Whizz!
Roar!
Steel beams shot through the air as Sergei let out a beastly roar. An invisible shockwave rippled outward, halting the incoming projectiles for a brief moment.
The next second, Sergei’s immense strength shattered the iron cage around him in a violent burst.
“Die!”
With a thunderous punch, he sent the remaining steel rods flying, and his lion-head vest trembled as a thick green mist spread around him.
“It’s poison gas!”
In the corner, Charles’s expression darkened as he quickly distanced himself from the scene.
Erik, meanwhile, manipulated the metal beneath his feet into a massive fan, whipping up a powerful gust to disperse the toxic cloud.
“Oh~ this stuff is wild,” Xia Luo quipped after inhaling a trace of the gas. Purple patterns spread faintly across his skin as he massaged his temples.
Turning to Sergei, he grinned. “Got any more? I wouldn’t mind another hit.”
Sergei clenched his jaw, his wary eyes darting toward Erik and Charles.
“These are your allies?”
Before Xia Luo could respond, Charles called out, “Sergei, we won’t let you harm Spider-Man!”
Xia Luo cupped his hands to his face in mock emotion. “So touching!”
Sergei snorted. “I don’t want to harm him—I want to tame him.”
“If you could tame Spider-Man, we wouldn’t need to intervene,” Erik said, his voice dripping with menace as steel beams tore themselves free from the surrounding structures. He landed gracefully on the ground, standing atop a platform of metal.
“You have two choices: leave, or die.”
Sergei sneered. “You know nothing of a beast’s power.”
With that, he downed another bottle of mysterious potion, his already formidable physique becoming even more monstrous.
Roar!
With the ferocity of a leopard, Sergei dashed across the fountain, closing the distance to Erik in an instant.
“What?”
Erik recoiled in shock, flinging steel beams in Sergei’s path to slow his charge. Yet, under Sergei’s claws, the metal crumbled like tofu.
“Erik!”
Seeing Erik about to be overpowered, Charles’s eyes closed briefly as he unleashed a wave of psychic energy. The mental assault momentarily froze Sergei in his tracks, giving Erik just enough time to retreat.
“You okay, Erik?” Charles asked, exhaling in relief.
“It’s Magneto,” Erik corrected tersely, his expression dark as he quickly reshaped the surrounding steel into a shield, prepared for Sergei’s next move.
On the sidelines, Xia Luo lay sprawled on the lion’s belly, watching the fight like it was a primetime show.
“These two are still too green. They’re supposed to be the perfect golden duo, but their teamwork’s a mess,” he mused aloud, patting the lion’s head.
Purr.
The lion purred contentedly, nuzzling against Xia Luo’s chest.
“Hmm? You’ve switched sides?”
Xia Luo laughed at the lion’s lack of loyalty.
“Good, a wise cat knows where its bread is buttered. If your owner dies, you’ll be taking care of me from now on.”
The lion: “…”
“No, wait.”
Xia Luo sat up abruptly as realization struck him.
If Kraven the Hunter died, wouldn’t someone else be dragged into a revival arc?
No way. Sergei needed to face justice for capturing protected animals.
In an instant, Xia Luo leapt into the fray, landing between the combatants with a radiant, almost holy glow surrounding him.
“Stop! I won’t allow you to kill Uncle Sergei!”
Sergei: “???”
Erik: “???”
Charles: “???”
“Uncle, are you moved?” Xia Luo asked, turning to Sergei with mock sincerity. “If you’re touched, please tell me what’s in that mysterious potion of yours. I’d love to try it—I’ll even pay you a hundred bucks for it.”
Sergei snapped out of his confusion, a cruel smile spreading across his face.
“It’s a magic potion from Africa. If you want it, I’ll let you taste it.”
Without waiting for a response, Sergei downed yet another bottle. His eyes glowed with a sinister green light.
Whoosh!
Sergei’s body morphed into the shape of a long serpent and shot toward Xia Luo in a flash.
“Walk it off!” Xia Luo quipped, kicking a steel rod into the air.
Bang!!
With a perfect golf swing, Xia Luo struck Sergei squarely on the face.
Three bloodied teeth spun through the air as Sergei collapsed onto the ground.
“How… how is this possible?”
Sergei clutched his swollen cheek in disbelief. “How could plain metal defeat me?”
Xia Luo casually tossed aside the bent steel rod and clapped his hands.
“So, drinking potions to gain the strength of a beast, huh? This version of the Hunter is… interesting.”
Before Sergei could react, Xia Luo closed the distance between them, his fist, the size of a sandbag, growing larger in Sergei’s vision.
“No!!”
