I Became Spider-Man's Cousin in Anime Crossover

Chapter 495 [3 Chapters Combined] Xiaoyu's "Crisis"

When Riley finished helping Ultimate Spider-Man defeat "Green Goblin" and returned to District 13, although most of the day had passed there, only three seconds had passed since Riley left.

Of course, Riley, who always keeps his promises, didn't forget his promise to Jade to take her to the deer park, even in his busy schedule.

So, using the data collected from the Green Goblin, he further improved... or rather, created a truly complete Green Goblin serum antidote—one that would allow users to retain the ability to transform at will, like the Hulk, without the side effect of being physically weak for two weeks—and handed it to Harry, who was waiting there, before quickly leaving, leaving only the father and son to take advantage of this rare opportunity to sit down and have a heart-to-heart talk.

Riley removed his battle suit and strode towards the lounge.

Incidentally, due to the Enchantress's invasion and the base's no longer being concealed, all of District 13's core members have been relocated to a backup base. Renovation work has recently begun, with plans to gradually transfer District 13's base and operations over.

However, regardless of which base it is, the layout of the lounge always reflects Sheriff Blake's minimalist style.

The walls were grayish-white, the fluorescent lights were too bright, and the coffee machine was always brewing Sheriff Blake's extra-strong black coffee, which tasted as bitter as Chinese medicine.

The sofa was large and soft, and it was said to have been specially made by Sheriff Blake.

Because ordinary sofas can't support Tru's weight, let alone heavyweights like Hulk and Alexei.

At this moment, on the sofa that is almost a double bed for a normal person, a little dumpling is curled up.

When Riley pushed the door open and came in, the first thing he saw was that iconic hood.

A small section of black hair peeked out from under the hood, the ends sticking up. He was curled up in a small ball, his knees against his chin, his hands wrapped around his calves, his face buried in the shadows between his legs, clearly sulking.

"Ahem, sorry I'm late, something came up. Let's get ready to go now. I'll buy some snacks on the way to calm you down, or... Xiaoyu?"

Riley's sullen expression made him feel guilty, knowing he was in the wrong.

However, Riley realized something was wrong as soon as he finished speaking his subconscious defense.

Xiaoyu didn't move.

Normally, upon hearing the door open, she would have jumped up from the sofa, yelling things like, "Riley, why are you so late! I've been waiting so long I'm practically growing mushrooms!" and then confidently jumped into Riley's arms, clinging to him tightly.

But now, Xiaoyu remained curled up in a ball the whole time, showing no reaction whatsoever.

Referring to the previous intrusion incident, Riley couldn't help but suspect that the Enchantress had secretly infiltrated District 13 while he was away and had taken control of Jade's mind. He quietly took out the Horse Talisman from his system storage space and held it in his palm, preparing to purify Jade of any external forces.

"I'm not angry with you, Riley."

Just as Riley was becoming increasingly uneasy and preparing to take direct action.

Xiaoyu's voice came out muffledly from between her knees.

Unlike its usual crisp sound, it had a very rare hoarse quality, as if something was blocking its throat.

"My parents just called me."

As she spoke, Xiaoyu still didn't look up, but her hands, which were wrapped around her knees, tightened a little, and her sleeves crumpled into a ball.

"Oh?" Riley tried to sound relaxed. "They called from Hong Kong? Let me guess... They haven't seen their precious daughter in so long, they miss you, and they're planning to have Uncle Long send you back to stay for a few days when you have your vacation?"

Xiaoyu shook her head. The movement was subtle, but Riley saw it clearly.

"They said..." Xiaoyu paused, "They bought plane tickets. They're going to New York the day after tomorrow."

Riley blinked, thought it over, and didn't think it was bad news. He crossed his arms and deliberately teased Xiaoyu with a slightly smug tone, hoping to stir up some emotions: "Huh? Isn't that great? What's there to be upset about... Could it be that you've been in New York for so long that you've forgotten about your parents?"

"I want to," Xiaoyu's voice was even more muffled, "but..."

She didn't finish speaking, but Riley realized something was wrong.

The small head in front of him was trembling slightly.

"Xiaoyu, what's wrong?" Riley's joking tone vanished as he slowly sat down beside Xiaoyu, gently stroking the little one's head. "Don't worry, tell me slowly... If your mom and dad are in trouble, I'll take you to rescue them right now?"

Upon hearing this, Xiaoyu remained silent for a moment before raising her head.

The moment Riley saw her face clearly, his heart skipped a beat.

Xiaoyu's eyes were red, with tear stains still clinging to her eye sockets. Her nose was also red, and her lips were pressed tightly together.

