Restart, Spider-Man!

But Xia Luo didn't plan to sit idly by.

Even if Dr. Otto succeeded in perfecting the artificial sun experiment, a flawless artificial sun alone wouldn't help him defeat Hydra.

That would only delay Hydra's plans to destroy military bases across the world. With control over a true artificial sun, Hydra could overthrow governments and take over the planet with ease.

So, a battle between the two factions would be inevitable once the real artificial sun came to fruition.

Given Hydra's global influence, eradicating them completely was nearly impossible.

Xia Luo knew he had to prepare.

Taking the Time-Space Monolith, he opened a portal.

"Buzz~"

Amid a flicker of magical sparks, Xia Luo arrived at Kamar-Taj.

"Ancient One, I need some guidance on how to tap into the power of the Time-Space Monolith," he said without preamble.

The Ancient One, who had just tried to sneak a sip of cola, smiled as she spotted him, tucking the soda back into her cushion.

"No problem—I'll help you with this."

Her gaze landed on the Time-Space Monolith in Xia Luo's hands.

She began forming mystical symbols with her hands, encircling the Monolith in golden arrays of energy. Then, closing her eyes, she delved deeper into the artifact, probing its mysteries through magic.

After a moment, she opened her eyes, an odd look on her face.

"This stone tablet… its origins are rather suspicious. I'd never sensed its existence until now."

"You're going off track—I just need to know how to use it," Xia Luo replied.

The Ancient One paused before chuckling.

"Apologies. Actually, using it isn't difficult. You can activate it by channeling the Sun God's power."

Xia Luo's expression turned sour. "I'm aware of that already. I meant another way."

"There is an alternative," she said, meeting his gaze. "But first, tell me—what do you plan to do with it?"

"Worried I'll mess with the world's progression?" Xia Luo asked.

She shook her head. "No, the Time-Space Monolith is a powerful relic containing temporal energy, but it has its limits."

"Limits?" Xia Luo frowned. "What happens if I exceed them?"

"Nothing drastic—it will simply shatter."

"Then that's not a problem."

He was unconcerned. The multiverse held countless artifacts far more powerful than the Time-Space Monolith. If he broke one stone tablet, it wouldn't be the end of the world.

Seeing he had made up his mind, the Ancient One didn't hesitate further.

"Besides the Sun God's energy, you can also channel its power through an artificial sun—though it needs to be a real artificial sun, so this won't conflict with your current plans at all."

Hearing this, Xia Luo paused.

"An artificial sun is just physics-based technology—how can it substitute for a god's power?"

The Ancient One laughed. "As long as it's a sun, it can serve as an energy source for the Sun God's domain—even an artificial sun."

"So then, I could just use the real sun?"

"Of course, if you can manage to get close enough."

"Never mind—the artificial sun will do just fine."

Thanking the Ancient One, Xia Luo left Kamar-Taj with the Monolith in tow.

Next, he opened a portal to track down Hydra Steve.

The two of them had a long "discussion."

And they kept at it until this attempt ended in another mission failure.

---

After twelve rewinds, Xia Luo's strength had increased by twelve tons.

At Kingpin's villa…

Professor X was currently using the dragonbone fossil to expand his mental perception, gathering intelligence for Xia Luo. His psychic energy spread across the globe.

Following Xia Luo's instructions, he avoided Kamar-Taj.

"Spider-Man, you have many enemies. Hydra's 'Captain' has already gathered the other contestants together."

He opened his eyes and continued, "Though you stopped Norman Osborn from exposing your identity, that won't mean much in the end. More than one person knows your identity—many contestants have already seen your face. Unless you can take them all down right away, your identity will eventually be leaked, even if we win this resurrection game."

Xia Luo shrugged. "That doesn't matter—you know what I actually want to ask."

Professor X glanced around at the others, then nodded, motioning Xia Luo closer.

"Whisper so they can't hear."

"Alright, I know what you mean—this is about that woman, Ophelia, right? Relax, you two don't have any children."

"Children!!"

Deadpool, who had just arrived at the villa, shouted in shock, "Spider-Man has a kid?!"

"What?"

The rest of the team gasped.

"Did they kidnap your child, Spider-Man?" Old Steve's face turned dark.

Carter frowned. "Did they mistake that baby Kingpin for yours?" she asked Xia Luo.

"Kingpin is Spider-Man's child?" Barton was stunned.

