Restart, Spider-Man!

In the room, Xia Luo stared at Ned.

Ned stared back at Xia Luo.

"Why are you looking at me?" Ned asked blankly.

Xia Luo glanced at the sling ring on Ned's finger. "How about you try again?"

"Try what?"

"Find the real Peter Parker."

"Can I keep trying?"

Ned scratched his head, and as he raised his hand, it inadvertently swept through the air. A golden portal slowly bloomed behind him.

"Peter!"

MJ turned around and, seeing the red-and-blue figure within the glowing circle, exclaimed in delight.

"We found him!"

Ned grew excited again.

But soon, the red-and-blue figure leaped out of the golden portal. He removed his mask, revealing a young face that, despite its youth, bore traces of weariness—a face unfamiliar to them.

"You called for me?"

Peter Parker glanced between the two of them, then felt a sudden twinge of his Spider-Sense. His gaze shifted to Xia Luo, standing behind them.

"And you are?"

Looking at this Spider-Man, Peter's face was full of astonishment.

Xia Luo waved casually. "Hey, how's it going lately? I mean... how are things with Gwen in your universe?"

Xia Luo's words immediately brought the second Peter back to a night two years ago.

Harry had kidnapped Gwen and thrown her from the clock tower.

It was a Spider-Man named Xia Luo Parker who had suddenly appeared and saved Gwen.

At that time, Dr. Curt Connors and a group of strange individuals had also shown up.

After Gwen was saved, they all disappeared, including that Spider-Man.

And now, that Spider-Man had reappeared.

However...

The second Peter seemed to recall something sorrowful, his eyes dimming, though he didn't forget to express his gratitude for what happened back then.

"It was you, Xia Luo Parker. Thank you for what you did that day." He offered a faint, strained smile.

Xia Luo noticed his expression and felt a sense of foreboding in his heart.

"So… Gwen..."

Closing his eyes, the second Peter nodded. "Yes, she died later in an accident. Mysterio, a master of illusions, threw her from a school building. I still couldn't save her."

This revelation struck Xia Luo, bringing memories of a multiverse competition rushing back.

In one timeline, he had saved Gwen.

But in another universe, a different Gwen had died.

Was it a coincidence?

A warning?

Or perhaps...

Was a tragic ending inevitable for Spider-Man?

While the second Peter was immersed in his sorrow, Ned realized he'd summoned the wrong person. He couldn't understand the exchange between the two Spider-Men and instead focused on steadying his breathing before attempting another portal.

"Peter, Peter, Peter…"

Closing one eye, Ned murmured softly. Golden sparks danced in the air, and a man in a dark green coat cautiously stepped through the portal.

"Did someone… call me?"

The man surveyed the room, his eyes widening in shock.

"You all…"

He stared at the two younger men in Spider-Man suits, his Spider-Sense buzzing incessantly. The sensation was baffling.

To test his hunch, he abruptly fired a web from his wrist.

Swish!

Splat!

Clink, clink!

The second Peter reacted instantly, leaping to dodge the incoming web. Before he could counterattack, another web shot out and sealed his web-shooter.

"Whoa! You can shoot webs without a web-shooter!"

The second Peter wasn't upset—on the contrary, he was thrilled. "Another Spider-Man!" He turned to the first Peter with excitement.

The first Peter, however, focused his attention on Xia Luo Parker.

When the young man had intercepted his web, he had done so with effortless precision, firing a web of his own to cancel it mid-air. The entire process was smooth, with no wasted movements. Clearly, this Spider-Man wasn't one for unnecessary complications.

"I'm Peter Parker," the first Peter said, offering a slightly awkward smile and waving.

The second Peter glanced between the first Peter and Xia Luo. "I'm Peter Parker too."

"And I'm different from you both—I'm Xia Luo Parker," Xia Luo said with a shrug.

"Then why did I manage to find you?" Ned asked, puzzled. "I was thinking about Peter."

"But you were also thinking about Spider-Man," MJ whispered from the side.

Ned scratched his head. "Should I keep going?"

MJ shook her head. "I don't think so. We've tried so many times and still haven't found him. Looks like we'll need another plan."

"Uh, can someone explain what's going on?" The second Peter raised a hand. "I'm curious why we've been brought to this world."

Ned, a bit disappointed, put away the sling ring and prepared to give a brief explanation of their predicament.

