When the motorcade arrived in Madrid, it was taken over by the Wild Corps. For the first time, Sylvia appeared before all the students and subjected the vehicles to a rigorous inspection and security measures. The tour group was asked to switch buses immediately, and a large group of fully armed security personnel, wearing gear and wielding vacuum cleaners and water guns, rushed onto the buses to clean them. It was, admittedly, a rather amusing sight.
Of course, what the students talked about most was Sylvia. This silver-haired girl, who looked only a few years older than them, was already leading an entire mercenary corps to fight against super-powered individuals. Her heroic and valiant appearance sparked some unrealistic thoughts in many of the male students.
In a sense, Peter also understood why the Wild Corps was capable of fighting super-powered individuals. The Republic of Cirkalia was situated in the Carpathian Mountains, bordering Romania, Serbia, and Latveria. Romania and Serbia were manageable, but with Doom-led Latveria as a neighbor, the entire Republic of Cirkalia would truly be in trouble without a special armed force.
This was why the Republic of Cirkalia cultivated the Wild Corps. This force, currently only 1,000 strong, was nominally a private security company, but was in fact the official armed force of the Republic of Cirkalia. They were usually dispatched to various EU countries to arrest super-powered criminals for money. However, in the event of a large-scale invasion by Latveria, the Wild Corps would be required to protect the Republic of Cirkalia and engage the Latverian army.
In a way, this country was truly pitiable.
However, Romania might be even more pitiable, as in this Marvel universe, it had inexplicably fractured into two separate countries.
Once everything was properly arranged, Sylvia sternly warned all the students that they must shower and change their clothes, sending the swapped clothes to the dry cleaner to wash away the sand, before she drifted away. As she was getting into the jeep, she saw Spider-Man in his new uniform sitting in the back seat.
"You know, theoretically, that fine sand is pervasive. Even if you change your clothes, it might not completely remove all the sand on your body, right?"
"It doesn't matter. As long as Sandman doesn't have enough material to control the students as hostages, that's fine. The soldiers of the Corps will be lurking near the hotel and will stop the Elementals as soon as they show up."
Sylvia got in the car and started the jeep's engine, then looked at Peter with some surprise: "Why aren't you sitting in the passenger seat?"
"...I thought you were going to sit in the passenger seat."
"I'm driving."
"I thought you didn't drive." Peter shrugged, jumped into the passenger seat, and fastened his seatbelt: "So, as we agreed before, we're going to a local laboratory, right? I happen to need some equipment to study Sandman's characteristics."
Peter had told Sylvia in Lisbon that he wanted to research the material of the Wild Corps' bullets and some physical characteristics of Sandman, but the Wild Corps didn't have many connections in Lisbon and couldn't provide the equipment. In Madrid, however, several research facilities that the Wild Corps was tasked to protect had very close ties with them, allowing Peter to borrow the equipment for his research.
"We cannot be sure exactly when the Elementals will launch an attack; it could be any time in the next few days. So, you need to pay attention to your physical condition. Don't work too late, lest it affect your combat readiness."
"My physical condition is excellent. Unless there's high-intensity combat or labor, three to four hours of sleep a day is enough; I don't need much rest." Peter reassured Sylvia, who nodded and then gave a somewhat inexplicable reply.
"Just like an elf."
"?"
"Uh, you don't know? Elves only need three or four hours of sleep."
It took Peter a moment to realize what Sylvia was talking about: "Are you referring to Dungeons & Dragons?"
"Yes."
"No, no, the elves in Dungeons & Dragons don't actually sleep. In fact, they only need four hours of rest. The rulebook clearly states that they don't need to sleep due to their magical nature..."
Peter saw Sylvia staring at him, so he 'hmm-ed' twice, shut his mouth, and then reminded her: "Driving, you know, pay attention to the road."
The jeep quickly entered a heavily guarded facility in the suburbs. In addition to a large number of Spanish soldiers, soldiers from the Wild Corps could also be seen patrolling here. Sylvia led Spider-Man into the institute and introduced him to several scientists. Of course, Peter didn't recognize any of them; they appeared to be background scientists with no fame in the Marvel Universe.
"I have a question."
Peter honestly asked the question that had long puzzled him: "The Elementals have invaded many research facilities, or hospitals, warehouses, libraries, and similar places, but these places have almost no connection. How did you determine that the Elementals might come here?"
The scientists exchanged glances, then looked at Sylvia. Sylvia nodded, and they proceeded to explain the related reasons to Peter.
"The Elementals are very unique. After they stay in a place for more than 24 hours, the radiation inside their bodies can be detected by instruments. Therefore, they actually have a relatively clear path of movement. Because the Wild Corps gradually developed tactics against them after the initial successful attacks, they need to prepare in advance if they want to move, and this preparation naturally leaves traces."
Actions like Sandman receiving intelligence and ambushing the students did not require prior preparation, so they could achieve surprise. However, with various laboratories and research facilities, who knew if there was some astonishing wisdom conceived by Marvel Universe scientists inside? A mistake could lead to their demise, so preparation was necessary.
"What about their source of intelligence?"
Peter posed the next question, but neither the scientists nor Sylvia knew the answer to this one.
"Alright, next question, can you prepare a lab for me? I want to investigate the Elementals' samples."
"Follow me." Sylvia agreed directly: "We have samples from Sandman, Hydro-Man, and Molten Man. I hope you can analyze something."
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