"Mr. Morris Bench, I have essentially determined why Spider-Man was able to defeat you. He released a type of high-energy particle into the water body you controlled. These particles spread rapidly through the water, causing it to undergo continuous electrolysis and explosions. It was a brilliant strategy; I wonder if it was Spider-Man's own idea or if someone assisted him."
Arnim Zola let out a raspy, eerie laugh. Hearing this, Hydro-Man actually felt a wave of relief. It turned out his secret dealings with Spider-Man hadn't been exposed after all. Thank goodness.
He followed Zola's lead and continued the conversation: "So, is there a solution? Mr. Zola?"
"Yes, solving this problem is actually quite simple. One merely needs to stop using water. After all, the prerequisite for electrolyzing water is the presence of water itself. If you don't use water, you can avoid all of this."
Hydro-Man was slightly confused by Zola's words. He asked, "If I don't use water, then what do I use?"
"The answer is that you are no longer needed, Mr. Morris Bench." The giant face on Zola's mechanical torso broke into a thoroughly satisfied smile. "Did you think I was unaware of your little maneuvers? We at Hydra can monitor all humidity changes in the areas near Spider-Man. Did you think we wouldn't notice those atmospheric anomalies?"
"Mr. Morris, your every move has been under Hydra's surveillance."
"Wait, I can explain!"
Hydro-Man spoke in a panic, but Zola remained silent. Hydro-Man thought rapidly, trying to organize his speech: "Spider-Man and the S.H.I.E.L.D. and Avengers behind him believe I truly want to defect. This could be an opportunity! Dr. Zola, this might be a chance to deal with Spider-Man and the others. You know we aren't just facing Spider-Man; we're up against the Avengers as well. If... if..."
Hydro-Man trailed off because he realized Zola was staring at him with a mocking gaze, as if watching a clown perform. He felt a surge of terror.
Though he had long since lost his physical body, at this moment, he felt as if he were breaking out in a cold sweat. He wanted to swallow, but he had no saliva.
"Mr. Morris, I am very satisfied with the service you previously provided us, and I am quite regretful that our cooperation has come to an end." On the large screen of Zola's body, a face of regret appeared, followed by a helpless shake of the head. "Originally, in Hydra's future blueprint, you might have secured a minor but beneficial position. Unfortunately, that is no longer possible."
"To tell you the truth, Hydra is far more powerful than you imagine. We have seen the future through the multiverse. Hydra will be victorious. We will eliminate all heroes and, along with those who were willing to help us, divide the entire world."
Zola let out a regretful sigh. "But sadly, there is no longer a place in it for you."
"No! No! No!"
Hydro-Man howled in agony as his spiritual form was engulfed in surging green flames. He began to burn relentlessly. Sandman witnessed the entire process. At this moment, he watched as the spiritual form Hydra had told them was "invulnerable" burned away completely, leaving not even a trace of ash behind.
Hydro-Man was dead, leaving nothing behind.
Sandman watched this in silence. He hadn't chosen to inform on his partner, nor had he leaked the information about the conspiracy between Hydro-Man and Spider-Man. However, seeing Hydro-Man die brought him a sense of relief.
He saw Arnim Zola turn around to look at him.
"Mr. Flint Marko, or perhaps I should call you Mr. William Baker."
Zola easily revealed the true identity Sandman had been hiding and offered a kind smile. "What I want to tell you is that Hydra never mistreats its friends, but it certainly never treats its enemies well. Regrettably, Mr. Morris chose not to be our friend, so we had to treat him as an enemy."
"So, here is the question: do you wish to be our enemy, or our friend?"
After a long silence, Sandman asked cautiously, "What do you need me to do?"
"Go to London," Zola answered. "If Spider-Man manages to reach London alive, you will be responsible for killing him."
Meanwhile, having finished the negotiations, Peter was waiting for Fury. As usual, Fury was playing with a Rubik's Cube while explaining how the situation would develop.
"There are three possible scenarios. First, Hydra doesn't care or hasn't noticed Hydro-Man's issues. In that case, we can simply bring Hydro-Man and Sandman back. Worst case, we keep them locked up. Their existence is evidence—living witnesses that Hydra truly exists."
Even the Winter Soldier couldn't prove Hydra's existence. In terms of official records, the Winter Soldier was a modified Soviet assassin, not a Hydra operative. This illustrated the true nature of Hydra—they were a group of "costume players." For every action and identity, they wore a mask and slapped on a label that said "I am not Hydra."
Therefore, the existence of Hydro-Man and Sandman would indeed be perfect witnesses.
"Second, Hydra uses them as bait. This situation is the simplest. Since we aren't truly planning to accept their surrender and our side is faking it, they will ultimately gain nothing, and we can launch a counter-ambush."
Peter understood what the third scenario was: "The final possibility is that Hydra discovered Hydro-Man was in contact with us and eliminated him directly, right?"
Fury was very satisfied with Spider-Man's reaction and reasoning. He nodded. "Exactly. As long as Hydro-Man doesn't contact you again, he has essentially been sentenced to death."
At this point, Fury felt a bit reflective. He didn't particularly want Hydro-Man to die, because that would signify one thing: after weighing the pros and cons, Hydra would rather sacrifice a portion of itself to survive, burying the unexposed parts even deeper rather than trying to preserve the whole.
This proved a more troublesome point: Hydra was not merely hiding by sheer momentum; it possessed a core leadership capable of rivaling the Red Skull.
Ultimately, the results proved Fury's most troublesome suspicion true: Hydro-Man never contacted Spider-Man again.
And so, the journey pushed toward its climax, the place where all clues converged: Budapest.
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