In the Web of Life and Destiny, Xia Luo welcomed yet another round of soul reinforcement.
Having gone through three resurrection matches, he had a decent grasp of what Mephisto’s Hell was all about.
The Spider-Men he summoned in these matches were entirely random.
Truly random.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t rely on Leopardon’s overpowered abilities this time to delve deeper into the altar’s space.
Who knows what kind of Spider-Man he’d summon next? Just the thought made his head ache.
The altar’s space also reminded Xia Luo of Wade and Baby Fisk in the spectator stands.
Were those two dead?
No, not necessarily. The spectators weren’t all in a soul state.
Mephisto loved striking contracts with humans to claim their souls, but filling a stadium with souls as spectators would be too boring.
If Xia Luo were Mephisto, he’d definitely cherry-pick the audience from various universes to spice things up.
Still, it was safe to assume the majority of the audience came from Hell.
There must be a projection area in Bone Fortress, but Xia Luo wasn’t aware of it.
Without Leopardon, it would be almost impossible to traverse the Hell Volcano, let alone enter the altar’s space. He’d have to find another way.
With this in mind, Xia Luo activated the fourth resurrection match.
—
“Buzz~”
Above the dragon’s skull, the countdown ended.
Xia Luo immediately summoned a Spider-Man from the multiverse.
With the resurrection match resetting the timer, a lot of trouble was avoided.
“Buzz~”
Under the gloomy sky, the Spider totem radiated brilliant light. A terrifying behemoth crashed through the projection of a primeval forest, breaking the dimensional barrier and materializing in the physical realm.
“Roar!!”
A massive red-and-blue T-Rex, nearly twenty meters long, raised its head and let out an earth-shattering roar. Its body shimmered with a crystalline glow from the spider-web patterns etched across its skin.
“Boom!!”
The colossal creature landed heavily, crushing the dragon’s remains into fragments.
In that moment, two black monstrosities squawked in terror, fleeing into the sky. Around them, sinister spirits trembled, their very souls dimming as though ready to dissipate at any moment.
“Whoa! A T-Rex Spider-Man?”
Xia Luo’s eyes lit up.
The T-Rex, clad in a Spider-Man suit, lashed out its long tail, shooting webbing from its claws to pull Xia Luo toward it.
“Roar!!”
A gale surged from its gaping maw, leaving Xia Luo utterly speechless.
“Wait, dinosaurs can shoot webs too?” He twitched at the corner of his mouth.
“Snort~”
The T-Rex bent down, peering at Xia Luo with human-like curiosity in its eyes.
“You are?” it asked in confusion.
Xia Luo grinned. “Yep, we’re both Spider-Man.”
“Spider?”
The T-Rex’s eyes sparkled as it bared a menacing grin.
“Excellent. That’s just my style.”
With that, it lunged forward, its massive maw dripping with grotesque mucus. Xia Luo froze on the spot.
“What are you doing?!”
“Eating you!”
“Eat your sister!!”
Xia Luo flipped backward, dodging the snapping jaws, and landed behind the T-Rex.
“You asked for this!”
Grabbing the T-Rex’s tail, Xia Luo’s muscles surged, his body growing larger.
As his strength exploded, the terrified dinosaur felt as though it was nothing more than a plaything in Xia Luo’s hands.
“Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!”
With a howl of wind, the T-Rex hurtled toward the dense bone structures in the distance.
—
“Look, a dinosaur!”
Passersby gawked at the T-Rex flying across the sky.
“A flying dinosaur!”
“A dinosaur in clothes!”
“A roaring dinosaur!”
“Roar!!”
“Boom!!”
The massive creature crashed onto the street, startling Old Steve and the others.
“Oh my gosh, did that big guy steal Spider-Man’s suit?”
Staring at the colossal beast with its head buried in the ground, Natasha scrutinized the situation and said thoughtfully, “It’s a male dinosaur.”
“Obviously. It’s huge.”
“Yeah, even the suit got torn apart.”
“Zap! Zap!”
Amid crackling electricity, Xia Luo swung down, landing gracefully before them.
“Spidey! What a coincidence, you’re here too!” Old Steve beamed.
Xia Luo waved casually. “Hey, help me find something.”
“What?”
“An entertainment venue. Something like a gladiator arena.”
Steve’s expression turned strange.
“Carter said you liked traveling. Didn’t think she meant Hell.”
“Hell tourism?” Barton raised an eyebrow. “That’s… something.”