Meanwhile, Xia Luo sat quietly to the side, his gaze shifting to the doorway where a kind old woman was standing.

"Hey, got any juice?" he called out with a grin, waving at her.

For the storyline of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Xia Luo had a basic understanding. There was no need for Ned to explain it all over again.

But the next moment, Ned's opening words left him dumbfounded.

"So, here's what happened. Just yesterday, the strange Sorcerer Supreme, Mr. Stephen, found Peter. He became really odd—angry and violent—and he actually tried to kill Spider-Man. But another Sorcerer Supreme, Mr. Stephen, stepped in to stop him."

"The two Stephens began a terrifying battle. To capture Peter, they seemed to use some forbidden magic, and in the end, the sky was torn apart by their spells, and both of them fell into a rift."

"I tried using magic to find Peter, but oddly enough, I found you three Spider-Men instead. I couldn't locate my Peter Parker."

At this point, Ned hurriedly added, "No, you're all real Peters too, but what I mean is… I wanted to find my friend, Peter Parker. Do you get what I mean?"

Seeing Ned's nervous expression, the first Peter offered a gentle smile. "Kid, no need to apologize. We understand."

He turned to the second Peter. "Do you get it?"

The second Peter thought for a moment. "Not really. What's a Sorcerer Supreme?"

The first Peter scratched his head awkwardly. "I have no idea either."

Then, as if by silent agreement, both Peters looked at Xia Luo.

Seeing Xia Luo's increasingly grim expression, the two exchanged uneasy glances.

"I think he understands," one said.

"I agree—he definitely gets it," the other replied.

Ned glanced between the three of them. "I've already explained it clearly. Do I need to add anything?"

"No need."

Xia Luo stood up, his face darkened. He turned to Ned and asked, "Was one of the Stephens using black magic?"

Ned nodded. "Yeah, it was black. Really flashy but also terrifying. There were so many tentacles, like an octopus. I think I'll never eat calamari again in my life."

MJ looked thoughtful. "So, Xia Luo Parker, do you know that Stephen?"

Her words made everyone's gazes turn peculiar.

Under their scrutiny, Xia Luo couldn't help but feel a little guilty.

"If I told you that guy mistook the wrong Spider-Man, would you think I'm a troublemaker?"

Hearing this, MJ immediately understood.

"So, he wanted to kill you, not the Peter Parker I know, right?" She buried her face in her hands.

Ned's chubby face trembled. "Oh no, Peter's taking the blame for another Spider-Man."

The first Peter considered this. "It's probably just a coincidence. Spider-Man isn't a troublemaker," he said reassuringly.

The second Peter nodded in agreement. "Spider-Man saves people; he doesn't cause harm."

Their words made Ned and MJ lower their heads in guilt.

They didn't know about the other Spider-Men's situations, but their friend, Peter Parker, had certainly caused his fair share of trouble.

From the ferry sliced in half by alien tech to the crises caused by Mysterio, everything seemed tied to Peter Parker.

They knew it in their hearts but would never admit it—not even in front of other Spider-Men.

After exchanging a glance, they turned to Xia Luo.

"Yep, you're definitely the troublemaker."

Xia Luo: "..."

Compared to the third Peter, Xia Luo had been remarkably restrained. With a helpless shrug, he said, "Fine, looks like I'll have to handle this myself."

With a wave of his hand, he conjured a glowing circle of magical sparks.

Far away, an old man out on a nighttime jog suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Sensing something, he turned and saw Xia Luo's face in the fiery circle.

The old Steve Rogers's face lit up with joy. "Spidey!"

He jogged through the portal with surprising agility and pulled Xia Luo into a big hug.

"I finally found you again! I tried summoning you so many times, and it never worked. I thought you were a goner—you scared me to death! Wait, did you come looking for me right away? Oh, I'm so touched, sniff sniff~"

Steve wiped away non-existent tears, then noticed something unusual.

Other people were here.

The old man stiffened, straightened up, and tried to look serious.

"Hello, everyone. I'm Captain America," he said formally.

Ned and MJ exchanged a look and forced polite smiles.

After a moment, they turned away and whispered to each other.

"I told you, Old Cap isn't the Steve he used to be. He's got dementia now."

"Yeah, it seems the older men get, the more childish they become. Even Cap's no exception."

"Peter always said he was dead. So, Peter's been lying to us again."