Boom!!
A single punch drove Sergei’s head into the dirt. Xia Luo turned to Charles and Erik.
“Sorry for the trouble. You can head back now,” he said, waving them off.
As he finished speaking, a helicopter descended from the night sky, Carter leading the Avengers onto the scene.
Seeing them arrive, Charles and Erik exchanged a glance before quietly leaving.
“I told you, Spider-Man can handle himself,” Charles remarked.
“I assumed he’d be weaker without his metal suit. That’s not my fault,” Erik retorted.
“Next time, don’t underestimate him. I need to get home and cook dinner.”
“Wait for me!”
The two disappeared into the shadows.
Meanwhile, Aleksei jumped out of the helicopter, his face alight with a menacing grin.
“Xia Luo’s friends are my friends, so Spider-Man is my friend. Anyone who hurts my friends, I’ll hurt their friends. So, friend, how’s my friend Xia Luo doing lately?” Aleksei asked, turning to Xia Luo.
Xia Luo: “…”
“What have you been studying lately?”
“Stand-up comedy.”
“Your performance is great. Next time, don’t.”
Xia Luo pointed to Sergei. “Watch him. Don’t let him escape.”
“Understood.”
Aleksei grinned, advancing on Sergei, only to pause suddenly.
“Oh no, I’m a Thunderbolt agent now, not a villain. This smile doesn’t fit the role.” He looked genuinely remorseful.
Carter scanned the scene, her eyes landing on the scattered steel rods.
“A superpowered individual who can manipulate metal?”
“Technically, they’re called mutants,” Xia Luo explained.
“What’s the difference?”
“Mutants are born with their powers. Superpowered individuals aren’t always born that way.”
“Got it. So, no real difference,” Carter said, waving for Coulson and the others to clean up the area.
“Is this guy some Amazonian caveman?” she asked, studying the unconscious Sergei with a frown.
“No, he’s an African hunter,” Xia Luo clarified, watching as Sergei was loaded onto the helicopter. As Sergei passed, Xia Luo deftly plucked a blue vial from his pocket.
“Drink this, and you gain the strength of a beast. Want to try it?” Xia Luo asked.
Carter considered for a moment. “No thanks. I’m just a beautiful woman, not a fan of turning into a beast.”
“Then I’ll give it a go.”
Xia Luo downed the potion in one gulp. His skin immediately shimmered with blue rings, his muscles softening unnaturally. With a thought, suction cups appeared all along his arm.
“Octopus?” Carter’s brow twitched.
Testing his newfound ability, Xia Luo patted Coulson’s shoulder, accidentally tearing off his suit jacket with the suction cups.
Coulson: “…”
“I just wanted to check if you’re wearing underwear,” Xia Luo said.
“Then why tear off my jacket?”
Coulson barely finished speaking before his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed to the ground, convulsing and foaming at the mouth.
“Agent Coulson!”
The other agents rushed to him in alarm.
Xia Luo looked at the suction cups on his hand and nodded thoughtfully.
“Does Africa have poisonous blue-ringed octopi?” he asked Carter.
Carter’s face darkened. “You should be more concerned about Coulson’s condition.”
“Sorry, I’ll help him rest.”
“No, don’t touch him. Stay away from everyone.”
At Carter’s command, the agents all backed away from Xia Luo.
“You’re isolating me!” Xia Luo pouted.
Glancing at Sergei in the helicopter, he muttered, “Why didn’t you pull out this good stuff earlier? Serves you right for getting caught.”
Moments later, Carter departed with Sergei in tow, leaving Xia Luo behind.
“Wait, I’m not on the helicopter yet!” he shouted.
The rotor winds whipped around him as Carter waved goodbye.
“Come find me when you’re no longer toxic,” she called as the helicopter disappeared into the night sky.
Xia Luo spread his hands in exasperation.
“So, no mission funds for me this time?”
He sighed and prepared to swing away on a web, only to find his spinnerets completely covered by the suction cups on his arm.
Xia Luo: “…”
He thought about Sergei’s condition and felt a twinge of unease.
“This stuff isn’t permanent… right?”
Before he could figure out a solution, a loud crash came from behind. Turning, he saw Erik break through a wall and land at his feet, rolling to a stop.
Thud.
Cough, cough.
Bruised and battered, Erik struggled to his knees, his face red as he looked up at Xia Luo’s inverted-triangle eyes, like a drowning man spotting a lifeline.
“Please, Spider-Man, you’ve got to save Charles!”
Xia Luo: “???”
“You two left already,” he said.
Erik’s expression turned grim. “We did, but on the way, someone stopped us. He asked where Spider-Man was.”
