Chapter 192: Chapter 192: Electro Is Down! Two Spider-Women!
On the streets of New York City.
A hooded figure glowing blue from head to toe appeared in the middle of the street.
At first, no one thought much of it. After all, you could see just about anyone in New York. Cosplayers were nothing new.
But soon, people realized something was off. The glowing figure walked along a strange, fixed path. Anyone who got too close felt their hair lift unnaturally, their skin prickling with static.
Some onlookers still watched curiously. Then—
"Crackle~!"
A burst of electricity snapped through the air around him. As he walked, the power cables beneath the streets of New York began to spark and buzz. Even the massive light displays and TV screens nearby flickered and glitched.
That’s when people finally understood something was wrong.
"Run! This guy’s dangerous!"
"Call 911! No, call a superhero!"
"Wait, let me record this for TikTok first!"
"Uh... I’ll film one too."
The crowd quickly scattered. Those who insisted on filming only did so from a safe distance. No one dared get close.
But Electro ignored them all. His reserves of electricity were running dangerously low. Instinct drove him to seek out the city’s underground power cables.
And here, in the heart of New York—with the most giant screens, the most lights, the heaviest power consumption—the underground cables were plentiful.
Electro reached the center of a plaza. Spotting the facilities beneath the ground, he dropped to his knees. Both hands pressed against the cables.
"Zzzzzzz~~~!"
Arcs of lightning erupted across his body. He absorbed the current from the underground cables as if pulling it through the air itself. The surrounding screens flickered wildly.
People standing beneath them began to panic.
"Is this going to explode?"
"Better back up even farther!"
"Fuck it, I’m not watching anymore!"
Fear spread quickly through the crowd. Electricity surging like that triggered something primal in them.
But Electro only grew greedier, sucking down more and more power. Blue light danced across his face, electricity coursing through his veins.
Then—
A voice cut through the air nearby.
"Are you some kind of battery? Why can you absorb electricity?"
"?!"
Electro froze, startled. He whipped his head around, scanning left, right, front, and back—nothing.
"Up here."
The voice came again. Electro snapped his head up.
Not far away, two figures stood atop a giant billboard. One was a black-and-white Spider-Woman. The other, a gold-and-black Spider-Woman.
The speaker was the black-and-white-and-pink Spider-Woman.
The instant Electro laid eyes on Gwen, his lips trembled, his hands shook with excitement.
The mall staff, seeing superheroes appear, immediately switched the massive screens to live coverage. Now Electro’s face—and the full figures of both Spider-Women—filled every surrounding display.
The next moment, Electro blurted out, trembling with emotion.
"Spider-Woman, I didn’t mean for this to happen!"
"Oh?"
Gwen’s interest was piqued. She hadn’t rushed in to take him down. Partly to let Silk get some practice. And partly because he hadn’t actually attacked anyone yet.
That was why she was willing to wait.
Electro quickly explained.
"I’m an electrical engineer at Osborn Industries! They made me work overtime, and I fell into one of their biochemical tanks!"
"That’s how I ended up like this! I’m starving! I’m so hungry! These cables are food to me—that’s why I’m doing this!"
As he spoke, his voice swung wildly between calm and frantic. One moment steady, the next unhinged.
Gwen could see it clearly—his mind wasn’t stable. She spoke evenly.
"Then leave this place. Go somewhere open where you won’t threaten the people around you."
"No!" Electro roared before she’d even finished.
"Not leaving! No, no, no..."
He muttered to himself in agitation. His eyes darted to the massive screens around him.
A fraction of them showed his image. But the majority displayed Gwen and Silk.
"They’re all watching me."
"Everyone’s watching me."
The old Electro had always been invisible, ignored. But now—now he felt like he was blazing with light.
Except...
Why were those Spider-Women so damn annoying? Why were they stealing his spotlight?
No—they were Spider-Women. They were more famous, so of course they’d outshine him.
But... why wouldn’t they just get lost? If they disappeared, every screen in New York would be his.
Electro fell into obsessive thought.
Gwen glanced at him, then exchanged a look with Silk. Shaking her head, she said,
"His mental instability will inevitably lead to destruction."
"Yes." Silk nodded. "He’s already gone mad."
Both women could immediately see Electro’s mental state for what it was.
At that moment, the distant wail of police sirens grew louder. It seemed the 911 call had gone through, and officers were already on their way.
