Restart, Spider-Man!

The so-called slums were a labyrinth of twisting alleys and uneven structures, resembling a chaotic heap of gargantuan, warped seashells.

In the maze of dark gray pathways, a familiar figure tumbled helplessly onto a wide street, pursued relentlessly by hovering robotic soldiers.

Boom!!

Bang~~

The robotic soldiers unleashed tentacle-like mechanical appendages, their gleaming tips striking at the figure rolling across the ground.

Occasionally, their torsos fired deadly plasma blasts, creating fiery explosions and forcing the figure into a desperate and perilous retreat.

From a shadowed corner, an older Steve Rogers observed the scene, his weathered face showing a hint of surprise.

"I don't think I need to check for myself. That seems like Carol… but also doesn't."

In his memory, Captain Marvel—Carol Danvers—was a force as terrifying as Thanos himself.

During the Battle of Endgame, if it weren't for Thanos wielding the Infinity Stones, Carol alone might have defeated him.

But the person before him?

Hmm. A total mess.

Nearby, Tony Stark locked eyes on the disheveled Carol, his expression one of utter shock.

"Kryptonian robots can suppress Carol now? No way!"

If that were true, his first resurrection match was bound to end in failure.

After all, not even the invincible Spider-Man could handle Carol, and yet these robotic soldiers had her cornered like this.

This clearly showed that Kryptonian technology had advanced to an unimaginable level.

Meanwhile, Xia Luo calmly watched the unfolding chaos, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Turns out Marvel's version of Superman isn't so invincible. Without golden solar energy, even Superman would be toast."

Tony, noticing Xia Luo's nonchalant demeanor, grew increasingly curious.

"You seem to know something—"

"Ha ha ha! Spider Kid's superpowers are back!"

Old Steve interrupted Tony with a triumphant laugh, hands on his hips. "This time, we're winning for sure!"

Tony: "?????"

"Isn't his power just webs and magic?"

"Of course not! His true superpower is sensing—"

"Die already!"

Before Old Steve could finish, Xia Luo flickered forward, delivering a swift knife-hand strike to the back of his neck.

"Ah! What was that for?" Steve rubbed his sore neck, looking utterly baffled.

Xia Luo frowned. "...Why didn't you pass out?"

"Oh, after winning my last resurrection match, my resistance to blows went up a lot."

Xia Luo's face twitched. "Why didn't you say so earlier? Now I look ridiculous."

Old Steve grinned. "It's fine. Tell us what's up with Carol, and I'll pretend to pass out for you."

"Do you think you're funny?"

"I've read a lot since I came back to life. I'm plenty funny now."

"Good for you."

Ignoring Steve's attempts at humor, Xia Luo folded his arms and looked back at the struggling Carol with undisguised schadenfreude.

"Long story short, Carol's powers rely on a special method of converting solar energy into cosmic energy. This allows her to achieve light-speed flight and enhances her strength and durability."

"But in this star system, the sun's star is on the verge of death. Its red stellar energy is far weaker than the golden energy of its prime. It's barely enough to sustain Carol's powers, let alone transform into cosmic energy. She's lucky just to stay active."

Hearing this explanation, Tony and Old Steve immediately understood.

"I see now. She's incredibly weakened. Even with the protective effects of gravity fields, her abilities have been severely diminished."

"So it's not that Kryptonian robots are too strong—it's that Carol is too weak."

Tony nodded thoughtfully, already beginning to conceptualize a counter-Captain Marvel suit.

Boom!!

A sudden plasma blast struck the street, and the increasingly frail Carol failed to dodge in time. The energy slammed into her body, instantly disintegrating her into particles.

"Uh-oh, she's been eliminated."

Xia Luo couldn't resist clapping, which instantly drew the attention of the robotic soldiers.

Xia Luo: "..."

Old Steve took a cautious step back and whispered, "On the count of three, we scatter."

Tony's face grew tense. "Alright. Ready!"

"Three!"

Old Steve barked and immediately turned to run without hesitation.

Noticing the empty space beside him, Tony's face darkened.

But before he could react, the robotic soldiers suddenly turned and left, showing no interest in capturing the three of them.

Tony: "?????"

"They didn't see us?" he asked, dumbfounded.

Xia Luo shrugged. "Obviously not."

"Then it must be our heroic charisma," Old Steve said, returning with a smug grin.

Xia Luo rolled his eyes. "The only charisma you have left is that of a grumpy old man."

Saying this, he looked toward the robotic soldiers as they departed, as if contemplating something.

