Chapter 245: Riot
"Master, you've arrived." Little Black bowed as he caught sight of Silas's astral form.
In the Shadow Kingdom, Silas's soul was visible—a unique property of this dark realm's power.
"How are the symbiotes?" Silas asked casually.
He had come to the Shadow Kingdom purely to kill time. Having napped all afternoon, he didn't feel even slightly sleepy.
"They are doing well and are growing steadily. In about a month, they will reach maturity, and we will be able to utilize them." Little Black was currently in the lab, tinkering with Silas's new suit designs.
"What kind of suit are you planning to develop now?" Silas floated over to his shoulder.
Little Black didn't stop his movements. "A suit capable of supporting deep-space combat."
"Space combat?" Silas felt it was a bit early for that. The Guardians of the Galaxy were still a lifetime away. For now, most of their battles were earthbound.
"Earlier research leads to better functionality," Little Black replied. He wanted to finish it ahead of time to test for flaws, rather than rushing a prototype when the need suddenly arose.
"Then I'll leave you to it." Silas drifted nearby. Since he lacked a physical form, he couldn't play video games; he could only watch and learn a few things from Little Black's work.
"How is Parker Industries doing?" Silas, the hands-off boss, finally remembered his own company.
"Progress is excellent. There have been no obstacles. Our products are being distributed globally. Currently, in the Energy sector, we are still competing with Stark Industries," Little Black answered.
Parker Industries' products were highly visible to the general public. While Stark Industries focused on high-end tech for the elite, Parker Industries targeted the masses. The individual profit might be lower, but the market scale was massive. Furthermore, they had high-tech products active in the upper crust of society as well. Little Black had also established a specialized weapons division to research and sell arms, as the defense industry was incredibly lucrative.
The rivalry between the two giants was intensifying. Initially, Stark Industries had looked down on Parker Industries because they focused on small consumer goods. Now, things were different. Parker Industries had its own core technologies, and Stark had no choice but to treat them as a peer. However, Parker Industries still couldn't surpass Stark, largely because Tony Stark held the patents for his new clean energy source—a technology that had sparked a new era and served as Stark Industries' primary revenue stream.
"Why don't you summon a few Shadow Ninjas to help you out?" Silas asked, watching Little Black rush around.
"I don't trust them with this." Little Black was performing precision experiments where the slightest error could ruin everything. If a ninja accidentally bumped a dial, he'd have to start over. Little Black only trusted himself.
Silas spent the entire night in the laboratory, picking up knowledge on "black technology" manufacturing.
Morning
"Sleeping in a car really sucks." Ben Parker sat up, his back aching, and opened the door. There was no room to stretch; he was starting to regret not pitching the tents.
"Morning, Uncle Ben." Peter hadn't slept well either. He was a bit jealous of Silas, who seemed to fall asleep the moment his head hit the seat, unlike Peter, who tossed and turned for hours.
At that moment, Silas returned his soul to his physical body.
"So refreshing~" Silas discovered that when he used the Sheep Talisman for astral projection, his body automatically entered a deep hibernation state. This ensured that even while his soul was away, his body rested perfectly.
"Morning, everyone! How was your sleep?" Silas hopped out of the car and greeted them cheerfully.
"When will I ever have a sleep quality like Silas?" Ben sighed.
San Francisco
"Have you found Venom yet?" Carlton Drake sat in his office. He was the reason for the heavy police presence the night before.
Drake guessed that Spider-Man was just passing through. To prevent him from returning to New York, Drake lied to the police, claiming a group of thieves had broken into the Life Foundation and stolen vital assets. However, as he calmed down, he realized how difficult it would be to find a man in a mask.
Next, he used his influence to check every hospital for anyone seeking a check-up for "parasites."
"We must find Venom," a voice rasped from behind Drake.
"I know that!" Drake snapped. He vowed to tear Spider-Man to pieces. All five symbiotes had been taken by him. (Poor Peter was taking the blame for Silas's theft without even knowing it.)
"Whether we find Venom or not, the plan remains unchanged. We proceed as scheduled," the voice continued.
Drake nodded. This would be the opportunity to change the world.
"Boss... a journalist snuck in through Dr. Skirth's clearance. We... we let him escape," a subordinate reported tremblingly. First, the security team was knocked out by Spider-Man, and now they had lost a regular human.
"You've disappointed me," Drake said, rubbing the armrest of his chair. "Come here. Closer."
"Huh?" The man hesitated.
"Come." Drake beckoned.
As the man approached, a silver-grey liquid surged out of Drake's body, rapidly covering him.
"No! No! Give me another cha—" Before he could finish, Riot opened his massive maw and swallowed him whole. Riot chewed for a moment, then flicked his long tongue to lick his lips. "Delicious."
"Venom... no matter where you are, I will find you, you failure!" Riot declared.
The symbiotes had an agreement when they arrived: if Earth had the food they needed, they would signal the symbiote home planet to bring the rest of their kind. However, due to the crash, Riot hadn't landed in San Francisco initially; he had landed in Malaysia. He had to jump from host to host to make it here.
Upon arrival, he discovered his comrades Phage, Agony, Lasher, and Scream had been taken. He also knew Venom was bound to a host, but instead of following their plan, Venom had seemingly run off with the host.
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