Restart, Spider-Man!

This bonus chapter is a small gift—may it bring you a touch of tranquility.

---

With a flick of his wrist, Xia Luo opened a portal.

"Let's go. Time to head back," he said.

Tony glanced at the bodies scattered across the cave. "What about these guys?"

Xia Luo waved dismissively. "Don't worry. Spider-Man's not great at cleaning up messes, but my friends are."

"Your friends?"

Tony raised an eyebrow as Xia Luo activated his cloning technique. Several identical versions of himself materialized, each one grinning confidently.

"Let's go. They'll handle it."

Leading Tony through the portal, Xia Luo left his clones waving behind them.

"Don't forget to miss us!" one clone called out.

The portal shimmered shut, and the clones scattered. As their numbers multiplied, the entire cave collapsed under their destructive efforts.

---

Stark Tower

"Buzz~"

The portal flickered with light as Tony stumbled back into his home, looking worse for wear. Not seeing Pepper, he immediately called out, "Jarvis, where's Pepper?"

"Miss Potts is currently on a date with you, sir," Jarvis replied matter-of-factly.

Tony's face darkened. "Where are they?"

"At the Empire Hotel, sir."

"What?!"

Tony clenched his fists. "That bastard is so dead!"

Storming into his lab, he barked, "Jarvis, open the backup suits!"

"Right away, sir."

Watching Tony suit up, Xia Luo opened his mouth to say something but decided against it. The impostor's practically rubbing it in his face. If I try to stop him now, I'll look like the bad guy.

"Need any help?" Xia Luo offered.

Tony growled, "No, I'll handle this myself."

"As expected of Iron Man. A real man knows how to settle his own scores," Xia Luo said with admiration.

With a deafening crash, Tony's Mark suit blasted through the ceiling, rocketing toward the Empire Hotel.

"Uh... does remodeling not cost money?" Xia Luo muttered, brushing off the falling debris. He tapped his wrist device to make a call.

"Captain Carter, get ready for a show. Lock onto the Empire Hotel."

"Hotel?"

In her office, Carter instinctively lowered her voice, glancing at the door. "Can't you be quieter? I'm busy. If it's important, just come here instead."

Xia Luo sighed and ended the call. Thinking quickly, he dialed Gwen.

"Gwen, head to the Empire Hotel—"

"Hotel?"

Gwen's sharp gasp cut him off. Her voice turned cold.

"Xia Luo, are you cheating on Mary Jane?! Give me the room number. I'm coming to deal with you myself!"

"Are you all crazy?!" Xia Luo snapped, hanging up in frustration.

He tried Harry next. Surely his best friend wouldn't misunderstand.

"Harry, get to the Empire Hotel—"

"Hotel?"

Harry's tone grew sly. "If you need money for... activities, just ask. No need to go overboard."

"Go to hell!" Xia Luo growled, slamming the call off.

Opening a portal, he stepped onto the rooftop of a high-rise overlooking the hotel. Settling down with a tub of popcorn, he waited patiently for the fireworks to begin.

---

It wasn't long before the night sky lit up with the fiery trail of Tony's suit as he arrived at the hotel. Simultaneously, Carter and her team descended nearby in their aircraft.

Just as they disembarked, a thunderous explosion erupted from one of the hotel's rooms. Flames burst through the shattered windows as two identical Iron Man suits shot into the sky.

"Boom!"

"Bang!"

Fire and smoke filled the air as the two Iron Men clashed, exchanging repulsor blasts that illuminated the night with dazzling sparks.

"Tony!"

At the broken window, Pepper, wrapped in a bathrobe, stared up at the battle in alarm.

On the rooftop, Xia Luo shielded his eyes with a hand.

"Yeesh. Long-time couples really like to spice things up. Why not just stay home? Now look what's happened," he muttered.

As Carter's group approached, she gave Xia Luo an incredulous look. "This is the 'show' you mentioned?"

Xia Luo nodded. "Yup."

Harry, watching the aerial duel, heaved a sigh of relief and patted his chest.

Gwen, however, crossed her arms with a huff, refusing to look at Xia Luo. "Fine. I forgive you."

Xia Luo raised an eyebrow. "Forgive me for what?"

Harry was equally confused. "Why does he need forgiving?"

Gwen glared at Xia Luo. "Never mind. Spider-Man, did you call us here just to watch this?"

"Not just to watch."

