Restart, Spider-Man! [28]
Under the scorching desert sun, the black webs from Venom had begun to disintegrate.
Venom Parker's half-crippled body was half-buried in the yellow sand, while the shattered black liquid around him quickly crawled back into his body, working to repair the damage.
At this moment, his grotesque head was half-destroyed, and black "buds" were rapidly growing back. However, Peter Parker's half-exposed face could already be seen clearly.
Peter raised a hand and ripped off the black tendrils from his face, his eyes no longer clouded or vacant.
The symbiote inside him had been severely damaged in battle, allowing him a brief moment of regained consciousness.
Staring at the black-clad Spider-Man before him, Peter's eyes flashed with a hint of gratitude.
"Thank you, Xia Luo Parker."
Xia Luo slowly walked up to Peter Parker, his own black suit just as damaged.
The black liquid squirmed as it tried to repair his nano-suit, though at a much slower rate than before, clearly having suffered significant damage during the fight.
Although both were Spider-Men, Peter's abilities were originally stronger than Xia Luo's.
If not for the fact that Xia Luo's symbiote was a newer, stronger generation, his base attributes alone wouldn't have been enough to defeat Peter.
Seeing that Peter wasn't trying to break free from the weakened Venom symbiote, Xia Luo was puzzled.
"Do you need help?" he asked.
Peter shook his head. "No, it's fine. Letting him take over is better. All struggles are meaningless."
"Why?" Xia Luo frowned.
Peter stared at the mission failure notification before him, then tore off another piece of black symbiote from his head and handed it to Xia Luo.
"Spider-Men are destined to be lonely. We must find a way to defeat our fate. I've failed, but you still have a chance.
Good luck, Xia Luo Parker. If we ever meet again..."
After Xia Luo took the piece of symbiote from Peter's hand, Peter's body was swallowed by the void.
As the new piece of symbiote merged into his body, Xia Luo suddenly found himself back in New York.
Under the night sky, in a bustling city, the red and blue Spider-Man swung between skyscrapers, and each appearance symbolized hope for the common people.
My name is Peter Parker, just an ordinary high school student.
Until I was bitten by a strange spider.
Overnight, I gained the kind of superpowers that only exist in movies.
Because of what Uncle Ben said before he died—With great power comes great responsibility—I've always tried to become better.
I became a hero in everyone's eyes.
But no one knows that I never wanted to be a hero.
However, if I didn't come out every night, this city would be swallowed by its own evil. Criminals would seize the opportunity, and the weak would suffer.
But if I continued being a hero, I would lose everything.
I've defeated many terrifying enemies, but they've taken away the most important things from me.
Uncle Ben, Aunt May—they lost their lives because of me.
My best friend Harry—he turned into the evil, insane Green Goblin—also because of me.
Mary Jane, the woman I love, is constantly in danger because of me.
We've broken up and gotten back together many times, but she still chose to stay with me.
But one day, her life was taken away in a single moment.
Just as we were about to get married, the enemies I had once defeated returned. They killed Mary Jane, and they killed many others.
Everyone close to me has suffered because of me.
I think I finally understand.
Heroes are destined to be lonely. That's the price of being Spider-Man.
I have nothing left to lose.
All I can do is continue being Spider-Man.
Until my real identity was finally exposed...
They couldn't believe that the Spider-Man who had saved the city so many times was just a washed-up reporter.
Everyone's illusions about Spider-Man were shattered.
And what I had hoped for never came.
They began to criticize Spider-Man's every action. Even if I damaged a single bicycle while fighting crime, I had to pay for it out of my own pocket.
I got even poorer.
To make matters worse, Officer George disapproved of me. He wouldn't let me join the fight against crime.
But whenever he encountered something he couldn't handle, he'd ask for my help.
I agreed.
But my efforts didn't always end perfectly.
The result was that people became increasingly critical of Spider-Man—even hateful.
I don't understand why.
With great power comes great responsibility.
Did I do something wrong?
Heroes are lonely. Spider-Men lose their families, friends, and lovers.
Not only that, I lost my superpowers, too.
Without my powers, I became a regular person. I couldn't fight evil anymore.
I could finally live a normal life.
Spider-Man slowly faded from public view.
I was no longer Spider-Man, so I wouldn't lose any more.
Even though I had already lost everything.
But then I met Gwen, and I fell in love with her. She became my girlfriend, and I had family again.
But when a sudden disaster struck, Gwen was in danger.
I was terrified, anxious, and uneasy.
I didn't want to lose Gwen.
So, I decided to become Spider-Man again.
A stronger Spider-Man!
As long as I was strong enough, I could defeat Spider-Man's tragic fate!
I accepted help from an alien being called Venom, and at that moment, I felt like a god.
I was unstoppable—but I still couldn't save Gwen.
She died right in front of me.
I'm a failed Spider-Man.
I was utterly broken.
I was tired. Let the world burn.
With great power comes great responsibility?
What a joke.
From now on, no one matters to me.
The symbiote is a good thing. It allowed me to fully let go.
I began doing whatever I wanted, becoming the city's worst nightmare.
The old me was such a fool, sacrificing everything for people who didn't even appreciate it.
Now, I would make them pay—double.
And then came the ultimate irony.
The former hero became a monster, while the real monsters became everyone's heroes.
A group of evil beings called the Inheritors appeared in the city. Their target was Spider-Man.
Their power was strange.
I couldn't beat them. In the end, I died at their hands.
In my final moments, I finally understood the helplessness and despair of the weak.
They needed a hero. They needed the me from before.
But in the end, those evil beings became the heroes they looked up to.
——
After a long silence, Xia Luo slowly opened his eyes and found himself back in the Cosmic Web.
That was Peter Parker's tragic life.
From hero to demon—all it took was the loss of Gwen, the final straw.
Unable to bear the burden of Spider-Man's fate, he was eventually consumed by himself.
In essence, the symbiote doesn't make people good or bad; it simply releases the deepest emotions repressed within the host.
Venom Parker was born out of Spider-Man's despair.
Why did Peter hand over that part of his memory? What was his true intention?
Xia Luo frowned as he recalled the group of beings that had killed Venom Parker.
The Inheritors?
Interesting.
Just then, the rewards for this Resurrection Match appeared before Xia Luo's eyes.
[Congratulations to the "Old, Weak, Sick, and Disabled" team for winning the Resurrection Match. Reward: x3 Resurrection Tokens.]
[Reward: Strength +10 tons]
[Bonus for rescuing Dr. Yinsen: Extra Rewards]
[Extra Reward 1: Power of the Spider Totem x1]
[Extra Reward 2: Nano Spider Suit (Venom Upgraded Version)]
[Remaining Restart Attempts: 2 (to be carried over to the next Resurrection Match)]
"Venom Upgraded Version?"
Xia Luo frowned. "That creepy thing hasn't left yet?"
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