Peter, of course, knew that the cage holding Molten Man was equipped with a device capable of completely erasing spiritual bodies; he was, in fact, the one who designed it. From the very beginning, he and Silver Sable had anticipated that the opposition might attempt a prison break, so they had installed this as a failsafe.
However, in Peter's plan, the device was intended more as a deterrent than a functional tool. Its primary purpose was to intimidate enemies and warn them against attempting a rescue.
Of course, if a situation truly became untenable, Silver Sable would naturally press that button. It was just that neither Peter nor Silver Sable had expected Madame Hydra to be so... decisive. She had chosen to open the door directly.
And then she had fled.
"Looks like I missed a good show?"
Black Cat arrived on the scene, raising an eyebrow at the members of the Serpent Society scattered across the ground. Madame Hydra's teleportation spell seemed to have limitations; only those who remained conscious had been whisked away. The others still lay there, motionless.
Peter didn't recall Madame Hydra being capable of magic in the comics. She had indeed gained longevity from Chthon, but she wasn't supposed to be a sorceress.
It seemed the settings of this universe had been tweaked once again.
Felicia then looked toward the opened cage. "That person was..."
"Emergency situation. I had to prevent the prisoner from being rescued, so I neutralized the convict in advance," Silver Sable stated coldly.
Felicia twitched an eyebrow. The Wild Pack truly lived up to its origins as a Russian-born military force—their logic was consistent: if you kill the prisoner before the enemy can rescue them, you ensure the jailbreak is a failure.
Silver Sable ignored Felicia. Instead, she received good news through her earpiece—Silk had helped the Wild Pack soldiers take down three more members of the Serpent Society. This raid had cost the Society seven or eight members in total.
These counted as extra income; selling them to S.H.I.E.L.D. later would bring in a substantial sum of money.
"Regardless, the problem here is over for now. We'll take charge of these cyborgs. The hull is leaking, but not to the point of capsizing. Now is the perfect opportunity; those pests won't be back to interfere."
As she spoke, Silver Sable used her rifle butt to deliver a sharp blow to the head of a Serpent Society member on the ground. She then looked at Spider-Man. "Go do what you need to do, Spider-Man. As it happens, we're short one prisoner for interrogation. I'll have a new cage prepared for you."
Peter stared silently at the cage, then let out a helpless sigh.
"Alright. I just hope the Serpent Society and whoever is behind them learn their lesson."
"I doubt it. Since they show no mercy even toward their own comrades, you can't expect them to hold back next time," Silver Sable clarified the reality. "We need to be prepared. They'll do this again. In fact, it's highly likely they came here with the sole purpose of silencing him."
Peter looked up. Outside, Excalibur was locked in a fierce battle with the Elementals.
"Then I'm afraid we can't just deal with the Elementals. We have to drag the enemy behind them out into the light."
"Look at me, villain!"
Captain Britain slammed a fist into Jim Hammond, sending the flaming Human Torch flying. Simultaneously, Meggan transformed into a fire elemental, crystallizing the dust controlled by Sandman. In the shadows, Psylocke, Elizabeth Braddock, was constantly attempting to read the thoughts of the four enemies, ready to launch a psychic assault at any moment.
However, as a telepath, she didn't possess the raw power of Professor X or the White Queen. Since three of the Elementals were spiritual entities with strong telepathic abilities themselves, she had to wait for the perfect opening to deal a devastating blow.
As for the original Human Torch, Jim Hammond... he was a bio-organic android. Following his modern upgrades by Hydra, his brain was essentially a computer, making him immune to mind-reading.
As they spoke, Captain Britain dispersed Hydro-Man once again. However, the enemy's immunity to physical damage remained an unsolved problem, and powerful tornadoes frequently interfered with his movements.
"I've found his weakness!"
Cyclone shouted in triumph, conjuring small tornadoes one after another around Captain Britain. "This guy's weakness is that he still needs air to breathe! Almost all attacks are blocked by his force field, but air circulation isn't!"
"Watch me blow away all the oxygen he needs to breathe!"
Hydro-Man looked at his teammate's moronic maneuver in disbelief. Are you kidding me? Does he think the guy can't hold his breath? Did you not see his Superman-like abilities? Can he not just fly away, take a breath, and come back to kill us?
Naturally, Cyclone wasn't that stupid. In reality, what he shouted was a lie. The actual situation was far more sinister.
Captain Britain received a message from his sister via telepathy and immediately looked horrified. He held his breath and charged toward Cyclone. At that moment, clouds of yellow gas began to appear on the ground—biochemical toxins.
Cyclone's plan was simple: use the gas canisters left in the sea by the retreating Serpent Society to engulf all of Naples. If Captain Britain and his team intended to help, they would be forced to dive into the gas to save ordinary citizens.
Once you are deep in the toxin, since your magical force field can't filter the air, you'll be a dead man walking!
Thinking of this, Cyclone couldn't help but burst into laughter, commanding his teammates to stall the Pixie Princess, who might turn into a wind elemental to stop him. Unlike the Elementals, the Pixie Princess's power came from a mutant ability; Meggan herself was still a living being and vulnerable to physical harm.
This time, the Elementals had won!
"Hello there, friends! I heard there was a party going on over here—why wasn't I invited?"
A familiar voice rang in the Elementals' ears, sounding as if the speaker was standing right beside them. The figure rushed toward the toxin clouds before they could fully disperse, spinning around the gas with incredible speed. A moment later, he emerged, and the gas had completely vanished.
Spider-Man, wearing his Velocity Suit, held a device resembling a vacuum cleaner with a filter bag strapped to his back. Naturally, the entire modified vacuum was sealed tight; no toxic gas could leak out.
"So, who forgot to read the chemistry lab manual and caused a toxic gas leak?"