Xia Luo gestured toward the energy blasts raining down from the sky, some dangerously close to the surrounding buildings.

"You might want to call in backup. I can't handle this alone."

With that, he leaped through another portal, appearing in the middle of the street below.

"Buzz~"

As an energy pulse barreled toward him, Xia Luo crossed his arms, his enhanced body absorbing the impact.

"Boom!!"

The pulse exploded, sending waves of heat through the air.

Behind him, a little girl stared wide-eyed.

"Mommy, it's Spider-Man!" she squealed, jumping up and down in excitement.

Xia Luo knelt and patted her on the head. "It's late. Why aren't you home?"

The girl picked up a wilted flower from the ground, her gaze dropping. "I was waiting for my mom... but she's gone. I'm scared."

Looking at her dirt-streaked face and the dying rose in her hand, Xia Luo's imagination ran wild.

Snow-covered streets... a poor little girl selling matches... begging the uncaring world to buy her wares...

"Ah! Such tragedy! Why?!" Xia Luo clutched his chest in anguish.

Before he could say more, a well-dressed woman rushed over.

"Annie! Where have you been? I was so worried! You're filthy, and that flower—throw it away, it's dirty!"

The woman's panic melted into awe as she spotted Xia Luo.

"Oh my, Spider-Man!"

"She's your daughter?" Xia Luo asked.

"Yes! She wandered off earlier. Thank you for finding her."

"So... she's not a flower girl?"

"Of course not! We own a building. Why would she sell flowers?"

"..."

Another explosion lit up the sky, snapping Xia Luo back to the moment.

"I've got to go. Bye!" He turned to leave but paused. "By the way, if she doesn't have a dad, you can call me. It's not about the money. Trust Spider-Man—Spider-Man never lies."

He vanished into a portal.

---

"Boom!!"

One Iron Man suit tumbled from the sky, only to be caught in Xia Luo's outstretched arms.

"Spider-Man, thanks," the pilot said, glancing sideways. "That guy's a fake. Help me take him down."

Xia Luo's eyes narrowed. This wasn't Tony.

The real Tony dove down moments later.

"I don't need your help! I'll handle this myself!"

With a roar, Tony launched a punch at the impostor, who blocked it with an equally forceful strike.

"Clang!!"

The clash sent sparks flying as the ground beneath them cracked.

Xia Luo raised his hands, backing away. "You all see this, right? Not my fault!" he called to the gathering crowd.

Before anyone could respond, the two Iron Men took off again, colliding mid-air and slamming into a nearby skybridge.

"Crash!"

Debris rained down as reporters swarmed the scene.

"Two Iron Men?! What's going on?"

"And there's Spider-Man!"

Rushing to him, they bombarded him with questions.

"Spider-Man, can you tell who the real Tony Stark is?"

"Spider-Man, is there another Spider-Woman in your life?"

"Spider-Man, could you show us your giant form?"

Xia Luo swung away without answering. "This is getting out of hand," he muttered.

Reaching the two combatants, he shouted, "Enough! Any more, and this'll be impossible to clean up!"

Tony fired a red laser from his arc reactor, forcing his opponent back.

"Jarvis, full power!"

"Right away, sir," Jarvis replied.

"Jarvis, shut it down," the Skrull impostor ordered.

"Right away, sir," Jarvis echoed.

Tony: "..."

"Jarvis, listen to me!"

"Right away, sir."

"Jarvis, I'm the real one!"

"I'm the real one!"

"Sir, I can't tell. I really can't tell."

As Jarvis struggled, the Skrull laughed mockingly.

"Your time is up, impostor!"

Tony gritted his teeth. "Fight me, coward!"

"Gladly!"

Both shed their suits and started brawling on the ground.

Watching this unfold, Xia Luo threw up his hands. "I'm done."

As Carter and her team arrived, she sighed, shaking her head.

"What now?" Harry asked.

Xia Luo shrugged. "What else? Arrest them both."

Carter nodded. "Good plan."

---

Half an hour later, in a glass containment cell, two identical Tonys were still glaring at each other.

After countless scuffles, both were utterly exhausted, lying on separate cots, their animosity temporarily drowned by sheer fatigue.

Outside the cell, Carter and her team examined the two identical men, frustration written all over their faces.

"The genetic analysis results are in."

Helen Cho approached with a report in hand. "Their DNA is completely identical. There's no way to tell which one is the real Tony Stark."

"Identical?"

