Chapter 21: Three Spider-Men
Zhang Xuan and the group returned to Stark Tower and went straight to the laboratory he had someone prepare before leaving.
Inside was advanced monitoring equipment that Pepperhad specifically prepared after Tony was kidnapped, just in case.
Helen Zhao skillfully attached various instruments to Gwen, Little Peter, and Garfield-Spider.
Helen Zhao finally finished and sat to the side with weak legs, asking:
"Zhang Xuan, what are you doing? They all look very healthy."
Wanda and Natasha were very suspicious of the relationship between Helen Zhao and Zhang Xuan, but they were also curious about Zhang Xuan's purpose.
Zhang Xuan gave a mysterious smile and walked over to Wanda: "dear, where's the spider?"
"Here." Wanda's Chaos Magic enveloped the spider, making it float in front of Zhang Xuan.
Hearing Zhang Xuan call that red-haired, big-chested girl "dear," Helen Zhao's cheeks puffed out in anger.
No need to think about it, the red-haired one next to her must also be a "dear." What a playboy, but he's truly powerful, and her legs felt so weak.
It was definitely the right choice not to look for those puny guys.
Zhang Xuan grabbed both sides of the spider's body and placed it on Gwen's arm.
The spider was almost moved to tears; it could finally complete its mission. Although she had long hair and carried such a heavy load, which might make her center of gravity unstable in the future, she was still one of the candidates. It just needed to bite.
The spider bit Gwen and injected the Spider-Man venom, completing its mission. Its legs human-like wiped away non-existent sweat.
Spider: (︶.̮︶*)੭
However, the spider soon noticed something was wrong. That human hadn't let go; instead, he placed it in front of another person.
Spider: ( ･ὢ･)?
Zhang Xuan: (◦ಡωಡ)
"Wanda, control it. Have it bite this man, and then bite Little Peter."
Spider: (ꐦథbeneficialథ)σ No way, I'll be squeezed dry! This is the precious venom I've been secretly saving for so many years.
Although Wanda was puzzled, she still did as Zhang Xuan said.
Spider: No way, you can't do this! You're not even human!
Ignoring the struggling spider, Wanda began to control it, biting Garfield-Spider on the neck and then Little Peteron the neck.
Wanda released the spider from its constraints, and its once-plump belly had shrunk significantly, as if it had been drained dry.
Spider: You beast! You damn beast! The venom I've been secretly saving for decades!
With a flick of Zhang Xuan's finger, the spider flew out and then vanished.
Natasha had been watching Zhang Xuan. Seeing him flick the spider away, her eyes involuntarily followed it for a moment.
Then she saw the spider flying in mid-air vanish—an instantaneous disappearance.
Zhang Xuan naturally saw it too, but he didn't care. Instead, he stared at the screen, observing the physical data of the three people.
He commented inwardly: Gwen is also hiding a lot; becoming Ghost-Spider like this, her center of gravity might be unstable.
Wanda couldn't sense the Chaos Magic on the spider and asked directly, "Xuan, that spider is gone."
"It's fine. If it's gone, it's gone. It doesn't matter."
Having received the answer, Wanda stopped thinking about it and stood with Natasha, forming an alliance to stay alert against outside homewreckers.
They had a clear understanding of Zhang Xuan; as long as there was a pretty girl, he definitely wouldn't be able to resist. In that case, they could only blame the person tempting him, so it was all the homewrecker's fault.
And Mei, really, why couldn't she join us in dealing with the homewreckers instead of wanting to steal a taste herself? Even though we gave her clear hints before, she was so hesitant, yet didn't she still end up in this bastard's hands?
Soon, all three showed abnormalities. Gwen's body temperature began to rise sharply, and Zhang Xuanquickly injected the three of them with the pre-prepared tonic nutrient solution.
"Xuan, this girl's temperature is rising very fast; it's already 43 degrees Celsius."
Helen Zhao also followed Wanda's lead and called Zhang Xuan "Xuan," as a declaration to Wanda that she would never give up on him.
Sure enough, upon hearing this, Wanda narrowed her eyes and stared at Helen Zhao with ill intent.
Zhang Xuan waved his hand: "No rush, she'll be fine. Focus on Little Peter. If there's a life-threatening situation, give him this to drink immediately."
Zhang Xuan took out a holy blessing potion, keeping it for Little Peter.
An hour later, Zhang Xuan was dazed, and Wanda was leaning on him, also about to fall asleep.
Natasha and Helen Zhao, one being an Agent and the other a researcher, were used to staying up late, so they remained focused.
A series of tapping sounds broke the silence. Zhang Xuanwoke up instantly and looked at Little Peter's bed.
Then he listened closely; it was coming from outside the door.
It turned out to be Pepper. She was getting ready to leave work, but seeing the light here, she came to check.
Then she saw a scene that made her vision go dark.
Three people were lying on treatment beds. The man with the highest temperature was at 45 degrees, and the child's heart rate had reached 180.
"Zhang Xuan, what are you doing? Quick, call a Doctor!"
Zhang Xuan stopped Pepper as she reached for the phone and explained, "Pepper, it's okay. This is normal. They'll be fine soon. It's an experiment."
"Really?" Pepper looked at Zhang Xuan with a questioning gaze, hoping for a positive answer.
"Truly, it's true. In a few more hours, they will recover."
Zhang Xuan pointed to the various instruments monitoring their vital signs. "Look, those instruments are at normal levels; none of them are alarming."
Pepper looked at the instruments flashing red and asked uncertainly, "Swear to me that you didn't just turn off the alarm system."
Zhang Xuan: (⌒﹏⌒;)
"Of... of course not, ahaha..."
"It's fine, Pepper. They'll be back to normal in a few hours. This is the result of my research."
Wanda: (˵¯͒︵¯͒˵) What "research" have you done? Didn't you just let a spider bite them a few times?
Natasha: (・ω・｀ll)
Helen Zhao: (*ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈)ꕤ* As expected of my man, he lies with such a straight face.
Seeing that everyone else looked normal, Pepper was somewhat relieved.
"Promise me, absolutely no lives will be lost here." Pepper made her final concession.
Zhang Xuan patted his chest and promised, "I guarantee there won't be any problems."
Inwardly, he thought: If there's a problem, I'll call Tony.
Although Pepper was still uneasy, she left. She was very busy and didn't have time to watch over them.
It was now the next day. Zhang Xuan prepared many burgers and left them there, letting everyone else go to sleep. He stayed behind to prevent them from panicking if they woke up and found no one.
Wanda and Natasha went together, and Helen Zhaowent as well. Zhang Xuan wasn't sure what friction would occur on the way, but it was best for him not to get involved now; otherwise, triggering a Shura Field or getting axed would be bad.
Zhang Xuan kept watch for three hours. Once Little Peter's temperature and heart rate returned to normal, he chose to sleep.
Early the next morning, Zhang Xuan, who had only slept for a few hours, was woken by the sound of cardboard boxes being moved. He opened his eyes to see Gwen and Garfield-Spider eating burgers, looking like they had been at it for a while.
