Chapter 249: Venom Appears
The Shadow Boxing Arena
After seeing John and the other officer out, Underworld Mike used the Shadow Kingdom to retrieve the family photo he had tucked away in his office drawer.
"Memories of the past," he murmured, his fingers tracing the images of his wife and daughters on the photo, as if he were reaching out to touch them.
He stared at it for a long while before setting it down and standing up. He turned his gaze toward the window. "Please, forgive me."
The Widow's Home
John arrived at Mike's house, holding the black urn with both hands.
"What is it, John?" Mike's wife asked, puzzled by his unexpected visit on a workday.
Since Mike's passing, John had been visiting frequently to console the family, fearing they might succumb to despair. He had even given them his own bonuses along with Mike's pension.
"Um..." John took a heavy breath and held the urn out to her. "These are Mike's ashes."
"..." She fell silent. Then, she wordlessly took the urn and closed the door.
John stood there, stunned. He had imagined many scenarios—her breaking down in tears or even screaming at him—but her quiet reaction was unsettling. Worried, he whispered an apology in his heart and slipped into the house via the Shadow Kingdom.
Inside, Mike's wife was sitting on the sofa, the urn placed on the table in front of her. She had leaned her face against the cold wood of the box, weeping silently.
"Phew..." John let out a breath of relief. Crying was good; it was her staying silent that would have been dangerous.
With his mission complete, John turned to leave. He had one more thing to handle. He had heard that since Mike's death, a neighbor had been harassing the family. John cracked his neck and shrugged his shoulders. He was going to solve this his own way—not as a Police Chief, but as himself.
"Come forth, Shadow Legion," John whispered as he approached the neighbor's house, summoning his Razor Ninjas.
The Life Foundation
That night, with plenty of time on their hands, the Parker family set up tents to rest. Inside their blue tent, Peter nudged Silas, who was busy reading a comic book.
"Silas, let's go."
Silas nodded, opening a portal to the Shadow Kingdom right beside them. With a quick roll, he vanished into the darkness, with Peter following close behind.
They emerged in San Francisco. "Alright, back at the Life Foundation," Peter said. As they arrived, the black substance surged over him, forming his black suit.
"Looks like the place is empty," Silas said, leaning against a wall and tucking his comic away.
"We still have to be careful. Don't get spotted," Peter warned. "So, where to?"
Silas rubbed his chin. "The underground labs. That's usually where the good data is kept."
"Where'd you hear that?" Peter asked, surprised.
"Come on, Peter. That's how it works in the movies."
"...This is reality, not a movie," Peter sighed.
Silas looked him up and down. "Does reality have superpowers? No. But look at us."
"Fair point," Peter admitted, crawling up the wall.
"Enough talk. Let's go." Silas opened another portal, leading them directly into the lowest level of the laboratory complex.
The lab was pitch black. "There aren't even any lights?" Peter asked.
"We don't really need them to see," Silas pointed out.
"Still, lights are better." Peter hopped over to the main circuit breaker and flipped the switch. One by one, the overhead lights hummed to life, illuminating the hallway ahead.
"I think we just gave away our position," Silas remarked. He didn't mind the exposure, but he thought Peter's move was a bit reckless.
"It's fine. We'll just be fast." Peter sat at a console and began typing furiously.
While Peter pulled data, Silas summoned several Shadow Ninjas to scout the perimeter and stand guard.
"Oh no," Peter muttered, looking frustrated.
"What is it?"
"The final security layer. It needs an employee's ID card, and we don't have one."
"We don't need that." Silas flicked his wrist, and a piece of black armor flew out of the Shadow Kingdom. He placed it on the console. "Your turn, Alpha."
"Understood," the AI within the armor replied. Alpha immediately began deconstructing the Life Foundation's firewall. Soon, the hidden files were displayed on the screen.
"Extraterrestrial Symbiotes?" Peter's brow furrowed. He realized this was much bigger than he thought.
As Peter reached out to open a file, a mass of black liquid blocked his hand.
"Huh?" Peter watched in shock as a head emerged from the black substance on his arm.
The creature opened its mouth, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth. "Hello, Peter Parker."
"Whoa!" Peter jumped back, trying to shake the creature off his arm, but no matter how hard he pulled, it remained fused to him.
"You're the symbiote?!" Peter regained his composure, swallowing hard. He was startled by its appearance—especially since it was currently part of him.
"Yes. It seems your brother is not surprised to see me." Venom turned his white, almond-shaped eyes toward Silas, who remained expressionless.
Silas chuckled. Venom was already trying to deflect attention to him. "The information is right there on the screen, isn't it?"
Everyone looked at the monitor. Alpha had pulled up the symbiote profiles. It explained that without a host, the creatures could not survive long in Earth's oxygen-rich atmosphere—most would die within hours, depending on their strength.
The records also showed the Life Foundation's failed experiments. Many hosts had died because they weren't compatible. When Peter read that, his first instinct was to get the thing out of him.
"Relax, Peter. I won't eat you. You are my best host—at least for now." Since bonding with Peter, Venom was ecstatic. Peter's body was incredibly powerful. He never imagined that as a "failure" on his home planet, he would find such a strong host.
"Uh... Mr. Venom, you can leave my body if you want. Actually, my brother Silas is way stronger than me," Peter said, pointing at Silas.
"..." Silas felt like he had just been sold out by his own brother.
"Is that so?" Venom extended a long tongue, licking his own "lips" almost up to his eyes.
Peter watched the symbiote, his face twisting in disgust. He was terrified of what this thing might do inside him. "I'm scared it's going to lay eggs or something!"
"In your human tongue, I am male," Venom informed him.
Peter let out a sigh of relief, but it was short-lived as Venom added: "But I can reproduce asexually."
"Silas, save me!" Peter yelled.
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