But she wasn't crying now; she was just staring straight at Riley with an expression he'd never seen on her face before—not fear, not anger, but a kind of…resentment.

Like a small wild animal locked in a cage, its fate not in its own hands, it desperately tries to resist, but always in vain.

"They're going to take me back," Xiaoyu said, her voice still muffled, but each word was enunciated clearly. "After they take me back, they won't let me come back."

Riley was stunned.

"What?"

"They said New York is too dangerous."

Xiaoyu lowered her eyes, her eyelashes casting a small shadow around her eye sockets.

"When you were out there taking down drug dealers all over the world, the big news you made made them aware of the existence of 'Spider-Man' even though they were far away in Hong Kong."

"Then, while they were following news about Spider-Man, they learned about the recent incident of the Iron Monger going out of control. So, they concluded that New York City was not safe at all."

"They also said that they sent me to New York so that I could broaden my horizons and temper my personality by following Uncle Long. Now that I've been out for half a year, that's enough, it's time to go back and study properly."

As she spoke, she huddled closer to herself, clasped her hands together around her knees, and rested her chin on the back of her hands.

"From beginning to end, they never asked me if I wanted to go back; they just informed me of this decision." Xiaoyu's voice grew softer and softer. "Just like how they didn't ask me if I was willing to cross the ocean alone to come to this completely unfamiliar city, and then took it upon themselves to put me on a plane and send me to Uncle Long's place."

Riley opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn't know what to say.

Riley vaguely remembered from his lingering memories of "Jackie Chan Adventures" that Jade did indeed return to her parents' side twice, but she came back each time.

So when Riley heard Xiaoyu say that her parents had called, she didn't think much of it at first. She just assumed that Xiaoyu was going home for summer vacation and would return to New York when school started.

Little did he expect that the consequences of his actions when he turned to the dark side would continue to haunt him and drive him to seek revenge!

He recalled those days.

He turned to the dark side, lost control, and went completely mad, hunting down drug dealers all over the world and uprooting the entire underground drug trafficking network.

That's why, during that period, "Spider-Man" became the most discussed topic around the world.

Some say Spider-Man is a hero, others say he's a madman.

There are also many keyboard warriors who speak without understanding the situation, adopting a "I'm the only one who's sober while everyone else is drunk" attitude, deliberately contradicting popular opinion and saying that Spider-Man is a threat.

But Riley never cared about any of that.

He knew better than anyone how many people those drug dealers had killed and how many families they had destroyed.

If he could do it all over again, he would still do the same thing.

Even if the whole world criticizes him for this, he accepts it.

But he never expected that the big news he created would involve the little guy in front of him.

"So...it's my fault?"

Seeing Xiaoyu's pitiful look, Riley felt even more guilty and instinctively shrank back. After a brief silence, he cautiously asked.

"It's not your fault. You did the right thing. Those drug dealers deserved to die."

"That's true, but if I hadn't made such a big fuss—"

"But there will be other things too. New York is so big, bad things happen every day. Even without you, there will be other news to worry them... Besides, they say they're worried about my safety if I stay in New York for too long, but actually they just feel embarrassed because I've been here for so long and have no intention of giving in or surrendering to them. So they want to find some excuse to take me back and find other ways to discipline me."

Before Riley could finish speaking, Xiaoyu interrupted him. When she looked up at Riley, her reddened eyes showed grievance and resentment... but not a hint of blame or anger towards Riley.

After all, no matter how naughty Xiaoyu is on ordinary days, she is definitely a good child with a clear sense of right and wrong when it comes to matters of principle.

It was precisely because of this that Xiaoyu's sensible demeanor plunged Riley into another round of silence.

It was only now that Riley belatedly realized...

According to the original story, Xiaoyu's first meeting with Uncle Long was not exactly "wonderful".

Moreover, Dad did say from the beginning that the reason for sending Xiaoyu to Uncle Long's place was not for Xiaoyu to study abroad and gain prestige, but simply to let her broaden her horizons.

Otherwise, why send Xiaoyu here right when she's about to graduate from elementary school and enter junior high? How can her academic progress be the same? That would be a complete disaster!

Now, after Xiaoyu's explanation, Riley, who was also Chinese, immediately realized...

Xiaoyu's parents never intended for her to stay in New York for long.

In half a year, broaden your horizons, temper your personality, and then go back to school, follow the routine of junior high, high school, college entrance exam, find a stable job, and finally get married and have children, fulfilling the "mission" of carrying on the family line.

This is the life they planned for Xiaoyu.

As for what friends Xiaoyu made here, what she experienced, whether she suffered any grievances, and whether she adapted to life here...