"Remember those Kryptonian soldiers who gave up their pursuit earlier?" he asked.

Tony nodded. "Of course. They were strange. These robots are strange too."

Old Steve stroked his chin, eyeing Xia Luo suspiciously.

"Spider Kid, you don't have friends here, do you?"

If not for Spider-Man's "connections," there was no reason these soldiers would let them go—especially after Carol's death right in front of them.

Xia Luo shook his head. "This is my first time here. I haven't had the chance to cozy up to anyone yet."

"If my guess is right, these Kryptonian soldiers and robots only handle tasks within their assigned duties. They won't interfere beyond that."

At this, Tony and Old Steve exchanged skeptical glances.

"No way. That's too absurd."

"Exactly. Robots, maybe—they could be programmed that way. But Kryptonian soldiers are living beings. They can't be that dumb."

Unmoved by their disbelief, Xia Luo gazed toward the towering structure at the city's center.

"Thanks to technological advancements, Kryptonians no longer reproduce naturally. They use genetic engineering to create their population."

"So before a Kryptonian child is even born, their role in society—whether as a worker, soldier, leader, or scientist—has already been predetermined."

"Predetermined before birth?"

Old Steve frowned. "There's nothing more cruel than that."

Tony shuddered. "That's no different from being a robot."

"There's a difference—but also no difference."

Xia Luo's expression was thoughtful. "The Genesis Chamber is a super-device used to cultivate Kryptonian infants. All Kryptonian genes are recorded within the so-called Codex, a skull-like artifact. It inputs genetic information into the chamber to produce new Kryptonian babies."

"When rulers need more people, robots retrieve infants from the Genesis Chamber's vats to continue building Krypton and maintaining its facade of prosperity."

"You know so much—this your superpower?" Tony marveled.

Old Steve looked proud, but Xia Luo's scornful glare shattered his confidence.

"He's complimenting me. What's it got to do with you?" Xia Luo sneered.

Realizing his error, Steve muttered, "Right… why was I proud again?"

Idiot!

He sank into self-doubt.

Meanwhile, Tony finally grasped the meaning behind Xia Luo's earlier statement.

"So as long as we move out of the Kryptonian soldiers' patrol range, they'll stop pursuing us because their programming doesn't allow them to cross zones," he said.

Xia Luo nodded. "That seems to be the case. After all, they're the lowest-ranking Kryptonian soldiers—gene programming wouldn't have made them flawless.

"As for those robotic soldiers chasing Carol, I suspect there's another reason behind their actions."

After so many resurrection matches, Xia Luo had developed a knack for deducing details from incomplete information, even without recklessly restarting the game.

He was getting better—so good, in fact, that it made the other contestants fade into obscurity.

"Something's wrong."

Old Steve frowned. "Even if those Kryptonian soldiers gave up the chase, that doesn't mean others in this area won't come after us."

"Exactly!"

Tony's expression darkened. "It's highly likely they've already surrounded us."

With that, he snapped his head upward.

The calm sky revealed nothing unusual.

Only the remnants of Carol's tattered uniform drifted overhead.

"Is that… her top?"

"No, it's probably her underwear."

"Lace? So she's the secretly wild type," Tony mused, a strange smile creeping onto his face. "I like it."

Xia Luo shot him a sidelong glance. "Are you losing it again?"

"I think I've never been more unwell."

At that moment, Carter returned with the information she had gathered.

She cast a disdainful look at Tony before speaking.

"I found out this place is Krypton."

Xia Luo: "…"

"We already knew that," he said flatly.

Old Steve rubbed his temples. "Anything else?"

Carter continued, "Dru-Zod is Krypton's military commander, and Faora is his deputy. Jor-El is Krypton's top scientist. It's said that Zod and Jor-El are good friends."

"What else?" Tony asked. "Honestly, what we want most is to know where Clark is and just how powerful he really is."

"Superman Clark, valued at the cost of two resurrection slots… he must be terrifyingly strong," Old Steve said, his expression serious.

Carter thought for a moment. "I didn't find any specific information on Superman, but his other name is Kal-El, so I'd guess he's related to the House of El."

She elaborated, "Because of the Genesis Chamber, family surnames here carry clear hierarchies. Jor-El's family is one of the top-tier houses on Krypton, so Superman is definitely from the House of El.

"If we infiltrate the House of El, we should be able to find Superman."

Xia Luo didn't act immediately. Instead, he seemed to ponder something before asking, "Has Jor-El's child been born yet?"

