While Peter and Felicia were chatting, Jessica and their other classmates were on a boat in Venice, admiring the ancient buildings on either side. For various reasons, the structures in Venice had not been renovated for a long time, but they still appeared cleaner than the old city districts of Lisbon, giving off a very refreshing vibe.
Jessica felt a bit more relaxed. Her muscle atrophy seemed to be getting more serious lately; occasionally, she experienced mobility issues or would trip over thin air. Generally speaking, however, it hadn't impacted her daily life yet, which was why she intended to hide away and travel for a while to see if she could enjoy life a bit more. Now, looking at the surrounding scenery, she couldn't help but take commemorative photos.
However, she was only using her phone, and her technique was far from professional.
After snapping a few shots, Jessica looked through her photos and suddenly felt something was off. In some of the pictures, white water trails appeared on the canal. She scanned the surroundings and confirmed that those white trails actually existed, so she turned to ask the gondolier operating the boat from the rear.
"Excuse me, sir, what are those white streaks?"
"Probably fish. You see them sometimes," the gondolier said absentmindedly.
But as Jessica watched the white trails appearing around them, she realized their movement speed was absurdly fast.
No, those aren't fish!
"Stop! No, don't stop! Quickly, turn the boat around and get to the shore!" Jessica shouted with sudden agitation, startling her classmates on the boat. She kept yelling, "Turn the boat around, quickly! There's something under the water!"
At that moment, the impossible happened.
As the white trails from all directions converged, a massive giant made of water rose up. It looked around, letting out a thunderous roar—"Spider-Man!"—and began swinging its fists at the nearby civilians.
Peter and Felicia, who were in the middle of taking photos, naturally noticed this immediately. However, the Spider-Sense didn't tingle, which meant the attack was designed to lure Spider-Man over rather than ambush him.
"Jessica is still out on the canal!"
"I'll go find the senior and save the others." Peter looked at the distant Hydro-Man and then at the surroundings. There were no overwhelming sandstorms or flying humanoid torches. Only a single Hydro-Man had appeared. This felt off; something was likely wrong with this situation.
"Go and get the bombs I brought ready. They're in my room; you should know where."
Watching Peter prepare to take off, Felicia asked helplessly, "I don't have the key to your room."
"You don't need a key."
After Peter left, Felicia couldn't help but roll her eyes at his back before departing reluctantly. Meanwhile, Peter found an opportunity to push through the panicked crowd, ducked into a secluded spot, and quickly stripped off his civilian clothes, webbing them to a rooftop.
Venom was still not in good shape. After suffering the attack from Molten Man, he hadn't had enough time to recover, so Peter had temporarily left him in the hotel room. Consequently, Peter had to face the enemy alone once again.
"Looks like the old guy won't be in top form for a while. I need to find a place where he can truly rest."
Peter took a deep breath, donned the Stealth Suit he had brought, and leapt toward the canal. He moved swiftly through the river, rescuing tourists who had fallen into the water, pulling them to the embankments, or using his webbing to secure overturned boats and drag them to safety.
Hydro-Man clearly noticed Spider-Man and was rapidly restructuring himself to face his foe. But Peter didn't give him the chance, constantly circling and keeping the giant disoriented.
"Good morning, Hydro-Man. What brings you to Venice for a visit? I would've thought a man of water wouldn't like a city full of water—since, you know, you're basically a giant puddle."
After swinging near Hydro-Man's head to drop a taunt, Peter immediately used his webs to dodge a punch. Simultaneously, he spotted his classmates who had fallen into the water after their boat capsized, waiting for rescue, and immediately swung toward them.
As for Hydro-Man, there was no need to worry just yet. An attack helicopter from the Wild Pack flew directly in front of the water giant. Silver Sablinova, piloting the craft, took a deep breath and stared at the enemy with a grim expression.
Come on. Whether we capture it or destroy it, we must take down another Elemental today!
Meanwhile, Spider-Man had swung to the sides of the canal, firing web after web to snag the people in the water. He hauled them out one by one and dropped them onto the pavement. Some were quite dissatisfied with Spider-Man's rough handling and began grumbling or cursing.
Peter, of course, ignored them. He didn't have the luxury of time to handle everyone with kid gloves.
The last person in the water happened to be Jessica. She seemingly couldn't swim and was flailing in the water, reaching out toward the Spider-Man swinging her way. Peter dove straight into the water, grabbed her by the waist, and pulled her out.
"Spider-Man?! I... I thought you'd grab my hand!"
"Your arm might have snapped if I did that, miss." Peter landed quickly on a nearby bridge and set Jessica down. "Remember to pay attention in swimming class, miss. It can save your life sometimes."
"I'm a great swimmer! It's just... I couldn't find any strength just now," Jessica panted, defending herself. Then she noticed Peter's high-tech, all-black suit. "Oh, did you get a new uniform?"
"On a business trip to Europe, had to gear up with some new equipment."
Peter helped Jessica to her feet. "Can you walk on your own? I have a big guy to deal with."
"Oh, uh, yes."
Almost as soon as the words left her mouth, she watched Spider-Man swing away. She only had time to shout a quick "thank you" before leaning against the bridge railing for support.
"The specialized bullets are useless, Spider-Man. My shots are having almost no effect on him."
As Peter swung back toward the fight, he heard Silver's report. At this moment, her attack helicopter was pulling back to maintain distance from Hydro-Man to avoid being swatted out of the sky. She had no desire to "fall from grace," even if the person that phrase originally alluded to was still alive and well this year.
"All those in the water have been rescued."
Cindy's words were as concise as ever. She landed on the roof of a clock tower, and Peter dropped down beside her. He looked at the massive Hydro-Man and narrowed his eyes.
"Alright. Let's have ourselves a proper water fight with Hydro-Man."
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