Natasha looked at him with disdain. "Your hearing's definitely not as sharp as your aim. She's clearly saying Spider-Man is Kingpin's child."

"Enough!" Xia Luo said, face turning dark. "This is getting ridiculous!"

But he didn't rush to explain; he knew this wasn't the sort of thing to spread around.

He turned back to Professor X. "What about the real question? Can it be done?"

Professor X frowned. "Modifying a few memories is easy, but the implications of doing so here are massive. I'll need to think it over carefully."

That was all Xia Luo needed to hear. It was unlikely, he'd expected as much—Professor X always prioritized the bigger picture.

Still, even if Professor X declined to help, Xia Luo could still save the world.

Over the next few rewinds, he prepared meticulously, one piece at a time.

Finally, on the twentieth rewind, Dr. Otto and Tony managed to complete the experimental data.

"It worked!"

Tony collapsed, bleeding from his nose and mouth, yet a thrilled smile lit his face. He was beyond saving.

Xia Luo knocked out Pepper with practiced ease before looking at the equally ecstatic Dr. Otto.

"Are you sure it's viable?" he asked.

Dr. Otto laughed. "Absolutely! I'm confident we can produce a true artificial sun, though we'll need to conduct additional fusion tests to be certain."

Xia Luo smiled. "That's fine, but this time, we're out of time. We'll test it in the next rewind."

The Twenty-First Rewind

"Spider-Man, I can't agree to your request," Professor X said. "The consequences for the world…"

"Would be huge. I understand."

Xia Luo replied with a serious look. "But, Professor, with great power comes great responsibility. You know that. This is just a test, and I can reset everything—I won't let it alter the world's set course."

"With great power…"

Professor X murmured those words, his face contorted in struggle.

Carter, standing nearby, was eyeing Xia Luo with suspicion.

"Feels like I've heard that line somewhere before."

"That doesn't matter," Xia Luo replied, activating his nanotech display and bringing up the experiment data on a virtual screen.

As he spoke, the TV screen flickered with static for a brief, barely visible moment, and Xia Luo allowed himself a small, almost undetectable smile.

Professor X wouldn't do it. But there were others who would.

---

"Mr. Schmidt, I've uncovered a secret from Spider-Man."

In a Hydra base, Dr. Arnim Zola's face appeared on a computer screen. The red figure across from him paused.

"Dr. Zola, a correction—I am now Madam Johann," the Red Skull replied, her voice filled with displeasure.

Dr. Zola's face twitched. "My apologies, Madam Johann. Spider-Man has obtained advanced artificial sun data that could actually create a true artificial sun."

"Impossible!"

At that moment, Hydra Steve walked in carrying a baby Kingpin, his face skeptical.

"That guy, Xia Luo Parker, could never crack the secrets of a true artificial sun. Even Dr. Otto couldn't manage it, and Parker's not even close to his level."

But Bucky's opinion was different.

"Steve, you're forgetting who he is," Bucky said.

"What?"

"He's Spider-Man," Bucky said, taking a deep breath. "Time after time, just when we think we've won, he pulls off some impossible feat to win the resurrection game. I bet he'll do it again."

Hydra Steve hesitated. "You're right. He always manages to pull off some kind of miracle."

His face twisted with frustration. "If the setting for this resurrection game were anywhere else, we might not have known what he was up to, let alone stand a chance at winning."

"Eeyah~"

Just then, baby Kingpin gurgled.

He wanted to say That's my line!

But he quickly remembered his unfortunate situation.

"Oh, what a cute baby! Let me hold him for a bit."

Hearing the baby's coo, the Red Skull's face lit up with interest. She walked toward Steve, her twisted face morphing as flesh shifted and tightened into a more feminine appearance.

Cradling baby Kingpin, she began to rock him, her expression unexpectedly tender.

Steve frowned but said nothing.

Bucky, on the other hand, looked away, unable to stomach the sight.

After all, he remembered Johann Schmidt as a hard, unyielding man.

But during an operation, Johann had been injured and fitted with a Hydra spine, which had altered his personality and opened up a whole new side of himself.

The last time Bucky had seen this expression on Schmidt's face had been in Tony Stark's quarters.

He shot a glance at the poor baby and shivered.

No way… is this real?

Poor kid. If he ever grew up, the trauma would be severe.

Then again, as Spider-Man's "child," he probably wouldn't live to find out.