Within minutes, police cars swarmed the streets of New York, encircling the plaza where Electro stood. Squad cars blocked off several intersections, sealing the area completely. Officers piled out of their vehicles, weapons drawn—pistols and rifles raised as they took up positions.
Seeing the formation, Electro stayed silent for a moment before turning to Gwen.
"You helped me once, remember? On the street, when my blueprints scattered everywhere—you used your web to bundle them all together and toss them back to me."
"Though we never spoke, I shouted my name to you. Do you remember?"
Gwen shook her head.
"No."
Her reply was sharp and without hesitation.
Creak—
The moment she said it, Electro’s composure shattered. His face twisted into a savage snarl, and his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles cracked.
"You don’t remember my name?!"
Gwen tilted her head.
"Why should I remember your name?"
"Because I told you!"
Electro’s furious roar made Gwen and Silk exchange a look. Both were left speechless.
You told me, so I have to remember?
Truth be told, Gwen did recall him vaguely. But only in the sense that she’d once noticed a pile of papers on the ground, shot out a web, bundled them up, and tossed them back. That was it. The entire encounter hadn’t even lasted two seconds.
Now, Electro’s rage built to the breaking point.
With a furious roar, he hurled a surge of electricity at Gwen and Silk.
"Zzzzzzzz~~~!"
The bolt ripped through the air, but Gwen and Silk leapt away at the same time, landing on the rooftop of a nearby building.
Silk glanced at Gwen.
Gwen gave a nod.
That was all Silk needed—permission to fight. She readied herself without hesitation.
But then—
"Fire!"
At the command of the police captain, dozens of officers immediately pulled their triggers.
Bang! Bang! Bang!!!
Rat-a-tat-tat!!!
In the brutal reality of the world, when a suspect lashes out—especially one seen as dangerous—police don’t hesitate. The moment he attacked, there was never a question. No waiting to be hit first like in the movies.
American-style quick draw: shoot first, empty the mag, ask questions later.
Bang! Bang! Bang!!!
Seconds later, Electro’s body was riddled with bullets, collapsing to the ground. Spent shells scattered across the pavement, bullet holes gouging the concrete around him.
When the gunfire finally ceased, the captain raised a hand, signaling to stop.
The officers looked toward the fallen Electro, none of them eager to approach. So the decision was made—send two in body armor to check.
But just then, Electro’s fingers twitched against the ground.
The next moment, his entire body flared with blue light.
Gwen reacted instantly, firing out a web to bind him. With a sharp pull, she yanked him off the ground.
Whoosh—
Electro’s body was flung upward into the air. And then, the blue light around him burst violently.
"Boom~!"
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~!"
All the bullets were instantly repelled by electromagnetic force!
The sheriff saw this and immediately shouted.
"Duck!"
All the officers began taking cover without hesitation. Some hid behind cars, others behind walls. The bullets they had just fired came whizzing back in a dense barrage!
Fortunately, Gwen had flung Electro into the air, so most of the bullets missed their mark.
"Rat-a-tat-tat~~~"
As the bullet deflection ended, the officers just lifted their heads to look. They saw a black-and-white Spider-Woman soaring upward!
As Electro landed, Silk jumped hard to meet him. This was her perfect moment to strike! She fired a web, pulled with force, then launched herself like an arrow. Their paths crossed mid-air.
"Boom~~~!"
A thunderous crash echoed. Electro was sent flying toward the distant ground. He slammed heavily onto the ground!
But of course, it wasn’t over yet. In real fights, there’s no time for back-and-forth banter. Silk immediately leapt forward to deliver follow-up damage.
Gwen watched and nodded with satisfaction. No mercy, no waiting for the opponent to react, no wasting time. Both possessed excellent combat instincts. They didn’t hesitate to strike.
Boom~!
At that moment, Electro was sent flying back from that end to this one by Silk. Now Electro had finally reacted. He began firing electrical currents at Silk. But Silk’s reflexes were lightning-fast. The current couldn’t even touch her. Even if it grazed her slightly—
"Hm?"
Silk examined her palm, which had just been struck by the electricity. Surprisingly, she felt nothing at all.
Gwen noticed and pointed out.
"Nano-metal is insulated. Unless the current’s strong enough to break down the nano-structure."
"So that’s how it is."
