Chapter 242: The Symbiote Scream
"You've worked hard lately, Little Black." Silas decided to show some proper concern for his subordinate, even though Shadow Ninjas didn't actually feel fatigue.
"This is my duty, Master." As a member of the Shadow Corps, unconditional obedience to his master's commands was Little Black's primary directive.
"How do you plan to handle these symbiotes?" Silas asked, leaning back in his chair.
The symbiotes in the containers could hear them; they were writhing frantically inside, though they had no hope of breaking the glass.
"I intend to take one of the uncooperative ones and experiment with the effects of fire and ultrasound on them," Little Black said.
The moment he finished speaking, all the symbiotes in the containers went still. They lay there motionless, performing their best impression of "perfectly obedient pets."
"Pfft—haha!" Silas almost burst out laughing. These symbiotes were truly amusing. He knew Little Black had said that on purpose—a gentle reminder to stay in line, or else he had plenty of ways to make them miserable.
Seeing the symbiotes settle down, Little Black pressed a button, lowering a soundproof glass barrier.
"I want to study their biological structure and see if I can develop a 'Symbiote Suit,'" Little Black explained.
"A Symbiote Suit?" Silas mused. A symbiote could protect its host at all times and serve as a massive power boost. However, that was only if the symbiote was cooperative and friendly. If it were malevolent, it would become a weapon that actively harmed its host.
"You understand the drawbacks, I assume," Silas said.
Little Black nodded. "Of course, Master. But your idea might be slightly different from mine."
"Different how?"
"I mean creating a suit that possesses the properties of a symbiote but lacks a consciousness of its own. It would be a pure weapon," Little Black clarified.
"That's an excellent idea," Silas smiled. Little Black truly was the leading intellect of the Shadow Corps, far beyond a meathead like Big Black.
(Meanwhile, Big Black, currently tucked into Silas's bed to keep it warm, blinked his eyes innocently.)
"However, such a plan will be difficult to implement with technology alone," Silas said, eyeing the writhing goo.
Little Black knew this as well. Conventional science had its limits, but they had magic!
"I'll head back and look through the magic books to see which spells might fit," Silas said. He had a decent amount of Sin Points stockpiled; he could flip through the grimoires and exchange points for anything useful.
"Thank you for your assistance, Master," Little Black bowed.
"Symbiotes..." Silas rubbed his chin. They were indeed valuable assets. They could turn an ordinary person into a powerhouse in an instant, providing massive physical buffs.
Suddenly, a Shadow Ninja appeared, pulling a cylindrical transparent container from his robes. Inside flowed a swirl of red and yellow liquid.
"So there was another one?" Silas took the container. This symbiote was different from Venom; it was an immature specimen—essentially an adolescent symbiote. In terms of raw power, it couldn't compare to a mature one like Venom or Riot.
"Scream," Silas said, holding the container up to the light. If he remembered correctly, this was the female symbiote known as Scream.
There was a rumor among the symbiote circles that female symbiotes were several times more powerful than males. Combined with the trait that offspring are often stronger than their predecessors, Scream had the potential to be formidable. Of course, they all eventually lost to Venom because of his "protagonist aura"—proving that your dad is always your dad.
"Nurture her to maturity," Silas said, handing Scream over to Little Black.
Next Door
Peter had just checked on Silas. Seeing the lights off, he returned to his own bed.
"Ugh..." Every time Peter closed his eyes, he pictured that disgusting black liquid crawling inside him.
"Phew~ Okay, Peter. Time to sleep. Stop thinking about it." He forced himself to stay still, silently counting sheep to hypnotize himself.
Gradually, Venom began to seep out of Peter's discarded suit. It flowed through the gaps in the wardrobe, slithered across the floor, and climbed up the bedpost. It latched onto Peter's ankle and began its ascent, covering his body like a shroud.
"What—?!" By the time Peter reacted, the darkness had fully enveloped him. He tried to tear it off, but the substance flowed through his fingers like water.
Outside
"This is... incredibly cool..." Peter stood before a glass window, admiring his new reflection.
His usually red-toned suit was now pitch black, embossed with white webbing patterns. The small spider emblem on his chest had transformed into a massive, aggressive white spider.
"I feel like my strength is about to explode!" Peter felt an endless reservoir of energy. He needed an outlet.
"Whoo-hoo! Your friendly neighborhood 'Black' Spider-Man is here!" Peter declared, swinging between the skyscrapers. He no longer needed web-shooters; he could generate black organic webbing directly from the suit.
Shadow Kingdom
Little Black placed Scream next to her "siblings." A family should always be together, after all. Except for their brother Riot and their father Venom, who were still out in the world.
"Master, should we kidnap some humans for experiments?" Little Black asked. He wanted to speak to the symbiotes face-to-face.
"No, we don't need to do that," Silas shook his head. He had a better idea.
Morning
"Morning, Uncle Ben! Aunt May! Silas!" Peter ran out of his room, bursting with energy. He grabbed food from the table and began eating heartily.
Aunt May looked at him in surprise. The boy seemed completely changed. Yesterday he was silent and brooding; today he was chirping like a bird.
"Morning, Peter. Something good happen?" Ben Parker asked, setting down his newspaper.
"Nothing much, just some happy thoughts," Peter said. He wasn't about to tell them the truth. He was eager to share the news with Silas. After last night's "test run," he found the black suit to be fantastic. It boosted his strength, flexibility, and convenience. In emergencies, he could just let the suit form over him without needing to change.
"Morning, everyone," Silas said, noticing Peter's wide grin.
As soon as Peter saw Silas was awake, he leaned in. "Silas, after breakfast, I have something to tell you!"
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