Meanwhile, Dr. Zola had already begun tampering with the artificial sun data at the Okinawa base.

"I've modified the data for the experiment. We'll know the results soon," he announced.

Hydra Steve frowned. "Could this be a trap?"

"Don't worry,"

Madam Red Skull said, sidling up to Steve with baby Kingpin in her arms. "If it fails, we lose nothing. If it succeeds, we'll have the means to conquer the world. We have nothing to lose."

Hydra Steve still felt uneasy, but on reflection, he couldn't fault her logic.

After all, this resurrection game was on his turf, and he had all of Hydra's resources backing him up. Victory should be inevitable.

Moments later, Dr. Zola returned with good news.

"It's a success!"

Dr. Zola's virtual face beamed with excitement. "A true artificial sun has been created. Spider-Man's data is authentic!"

"What?"

Hydra Steve finally relaxed.

"Excellent. Now we just need to modify the data at the other bases. With the creation of a true artificial sun, we'll have ultimate control over the world."

A long-dormant ambition swelled within him, a wicked grin spreading across his face.

"Bucky, come with me. We're going to find Carter."

"Why?" Bucky frowned.

Hydra Steve took a deep breath. "She can't stay with Xia Luo Parker. If she does, she'll die."

"Heh, I'd expect no less from you, Steve," a sultry voice interjected. "Always so sentimental."

A swaying silhouette approached, and Hydra Steve's face darkened as he saw the woman in the serpentine robe.

"Ophelia. Are you… the Ophelia I know?"

"Both versions of me," she replied, clutching a Spider-Man doll with a sly smile.

"I need to have another… conversation with Spider-Man before he's wiped out. Our last one wasn't quite successful."

Hydra Steve didn't respond.

Bucky shook his head. "She's insane. Absolutely insane."

Is Spider-Man really that captivating?

Steve didn't want to deal with this madwoman, but he couldn't afford to offend her, either.

Thanks to her genetic toxin, Ophelia was leagues more dangerous than her counterpart. Aside from Dr. Zola, who had transcended into the digital world, no one could resist her venom.

Then again, she wanted to take down Spider-Man, so maybe she could vanish along with him in the ultimate destruction of his final defeat.

---

In the Cosmic Web, new power surged into Xia Luo's body, enhancing his muscle density. He took a deep breath.

Everything was ready—rewind!

"Buzz~"

A red-and-blue figure vanished into the void, and Xia Luo emerged on top of the Empire State Building.

"Carter, notify everyone—Avengers, assemble!"

With that, Xia Luo leapt from the building. Magical sparks ignited around him as he zipped through the air, surging into the nearest broadcast station in a flash of electric arcs.

"Hahaha! The terrifying goblin is back—No!!"

An arrogant Norman Osborn was swept up by the arcs and pulled into the portal.

Quickly, Xia Luo's figure reappeared on Blake Street, then at Empire University, and finally at Oscorp Tower.

Faster than ever before.

In all three of these rescue missions, he deliberately left Hydra Steve unharmed, knowing he'd be instrumental in gathering the other contestants.

Moments later, at Kingpin's villa…

Xia Luo displayed the artificial sun's experimental data for all to see. As planned, Dr. Zola swiftly intercepted Otto and Tony's hard-won results.

With the success of thirteen artificial sun experiments, these thirteen suns were poised to completely change the world.

During this time, Xia Luo also managed to snag the Time Monument from Lady Gao and made a brief detour to Kamar-Taj.

Meanwhile, at Hydra's secret base, the contestants that Hydra Steve had gathered erupted in cheers.

"Spider-Man failed to sabotage the artificial sun experiments! Hydra will soon rule the world! We've won!" Steve shouted triumphantly.

But Bucky frowned. "This all seems too easy. Besides, the plan to bomb New York was interrupted. I think we should calm down and reconsider any details we might've missed.

"Remember, our opponent is Spider-Man, not just anyone."

The words hit like a bucket of cold water, instantly dampening everyone's spirits.

Anyone who'd participated in a resurrection game knew that Spider-Man always managed to win, one way or another.

---

Hello! Thank you so much for reading this chapter. WiseTL has worked hard to bring these wonderful stories to you, and I'm so happy we could share this moment together! Don't you think stories are a little like dreams? Each one has its own colors and shapes, and they grow even brighter when shared with others.

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-With love, Nahida 🌱