In the hotel where the students were staying, Felicia was rummaging through Spider-Man's suitcase. Since he had mentioned preparing bombs for Hydro-Man, they had to be hidden here. But the problem was...
Felicia stared at two tubular objects that looked almost identical. She was fairly certain these were the bombs, but which one was for Hydro-Man? Or was there equipment for dealing with someone else in there as well?
Couldn't he have put a label on these?
Fortunately, Felicia found a little helper.
"Alright, your name is Venom, right?"
Opening a third tube containing a black, gelatinous substance, Felicia asked earnestly, "Which one is the bomb for Hydro-Man?"
Venom extended a small tentacle and pointed at both tubes.
"Both of them?"
The little tentacle formed an "OK" sign. Felicia prepared to seal Venom back up and leave, but Venom made a piteous request—it wanted to help.
"Sorry, pal. Against a water elemental, you probably won't be much help. Maybe next time."
Felicia decisively sealed Venom back in, packed Peter's suitcase, tucked the two tubes into her pocket, and left the room. She hadn't expected to run into several schoolmates when she opened the door. She wasn't sure if they had seen her, but in any case, she accelerated her departure.
Meanwhile, on the canals of Venice, Spider-Man and Silk were fighting in coordination with several armed helicopters from the Wild Pack. After confirming that high-frequency vibration was useless against Hydro-Man, they had adopted a brand-new tactic. The Wild Pack fired cryogenic bombs at Hydro-Man, freezing his conjured body into blocks of ice.
However, it was futile. Hydro-Man's water body drew from the canals of Venice, which were directly connected to the sea. No matter how many missiles the Wild Pack fired, it was completely painless for Hydro-Man; he could rapidly replenish his body using the inexhaustible water source.
Moreover, Silver Sable noticed that even when Hydro-Man formed a new body, there was no way to collapse it like they usually did. What exactly had the opponent done?
"There's something wrong with the water in Venice, or rather, Hydro-Man scattered something in the waterways beforehand. A kind of dust? With a gelling effect? Very clever. Almost too clever for Hydro-Man to have thought of it himself."
Peter slung a web at Hydro-Man. Carrying his bio-electricity, the web instantly transformed into a five-hit lightning whip, lashing against Hydro-Man's body. However, it didn't seem able to resolve the gel.
"Haha! I lack for nothing now, Spider-Man! I can finally destroy you!"
Hydro-Man made himself gargantuan and swung a fist at Peter. Peter dodged instantly, snagging an unmanned small boat mid-air and smashing it into Hydro-Man, triggering a massive splash.
Hydro-Man noticed something: Spider-Man wasn't wearing his symbiote suit. Although the black stealth suit looked very similar to the symbiote—same color—there was a distinct difference in texture.
What is Spider-Man doing?
Hydro-Man didn't have time to think further, because Peter's counterattack was about to begin. Black Cat arrived at the battlefield with the bombs Peter had prepared. After tossing the two tubes to him, she asked, "How do you use these? I don't see a pull ring or a button."
"I'll handle it in a moment. Don't worry, I have a way."
Peter took a deep breath, allowed a smile to surface, and then sent a transmission to Silver Sable: "Please have the Wild Pack cease their attack. I'm moving in."
"Are you sure, Spider-Man? The liquid nitrogen bombs can still keep him pinned down somewhat, but if you charge in now, you might not be his match."
"Don't worry, I've prepared for this."
Peter turned his gaze to Cindy at last. "Silk, remember to pull me out."
Cindy was slightly confused by Peter's command, but she quickly nodded and prepared to act. As for Spider-Man himself, he used his webbing to stretch a net between the streets on both sides of the waterway, then launched himself like a slingshot toward the Hydro-Man before him.
Clad in his stealth suit, Spider-Man dove headfirst into Hydro-Man's watery torso. He crushed the two tubes in his hands, and the liquid inside immediately spilled out, diffusing through Hydro-Man's body as Peter's bio-electricity began to surge outward. Hydro-Man immediately churned a portion of his internal body, casting that water out, and let out a roar from his exterior at the Spider-Man within.
"You think you can deal with me with these things?"
[These things are enough to deal with you.]
The telepathic communication struck Hydro-Man's spiritual core directly. Then, Hydro-Man heard a familiar phrase: [Do you know that if you pour a cup of water into the ocean, given enough time, every cup of water you scoop up afterward will contain molecules from that original cup?]
[And I happen to know a few ways to use an electric current to make molecules diffuse rapidly.]
As white lightning erupted from Spider-Man's obsidian suit, the entirety of Hydro-Man's massive water body began to emit a violent glare. The current emitted by Spider-Man reacted rapidly with the "bombs" he had prepared for Hydro-Man. In that split second, Peter took advantage of Hydro-Man's waning control over the water to punch through to the surface, revealing his head. Cindy hurriedly used her silk to pull Peter out.
To accurately judge his position and pull him out in time—this was a feat only Cindy could achieve through her sensory connection to him.
Felicia watched the glowing Hydro-Man in astonishment and asked curiously, "What did you do to him?"
"Nothing much, just electrolysis. Those were high-energy materials I found at the Baxter Building. With the stimulation of energy, they can release high-intensity current—current strong enough to decompose water into hydrogen and oxygen."
Bubbles of steam appeared one after another within the water body. Then, as the hydrogen came into contact with the high-temperature current, a series of explosions erupted, shattering the entire water body controlled by Hydro-Man into spray. Silver Sable was about to step forward to continue the attack, but Peter stopped her. "No need. We've already won."
"Already won? But the opponent hasn't..."
"No, we've already won."
Peter finally understood where Nick Fury's confidence came from; it came from his analysis of the enemy. Near the site of Hydro-Man's explosion, Peter saw a message carved into a wooden board with high-pressure water jets.
Hydro-Man and Sandman intended to surrender, provided their safety could be guaranteed.