"No need to rush. I'll take you out to eat later."
"Zhang Xuan, why are we here, and what's with that kid?" Gwen asked first.
"You were kidnapped, and I saved you. So, you have to work for me to pay off the debt."
Zhang Xuan said it casually, but Garfield-Spider didn't even doubt it and believed him immediately.
Garfield-Spider: "So, how long do we have to work for you?"
Gwen rolled her eyes: (꒪ัд꒪ั*)
"You believe whatever he says? There must be something we don't know."
Having interacted with Zhang Xuan a few times, Gwenknew it wasn't as simple as he said, but she indeed had no memory of last night.
"Is that kid okay? He hasn't woken up yet."
Zhang Xuan checked Little Peter's heart rate and stepped forward to shake him.
"Brother Zhang Xuan?"
"See, he's awake."
Zhang Xuan lifted Little Peter and placed him in front of the mountain of burger boxes, finding a burger that hadn't been eaten yet.
"Eat first. You must be very hungry."
Reminded by Zhang Xuan, Little Peter indeed felt very hungry and immediately started eating.
Ten minutes later, all three of them went to the bathroom. After discharging the indigestible food residue, they felt hungry again.
Zhang Xuan took them downstairs to the burger shop. Along the way, the three of them were so hungry they wanted to run, but Zhang Xuan forbade them from running.
Zhang Xuan first gave them some bread to stave off hunger. He made Meat Sandwich with the braised meat sent by the supplier, and then went to make burgers.
The three of them ate for an hour and were finally stuffed. Their bellies were round, as if they were pregnant.
Zhang Xuan rubbed Gwen's belly to tease her: "Gwen, our baby will be born in three months. We can't do 'it' during this time; it's bad for the baby. I know you're struggling to hold back, but..."
Before Zhang Xuan could finish, Gwen slapped his hand away from her belly and threw a plush doll at him.
"Now you're going to officially start training. First, you must learn to control your strength with ease."
After saying this, Zhang Xuan placed three paper cups in front of them.
"Now, pick them up without damaging them."
Gwen and Garfield-Spider had noticed while eating burgers that their strength had increased significantly. With a light squeeze, a burger would turn into a pancake.
While the two of them were lost in thought, Little Peterhad already grabbed a paper cup. Unsurprisingly, the cup was crushed flat.
The two adults were the same, though slightly better than Little Peter.
The three of them began practicing like this until Flasharrived.
Flash came in, saw the paper cups all over the floor, and was about to get angry when he saw the familiar figures inside.
"Boss, did our shop get burglarized?"
Zhang Xuan led Flash outside. "It's fine, Flash. My friends and I went a little crazy here last night, so you guys don't need to come in today."
Flash questioned Zhang Xuan angrily: "Boss, you had a party and didn't invite me? You brought Gwen and that Peter Parker, but not me? There's even a kid!"
"Flash, last night it was me and Tony Stark. They just came over this morning and will be responsible for cleaning up."
Zhang Xuan lied effortlessly, like someone who claims they ate nothing even though they gain weight just by drinking water.
Hearing Tony Stark's name, Flash stopped asking. He clearly believed it.
"Then Boss, I'll head back. Remember to call me for the next party." Flash really wanted to attend a Tony Starkparty; maybe he'd see many cover girls.
"Next time for sure." Zhang Xuan gave the classic non-committal response.
Returning inside, Zhang Xuan saw that the three of them hadn't made any progress. The two adults' hands were even a bit sore and stiff.
Instead, Little Peter was having a lot of fun, and no training effect was achieved at all.
Zhang Xuan ordered thousands more paper cups for them to practice.
During this time, Gwen and Garfield-Spider called their respective parents.
Gwen's excuse was that Dr. Connors had something important, and she had left around four or five.
Hearing Gwen's excuse, Garfield-Spider just copied and pasted it.
"Peter, practice hard. If you get tired, go find Mei over there; they will take you in."
Little Peter nodded obediently. Zhang Xuan really couldn't imagine how such an obedient and quiet Peterwould grow up to be such a chatterbox.
"You two just practice with peace of mind. There's plenty of supplies. If you can't control your strength, you might accidentally kill your family members when you hug them."
The two shook their heads helplessly and continued grabbing cups.
Zhang Xuan walked out of the burger shop, and a system prompt suddenly came.
[Congratulations to the host for creating two Spider-Men. Reward obtained: Bio-electric Adhesion Ability, Strength +20, Agility +10, Spirit +5.]
Zhang Xuan's mouth curled into a smirk. He returned to the burger shop, patted Gwen's head under their surprised gazes, and then left.
Gwen: (๑•̌.•̑)ˀ̣ˀ̣
Garfield-Spider: "You two seem very close."
Little Peter: ╮( •́ω•̀ )╭ "I can't help it. Brother Zhang Xuan is just very attractive. Aunt Mei often calls out Brother Zhang Xuan's name at night and says she wants him to come over quickly. Unfortunately, Aunt Mei only talks about it and never goes to confess to Brother Zhang Xuan."
Gwen blushed, having learned one of Mei's secrets.
Garfield-Spider suddenly asked Little Peter: "Little Peter, is your name also Peter? What's your full name? And what's your Aunt Mei's name?"
Little Peter answered directly: "Peter Parker. Aunt Mei is called May Parker."
Gwen covered her mouth in surprise, and Garfield-Spiderlooked shocked.
Gwen asked Little Peter with a smile: "Little one, do you know what this brother's name is?"
Little Peter shook his head.
"He's also called Peter Parker. And his aunt is also called Mei, May Parker. His uncle is Ben Parker."
Little Peter's mood visibly dropped when he heard about Uncle Ben.
"My Uncle Ben passed away. He was also called Ben Parker."
Hearing this, Gwen felt a blow to her conscience and stepped back, letting Garfield-Spider take over to comfort Little Peter.
"It's all in the past. When I have time, I'll take you to meet my Uncle Ben. You can call him Uncle Ben too."
Little Peter sniffled and asked with a sob, "Really? Can I have another Uncle Ben?"
Garfield-Spider affirmed, "Of course. Uncle Ben loves children, so he will definitely like you."
Little Peter wiped his tears and snot all over his sleeves.
"But Aunt Mei can't marry your Uncle Ben. Aunt Mei is going to marry Brother Zhang Xuan."
Garfield-Spider gave an awkward smile: "Of course, your Aunt Mei will marry Zhang Xuan... Wait, something's not right?"
Gwen: ∑(°mouth°๑) Shocked, confused, and disapproving.
Chapter 22: Daily Life
Standing outside the burger shop, Zhang Xuan looked at the check-in prompt and felt that he could pet Gwen's head more often in the future.
[Check-in successful. Obtained Tom Holland's first-generation spider suit.]
He could give it directly to Tony for reverse engineering to develop some new technology ahead of time and give Tony's armor a speed boost.
Zhang Xuan returned directly to his luxury flat in Stark Tower and checked the three rooms.
(The previous room was written too small, let's just arrange a luxury flat instead.)
Wanda and Natasha lived in one room, sleeping soundly. Natasha was lying in his exclusive spot, seemingly unafraid of suffocating.