Carter frowned. "Are you suggesting Superman might be Jor-El's child?"

"It's not a suggestion," Xia Luo replied.

Carter shook her head. "Unfortunately, he doesn't have any children. If he did, the entire Kryptonian society would know—unless they secretly…"

She trailed off mid-sentence.

"Is that an answer from your superpower?" she asked, eyeing Xia Luo suspiciously.

Xia Luo shrugged. "Something like that."

With that, he began piecing the situation together.

Jor-El and his wife had secretly conceived Superman, Kal-El, through natural reproduction—a method that outright defied Krypton's rigid societal structure.

They would have kept this a secret from the rest of Krypton, of course.

This must be the initial stage of Man of Steel's plot.

At this point, Superman was just a newborn, which made defeating him laughably easy.

Spider-Man was always best at bullying kids.

Especially newborns.

But there was a problem—parents tend to have issues with that.

Superman's father, Jor-El, was capable of defeating General Zod himself.

And getting close to Jor-El in the first place would be no small feat.

Fortunately, Xia Luo wouldn't need to worry for long.

Bzzz~

Suddenly, the calm sky began to ripple, and massive black beetles emerged from the void.

The now-unmasked beetle-like aircraft slowly encircled the group.

Boom~

Energy pulsed beneath the beetles' wings as the crafts descended steadily.

"Ha ha ha, thank you all for helping me gather information about Superman."

At that moment, Dark Stephen materialized from a swirl of dark magic.

Simultaneously, Kryptonian officers led by General Zod emerged from the aircraft. Their expressions varied, hinting at different thoughts.

Click~

A squad of elite soldiers surrounded Xia Luo and the others. Their biomechanical exoskeletal weapons glimmered ominously, emitting a dangerous aura that even Xia Luo found unsettling.

"They've joined forces? How did it happen this fast?" Tony exclaimed.

Old Steve waved a hand dismissively. "Stay calm. Spider Kid will handle it."

Carter seemed unconvinced. "I have a feeling this round is doomed."

"Nonsense!" Old Steve huffed. "I'll always believe in Spider Kid. He's the best, most brilliant Spider-Man ever!"

Carter pointed at Xia Luo, who was the first to raise his hands in surrender, her face twitching.

"This is your 'best and most brilliant' Spider-Man?"

Old Steve: "?????"

In an attempt to salvage the situation, he raised his hands as well.

"I read a book that said, 'A wise man knows when to yield.' Spider Kid is even wiser and more brilliant than I imagined."

"I'm so proud of him!" he shouted at the top of his lungs.

Carter: "…"

Hearing the commotion, Xia Luo turned back. Seeing Old Steve faithfully mimicking his actions, he felt deeply moved.

"Old man…"

"Spider Kid…"

"Old man…"

"Little—"

"Shut up!" Dark Stephen interrupted impatiently, breaking the awkward exchange.

With a cold sneer, he said, "Spider-Man, we meet again. Ever since our last encounter, you've been on my mind every moment."

Hearing this, Xia Luo shivered violently. "That's so creepy. So gross!"

Ignoring Xia Luo's antics, Dark Stephen continued, "Thanks to you, I learned how to win resurrection matches."

Forming alliances with native inhabitants to defeat other contestants—that was something Spider-Man had taught him.

He would never forget the beating he took during the last resurrection match when everyone ganged up on him.

Now Xia Luo understood.

"So you weren't off fighting—you were negotiating. No wonder there wasn't any noise from battles."

"You figured that out way too late."

Confident in his impending victory, Dark Stephen turned to General Zod.

"Jor-El is yours. Conceiving a child through natural reproduction defies Kryptonian law. You know what to do—it'll work in your favor."

General Zod frowned. "Are you certain what he's saying is true?"

"Of course. Do you know who this is? This is Spider-Man!"

Dark Stephen's tone was a mix of admiration and deep-seated resentment.

---

T/N: that's what they all say when i play marvel rivals

Oh, you're still here? Nice. While I'm out here juggling revival matches and reminding villains why they should reconsider their life choices, someone's behind the scenes making sure my story reaches you. Gotta admit, they're doing a pretty solid job.

If you want to help keep this whole thing running smoothly, here's the link: [patreon.com/WiseTL]. Think of it as… supporting your favorite underdog. Everyone loves an underdog, right?

Anyway, time to get back to saving the day. See you in the next chapter—don't forget to stay out of trouble (that's my job).

— Xia Luo 🕸️