They don't care at all.

What they care about is "face".

They finally "straightened out" that "disobedient and naughty daughter" and brought her back to the "right path," making them appear to have "effective discipline."

No wonder Xiaoyu's behavior has been so unconventional since she arrived in New York...

If it were Riley, fed up with the suffocating pressure imposed by her stubborn, outdated parents in the name of love, she would suddenly be able to escape them and do whatever she wanted…

I'm afraid Riley's performance will only be more exaggerated than Jade's.

It also made Riley unable to imagine how much effort Jade had put in to achieve the result that her parents allowed her to stay with Uncle Long because of her good behavior, as mentioned casually in the original story.

Moreover, she is only eleven years old, still a child, and should be enjoying a carefree childhood under the protection of her parents.

Why should she be so obedient? Should she always follow her parents' decisions, right or wrong?

Is this raising a child, or training an artificial intelligence program?

"...I'm sorry, Xiaoyu."

The thought that Xiaoyu had to end her current life and return to the cage her parents had built with love because of him made Riley feel a flush on his face, and he couldn't help but speak up.

Xiaoyu was taken aback: "What are you apologizing for?"

"If it weren't for me—"

"I told you, it's not your problem!"

However, Xiaoyu's voice suddenly grew louder, and even carried a rare hint of crying.

"Can you stop taking everything upon yourself? What did you do wrong? Do you even know how many people you've saved? If those drug dealers were still alive, how many people would be dead from drugs by now?"

"You did nothing wrong! You did absolutely nothing wrong! In this world, who risks their life to do the right thing, yet expects to be apologized for as if they've committed a mistake!"

Riley looked at her.

Xiaoyu's face flushed red, tears welled up in her eyes, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall. She clenched her fists, her chest heaving violently, like a cat with its fur standing on end.

"I'm sorry, Riley, I didn't mean to yell at you. I was just... just a little upset..."

Soon, her voice lowered again, until it was almost inaudible. She covered her face with her hands, bit her lip tightly, and let out sobs.

Riley didn't say anything, but simply reached out, hugged Xiaoyu, and gently ruffled her hair.

Xiaoyu stiffened for a moment, then snuggled into Riley's arms, as if she had found a safe haven where she could feel at ease, and her body visibly relaxed.

"I don't want to go back." Her voice was muffled, tinged with suppressed sobs. "I don't want to leave Uncle Long, I don't want to leave Dad, I don't want to leave Tru, I don't want to leave District 13, and I especially don't want to leave..."

She didn't finish speaking, but Riley knew what she wanted to say.

Xiaoyu didn't want to leave him.

It's normal to have this thought, after all, Riley considers himself to have done a pretty good job as the "older brother".

He didn't realize that Xiaoyu might not want to leave him for some other reason.

After all, in Riley's eyes, Jade was just a little sister who liked to act spoiled and was a bit too clingy, an immature child.

What bad intentions could she possibly have?

After a while, Xiaoyu finally pulled away from his embrace and wiped her face haphazardly with her sleeve.

"I'm fine, and I didn't cry, really," she said, her voice thick with emotion. "It's just... just a little sad."

Riley looked at her, not wanting to be tactless and expose Xiaoyu's last bit of stubbornness.

After a brief silence, seeing that Xiaoyu had composed herself and gradually calmed down, Riley spoke again, earnestly asking Xiaoyu a question.

"Did your parents say when they're arriving? And how long they plan to stay?"

"I'll arrive tomorrow, but as for how long I'll stay... I don't know." Xiaoyu hugged her knees, her voice muffled. "They'll probably just pick me up and leave. They're very busy with work and can't take many days off."

Riley thought for a moment: "So what are your plans?"

Xiaoyu looked up at him, her eyes filled with a hint of confusion.

"Intend?"

"Are you just going to obediently go back with them? Do nothing? Don't you even plan to try and resist?"

Xiaoyu paused for a moment, then lowered her head.

"Of course I want to, but what can I do?" Her voice was very soft. "They are my parents, they gave me life and raised me, so of course they have the final say."

"Who said that? The reason they wanted to take you back is simply because they're afraid you're crazy, only know how to play, and won't amount to anything when you grow up."

Fortunately, even the crisis of world doomsday couldn't stump Riley. His two conservative parents were clearly no match for Riley, this modern-day Jia Xu (a legendary Chinese philosopher known for his cunning and shrewdness).

Having figured out the cause and effect, Riley quickly devised a way to break the deadlock.

Then, when faced with Xiaoyu's curious questions, Riley grinned and deliberately shook his head, putting on a profound look.