May Parker lived in the next room, sleeping in a rather exaggerated posture, but she was wearing pajamas.
Next was Dr. Helen Zhao's dormitory. She also had very loose pajamas, but wait, why weren't the pajamas on her body?
Although he really wanted to, now was not the time. He could wait until he won a 'room you can't leave until you've done it 100 times' or a 'room you can't leave until you fall in love' from the lucky draw.
With those rooms, all problems would be easily solved.
Zhang Xuan was also very sleepy, so he found a room to sleep in; the bedding was clean anyway.
Just as Zhang Xuan was dazed and about to fall asleep, he felt a soft body crawl into the covers.
Looking down, he pulled the owner of this delicate body closer.
"Don't mess around yet, sleep. Once I'm asleep, you can do as you please."
Natasha gently hugged Zhang Xuan. She just wanted to be with him and definitely didn't have any intentions of taking his words literally.
Around ten o'clock, Zhang Xuan felt a chill and closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep.
Natasha, held in Zhang Xuan's arms, felt every powerful beat of his heart.
As Zhang Xuan's wife, it was naturally her responsibility to settle the disputes in his harem for him.
She reluctantly and gently left his side, even giving Zhang Xuan a kiss on the forehead.
Mwah~
To prevent Zhang Xuan from being 'chopped,' she had to help her husband resolve his worries... Near evening, Zhang Xuan woke up and called May over.
"May, give this to Pepper when she comes and have her take it to Tony. Tell her it's very important and can't be lost."
May took the red spider suit, turned around sexily, and sat on Zhang Xuan's lap to seduce him.
After a day of rest, she felt she was ready again.
Zhang Xuan tapped May's head. May clutched her head in pain, looking at Zhang Xuan with teary eyes.
"Xuan, you can love me, but don't hurt me. Whenever you miss me, you can come over anytime... I'll come over after Peter falls asleep."
She wanted to say he could come over anytime, but her young nephew was still at home, so she could only go to his place after Peter fell asleep.
Lines of black appeared on Zhang Xuan's forehead. Was this May in her youth? How was she different from the one he used to know?
Sure enough, women are all fickle; once a relationship is established, they change and no longer hide their true nature.
"Get ready to get off work. I need to go out and handle some business. Don't forget little Peter; he's still in the burger shop downstairs."
May cupped Zhang Xuan's face, their lips and tongues interlocking for a minute, before she headed home with a lovesick expression.
Zhang Xuan then found Helen Zhao, and the two discussed the future development direction of nanotechnology. Of course, he didn't forget to give Helen Zhao a small reward.
Finally, there was the sulky Wanda and the gentle-as-water Natasha. Zhang Xuan didn't know how to describe Natasha's current image and temperament.
She had changed out of her capable Agent attire and was wearing a dress that accentuated her figure. However, following Zhang Xuan's consistent style, she wore as little as possible, even at home.
Driving along, the two sat quietly in the back seat. Natasha looked at Zhang Xuan with a gentle face, while Wanda refused to look at him, still sulking.
Arriving at the house, Wanda got out of the car and went straight inside.
Zhang Xuan didn't like coaxing women, but if a simple coaxing would work, that was a different story—that was flirting.
"Wanda, I'm going out with Natasha tonight. You should get some rest."
Wanda: "Go, go. I can manage by myself tonight."
Zhang Xuan beckoned to the smiling Natasha. Natashafollowed Zhang Xuan, and the two drove away.
Inside the house, Wanda used Chaos Magic to sense the surroundings. Finding that the two had truly left, she vented her emotions on her pillow in anger.
Wanda, transformed into a chibi version of herself, first gave the pillow a series of rapid punches, followed by an uppercut, then jumped up and used Shadowless Kicks to stomp on it rapidly. Finally, she lay on the pillow and took a photo out of the drawer to stick onto it.
After wriggling around in anger for over ten minutes, Wanda fell asleep with her resentment toward Zhang Xuan.
Zhang Xuan and Natasha parked the car in a small woods outside. Two hours later, they drove back to their house but parked the car far away to avoid waking Wanda.
The two tiptoed into Wanda's room, only to see her still lying on the pillow with Zhang Xuan's photo attached, having fallen asleep like that.
Zhang Xuan's face turned red at the scene. Although they were together every day causing trouble, it was the first time he had seen Wanda in this state.
(⑉Ծ~Ծ⑉) "Where did you two hide the photos of the equipment? How come I've never seen them?"
Natasha's face flushed. She hadn't expected Wanda to just fall asleep like this without even putting things away.
(ﾉ)﹏(ヾ)
"They're in the drawer under the wardrobe. Who knew this little girl would take the photos out to do this at a time like this and not even put them away? Honestly."
Zhang Xuan wanted to take a photo, but thinking that the internet wasn't safe at all, he gave up. He could only record the beautiful life in his brain.
Leading Natasha closer to Wanda, he let out a 'jie jie jie' sinister laugh.
(｀∇´)و
"Accept my judgment, evil Scarlet Dragon!"
Wanda: "Ah! You bastard Hero, behold this Dragon's Roar! Awoo~"
Zhang Xuan: "Little Dragon, watch my sword!"
·●O|━⊂(｀ꇴ´#)^
The two played out a manga-style scene of the Hero fighting the Dragon.
Natasha eventually joined as the Demon King after receiving a plea for help from Wanda.
In the end, it turned into the Hero riding the Dragon to battle the red-haired Demon King.
You can all head over to the Manga Hero vs. Dragon section to watch... In the morning, Natasha crawled up and answered a call from her black-hearted boss, then hung up and rolled back onto Zhang Xuan.
"Hubby, I'm going on a mission."
Zhang Xuan pulled Natasha back: "Go on, stay safe. Remember to call me if there's any trouble."
Natasha moved her delicate body a bit, feeling much more refreshed. She put on her clothes and prepared to head out for the mission.
Wanda: "You can't be like this, lighting the fire but not putting it out."
Natasha smiled: "Don't you quite like it? If you can't hold out, I can call May over."
Wanda lowered her head and said crossly, "You're mean."
...Zhang Xuan lay in bed bored with Wanda. They walked, ran, and rode bikes together. Although it was pleasant, it was somewhat dull.
Although Zhang Xuan could be a jerk sometimes, being a jerk required inspiration, and today was just a day without much inspiration.
Fortunately, at six in the evening, he received a message from Gwen.
"Wanda, Gwen says there's something going on. Do you want to go over together?"
Hearing this, Wanda felt she could go. If there was something to do, maybe she wouldn't have to suffer tonight.
Doing this frequently had made her more and more dependent on Zhang Xuan. Now she really wanted to stick to him every day. So, she had to escape her comfort zone, starting with going out tonight.
"I'm going! When? Now or later?"
Hearing Wanda agree, Zhang Xuan replied, "Gwen said eight o'clock tonight, at the burger shop."
After hearing that, Wanda decided to eat something first. "Hubby, I'll eat some food first."