Behind him, Peter Parker timidly raised his hand.
“I know where the game is.”
Xia Luo’s eyes narrowed.
“The Hell Game Console?” he asked tentatively.
Peter nodded excitedly. “Yeah! It’s super fun, but I couldn’t afford the premium version.”
“What does the premium version do?” Xia Luo asked.
“I heard you can play with Thanos.”
“What?”
Everyone’s expressions shifted.
“Why didn’t you tell us about this?” Natasha frowned.
Peter stammered, “I… I was afraid you’d think I was immature.”
Peter wanted to join the Avengers and become a hero, and he figured superheroes shouldn’t be seen as childish gamers.
But now, it seemed he’d made the right call.
“Let’s go play!” Xia Luo said with a laugh.
“You sure?”
Old Steve glanced at the menacing spirits around them, his nose twitching.
“Sniff. Sniff.”
“Spidey, you smell amazing!”
“Smell your dead head!”
Xia Luo rolled his eyes and kicked the T-Rex’s butt.
“Quit playing dead. Get up.”
“Roar~”
“Okay.”
Under the threat of Xia Luo’s fist, the T-Rex Spider-Man used its tiny arms to push itself up, its once-ferocious gaze now timid.
Like a docile rabbit, it hung its head, grinning awkwardly.
“Haha, we’re all Spider-Man here. No need for this, right?” it said, trying to look harmless.
Steve and the others exchanged bewildered looks.
“Spider-Man?”
“It?”
“This dinosaur?”
Everyone was shocked, and Peter Parker looked like his world had crumbled.
Xia Luo side-eyed the T-Rex. “Show them what Spider-Man can do.” He gestured toward the surrounding spirits.
The T-Rex’s eyes sparkled.
“Sure, this is my specialty!”
“Roar!!”
Its deafening roar sent the nearby spirits fleeing in panic.
At the same time, Steve and the others went pale, stumbling backward.
“That roar’s no joke. My soul feels like it’s about to shatter,” Natasha said, clutching her head.
Seeing this, Xia Luo smirked thoughtfully.
Maybe this guy wasn’t completely useless.
Xia Luo leapt onto the T-Rex’s back.
“Hey, old man, hop on. Let’s go play.” He waved at Steve.
“Alright!”
Old Steve enthusiastically climbed on, followed by Natasha and the others.
“This is my first time riding Spider-Man,” Natasha said, smiling brightly.
Xia Luo: “…”
“It’s a dinosaur. You’re riding a dinosaur! A dinosaur!” he corrected her.
“Uh, well…”
The T-Rex shifted its feet and glanced over its shoulder.
“You can ride, but no photos, okay? I have an image to maintain.”
Steve raised an eyebrow. “A dinosaur with dignity? That’s fantastic!” He laughed heartily.
Peter looked confused. “What do you mean?”
Steve leaned in and whispered, “It means I can use this to threaten him later.”
Peter: “…”
T-Rex: “…”
Xia Luo’s face darkened. “Don’t corrupt the young Spider-Man.”
He shot Old Steve a warning glance, then turned to Peter Parker with a smile.
“A proper Spider-Man should be pure, innocent, lovable, and charming—like me! Don’t listen to the old geezer.”
Peter nodded earnestly. “Understood. I’ll become a Spider-Man just like that!”
Behind him, Old Steve rolled his eyes and leaned over to Barton.
“Don’t believe a word he says. He even corrupted me,” he whispered.
Barton replied coldly, “That’s pathetic. At your age, you’re still being lectured by your juniors.”
“Oh, really? Was that an insult?”
“Yes, it was. Glad you caught on.”
“I’ll have you kn—”
Before Old Steve could explode, the T-Rex suddenly accelerated.
“Hold on tight! I’m a pro driver!”
The dinosaur gleefully wagged its tail and barreled down the street, smashing obstacles in its path.
“Wait! We’re going the wrong way!” Peter shouted.
“Why didn’t you say so earlier?”
The T-Rex screeched to a halt, spun around, and resumed its wild sprint. Tiny claws shot out webbing, creating handholds for Xia Luo and the others to stabilize themselves.
“What a considerate Spider-Man,” Natasha remarked, impressed.
“That’s a dinosaur! A dinosaur!” Xia Luo corrected her again, exasperated.
The T-Rex grinned smugly.
As it sprinted, it called out, “Thank you, lovely lady! Don’t forget to leave me a five-star review when you get off!”
Xia Luo scowled. “You sound like a cab driver.”