Carter rubbed her temples. "Great. This just got a lot harder."

She turned to Xia Luo. "Do you have any way to figure out who's real?"

"Nope, no clue." Xia Luo shook his head solemnly.

Of course, he was lying.

The truth was, as long as no one could tell the difference, his plan would succeed.

Carter sighed in defeat. "We'll have to call Pepper Potts. She's the only one who might be able to identify them."

Leaving the cell behind, Carter turned to walk away. Xia Luo trailed after her, giving the two Tonys one last glance before stepping into the hallway.

---

Walking beside Carter, Xia Luo broke the silence.

"They're Skrulls," he said. "An alien race that specializes in mimicking other beings."

"Skrulls?" Carter frowned.

"Yeah. Skrulls are garbage," Xia Luo added with a straight face.

"..." Carter paused. "Why the sudden insult?"

Xia Luo gave her a sideways glance. "You didn't react to me calling them garbage. That means you're the real Carter."

Carter rolled her eyes. "If they could mimic me and copy my abilities, you wouldn't be so calm."

Xia Luo nodded in agreement. "True. Normal Skrulls can't replicate superpowers. Also... Skrulls are garbage."

"Do you ever stop?" Carter's tone was exasperated.

Xia Luo smirked. "Just making sure you're really you."

"Didn't you say, 'When in doubt, call the Sorcerer Supreme?'" Carter suggested.

"She won't agree to help us."

"Let's try anyway."

"Fine."

Ten minutes later, both stepped through a portal.

"I was right. She said no," Xia Luo remarked as they emerged.

Back in her office, Carter flopped onto the couch with no regard for decorum, staring up at the ceiling with a sigh.

"This is exhausting. First mutants, now Skrulls. I want to quit."

Opening the fridge, Xia Luo grabbed a bottle of his favorite juice. After taking a sip, he replied, "At least this takes the spotlight off the mutant-human conflict."

Hearing this, Carter sat up, exhaling deeply.

"You're right. That's probably the best outcome we can hope for."

She hesitated, her eyes clouded with concern. "But will Apocalypse really work with us? He hates humans, and his power... we can't guarantee he'll act as you predict."

Xia Luo gave her a reassuring smile. "Even if he doesn't, I have backup plans. Don't worry."

"By the way, how's the analysis on Kahn's red trident?" Xia Luo asked.

Carter shook her head. "It's made of a unique material, but it's still inferior to vibranium."

She tapped on a virtual console, pulling up a holographic image of a red-and-blue Spider-Man suit.

"We found some vibranium in a Hydra base. Using nanotechnology, we can craft a vibranium-enhanced suit for you."

"A vibranium suit?"

Xia Luo's eyes sparkled. "You're giving it to me?"

"As a personal gift," Carter replied with a smirk.

"Thank you, Commander Carter," Xia Luo said, his tone respectful.

"Oh, now I'm Commander Carter? That was quick," she teased.

"It's a sign of my gratitude."

Xia Luo grinned. "But skip the suit. Just give me some vibranium nanoparticles. My current nanotech suit can integrate them automatically."

"No problem. Dr. Cho already prepared the vibranium. You can pick it up in her lab."

"Great. Dinner's on me later."

"You've already borrowed two years' worth of your salary. You're broke."

"No problem. Harry can cover it."

---

It wasn't long before Xia Luo arrived at Helen Cho's lab.

"Dr. Cho, I'm here for—"

"Vibranium. I know."

Helen tapped on her tablet, and a section of the alloy wall slid aside. Behind the glass, a shimmering blue liquid vibranium flowed like a tide.

Xia Luo's eyes lit up with anticipation, but Helen's expression suddenly darkened.

"Something's wrong. There's much less vibranium than there should be."

"Less?"

Xia Luo frowned. "What do you mean?"

The realization hit him like a brick. He sighed, already knowing the answer.

Marvel Rule #1: Never store anything valuable at S.H.I.E.L.D.

Because it will get stolen.

Marvel Rule #2: Never steal from Spider-Man.

Because you'll regret it.

"Who did this?!" Xia Luo's voice rang out, filled with exasperation.

---

Ah, Reader. You've stayed for the bonus chapter—how delightful.

Even amidst the quiet of eternity, there's joy to be found in shared moments like this.

If you wish to offer your strength, step forward: [patreon.com/WiseTL].

Each effort helps to shape a world where such moments can thrive.

— Ei