Zhang Xuan agreed immediately: "Sure, we'll go to a big restaurant... Hey? Don't start touching me, aren't we going to eat?"
Wanda spoke with a serious face, her hands not stopping their movements.
"I said I'm eating. Don't move, I'm currently unwrapping the packaging."
Zhang Xuan: (|||꒪ᗜ꒪) So it turns out I'm the food.
Gwen: Mark the territory before going out.
As everyone knows, New York is very congested at this time. Zhang Xuan was stuck for half an hour before breaking through the traffic.
At 8:30, they arrived at the Burger Shack. Gwen and Garfield-Spider had been waiting for a long time.
The two were standing at the shop entrance. Both had prioritized style over warmth and were freezing like grandsons. But when they called Zhang Xuan, he kept saying he was almost there, almost out, traffic was too bad.
Seeing Zhang Xuan arrive, the two quickly got into the car to warm up.
"Zhang Xuan, I need an explanation." Gwen was very angry after getting in the car, not understanding why he was half an hour late for the scheduled time.
"If you came home with me tonight, you'd know that two hours isn't enough to feed a little glutton."
Zhang Xuan patted the little glutton in the passenger seat who didn't want to move.
Wanda: (づ﹏ど)
Gwen: (ﾉ)﹏(ヾ)
Seeing Gwen defeated, Garfield-Spider took the stage.
"Mr. Zhang Xuan, we came out today because we want to ask what exactly happened to us, why we... are like this."
Garfield-Spider pressed his palm against the car door, pushed it open, and pulled it back. He wasn't even using his hand to grip it; it was as if it were stuck to him.
Wanda looked on curiously, wanting to know how it was done:
"How did you do that? Is it some special ability?"
Since the death of her arch-enemy Obadiah, Wanda had become much more cheerful and interested in many things she wouldn't have looked twice at before.
Speaking of which, it must be mentioned that to make sure Obadiah really hadn't lasted a day in the Underground Room, Wanda had made a special trip there.
When she came up, that fellow vomited all over the place, then waved her hand and said, "Bury this Underground Room later; we can't use it anymore."
Garfield-Spider explained: "I don't quite understand what caused our physical abnormalities yet, but Gwen and I tried all afternoon and finally managed to control the activation of this ability. Otherwise, I'd have to stay hanging from the ceiling."
Zhang Xuan: "Then your ceiling quality must be pretty good."
Gwen interrupted Zhang Xuan: "The issue isn't the quality of the ceiling. The issue is why we became like this. What exactly did we experience that night?"
"I went home and checked my property's surveillance. I was taken out by you guys completely unconscious. It wasn't a kidnapping—no, wait, I should say you kidnapped us."
Being exposed, Wanda quickly retracted her head into her clothes, since she was the one mainly controlling them.
"Ahem, don't mind those details." Zhang Xuan gave a dry cough and immediately explained: "Actually, you were chosen by the Spider God. I was just invited by it to help. Originally, only one of you was supposed to get superpowers. Now look how great it is—all three of you have them."
"Spider God?" The two exclaimed simultaneously, remaining skeptical. Although spiders were a bit... their abilities were indeed related to spiders.
Zhang Xuan even opened his camera to show them the spider that bit them.
Both of them shuddered after seeing it. Although the red and blue pattern on the spider looked nice, it looked very poisonous.
"This is the spider that bit you. It's a messenger sent by the Spider God."
It would have been better if Zhang Xuan hadn't said anything; after he did, the two felt like they were tainted. It looks nice, sure, but you can't just bite people.
Seeing the two like this, Zhang Xuan smacked his lips: "Tsk, actually there was a Cockroach God who came to find me, but I refused. Although cockroaches have stronger vitality and are excellent in all aspects, I figured neither of you would like being bitten by a cockroach, so I chose the Cockroach God."
Gwen couldn't hold back and stood up abruptly, her head punching a sunroof right through the car roof. Her feet also made a loud bang from the excessive force, and Zhang Xuan even saw some dents left behind.
Gwen, whose head was now outside the car roof, quickly pulled it back, but she was still seen by a little kid.
Years later, when the kid grew up and was buying a car, a friend asked him why he didn't buy this brand.
He replied: "I once saw with my own eyes a woman headbutt through the roof of this brand's car, so I think this brand's cars aren't sturdy."
Gwen even folded the outward-bent sheet metal back, barely covering most of the hole.
"I'll pay for this, but right now, I want you to quickly lift this cockroach curse from me."
As Gwen spoke, she grabbed Zhang Xuan's back collar and started shaking him. As she shook him, the entire car vibrated along with them.
Zhang Xuan grabbed Gwen's hand and stopped her.
Zhang Xuan (๑•̌～•̑)ˀ̣ˀ̣: "Did I just say cockroach?"
Garfield-Spider nodded.
Zhang Xuan: "Oh, then I misspoke. It's the Spider God. A spider bit you."
Hearing this, Gwen breathed a slight sigh of relief. At least it wasn't a cockroach. Now even that spider looked somewhat pleasant.
Although the Cockroach God was something Zhang Xuanmade up to distract them, the following part was truly a slip of the tongue, yet the effect was outstanding.
Chapter 23: Is the Osborn Family's Condition a Genetic Disease or a Curse?
Zhang Xuan took out a camera, pointed it at Gwen and the roof of the car, and started taking rapid-fire shots.
The final photos showed Gwen reaching out to cover the lens, and even included an effect of the lens shattering.
Gwen (ꐦ⌒◡⌒): "Please hand over the camera's memory card."
Zhang Xuan gave a smile from the Inner World: "You want it? Come have a Roujia... Pwah!"
٩(꒪ัཀ꒪ั●)
Wanda punched Zhang Xuan directly in the stomach, and the camera immediately ended up in Gwen's hands. She took out the memory card and, with a display of brute strength, crushed it to pieces.
Zhang Xuan: "It doesn't matter. The hole in the roof is still there. I'm going to keep this car forever; I'll use this secret against you for the rest of your life."
Gwen turned hostile and denied everything: "Who can prove I'm the one who poked this hole? Who? You?"
Gwen glared at Garfield-Spider, who quickly waved his hands: "Not me, I didn't see anything."
She naturally wouldn't ask Wanda; Wanda had just helped her subdue Zhang Xuan, so she was definitely on her side.
"Mr. Zhang Xuan, could you tell me more about this spider? I'm very curious because I think it's related to my father's research."
Zhang Xuan was puzzled. "Didn't Dr. Connors go looking for you?"
Peter shook his head: "No, the last time I saw ProfessorConnors was in the lab at Osborn Industries."
Gwen added: "He even took someone else's identity. In the end, that poor soul who was impersonated got kicked out by security, though it was cleared up later. However, Dr. Connors suppressed the matter, so few people know about it."
Garfield-Spider scratched his head: "That was all for scientific research, so I had no choice but to..."
...Zhang Xuan began to tell Garfield-Spider about his father and Osborn.
"So it was Harry's father, Mr. Norman, who killed my father?"
Peter couldn't believe it; his best friend's father had killed his own father.
"That seems to be the case, but you should verify it yourself. After all, not everything the eye sees is the truth."
