhile, a small circular hole quietly appeared behind the ammo depot.
By now, Xia Luo was a seasoned expert in digging tunnels, so this process didn't alarm anyone.
"Hey, Spider-Kid, how's it looking?" Steve whispered from inside the tunnel.
Xia Luo flashed an OK sign to Steve and Natasha, who were still in the tunnel. "All clear."
He climbed out of the hole, then extended a hand to pull both of them up.
The trio crouched behind the ammo depot, eyes scanning the patrolling guards.
"We need two sets of uniforms like theirs," Steve suggested.
Xia Luo watched the passing guards. "No rush, leave it to me."
With that, he swiftly fired his webbing at the last two members of the patrol.
"Ugh—"
The two men grunted as they were violently yanked back, instinctively pulling the triggers on their rifles.
Rat-tat-tat-tat!
Gunfire rang through the night, sending the entire camp into a frenzy.
"Enemy attack!"
Xia Luo: "..."
Glancing at the disapproving looks from Steve and Natasha, Xia Luo gave them a sheepish grin.
"Sorry, not experienced in this. Let's try again."
[You have been eliminated. You failed to obtain a resurrection slot. Strength +0.2 tons.]
[You have 7 remaining restart opportunities. Restart?]
Seventh Resurrection Match.
Behind the ammo depot, Xia Luo poked his head out to observe the passing Ten Rings members.
Timing his shot, he fired his webbing!
Seize the gun, silence the targets, capture them!
The actions were smooth, but not fast enough.
"Enemy attack!"
Chaos erupted in the camp once more, and Xia Luo's expression darkened.
Eighth Resurrection Match.
This time, Xia Luo didn't act recklessly.
He had finally accepted the fact: stealth missions were not his forte.
Mainstream heroes weren't cut out for sneaky operations.
"Hey, put this on."
In the darkness, Old Man Steve crept up next to Xia Luo, handing him some clothes, but noticed Xia Luo's troubled expression.
"Spider-Kid, you feeling alright?" Steve asked, curious.
Natasha chimed in, "Maybe he's drained from shooting too much webbing."
Xia Luo: "..."
He glanced at the uniform Steve held. "How did you manage this?"
Steve gave a wry smile. "Being old slows me down, sorry about the wait."
Xia Luo's eye twitched. "No worries, I forgive you."
They quickly changed into the stolen uniforms, smearing their faces with camo paint.
"Alright, Miss Stacy, you're coming with us," Xia Luo said, pretending to escort Natasha as a prisoner. Steve followed closely behind.
"Hold up, who the hell are you? I've never seen you before," a patrolling guard stopped them, suspicion in his eyes.
Before Steve could respond, Xia Luo stepped forward.
He whispered something into the patrol leader's ear, causing the man to instantly pale and obediently step aside.
"Let's go," Xia Luo waved, and Steve quickly nudged Natasha forward as they moved past the guards.
"What did you say to him?" Steve asked, curious.
Xia Luo replied without emotion, "Long live the Lizard."
Steve: "????"
Wait a minute, that line sounded oddly familiar.
Natasha had to lower her head to suppress a smile.
"Captain Steve, you've done something like this before," she teased.
"Yeah, sometimes words are more dangerous than fists," Steve admitted. "From their perspective, the Lizard must be their most terrifying figure. Pretending to be his subordinates? Even if they're suspicious, they wouldn't dare challenge it."
"Exactly. Next time, you could react a little faster," Xia Luo added.
"Got it."
Soon, the trio arrived at the cave entrance, only to be stopped by more guards.
Before Xia Luo could say anything, Steve stepped forward, confidently blurting out, "Long live the Lizard."
Xia Luo: "..."
Well, that was fast.
Guard: "????"
The guards were confused. Is this a new code phrase?
Meanwhile, deep in the cave, Lizard Parker and Norman emerged from a holding cell.
"It's foolproof," Norman laughed maniacally, tossing aside a blood-stained blade.
Lizard Parker's scaly face twitched slightly, still shaken by what had just happened.
"Damn Green Goblin."
"Hahaha, I love it when people call me the 'Terrifying Green Goblin,' because I am terrifying!" Norman cackled.
"More terrifying than him?" Lizard Parker pointed towards a shadowy figure in the corner.
Norman turned to look at the dark figure. The sounds of loud, wet slurping filled the air, making Norman's smile freeze.
"Dammit, this guy's scarier than me. No way, I need to be like him—ugh!"
Mid-sentence, Norman doubled over, gagging. Clearly, he wasn't cut out for being that terrifying.
This guy liked eating people's heads!
Instinctively, Lizard Parker backed away from Venom Parker lurking in the corner.
He'd never seen such a vicious Spider-Man before.
Luckily, that guy wasn't on the opposing team. Otherwise, Lizard Parker would've been eliminated long ago.
The memory of his previous defeat still burned in Lizard Parker's mind. Xia Luo Parker, that damn Spider-Man, had exploited his feelings for Gwen.
What a despicable bastard.
Something as pure and sacred as love meant nothing to him!
This time, he vowed to tear that guy apart and win the resurrection match!
He swore he wouldn't be fooled the same way again!
He wasn't an idiot.
"Long live the Lizard!"
Suddenly, a shout echoed from the cave entrance, making Lizard Parker's face darken.
"I hate it when people call me a Lizard, and if they add 'handsome' to that, I swear I'll tear them apart."
With that, he stormed toward the entrance.
"Who the hell dares—"
Just as he shouted, he froze in place.
His eyes widened, an expression of disbelief crossing his face.
In front of him, a pitiful-looking blonde woman was huddled on the ground. The sight of her green ballet slippers triggered a flood of memories.
On countless nights when Spider-Men appeared, those green ballet shoes had never left her feet.
The next moment, Steve's voice pulled him out of his thoughts.
"Sir, here is your dinner."
"Dinner?"
Lizard Parker turned to Steve, failing to recognize him.
The dust storm in the valley earlier had obscured Steve and Natasha's faces.
And Xia Luo kept his head low—Lizard Parker wasn't familiar enough with him to recognize him at a glance.
Suddenly, Lizard Parker remembered Venom Parker, and gulped nervously.
"I don't eat... I don't eat you guys," he stammered.
He glanced back nervously at the shadows, seemingly worried that the terrifying figure was hungry again. In haste, he grabbed Natasha and dragged her out of the cave.
Seeing this, Steve and Xia Luo exchanged glances and quietly followed behind Lizard Parker.
"What's your name?"
In a shabby wooden shack outside the cave, Lizard Parker was no longer the fierce creature he'd been earlier. He gently draped a coat over Natasha's shoulders.
Natasha, proving her worth as a top-level spy, looked at him with terrified yet defiant eyes, her voice soft.
"Gwen... Gwen Taddei."
At her words, Lizard Parker's body stiffened.
Gwen's parallel universe counterpart?
That was the only explanation running through his mind.
---
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