“Exactly! I’m the finest cabbie in Jurassic City. You’ve got a great eye, boss.”
“Jurassic City?”
“That’s my home!”
“They have taxis there?”
“Of course! I’m the best driver in Queens Forest, with six years of experience. No detours, no extra charges, and I’ll even help with your luggage. I offer top-notch emotional support and only charge three sea shells if you puke on my back.”
The T-Rex rambled on, and Xia Luo finally confirmed: this guy was indeed Spider-Man.
“What’s your name?” Xia Luo asked.
“Peter. Peter Parker.”
“Alright, Peter Parker, tell me—why were you trying to eat me earlier?”
If the Jurassic world where this T-Rex originated had developed intelligent civilization, it shouldn’t casually devour “raw meat.”
Sure enough, T-Rex Peter squinted and laughed awkwardly.
“Well… I couldn’t resist. You smelled too good.”
Xia Luo: “…”
“Are you a soul like me?”
“No, I just really like eating spiders.”
Under the grim sky, T-Rex Peter sprinted through the streets, scattering malicious spirits in his wake. Chitauri soldiers were crushed underfoot without him even noticing.
He seemed lost in nostalgic thoughts.
“I miss running under the setting sun. Those were the golden days of my youth.”
Xia Luo: “???”
“What are you talking about?”
“Sorry, got carried away.”
T-Rex Peter chuckled. “When I was young, my family was dirt poor—”
“Stick to the point,” Xia Luo growled.
“Right, well, we couldn’t afford meat, so I grew up eating spiders to get my protein. Big spiders, small spiders—especially the brightly colored ones. They were the tastiest.
“I swore to eat every spider in Queens Forest. But one day, while hunting, I got bitten by a strange spider.”
“You gained superpowers,” Peter Parker chimed in.
“Exactly! I got the ability to shoot webs and developed spider-sense. It made me an amazing cab driver—I never get lost! I’m grateful to that spider for helping me find my purpose in life.”
Xia Luo rubbed his temples. “Shouldn’t your purpose be fighting crime as a superhero?”
“That’s my side gig.”
T-Rex Peter grinned. “After becoming Spider-Man, I discovered a secret: every spider I eat makes me stronger.”
“Eating other meat would make you even stronger,” Peter Parker muttered.
Xia Luo eyed the back of the T-Rex’s head, debating whether to kill it now.
“So, you thought I was a spider?”
Sensing the murderous intent, T-Rex Peter shivered.
He quickly apologized. “Sorry! Your colors just reminded me of my favorite spiders.”
“Whatever. Just take the next left,” Xia Luo ordered.
“Got it.”
With a nimble drift, T-Rex Peter stopped in front of a shop.
—
[Hell Arcade]
Xia Luo glanced at the neon sign, then jumped off the dinosaur’s back.
“Interesting,” he said with a smirk.
Old Steve and the others dismounted as well.
“The place where we can mess with Thanos? I can’t wait.”
The excited old man charged into the arcade.
Behind him, T-Rex Peter watched as the group entered, squinting with a forced smile.
“Have a nice day,” he said.
“Wait outside,” Xia Luo instructed, freezing the dinosaur in place.
Run?
Should I run?
No, better not!
This place felt off, and these people looked ready to eat him alive.
Terrified, the “living dinosaur” trembled as nearby spirits stared hungrily at him.
—
Inside the arcade, Xia Luo’s arrival caused the twisted spirits to stir. Drawn by his tantalizing aura, they abandoned their games to eye him hungrily.
Xia Luo glared coldly at the greedy spirits before looking at the arcade machines in front of them.
Basic character battle games—nothing high-tech or holographic about them.
He approached the cashier. “Got anything better?”
The cashier, dressed as a sultry witch in black stockings, gave Xia Luo a flirtatious wink.
“Give me a bite, and I’ll let you play for free.”
Xia Luo’s gaze turned icy. “Do I look poor to you?”
“Don’t you?”
The witch crossed her arms, her smile full of mockery.
“Living people don’t have Hell’s currency. So, sweetie, as long as you meet my terms, I’ll grant you anything you want.”
Before everyone’s eyes, the witch bit her lip provocatively, pressing herself against Xia Luo with a seductive air.
Xia Luo frowned. “Sorry, I’m not into pain. Can we try something less painful?”
“Like what?” the witch asked, intrigued as she studied him.
Xia Luo leaned closer, whispering in her ear.
“How about… drinks?”
The witch: “…”
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