Zhang Xuan didn't speak in absolutes, just in case there was a twist; it left some room for explanation.
"Besides, it's best to maintain your relationship with Harry. After all, he doesn't know anything."
"If you're not in a hurry for revenge, Norman Osborn will probably die soon anyway. Their family's genetic disease will take him within the next couple of years."
As expected, Spider-Man is kind-hearted. Hearing this, Garfield-Spider didn't ask about revenge; instead, he worried about his friend Harry.
"Sir, does Harry have the genetic disease too?"
Zhang Xuan nodded: "Of course. It's a genetic disease. Occasional hand tremors are a precursor. You might want to check in on Harry across the ocean."
Garfield-Spider fell into deep thought. Harry was both the son of the enemy who killed his father and his best friend; he was very conflicted.
But the kind Peter Parker wouldn't be consumed by hatred. Instead, he would step up to save his friend, under the pretext that Harry is innocent.
In Zhang Xuan's view, however, no capitalist or their children are truly innocent.
"Harry is innocent. He doesn't know about these things. I can't direct my hatred toward him."
Garfield-Spider sobbed after learning the true cause of his father's death, and then reached a self-reconciliation regarding Harry.
He wanted to save Harry Osborn because he was his friend.
None of this affected Zhang Xuan, though, because as he looked at Wanda's shy expression, he thought of magicand... curses.
Was there a curse factor in the Osborn family's genetic disease? Although the movies showed that treating the disease created the Green Goblin, it wasn't impossible for a curse to be involved. After all, this was Marvel; traces of magic were normal.
Once Norman Osborn died, he could try checking Harry Osborn. If it really was a cursed demon, he could just have Wanda violently deal with the Green Goblin.
"Alright, do you have any more questions? If not, you can get out of the car."
Garfield-Spider wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes and thanked Zhang Xuan:
"Thank you for telling me all this. If you ever need help in the future, just let me know, and I'll do my best to come."
Garfield-Spider After thanking them, they got out of the car and left..
Zhang Xuan reminded Peter: "When you get back, look for your father's computer and Roosevelt Station. Take Dr. Connors with you."
Peter etched Zhang Xuan's reminder into his mind.
"Thanks, I'll go."
With Garfield-Spider gone, Zhang Xuan looked at Gwenin the back seat, who had a hole in the roof above her head, and asked:
"Do you want to come home with me? Why aren't you getting out?"
Gwen was puzzled: "Don't you have anything to say to me? You said so much to Peter, but with me, you just ask if I'm getting out?"
Zhang Xuan was stumped because he really didn't have much to say. Gwen's family life was good; other than her father being in danger from the Lizardman, there didn't seem to be anything else.
"Then... how about you have your dad quit and become a scientist? I think if your dad were framed, he'd probably grab a gun and take out Norman Osborn first."
Gwen held her head in exasperation because her father really would do that.
"Fine, now let's talk about the changes in my body. It's having a huge impact on my life."
At this, Zhang Xuan was no longer sleepy. His glowing eyes scanned Gwen's entire body.
Then he frowned and asked uncertainly, "Gwen, did your chest get smaller?"
Gwen: (づ﹏ど) "Get lost!"
Zhang Xuan took a direct punch to the chest from Gwenand didn't dodge Wanda's sneak attack on his inner thigh.
Getting hit like this occasionally was actually quite comfortable—it didn't hurt and felt like a massage. But he still had to pretend to be in pain on the surface.
Gwen clutched her chest pitifully, on the verge of tears.
The 'rabbits' she had meticulously nurtured and cared for over a decade had withered away from the poison after the spider bite.
Although her figure had improved, the 'rabbits' had indeed shrunk. It wasn't by much, but she couldn't bear to lose what she had worked so hard to raise.
Zhang Xuan: "It's probably because your body consumed some fat, so they shrunk a bit. If you eat more and gain some weight, you should be able to get them back."
Gwen also voiced her opinion: "That's true. I feel like my body is developing toward a lighter state. My figure is slimmer, and my body fat percentage is dropping."
Hearing this, Wanda turned to Gwen: "Are you serious? It can make your figure slimmer?"
"My waist is definitely a lot thinner than before," Gwenadmitted with a blush. "But my chest is indeed smaller too."
Wanda was even more pleasantly surprised. She turned to Zhang Xuan and clung to his arm, acting spoiled.
"Hubby, let's go catch another spider, okay? I want to get thinner too."
Hearing this, Zhang Xuan was immediately displeased.
"You're something else, Gwen, spreading such deceptive talk. Let's see how I deal with you today."
Zhang Xuan leaned into the back of the car and pinched both of Gwen's cheeks.
Gwen tried to block him, but she wasn't as strong as Zhang Xuan, and her attempt failed.
"Mmph~ Stop it, my face hurts."
Wanda was squeezed underneath Zhang Xuan.
OYO)˃ ⤙ ˂ ₎აꐦ
Wanda had had enough. Fuming, she gave Zhang Xuan a headbutt.
A sledgehammer blow!
Zhang Xuan, who was still pulling on Gwen's delicate cheeks...
٩(›꒪ั◊꒪ั‹|||)
Gwen felt that this desaturated Zhang Xuan was probably useless now and said goodbye to Wanda.
"Wanda, I'm heading back now."
Wanda grabbed Gwen's hand and, blushing, whispered in her ear: "I need a helper. Are you really not considering joining us?"
Gwen pulled her hand away and ran off in embarrassment.
Seeing Gwen run off, Wanda clutched her forehead in pain. That headbutt had hurt her quite a bit too; as soon as Gwen left, tears welled up in her eyes.
But one of her hands kept pounding on Zhang Xuan, as if that could alleviate the pain in her head.
Chapter 24 – Natasha Missing
One month later.
The calm routine lasted until one person showed up.
Zhang Xuan opened the door and saw the woman outside—decent-looking, but not his type.
He preferred sweet, curvy beauties; smaller ones were fine too.
The visitor had a classic statuesque American-chic face, a black gown covering most of her figure—slightly mature.
If no strings were attached, Zhang Xuan wouldn't mind sampling, but safety first—she'd need a physical.
"Excuse me, are you Mr. Zhang Xuan?"
Zhang Xuan: "That's me. Who are you?"
"Hello, sir. We have a delivery for you—please sign."
Thinking it was Dr. Banner's parcel, Zhang Xuan took it; the sender's name made him instantly toss the box and lunge at the woman.
She swung an arm to deflect, but couldn't budge him an inch.
She rolled with his force, hit the deck, flipped away, and drew a pistol from her waist.
Zhang Xuan didn't flinch; the caliber was within his tolerance.
He soaked two shots, seized her wrist, and handled her like a kindergarten kid.
She fought—blade in her sleeve, spike in her sole, dagger between her thighs—none of it helped.
Her arms were pinned behind her; no yoga contortion could free her while Zhang Xuan held her down.
Wanda heard the racket downstairs and saw Zhang Xuanpinning a woman.
For a second Wanda fantasized he was forcing her, but reality was self-defense.
