Chapter 185: Return to the Original World, Auntie Hug!
Xi Nian clenched his fist, tightening the white webbing that bound Kingpin's body. The threads sank deep into his flesh, and blood gushed out in torrents.
Even a man who had endured countless injuries like Kingpin could not withstand the strands biting into his bones. His howl of agony echoed through the cavern.
The supervillain could clearly smell the stench of death.
But then, all at once—
The bloodstained webbing that bound him evaporated into nothing, vanishing as though it had never existed.
Xi Nian loosened his palm, withdrawing his power. He turned his gaze toward Spider-Man in the distance and said softly, "That's all I can do."
Spider-Man, holding the unconscious boy in his arms, looked at Xi Nian—his body shining with multicolored light. For a second, it felt like mockery. His lips twitched as he muttered, "You've already done more than enough. If I still manage to die here, then I really don't deserve the name Spider-Man…"
In less than five minutes—
Two supervillains lay dead. One kingpin-level boss was critically injured.
Even Spider-Man couldn't help but marvel at Xi Nian's true strength.
Though he had no idea that only the Man of Steel's body and Spider-Sense were truly Xi Nian's own abilities.
"Well then… until fate brings us together again."
Xi Nian waved his hand. His figure merged completely into the void and disappeared from the battlefield.
Spider-Man stared at the empty spot where he had vanished, murmuring, "Until we meet again. I can't wait to see how much stronger you'll be next time."
…
Elsewhere, in a side tunnel underground.
The walls were covered in white webs. From the ceiling hung a giant cocoon of silk.
Inside was Doctor Octavia. Her face was ashen, her hands weakly clawing forward.
Not far in front of her—
Spider-Woman Gwen stood clad in her Iron Spider armor. From her back extended four golden mechanical spider legs that had pinned Octavia's stolen mechanical arms to the ground.
"This way, you won't be hurting anyone else," Gwen whispered.
But just then, the golden spider legs shimmered and sank through the ground as though slipping into another dimension.
"Time's up?" Gwen blinked. She quickly retracted the spider legs—and her body vanished from the spot.
…
Washington.
The city flickered into darkness once again, only for the lights to surge back to life moments later.
Inside a quiet room—
A teenage boy in a black stealth Spider-suit and a girl clad in Iron Spider armor appeared out of thin air, both collapsing to the floor in the same pose they'd had when breaching the dimensional barrier.
"Xi Nian, we did it!" Gwen exclaimed, hugging him happily.
"Yeah… finally home."
Xi Nian pushed himself up from the floor, but his Spider-Sense flared. Someone else was here.
Both he and Gwen looked up—and froze.
At the doorway stood a bald woman in yellow robes. She wore no expression, yet a faint smile lingered at her lips. The dimensional ripples in the room were snuffed out the moment they touched her presence.
Behind them, near the window—
A stunning woman clad in armor and a Greek skirt, a sword and shield strapped to her back, her long black hair cascading over her shoulders. Silver moonlight bathed her form in a divine glow. Her noble, heroic gaze carried the majesty of a true goddess.
The goddess's brows, long furrowed, slowly softened as she looked down at them.
"Uh… Auntie, Ancient One… good evening?" Xi Nian quickly stood up and greeted them.
Gwen hurried to deactivate her armor, the metal plates folding back into a compact device at her chest, leaving her in her short-skirt uniform. Her cheeks flushed as she bowed to both the goddess and the Sorcerer Supreme.
"You two were very fortunate," the Ancient One said quietly. "Dimensional travel is dangerous. If you had been lost, you might never have found your way back."
"Lesson learned," Xi Nian admitted, a chill running down his spine. If he hadn't managed to resolve the crisis in that other world, he might really have been trapped in that parallel universe forever. And even if one day he gained the power or technology to break through dimensions, who could guarantee he'd ever find his own world again?
Seeing Diana's beautiful face so stern only deepened his guilt.
Xi Nian blinked and forced a grin. "Auntie, I missed you so much. How about a hug?"
"You dare say that…"
Diana arched an eyebrow. With a flick of her white jade-like hand, a golden lasso materialized, coiling around Xi Nian's body several times like a living serpent.
"Come with me."
…
Dragged back home by his aunt's lasso, Xi Nian finally realized the truth—he and Gwen had spent two days in that parallel universe, but only two minutes had passed here.
Within two minutes of his disappearance, Diana had already rushed to Gwen's home, arriving only a step behind the Ancient One herself.
That was how much his aunt cared.
So even though he hadn't gotten the warm hug he wanted—instead being bound and dragged home—Xi Nian still felt his heart swell with warmth.
…
At Xi Nian's home.
It was late at night. Wanda had fallen asleep in her room hugging a large pillow. The noise outside woke her suddenly.
She rubbed her sleepy eyes and padded barefoot out of her room.
The door opened.
"Is that you, young master?" Wanda asked hopefully. But when she looked, her eyes widened in shock.
The balcony window was open.
There on the sofa sat Diana, fierce and elegant, holding Xi Nian across her lap. The golden lasso still bound him. With one hand she had tugged down his stealth suit pants, while the other smacked firmly against his exposed backside.
"W-wait! Miss Diana, why are you hitting the young master?!" Wanda cried out, tears welling in her eyes.
Xi Nian himself felt no real pain—his Man of Steel body made sure of that. But his heart stung.
In all seventeen years of his life, this was the first time his aunt had ever struck him.
And that was exactly why he realized how much his disappearance had frightened her.
"Please don't hit him!" Wanda burst into tears, rushing forward barefoot and throwing herself over Xi Nian's body to shield him.
Only then did Diana stop her hand.
Xi Nian could feel her wise, beautiful eyes locked on him.
"Now… do you understand what you did wrong?" Diana asked.
"I understand," Xi Nian nodded. "I won't run off again."
In that moment, Xi Nian suddenly understood something.
This dimension—this world with his aunt, with Wanda—was his true home.
From the moment he had been brought here seventeen years ago, picked up and raised by his aunt—
He had belonged here. And he could never leave it.
Not for even a moment.
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