"But here you are, acting crazy and only knowing how to play? You've been through so much with us: spells, demons, the Black Hand Gang, the Shadow Legion, and even encountered gods who only existed in mythological records, as well as another version of yourself from a parallel universe—which of these experiences is something an ordinary child could go through? Which of these experiences didn't teach you something?"

Xiaoyu's eyes gradually brightened a little.

"As for your studies, your parents don't need to worry about that at all... Not to mention Peter, Felicia, and Gwen, they're all top students. Just among the elders you know, Uncle Long is an archaeology expert, Dad is an antique appraiser and a master of air magic, Tru is a former Japanese sumo wrestler with enough strength to lift a solid gold statue, and Sheriff Black is in charge of District 13, with a team of highly trained elite agents... When you go back, will you be able to find teachers who are more outstanding and well-rounded than them?"

Xiaoyu shook her head.

"Among your classmates in Hong Kong, whose experiences are more exciting than yours? Who has seen what you have seen? Who has a stronger backer than you do now?"

Xiaoyu shook her head again.

"So, you're not unambitious, you're incredibly ambitious, it's just that your parents don't know it." Riley leaned back on the sofa, a smug smile on his face. "And what we need to do next is make them realize that."

Xiaoyu looked at him, her eyes still red, but out of trust in Riley, the corners of her mouth had already turned up slightly.

"Then...how do I let them know?"

"It's simple." Riley held up one finger. "Let them see for themselves."

"What do you think?"

"Your parents are arriving tomorrow, right?"

Xiaoyu nodded.

"Then we'll arrange a 'New York day trip' for them. Let them see for themselves where you usually stay, the friends you make, and the people you know."

Xiaoyu blinked, somewhat tempted by Riley's words, but quickly frowned again: "But...it's not convenient for Sheriff Black to meet with ordinary people, is it? After all, District 13 is a secret organization, and it can't be exposed to ordinary people at will, right?"

"Yes, so we need to find people who can connect with 'ordinary people' and have enough influence."

Riley smiled.

He moved closer to Xiaoyu, lowered his voice, and accompanied it with that "bright" smile...

Those who don't know might mistakenly think that Riley is a villain who is corrupting an innocent little girl and plotting to destroy the world.

"Huh? Two people...who are they?"

"Uncle George and Tony."

Xiaoyu paused for two seconds, then slowly opened her mouth into an "O" shape.

"Uncle George...you mean, Gwen's father? The police chief!?"

"To be precise, it's the New York Police Commissioner, Mr. George Stacy."

Riley nodded with a smile and began to speak slowly and deliberately.

"That's a legitimate official department, capable of 'reasoning' with your parents. It'll let them know exactly how safe New York City is right now. For example, how much the crime rate has dropped, how much street crime has decreased, how close the police-community cooperation is... and so on. Those are all solid, real data, without any exaggeration."

Xiaoyu's eyes lit up.

"And Tony? The world's richest man, Tony Stark?!"

Because Tony had never been to District 13 in person, Jade only knew of "Tony Stark" from the news, but didn't actually know him.

That's why, when Xiaoyu heard Riley mention Tony, her eyes widened, her voice rose several octaves, and her gaze towards Riley was filled with admiration and excitement.

"Riley, when did you meet him? Do you really think he'd agree to help a kid like me?"

"Yes, after all, in a sense, he is just like you, a 'child' in my eyes."

Upon hearing this, Riley seemed to recall something happy, and his smile became even brighter.

"Do you know how much Stark Industries has invested in New York recently? Expanding nursing homes, building community centers for the elderly, providing financial aid to underprivileged students in schools, promoting the free lunch program, and opening science and technology training programs for teenagers at Stark Industries—all of these are livelihood projects, enough to change your parents' perception of New York City today."

"Besides, even putting all those changes aside... if your parents knew that you'd only been here for six months and already become good friends with the world's richest man, what do you think they'd think?"

"They'll think I have a bright future!" Xiaoyu blurted out, jumping up from the sofa and leaping three feet high. "Police chief and the world's richest man, hehe! When Mom and Dad get here, they'll be in for a big surprise!"

She was so excited that she danced around, completely erasing her previous listlessness.

"Just as you said, in their eyes, you only spent six months becoming close friends with Tony Stark, the New York City Police Commissioner and the world's richest man... Based on this network alone, do you think they would still consider forcibly taking you back the right choice?"

As Riley spoke, he couldn't help but smile as he watched Jade "fully recovered" again.

Sure enough, Riley preferred the little guy's noisy and energetic self to his listless state earlier.

They even developed the hope that Xiaoyu would maintain this style as she grew up.