Batman did not respond to that, lowering his voice.
"I'll explain later."
"Of course." Chen Mo nodded. "Once we've dealt with this psychologist spreading rumors everywhere."
Hugo watched him coldly.
"You think showing up overturns all the evidence?"
Chen Mo turned toward the camera.
"Dear viewers, what you're looking at right now is a living Spider-Man."
He raised his arm so the camera could get a clear shot.
"A warm, moving, talking Spider-Man with no current need for a death certificate."
The edge of Venom shifted along with him.
Chen Mo looked down at him.
"Don't steal my spotlight."
On camera, the Black Suit obligingly withdrew.
Someone in the press section finally laughed.
It was brief.
But it was enough.
That single laugh tore a crack through the chilling report Hugo had spent half the evening laying out.
Just then, the test subject beside the stage suddenly broke free of the foam gel.
The thing jerked its shoulder, smashing a chunk of hardened gel into the floor, and lunged at the nearest reporter.
Batman moved first.
But Chen Mo was faster.
Webbing shot out and wrapped around the test subject's waist.
Two black tendrils extended from Venom behind his back, gripping the steel framework of the hall's ceiling.
Chen Mo hauled backward.
The test subject spun halfway around in midair and landed back in the middle of the stage with a thud.
The floor cracked.
"Hey, don't interrupt me while I'm clearing up rumors."
Chen Mo landed on the test subject's back, plastering it with layer after layer of webbing as the black tendrils pinned its limbs.
"This is my first time attending a press conference to debunk rumors about myself. The proceedings matter."
The test subject still tried to struggle.
Chen Mo raised his hand and added two more