Crimson Chaos Magic swirled round the assassin's skull; the woman dropped unconscious.
Zhang Xuan's Killing Intent Perception flared. "Wanda—shield!"
Wanda threw up a full barrier; two huge bullets slammed in, stopping like they'd hit non-Newtonian goo ten centimeters deep.
The sniper fired eight more rounds; all splashed against Wanda's Chaos shield.
Locking onto the shooter, Zhang Xuan scooped Wandaand sprinted toward the gunfire.
Wanda kept the shield up, blocking bursts from the marksman's rifle.
Two hundred meters on, Zhang Xuan spotted the killer hoisting a black case, ready to leave.
The car was fast, but Zhang Xuan was faster; as it pulled off he hurled Wanda skyward and Iron-Mountain-butted the rear quarter-panel.
The car rolled thrice; Wanda floated down and mind-zapped two striking blondes.
Zhang Xuan tucked both women under his arms, Wandariding his neck, and jogged home.
After dumping the pair, he checked on Little Peter—empty house—so he called Mei.
Peter was at school.
"Mei, go to my place in Stark Tower and stay inside; I'll send protection."
Mei's voice shook. "Xuan, what's happening? Why ask about Peter? Why can't I leave?"
"Relax, everything's fine—don't you trust your man?"
Mei choked back tears. "Xuan, keep Peter safe—promise me."
"I swear. Now get to my room."
He hung up, set Wanda down, then felt a chill on his neck.
He reached to check; Wanda stopped him and rubbed the spot with his shirt.
He flicked her forehead. "Payback later—breakfast wasn't that long ago."
Leaving Wanda to guard the trio, he sprinted to Peter's school.
Streets were empty—gunfire had sent everyone indoors.
The school was chaos; someone had come to make trouble.
They wanted Peter alive to use as leverage.
Zhang Xuan saw Peter tucked under a woman's arm, face happily buried in her chest.
Peter was shoved into a car; Zhang Xuan repeated his bull-charge.
The sedan slid sideways, cracking the school wall.
He snapped the outside woman's arm, but the second gunman already had a muzzle to Peter's head.
"Stop or the kid's brains paint the seats."
Zhang Xuan never slowed; the gunwoman, realizing he didn't care, tried to shoot—
—but the kid wasn't ordinary; he was Spider-Kid.
Spider-Sense made Peter dodge, snatch the pistol.
Zhang Xuan was on her—horizontal chop—both her arms snapped; she collapsed screaming.
He tucked the two women under his arms; Peter, still between one's breasts, got his promised "treat."
Peter: "Swap me to the twenty-something and I'd thank you—this one's fifty, easy."
Back home they had five captives; Wanda knocked the newcomers out.
Zhang Xuan exhaled, stacked the five like Jenga into the pickup bed, and shut the lid.
He dialed Natasha—no answer.
Wanda listened to the endless ring, worried sick—Natasha was her beloved understudy, her sister-in-arms.
"Still no pick-up?"
He pocketed the phone, ready to interrogate.
Wanda said, "I already did. They're from Red Room, here to grab us. They know nothing else."
Zhang Xuan scratched his head; the original plot never gave Red Room's coordinates—it moved constantly.
Only Melina might know, and he had no idea where she was. Next stop: Red Guardian—but he's locked in a Russian prison, tricky.
Wanda patted his back for comfort.
"Xuan, talk to me; we'll figure it out together."
Little Peter chimed, "Brother Xuan, tell me—I'm smart, I can help."
Zhang Xuan ruffled his hair. "Come with me to Mei first, then we plan."
"Wanda, pack clothes—we're going away for days. I'll call someone to clean up."
He rang Tony.
"Kid, found a scientist better than me?"
Tony's snarky voice crackled alongside welding sparks.
"I need backup—trouble here. I'll trade you a HYDRABase location afterward."
"Deal. You come here or I come to you?"
The moment Tony heard about HYDRA, he agreed without hesitation—nothing could stop his revenge.
He casually pulled up the HYDRA files; there was almost nothing useful—they'd buried themselves too deep.
Tony had also investigated the black-ops group that showed up at his place last time, the one called S.H.I.E.L.D.; their actions looked suspicious, but everything they did benefited their own organization.
Zhang Xuan: "Bring a few sets of Iron Armor. We'll need heavy firepower. Wanda and I will suit up too—this time the enemy has plenty of aircraft."
Tony: "Give me a day; making your suits takes time."
Ending the call, Zhang Xuan took Wanda and Little Peter, luggage in tow, to Stark Tower.
May hugged Peter, anxiously patting him here and there.
"Aunt May, I'm fine—don't worry."
Zhang Xuan stepped forward to apologize: "Sorry, May. It's probably because of us that Peter got into danger."
May threw herself into Zhang Xuan's arms, looking for a shred of comfort.
Little Peter: *Joker-JPG*—you used to call me your baby, now the new guy outranks the old and you just call me Parker.
May's voice cracked: "Xuan, I don't want to know the details of your business, but you have to keep Peter safe."
Facing such understanding from May, Zhang Xuanpromised, "I'll keep you both safe. Stay here and rest for the next few days—I'll handle this mess."
Reassured, May took Peter off to eat; even though Petersaid he'd had lunch, Aunt May insisted kids need extra meals to grow tall.
Zhang Xuan had Jarvis start digging up intel on Red Guardian Alexei.
They found the prison holding him, then used Alexei's info to track down Melina, and finally located Dreykov's Red Room.
The following night.
Tony's swarm of armors landed on Stark Tower's helipad; Zhang Xuan spotted Wanda's suit at a glance.
It was impossible to miss—its features were that distinctive.
"I'm ready to launch anytime."
Zhang Xuan: "Wait for Wanda."
Zhang Xuan approached the armor; it opened automatically. Little Peter's eyes sparkled behind him—no man can resist mechs, especially kids. Kids love them even more.
"Brother Zhang Xuan, can I go inside and look?"
Zhang Xuan ruffled Peter's hair: "Yours is over there."
He pointed to a huge armor that, under Jarvis's control, stepped aside to reveal a tiny suit.
Tony: "Kid, this one's custom-built for you—explore all you want, just no dangerous stunts and no flying."
Peter drooped a bit at "no flying," then immediately pounced on his little armor.
"Ms. May, this heavy armor is yours." Tony patted the bulky suit that had been in front of Peter's. "The back compartment stores the small suit; in danger it can fly you both out."
Knowing Tony, Zhang Xuan figured he must have built something to protect Pepper too.
Zhang Xuan: "Where's Pepper's armor? Don't tell me you skipped it?"
Tony snapped his fingers, and several holographic screens popped up.
He pointed to a vehicle and began explaining: "This car's my latest creation. In an emergency it can cocoon the occupants and fly them to safety."
As he spoke, the on-screen car transformed, wrapped itself around a dummy, ejected into the air, and jetted away.
The demo finished just as Wanda returned.
Zhang Xuan clapped: "All right, time to move."
Wanda locked onto her own armor at once, a bit embarrassed—it clearly used extra materials.
Zhang Xuan stroked her head: "We'll be there soon."