“And you assumed he was an enemy, so you attacked first?” Xia Luo didn’t need to hear more to guess what had happened.
Erik gritted his teeth. “Yes. Please, save Charles—he’s dying.”
“I see him.”
Xia Luo stared through the hole in the wall, where Charles’s figure was emerging from the shadows.
A pale hand clutched Charles by the throat, lifting him into the air.
Crack, crack.
In the dim light, an elegant figure stepped onto the shattered bricks, a faintly glowing bat emblem on his chest radiating an ominous aura.
At the same time, Xia Luo’s spider emblem began to glow faintly, his spider-sense blaring warnings.
It felt like facing a natural predator.
Snap.
The moonlight illuminated the man’s chalk-white skin, which seemed to devour the light itself.
Through the distorted glow, Xia Luo got a clear look at his face—golden hair tied neatly behind his head, a ghastly pale complexion, a sinister smile, and gleaming fangs. His black tailcoat added an air of elegance, but the bat emblem on his chest radiated eerie hostility.
“Batman?” Xia Luo asked instinctively.
The man’s smile froze.
“You blind insect! Look carefully—I’m a vampire!” he roared, pointing to his fangs in fury.
Xia Luo grimaced. “Ugh, vampires? Seriously? What century are you from?
“Anyway, Morbius, if you’re here for funding, I’m broke. But I have a friend—”
Before he could finish, the vampire tossed Charles aside and lunged at Xia Luo, moving as a blur.
“So fast!”
Erik barely had time to react before the gust of wind from the vampire’s speed sent him tumbling.
Xia Luo remained calm, meeting the vampire’s eyes.
“Morbius? Ha,” the man sneered. “My name is Karun, of the Morlun family!”
As soon as the words left his mouth, Karun grinned, revealing razor-sharp fangs.
A black-hole-like force erupted from his mouth, enveloping Xia Luo in an inescapable pull. The spider emblem on Xia Luo’s chest flickered wildly, its warnings growing more frantic.
Buzz.
Red and blue energy radiated from Xia Luo, drawn helplessly toward Karun.
“Ugh…”
Karun inhaled deeply, savoring the energy. A strange moan escaped him.
Xia Luo’s eye twitched.
“Feeling good?” he deadpanned.
The Morlun family’s totem was leech-like, and Karun’s bat emblem suggested he was their vampiric cousin.
“Of course. This world’s Spider-Man is more delicious than any I’ve encountered before. You’re exquisite—your taste is unparalleled,” Karun gloated as his bat emblem absorbed the spider totem’s energy.
As the last of the energy drained, Karun sighed in contentment.
Charles and Erik watched helplessly, their faces pale.
“Damn it! Spider-Man’s power… it’s gone!”
“Our plan failed, and so did the mutants’ hope. How could this happen?” Erik seethed in frustration, but he was powerless to act.
Karun’s resilience was baffling, immune to mental attacks and even healing from wounds instantly.
Frustrated, Erik threw a piece of twisted metal shaped like a cross to the ground.
“This thing’s useless!”
Charles: “…”
“Did you really try that?”
Erik averted his gaze. “We were out of options.”
Meanwhile, the light on Xia Luo’s spider emblem dimmed. Karun’s bat emblem now shone with vibrant red and blue energy.
“This power is incredible,” Karun murmured. “Through the Web of Life and Destiny, I found this new world.
“With no rivals to compete for Spider-Man’s energy, I can finally enjoy myself.
“Now, Spider-Man, you can die.”
He opened his eyes, expecting to see a weakened Spider-Man. Instead, Xia Luo stood tall, his posture unchanged.
“You’ve eaten your fill?” Xia Luo asked casually.
Karun frowned.
“If not, I’ve got more.”
The faint glow on Xia Luo’s chest flared to life.
Buzz.
One spider totem.
Then two.
Three.
Six.
Seven!
Karun’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“Impossible! How do you have seven spider totems? That’s absurd!” he screamed.
Xia Luo shrugged. “Don’t be so surprised. Looks like you’re full now, so if I fight back, it’s fair game.”
“What?”
Under Karun’s horrified gaze, a massive spider emblem lit up beneath Xia Luo’s feet.
One by one, red and blue clones of Spider-Man appeared around him.
“Time to work, boys!”
“Let’s take him down!”
“This time, I go first. Good Neighbor Flying Kick!”
“Good Neighbor Toss-the-Bat!”
“Good Neighbor Tornado Parking Lot Smash!”
“Damn it, you guys are so quick.”
“Wow, you can jump really high!”
“Eh, just three or four stories.”
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