The second stop of the tour group, Madrid, was perhaps the most relaxing and thought-free part of the entire trip—the Elementals were truly defeated this time, and there was no sign of their imminent return.
"So, the reason it was so bright last night was because you guys took down a giant fire man?"
Gwen asked while eating breakfast. The Spanish schedule seemed strange to normal people. Most European Union countries use Central European Time, which is UTC+1. Spain, however, also adopts a dual daylight saving time system, switching to UTC+2 from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October. Geographically speaking, though, Spain's longitude is about the same or even further west than most of Europe.
The UK uses Greenwich Mean Time (UTC0). In other words, during winter time, Spain's actual time is one hour slower than the clock, and during summer time, it's two hours slower. If you start work at 9 am in February, it's actually 8 am. If you start work at 10 am in May, it's actually 8 am.
But this led to a problem: the students, whose time had been adjusted to the local Spanish time, woke up at six or seven, which was actually a little past five in the morning. Consequently, only travelers, especially these students, were found in the various shops.
Peter, Gwen, and Cindy found a cafe for breakfast. They sat in a corner discussing what happened last night. Since there weren't many people around and music was playing, Gwen wasn't worried about others eavesdropping.
Cindy just sat there drinking her coffee, silent as usual.
"Actually, that guy was called Molten Man. He was a mass of high-temperature liquid metal, capable of self-detonation in extreme circumstances."
Peter shrugged. Gwen could only imagine last night's battle. The Elementals' large-scale AOE was very unfriendly to a stealth-style player like her. In fact, not only her, but even Black Cat and Cindy could only play a minimal role in the fight, as the opponents' abilities were theoretically very strong.
Infinite regeneration, immunity to physical damage, matter manipulation—they had all sorts of means. If they had spotted Gwen, they might have considered taking a hostage, but without knowing she was there, their abilities were more likely to cause collateral damage.
Gwen blew on the coffee cup she was holding, wondering what she was thinking. After a moment, she looked at Peter: "What are you thinking about?"
"...I'm not thinking about anything. I'm looking at where we should go later."
As a tourist city, Madrid naturally had no shortage of attractions, so Peter was looking for places where they could have a good time. However, Gwen interrupted him with a single sentence: "Why don't we just wander around and play wherever we end up? Is there really a need to go to a specific attraction?"
Peter paused, then looked at Cindy. Somewhat unexpectedly, Cindy also nodded in agreement. So, Peter had no objection.
It certainly looked like a very leisurely day.
Rome, Italy
As an ancient capital that has persisted since the European Classical Era, Rome possesses numerous ancient underground sewers and catacombs. Hiding within them are not only the dead but also those who should have died but didn't.
Amidst the rapid burst of an assault rifle, Steve Rogers, disguised as the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent "Captain," dove behind a tomb. He then picked up a captured assault rifle and fired continuously. With a burst of shots, the sounds from the opposite side completely ceased.
But the Captain did not approach casually. He waited for the opportunity, and only after another scream came from the other side did he step out, watching Logan who was walking towards him, and reloaded his weapon.
It really is troublesome without the shield. The Captain thought to himself, then looked at Logan: "Eyepatch, what's ahead?"
"No threat. I'm sure of it, Captain." Logan looked at the Captain, not entirely sure why he chose the codename "Captain." Although they were both wearing disguises that weren't their original faces, this choice made it very easy for people to think he was Captain America.
"Since there's none, let's move forward. We need to figure out who is behind the Elementals and what exactly they are planning with all these actions."
The Captain said while leading the way, continuing to move forward. The two proceeded through the dim catacombs for a long time. Suddenly, Logan grabbed the Captain.
Something was wrong.
The Captain immediately raised his gun and went on alert: "Is someone coming?"
"I'm not exactly sure if it's a person...hehe."
Logan said, looking ahead with heightened vigilance, holding two daggers. A figure appeared in the distance. In the dim light of the torches, it was impossible to see who it was, but one thing was certain: the person was not a friend.
The Captain watched from afar. The person in the dark tunnel began to emit light—no, rather, they were catching fire.
"Jim Hammond, it really is him." The Captain tried his best to suppress his complicated feelings, looking at his old comrade-in-arms who had lost himself. He spoke in a calm tone: "The last time he appeared was in Madripoor, with Mister Sinister. It seems the intelligence was not wrong. His body was recovered by the people behind the Super Soldier project and transformed into the human weapon he is now."
"...There's nowhere to run now."
Logan's casual remark exposed their dangerous predicament. The two immediately turned and fled in unison, wary of the original Human Torch who could catch up at any moment. But the opponent did not immediately pursue. Instead, he raised his hands and continuously unleashed raging flames forward. The fire instantly engulfed the entire catacomb.
After burning for a period, all the flames in the catacomb, including the flames on Jim Hammond, dissipated. The original Human Torch was about to move forward and pursue when an electronic communication sounded in his mind.
"No need to pursue, Human Torch. The Spider-Man has captured an important asset of ours. Go deal with it."
"The enemy may still be alive."
"Even if they survive, the opponents are merely standard-level agents. No matter how elite, there's a limit." The voice in the earpiece said dismissively: "Leave it to the Winter Soldier. He will resolve everything. As for you, you should go confront Spider-Man."
"Understood, Doctor Zola."
The Human Torch said, withdrawing from the tunnel. The Captain, who had held his breath using Logan as a human shield, dragged the unconscious Logan, who had suffered from oxygen deprivation, out of the tunnel.
He heard the Human Torch's communication in the distance and realized who the mastermind behind the Weapon Expansion plan was.
"Arnim Zola, he's alive too."