Wanda answered with a light kiss.
The three stepped into their armors, trailed by other unmanned suits piloted by Jarvis. En route, Zhang Xuanasked, "Tony, how's the research on that last suit? Anything impressive?"
Tony curled his lip. "If the guy who made that spider suitisn't me, I'll eat sh*t while standing on my head."
Zhang Xuan looked disgusted: "Tony, you can't reach your own sh*t while upside-down—you're not long enough."
Wanda: (づωど)
Wanda switched the chat channel.
Tony: (￣ー￣)
"That suit has to be something I'll build in the future. The code, the manufacturing timestamps, some signature quirks—I'm sure I made it, just… in the future."
Zhang Xuan: (ﾟДﾟノ)? System, don't tell me you just grabbed this from some random parallel universe?
[System doesn't know. System is going to rest now.]
Seeing the system act like that, Zhang Xuan knew he'd guessed right—but it didn't matter.
"Never mind that. Just tell me: is it more advanced than your current tech?"
Tony retorted stubbornly: "Give me the specs and I can build that spider suit too. By the way, why call it a spider suit?"
Zhang Xuan: "Because it's for a spider, so spider suit."
Tony didn't get it and kept digging: "So when in the future did I make this thing? Two years? Three?"
Zhang Xuan did the math: "At least five."
Tony stayed defiant: "That definitely won't be my best tech five years from now. Give me five years from now and I'll do even better."
Zhang Xuan: "Whatever. Just say whether it helps your current self. I figure the comfy cushion I'm lying on is a lot like that suit."
Tony: "It helps—but only pushed me ahead by six… no, three months."
Zhang Xuan didn't want to talk anymore; he needed sleep.
"Jarvis, take the controls. I'm lying down for a nap."
"Yes, Sir. I'll keep your flight stable."
Tony was speechless.
"It's only a three-hour flight—you can't even stay awake that long?"
Zhang Xuan rolled his eyes, though Tony couldn't see it.
"In China we don't fly lying flat—only mounts do that. We imagine ourselves riding them."
"Of course, that's for the pros. Us normals fly standing on giant swords—way cooler and more dashing."
Tony pictured it and had to admit standing on something did look cooler—but he'd never confess.
"Show me when you can actually do it. I enjoy flying free like this."
With that, Tony's palms blasted stronger Mach rings, accelerating again; the sonic-boom shock left Zhang Xuan's ears ringing.
Zhang Xuan and Wanda's armors flew in reclined mode for comfort; Zhang Xuan had Tony add thrusters to their backs—no one could keep their arms bent like Tony forever.
Chapter 25 – What Does a Kissing Mountain Look Like? This Mouth?!
[This chapter received lukewarm feedback; skim recommended]
Three hours later, the supersonic armor reached the prison that held the Red Guardian, Alexei.
"Jarvis, hack the prison's control system and find the Red Guardian."
Tony issued the order; Jarvis swiftly infiltrated the prison's control system and froze every surveillance feed.
Zhang Xuan and Wanda slipped into the prepared outfits and headed straight for Alexei's location.
All along the way, Wanda's Chaos Magic subdued everyone. Alexei, worthy of being a super-soldier rivaling Captain America, actually resisted Wanda's first wave of mental control.
"Little girl, my head hurts a bit—could you use a little more force? You can go… harder."
Wanda didn't waste words and cranked up her output; the Red Guardian's eyes lost focus.
Zhang Xuan: "Wanda, you're not going to fry his brain, right?"
Wanda: "No way. His willpower's strong, but not as strong as my husband's."
Wanda sat in Zhang Xuan's lap, steering her Chaos Magicwhile flying; the trailing red energy was towing a big fat man behind them.
Zhang Xuan heard a thud behind him and told Wanda, "Wanda, don't knock him silly—fly steady; we'll save the fun for when we're home."
Wanda pinched a tiny bit of flesh on Zhang Xuan's chest; even with his physique, he had no immunity to such pinpoint attacks.
Back above the snowy plain, two suits of armorsandwiched Alexei and flew off with him.
They only landed somewhere a little warmer in the St. Petersburg wilderness.
"A little warmer" meant minus-thirty instead of the prison's minus-forty.
November in Russia—perfectly normal.
Wanda woke Alexei; the armor ejected him and he tumbled into the snow.
The sudden chill snapped Alexei awake; he snapped into a combat stance, then slumped when he saw the circle of armors around him.
He recognized the American Iron Man from prison TV and assumed the tin can had come to eliminate a Soviet counterpart to Captain America—revenge against the USSR, or ex-USSR, or Russia.
"Western scum, you've won—but I'll still fight to the end, even if I only dent a few of your tin plates. Alexei will never be a slave!"
Alexei moved fast, grabbing the nearest armor and pounding away; every joint twisted, yet the suit stayed unfazed.
Still, Alexei grinned like a victorious warrior and turned to another empty armor.
Tony face-palmed: "Wanda, did you turn him into an idiot?"
Wanda: "Nope—his mind's perfectly fine."
Zhang Xuan looked as speechless as Rhodes watching Star-Lord: "Maybe he's just naturally dumb."
"Damn—if he's dumb, what now?" Tony figured the plan had failed and started brainstorming. "Searching a flying Base across Europe and Russia could take forever."
Zhang Xuan: "Relax, I've got the Great Memory-Restore Technique. Jarvis, drop me off."
Seeing an Easterner, Alexei grew even angrier.
"Eastern ally, bought by evil Western capitalists? I'll twist your head off and roll it like a snowball!"
Alexei lunged; his technique was slick, but Zhang Xuanwas a walking stat-stick whose numbers had doubled again this month.
You've got a dozen tons of strength—what are you gonna do against me? Even Hulk would have to wrestle me now.
This whole month he'd been scoring crits on Wanda, and the system kept handing him bonus crit chance.
Alexei caught Zhang Xuan's seemingly wide-open arm, ready for a lock—but what happened next defied belief.
Zhang Xuan ignored every technique and simply powered through, nullifying every move.
He hauled Alexei in and kneed him—gently, by his standards.
Alexei struggled the whole way, but it was like a man versus a semi-truck: the truck never slowed.
Clutching his gut—thankfully padded—Alexei avoided vomiting blood.
"Now sit still and listen. I'm here to rescue Natasha—your foster daughter from Ohio, the Natasha in Natasha-and-Yelena."
"She's been re-captured by the Red Room, so take me to Melina—she knows where it is."
Alexei lay on the snow like a salted fish, grinning wide:
"Natasha's the top Agent, the Red Room's finest Black Widow—and you say the Red Room caught her?"
Zhang Xuan rolled his eyes: Alexei clearly had no clue how the Red Room trained Natasha.
"Do you even know how the Red Room trains people?"
Alexei kept his mocking smile: "The Red Room is the finest spy school, providing the USSR endless intel—everything it does is for peace."
Zhang Xuan face-palmed—Alexei had to be brainwashed—until the next line flipped things.
"General Dreykov, my friend, gave me glory—then shipped me off to that boring Ohio op. I could've outshone Captain America, but they stuck me in that dumb sleeper plan."