Silk understood immediately. She felt even more confident about beating up Electro now. There were no ordinary people around this time. She could beat Electro up without worry.
But nearby officers saw this and asked the police chief.
"What should we do?"
The chief glanced at him.
"Can you do better than a superhero?"
"No."
The officer shook his head immediately.
"Then you’re useless."
"Yes..."
Meanwhile, after another brutal beating of Electro, Silk realized this guy is kinda hard to knock out? Exasperated, Silk shot out webbing to bind Electro, slammed him down, then jumped over to Gwen and asked.
"...Is there any way to subdue him?"
"The energy inside him seems immune to most physical attacks."
Gwen had also noticed the pattern by now. After thinking it through, she proposed two solutions.
"1: Overload him with an electrical current beyond his tolerance."
"2: Slay him with the Black Necrosword."
Truthfully, Gwen preferred the second option. Electro Man’s power slightly countered Silk’s abilities, leaving her at a disadvantage.
Still, upon hearing the suggestion, Silk glanced at the cables in the plaza’s center and inquired.
"Is that current sufficient?"
"You can try. I’m not certain either."
"Alright."
With that, Silk approached Electro once more. Seeing this bothersome spider return, Electro roared in fury.
"I am god! You insect!"
"You’re nowhere near that level."
Silk scoffed lightly. She coiled a manhole cover with her web and lashed it directly at Electro. This maneuver looked familiar to Gwen.
But Electro roared in fury.
"GRRRR!"
A burst of blue light erupted from his body. The manhole cover was flung away. But it remained tethered to Silk, so Cindy swung the cover in a wide arc, slamming it back at Electro!
This time, the Electro couldn’t roar. The two collided.
"Boom~!"
The Electro was sent flying. He instantly arced toward the center of the plaza.
Gwen saw this. She shot out a strand of Silk to open the manhole cover over the cables. Inside, the cables had been damaged by the Electro, sparks flying everywhere. Electric arcs danced continuously along the wires.
As Gwen opened the manhole cover—
"Sizzle sizzle~~~"
The lightning on the cables began to hiss and crackle.
"Boom~"
At that moment, Electro slammed into the ground nearby. He landed just a few meters from the cable shaft opening, struggling to get up.
Gwen spotted him and called out to the distant web-slinging figure.
"Silk, three points."
"Roger."
Electro: ?
Electro froze in surprise. The next instant, a large circular object flew toward him. It slammed heavily into Electro’s chest.
"Boom~"
The moment he was struck by the giant faceplate (no, the giant manhole cover), Electro was sent flying backward. He landed right into the open cable shaft cover Gwen had opened.
The instant Electro fell in—
"Boom! Sizzle sizzle!"
First came the crackling explosion of electricity, then a continuous hissing sound. Electro was electrocuted stiff! He had only just become Electro. After being flooded with such powerful current, Electro instantly stiffened. He couldn’t move a muscle. He couldn’t even scream.
"Clack~"
Silk landed beside Gwen, glanced at Electro, and asked.
"Is this good enough?"
"Yes."
Gwen looked at Silk, then noticed her hair was standing on end from the electrical charge. So Gwen reached out to smooth her hair down before continuing.
"Once he passes out, the professionals will take him away. It’s none of our concern then."
As for Spider Silk, after Gwen combed her hair, a warmth spread through Spider Silk’s heart. She looked at Gwen, her gaze gradually shifting strangely.
Gwen flinched in fright. She swiftly drew Black Necrosword. Under the Black Necrosword’s silent threat, Silk finally snapped back to her senses.
"Sorry."
"....."
Gwen sheathed the Black Necrosword. Thankfully, the sword carried its own intimidating aura. Otherwise, Gwen might have had to beat her up too.
"Ah!!!"
But just then, as Electro screamed, this entire stretch of street went dark at once. Of course, this wasn’t due to the Electro Man’s power surging. It was because the electrical current collapsed simultaneously. The Electro let out a pained cry before passing out.
After confirming everything was okay, Gwen clapped her hands and said.
"Looks like we’re good to go. Silk, do you want to keep fighting crime, or head home now?"
Silk glanced at the time. It was only around 11 or 12 p.m.
"Isn’t this the perfect time for peak criminal activity?"
Gwen understood Silk’s meaning.
"Well then, any criminals choosing to strike tonight are in for a world of trouble."
Tonight, you’re getting double the Spider-Woman!