Certainly, what truly pleased Mark wasn't just this; it brought them one step closer to resolving this battle.
So they wouldn't wander aimlessly in this city like headless flies.
While Mark and Max rushed over at full speed, the battle on the other side had already begun.
The Ghost, seeing Middle-Aged Tobey Spider calling for reinforcements, pounced directly towards him.
The two quickly engaged in battle.
Facing Middle-Aged Tobey Spider, the Ghost didn't hold back as he did against Spider-Tom.
His body, enhanced during the research on his own serum, was stronger than the average Spider-Man.
With each punch and kick, the force reached tens of tons. Wherever his fists and feet hit, the walls seemed like fragile paper.
However, Middle-Aged Tobey Spider couldn't be underestimated
In his world, he had silently been a superhero for decades.
His rich combat experience was evident.
Even though his strength, speed, and other aspects were slightly lower than the Ghost's, relying on his extensive combat experience, he could still hold his ground.
Moreover, although he was nearing forty, generally speaking, 25 to 40 was a man's golden period. After 40, the body's functions would gradually decline.
So, Middle-Aged Tobey Spider was almost in his peak state now, not much inferior to the Ghost.
The two transformed directly into humanoid disaster, engaging in a fast-paced battle in this city district.
Every punch and kick they exchanged exploded like artillery shells, creating bursts of roars that left the surrounding police officers bewildered.
Although they could see that Spider-Man was fighting an enemy, recent controversies surrounding Spider-Man made them unsure whom to support.
And frankly, the small-caliber police pistols in their hands couldn't cause substantial harm to the two in the field.
The steel battle armor made from tactical satellite materials was no joke.
At this moment, Doctor Strange finally arrived.
To avoid Wong discovering the basket he had poked holes in, Doctor Strange had reinforced the enchantments in the basement, temporarily separating it from the Sanctum above.
After arriving, Doctor Strange looked at Spider-Tom, found he wasn't in mortal danger, and ignored him, directly joining the battlefield.
With Doctor Strange and Middle-Aged Tobey Spider's combined attack, the Ghost finally showed signs of defeat.
No matter how powerful he was, dealing with "the best Sorcerer Supreme" while also facing someone of similar strength was beyond him.
However, the Ghost didn't show signs of discouragement or panic.
Especially after seeing Doctor Strange join the battle, he even laughed heartily.
Because this was all part of his plan!
Creak—
Near the Sanctum Sanctorum, a large truck came to a stop.
A burly man, dressed in a lion-head vest and resembling an Indian chief, jumped down from the driver's seat. He patted the truck's bed, saying, "Flint, we've arrived."
The truck bed was filled with sand, but, in reality, it was Sandman—Flint Marko.
A sand-made head rose from the truck bed, asking, "Are we here?"
"The signal on Vulture disappeared around here. The pheromones I applied to Rhino also led to this place," said the burly man.
His name was Sergei Khravinoff, but others usually called him Kraven the Hunter!
He was a descendant of a nobility, on a journey to reclaim noble honor through hunting.
He obtained a mysterious potion from a witch skilled in voodoo. This potion granted him strength, speed beyond normal, and extended his lifespan.
Now over 70 years old, he still looked like a fit man in his thirties.
In his world, after hunting all the Earth's formidable beasts, he found it dull. So, he set his sights on Spider-Man.
Subsequently, he arrived in this world.
The good news was, this world also had Spider-Man!
So, he didn't care where he was, as long as he could continue his hunting game.
Sandman carefully surveyed the nearby buildings and asked, "But this place looks ordinary, all regular houses. Is this really the wizard's residence?"
Kraven smirked evilly, "Of course! Wizards love playing these tricks! No one understands wizards better than me!"
Sandman had no strong opinion. Seeing Kraven's insistence, he directly manipulated the several tons of sand to soar into the air, circling around the vicinity of the Sanctum, trying to locate the concealed wizard's dwelling.
Meanwhile, Kraven returned to the truck, taking out two bombs resembling anti-tank mines from the passenger seat.
These were bombs given to him by their "Boss." Despite appearing small, they weighed over a hundred kilograms each, containing specially crafted compressed explosives with considerable power.
Unlike the naive Sandman, he had no intention of searching for the concealed wizard's residence.
He planned to use these two bombs directly to blow up the area where the signal disappeared!
Because he deeply understood the ways of wizards, with their abilities, concealing a house was too simple.
But no matter how well disguised it was, as long as the house remained at this physical location, it couldn't escape damage!
Kraven sniffed the air, detecting the scent of his specially crafted pheromones. He stopped at the entrance of the Sanctum.
However, in his sight, what stood before him was just an ordinary house.
Undeterred, he directly placed the bomb at his feet and set the timer.
Next, he examined the nearby terrain, a short distance from the Sanctum, placing a second bomb.
Then he drove away.
The bomb's power was enough to flatten the entire street; he certainly wouldn't stay there.
Sandman quickly returned, having found nothing.
He glanced at Kraven, then at the passenger seat, his expression changing, "Did you set the bombs?"
Kraven, holding the steering wheel casually, didn't even look at Sandman, "Of course, are we here for sightseeing?"
Sandman was furious, "There are many innocent people nearby! Do you know what will happen when those two bombs explode?"
"Oh! There are many innocent people around~" Kraven mimicked Sandman's tone playfully, then his tone shifted, "So what? As long as we eliminate this wizard's residence, we might even gain some mysterious methods from the wizard."
His mind was already beginning to fantasize.
The mysterious potion he obtained earlier turned him into a superhuman, granting him prolonged youth.