"When we find him, we need to make him treat us to a big meal. Otherwise, no forgiveness!"

"Exactly."

Having come to an agreement, they turned back to Xia Luo with bright smiles.

"You can use magic?" Ned asked, his curiosity piqued.

Before Xia Luo could respond, Steve puffed out his chest proudly.

"Of course! Not only can Spidey use magic, but his superpowers also let him sense—"

Boom!

Before Steve could finish, Xia Luo punched him straight through the portal.

Everyone instinctively stepped back at the sudden violence.

What a brutal Spider-Man!

Avoiding eye contact, they stared up at the ceiling, too afraid to ask questions.

Finally, a naive classmate broke the silence.

"Oh! I remember now. Black Widow mentioned in an interview about the multiverse that one Spider-Man can sense… poop!"

Ned clapped his hands and grinned at Xia Luo. "Was that Spider-Man you?"

Everyone: "..."

Xia Luo: "..."

The first Peter looked at the second Peter.

"Can you do that?"

"Nope."

"Good. Me neither."

"Yay!"

The two shared a sneaky high-five.

Watching this, Xia Luo clenched his fists, struggling to hold back his frustration.

"This is a nightmare!!"

Opening a portal, he announced, "I'll go look for clues. You're free to move around."

With that, Xia Luo disappeared into the portal.

The first Peter turned to Ned.

"I guess I won't be able to go back for now. Can you spare me a room?"

"I need one too," the second Peter added, raising his hand. "And some materials to synthesize artificial web fluid."

---

At the park, Xia Luo had removed his Spider-Man suit and was strolling alone along the lakeside path.

This time, during the multiverse resurrection tournament, he hadn't paid attention to whether other participants earned resurrection slots. His focus had been entirely on finding Gwen.

This might have allowed Dark Stephen to secure a resurrection slot instead. That guy had been scouring the multiverse for Spider-Men with only one goal: revenge.

Both Xia Luo and Dark Stephen desperately needed those slots.

In the end, Xia Luo had won.

Without an extra resurrection slot, Dark Stephen had to resort to completing other tasks to return.

And now, resurrected, Dark Stephen was hell-bent on making Spider-Man pay.

While hunting Spider-Men, Dark Stephen had entered this universe and clashed violently with this universe's Stephen.

The battle between dark magic and white magic could open the gateways to the multiverse, but it wouldn't be enough to break the barriers between universes and cause multiverse fractures.

So, the two of them must have used some sort of forbidden magic, inadvertently summoning Spider-Man-related individuals to this universe.

Xia Luo was fairly certain his theory wasn't far off.

"Hey, Spidey. What brings you here on your own initiative this time?"

The voice startled Xia Luo. He turned to see old man Steve Rogers approaching him, his expression now calm.

Xia Luo glanced at him. "How did you find me?"

"That's my superpower."

"Oh, so your superpower is sensing Spider-Men?"

"Exactly."

Steve suddenly recalled something. "You came here because of Stephen's mess, didn't you?"

"You know about that?" Xia Luo asked, surprised.

Steve chuckled. "I wasn't there during their fight, but I heard about it. One of them might even be an old friend, though I can't confirm it."

Xia Luo sighed. "If it's really him, things are about to get complicated."

This was the first time he'd encountered a situation like this.

Suddenly, a splash erupted in the lake.

Xia Luo instinctively turned to look. The water seemed to flow toward the shore, rapidly forming into a humanoid figure.

"I'm… alive?"

Morris Bench stared at his hands in astonishment. Then, as memories resurfaced, his eyes filled with fury.

"If I'm alive, then Spider-Man… you're as good as dead."

His growling threat left Xia Luo and Steve exchanging a wary glance.

"What did he say?"

"He's going to kill Spider-Man."

"Great. Weird multiverse visitors are popping up now."

Their voices were just loud enough for Morris to hear, drawing his attention.

In an instant, his body morphed into water, surging toward them.

Xia Luo's eyes lit up. "I've never faced a villain with this kind of power. This could be fun."

Steve shook his head. "Water? That's… so weak."

Splash!

The water surged forward, reforming into Morris's humanoid shape as he grabbed Xia Luo and Steve by their collars.

"Tell me where Spider-Man is!" he demanded, his tone menacing.

Xia Luo's face contorted in mock terror. "Don't kill me! I'll tell you where Spider-Man is."

"Where?"

"Over there! Look—a UFO!"