Alexei ranted: "Then he threw me in prison—maybe because I didn't like his hair, or because I wanted the country better, wanted red flags flying again, wanted everything great."
His voice dropped: "He changed; the country changed. He left me to rot while he ran off."
Zhang Xuan let him vent, then continued:
"Now take me to Natasha—let's trash Dreykov. One shot: freeze to death here, or lead me to Melina, then save Natasha and Yelena."
"Side note: Natasha's my wife."
Alexei shot upright. "Say what?"
Zhang Xuan offered a hand. "Answer me: rescue Natasha, or freeze in this wasteland?"
Alexei took the hand; Zhang Xuan hauled him up.
"That's your ride—gear up fast."
Zhang Xuan pointed at the armor Alexei had twisted out of shape.
In the end Alexei squeezed into the suit—arm joints letting in wind, chest gaping, the groin guard missing from the crotch plate.
Jarvis cautioned: "Sir, flying in that condition may cause bodily harm."
Zhang Xuan waved it off: "He's tough—this is nothing."
"Alexei, navigate."
As Alexei fiddled with the armor, a map of St. Petersburgappeared; he jabbed a spot.
"It should be around here; once we arrive I can lead the way."
Half an hour later.
"Alexei, can you spot it?" Zhang Xuan asked Alexei.
Tony cut in: "I think a few hundred drones would still get lost here."
The now-sober Alexei scratched his head; thick snow blanketed the ground—beautiful, but the path was truly impossible to find.
"Let's fly higher. I remember a mined-out pit nearby, plus two little hills that look like they're kissing."
After the three took off, they looked at Alexei still on the ground. "What are you doing?"
Alexei: "You guys go ahead; I'm knocking the ice off my body—it's frozen solid."
Zhang Xuan grabbed Wanda and went searching for the pit and the kissing hills Alexei had mentioned.
Tony left behind a line: "Tap gently—if something falls off, you'll be heading to the hospital."
Alexei struck a little harder, knocking off an ice pipe and casually tossing it to the ground… "Honey, I found those kissing hills."
(ﾉ)ᴗ(ヾ)
Wanda's armor camera locked onto a pair of hills mid-kiss; the image transmitted to the other three.
Tony: (´⊙ж⊙`) "A World wonder—look at that smooch."
Zhang Xuan: (Buddha▾Buddha٥) "Nature's craftsmanship—should be developed into a scenic spot, a must-check-in for fans of the 'biting' technique."
Seeing it, Alexei burst out laughing: "Aha, found it! Fly two kilometers north—we're almost there."
Soon the group landed beside a snow-covered cabin.
Alexei swaggered inside. "Melina?"
Melina inside never expected anyone to barge in; none of her alarms had triggered.
But seeing it was Alexei, she relaxed—only for her heart to leap into her throat the next second.
Because behind Alexei she spotted several steel armors.
"Alexei, when did you start hanging out with those American bastards?"
Alexei immediately stated his position: "No, I'm just cooperating with them. We're going to the Red Room to rescue Natasha—this is Natasha's husband."
Melina looked at him like he was an idiot. "What joke is this? When did Natasha ever get married? I never heard of it."
Alexei swore earnestly, "I've seen photos of this kid with Natasha—absolutely no mistake."
Melina rubbed her forehead: "You fool, you've been duped—they're here to capture Natasha."
Alexei didn't doubt Melina for a second; he instantly struck, ramming Zhang Xuan's armor out of the room.
"Melina, run—I'll hold them off."
Melina spun to flee, when Zhang Xuan's voice rang out through amplification:
"Natasha, your husband's just been beaten up by your dad. If you don't come out, when we get back I'll become your dad and spank you."
"Alexei, stop!"
Natasha's voice came from inside the room, but Alexeihad parted ways with her since childhood—how could he recognize her voice?
It wasn't until Melina ordered, "Alexei! Stop."
Alexei tilted his head at the woman standing with Melina—he knew this was Natasha.
"Oh~ little Natasha, I've missed you so much. Why the long face? Aren't you happy to see Dad?"
Natasha slapped his hand away and said coldly, "No father abandons his daughters and sends them to the Red Room."
Alexei protested, "Hey, the Red Room made you the finest Agent—assassination, infiltration—you're the perfect Black Widow."
Natasha walked over to Zhang Xuan, who stepped out of his armor.
"dear wife, didn't you tell your mom about me? Is your husband that shameful?"
Natasha gently punched his chest. "Only in Monogamy is there a 'wife'—and you have more than just me."
Melina and Alexei were stunned. Did they hear correctly? Their daughter was the junior wife?
Alexei stepped up to pull them apart, but Natashapushed him away.
"Don't interfere in our affairs. I can't have children, so I allow my man to have others besides me."
Alexei couldn't believe it; he looked to Melina, who said nothing—she also couldn't bear children and hadn't sought another man since.
Alexei stood at a loss. "Natasha, you can't do this—he's a playboy. The girl beside him is the mistress he found; you can't live with someone like that."
Natasha hadn't yet reached the stable mindset she'd have after the Civil War; she couldn't stay calm facing the father who'd abandoned her and her sister.
Wanda said nothing—if her own father knew she was following such a two-timing husband, he'd probably react the same way.
Natasha's face was icy. "Who I live with is none of your business—just like the suffering I endured in the Red Room was none of yours."
Alexei ignored her tone and kept persuading, "Natasha, I know you hate me, but it's precisely because of that hatred that you became the perfect Black Widow."
Natasha wiped the tears from her eyes, her voice nasal. "Yeah, the perfect Agent—but not a perfect person. I lost my ability to have children there."
"Do you know? Back then Yelena and I were wheeled into the operating room together, holding each other's hands. Afterward, we both watched a video of our organs being removed."
Alexei looked to Melina for confirmation. "Melina, is… is this true?"
Melina didn't answer, but her averted gaze said it all.
Tony shuddered at the words, then interjected, "Ahem, Zhang Xuan, we've found Natasha—does that count as mission complete?"
Zhang Xuan: "Right now the Red Room is full of children forced into training. If you can stand by and watch, you're free to leave—Wanda and I can handle the Red Room."
Tony said nothing; he opened his visor and sat down on another empty armor.
"Remember to call me when we set off—I'm a bit sleepy."
Zhang Xuan rapped on Wanda's visor; Jarvis released her from the armor.
"Babe, you take Natasha downstairs—I have something to discuss with Melina."
Alexei tried to speak, but Melina pinched his lips together, turning them into a crow's beak.
Alexei glared, yet Melina ignored him, pinching his lips as she led Zhang Xuan into the outer room.
Alexei had a complicated attitude toward this woman who'd pretended to be his wife for three years—perhaps the very definition of a simp: both afraid and infatuated.
Zhang Xuan followed this aunt-like Melina. Unlike the movie version, this Melina looked only in her thirties; if not for her mature aura and Alexei calling her name, Zhang Xuan would've mistaken her for another Red RoomWidow when he entered.
(Think a more mature and voluptuous Mrs. Yor—hehehe~)