However, he wasn't satisfied.
If he could obtain more from wizards, he could become even stronger, hunting more things!
Kraven licked his lips, excitement evident in his eyes.
"Where is Rhino? He's your partner, right? Aren't you afraid of blowing him up too?" Sandman questioned.
Both Rhino and Kraven were both russian, and it seemed like they had a decent relationship.
However, Kraven laughed again, "Partner? Don't be ridiculous. He's just a pitiful creature being used by others. He's not worth it."
Bang!
Sandman couldn't tolerate it anymore; his fist solidified into sand, striking Kraven.
"You hopeless idiot!" Kraven decisively abandoned the truck, opened the driver's seat door, and jumped out.
Then, seemingly from nowhere, he pulled out a vial of potion and smashed it onto Sandman.
Bang!
The glass bottle shattered, and the liquid within splashed onto Sandman's chest, forming small white patches.
Immediately after, Kraven tossed a lighter with his other hand, smashing it towards Sandman.
Boom!
The liquid instantly ignited, and where the liquid touched, the sand rapidly melted.
Silicon dioxide's melting point is around 1600℃, and with proper preparations, there are various means to reach this temperature.
"Ah, ahh!" Sandman roared in pain.
He quickly separated the nearby sand from his body and then filled the gap with sand from other areas.
However, when he finished these actions, he discovered that Kraven had long vanished without a trace.
Worried about the bomb causing casualties, Sandman immediately gave up chasing Kraven, turning around and flying towards the direction of the Sanctum.
However, halfway through, he was greeted by two consecutive towering flames!
Boom!
Boom!
Nearby houses were lifted into the air in an instant, and the glass windows of the nearby streets as well as some less stable structures shattered and collapsed.
This level of power was comparable to a small missile!
Whoosh—
The majority of the sand gathered on Sandman's body was blown away by the shockwave from the explosion.
But Sandman paid it no mind.
He floated in the air, his vague form appearing, staring at the ruins below, listening to the wails and cries from the debris.
"Dad, Mom."
A faint voice echoed from beneath the ruins.
Sandman suddenly snapped back to attention.
He immediately descended from the sky, molding himself into a humanoid form on the ground.
With a giant hand made of sand, he carefully lifted a piece of concrete.
Below, a little girl in pajamas looked up at the two twisted bodies above her, her father and mother, who, just before the house collapsed, chose to shield her, creating a refuge with their lives.
Sandman remained silent for a moment, then held the almost unrecognizable bodies in his hands and gently placed them on the ground.
His other hand transformed back into a human hand. "Child, come out quickly. It's dangerous here."
The little girl raised her reddened eyes, looked at him, and once again burst into tears.
Sandman could only scoop the little girl into his hands and place her beside her parents' bodies.
"It's him, that monster! He appeared here before the explosion!" a voice sounded from behind.
Several surviving citizens, eyeing Sandman angrily, shouted. Some even attacked him, brandishing weapons.
Sandman didn't retaliate; he allowed them to insult, blame, and attack him.
Silently, he used his powers to rescue people one by one from the rubble.
There were elderly, children, office workers, bosses, but at this moment, they all shared one common identity.
Victims!
At this moment, Sandman finally realized the extent of the threat that lawless supervillains could pose to ordinary people!
While Sandman was busy with his redemption, the basement of the Sanctum was already in chaos.
Although it was concealed by special magic, ordinary people couldn't see it.
But it did exist on Earth.
The explosion had undoubtedly impacted it.
Under the influence of the shock, several magical prisons were also affected to varying degrees.
Eddie, who was relaxing after bickering with Venom, abruptly awakened. He instantly merged with Venom, punching through the wall, and escaping!
Doctor Strange's magical prisons were indeed magical, but the walls were just walls with a certain magic enchantment.
When the explosion shook the foundation, causing the walls to sway, the magic attached to them revealed subtle flaws.
For other villains, this flaw was not enough to facilitate their escape, and they wouldn't even notice it.
However, the symbiote was originally a formless four-dimensional entity. After transforming into Venom, it became extremely sensitive to fluctuations in space and time.
Lizard Doctor looked at Venom in confusion, "How did you get out?"
Others also turned their attention to him.
Rhino hammered the wall, attempting to emulate Venom, but it only resulted in a broken hand.
"Hey, buddy, mind letting me out?" Vulture chose persuasion.
Venom shrugged, "The answer is no. I'm making my exit; I don't want to tangle with that troublesome wizard again."
Thinking about Doctor Strange's abilities, he shivered and decided to leave immediately.
Doctor Octopus sneered, "That wizard can locate people directly. Even if you're at the ends of the earth, he can bring you back. Are you sure you want to escape alone?"
Venom paused, turned back to him, and asked, "Alright, you seem like a smart guy, not like Eddie, who's a fool. Tell me your plan. If I'm satisfied, I'll let you out."
Doctor Octopus smiled, "Release all of us, the more targets, the harder it is for him to find us."
"Hmm, sounds like a good idea." Venom jumped to Doctor Octopus's cell, assessed it, then smashed it with a punch.
Following suit, he shattered the other cells.
The villains escaped one by one!
"By the way, those two little guys who just escaped had a device that could send us back. If we want to stay here, we need to get our hands on it!" Doctor Octopus suggested.
"Great idea! Let's wreak havoc!" Rhino laughed heartily, but unfortunately, without his Rhino armor, he was just slightly physically stronger ordinary person.
And...
"Strange, how did we get into such a mess?" A chubby figure appeared at the entrance of the basement.
°°°
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