Chapter 253: I Love Eating Chocolate
Inside Peter's body, Venom sensed a lingering danger. He looked toward Silas with a bristling intensity, wondering what this brother of Peter's was up to.
"What's wrong, Venom? Do you want to eat something, too?" Peter noticed the black substance beginning to ripple on his skin and assumed Venom wanted a taste of the scallion pancake.
Come to think of it, did a symbiote like Venom even need to eat food?
"Venom, do you need to eat to recover your strength?" Peter asked.
"No need. I can absorb the damaged cells from your body," Venom chose to lie.
While Venom had indeed been doing that for the past few days, those "cells" were barely a drop of water to a man dying of thirst.
"Whoa... amazing." Peter found the biology of the symbiote fascinating; he almost felt the urge to run some experiments. "Can I study you for a bit, Venom?" Peter asked, his curiosity peaking.
Venom's face immediately soured—well, as much as it could within Peter's mind. "No. I refuse."
"Come on, it would be interesting!" Peter tried to negotiate.
However, there was no way Venom would agree to let an inquisitive human study every inch of his being.
"Fine..." Peter finished his pancake with a sigh of disappointment.
At that moment, Ben Parker and the others got up and started folding the remaining gear.
"Good morning, Peter, Silas! I didn't expect you two to be up so early today," Ben greeted them with a smile.
Venom quickly retracted deep into Peter's body. The moment he laid eyes on Aunt May, he felt an instinctive urge to open his maw and bite into her skull.
"Is that man your uncle?" Venom asked.
Peter nodded. "Of course. Why?"
"I like him," Venom said.
"What? You like my uncle?" Peter was stunned. Did symbiotes have such specific tastes in people?
Venom didn't continue the conversation but stared fixedly at Ben Parker. He couldn't help but lick his rows of needle-like teeth.
"Oh? You've already packed the tent? You really were up early," Ben said, holding two slices of bread. "Here, have some breakfast."
"Thanks, Uncle Ben." Even though Silas had already eaten, he accepted the bread. Peter did the same.
The scallion pancakes were just an appetizer; a Spider-Man's appetite was massive, especially with a symbiote hitching a ride. Peter felt like he couldn't get full no matter how much he ate lately, so he began wolfing down the bread.
"Such nutrient-free food," Venom grumbled. He couldn't understand how humans survived on this stuff.
"Oh, right, Peter. I have some chocolate here. Why don't you and Silas share it?" Ben remembered a bar in his pocket and handed it over.
Peter tore open the wrapper and looked at Silas, but Silas shook his head. Silas wasn't a fan of chocolate; it wasn't really his thing.
Since Silas didn't want any, Peter took a bite.
"Hmm? What is this? It smells so... fragrant!" Venom couldn't resist the temptation. While Ben's back was turned, he surged out of Peter's arm and swallowed the rest of the chocolate bar in one gulp.
"Delicious..." Venom licked his teeth happily, closing his eyes to savor the lingering taste.
"Hey!" Peter looked at the empty wrapper in his hand, feeling utterly speechless. He'd only managed one bite!
"What's wrong?" Ben asked, turning around at Peter's exclamation.
Venom instantly retreated. When Ben looked over, he only saw Peter standing there with an empty wrapper and a look of disbelief.
"Nothing, Uncle Ben. I just ate it too fast and almost choked," Peter lied quickly.
"Easy there, Peter. Don't rush your food." Ben ran back to the car to grab a bottle of water for him.
Peter gave a strained smile as he took the water. "Thanks, Uncle Ben. It was just really good chocolate."
"That good?" Ben took the wrapper and looked at the brand. "Well, if you like it that much, I'll make sure to buy this brand from now on."
"I think that's a great idea," Venom agreed wholeheartedly.
"I think it's a terrible idea," Peter whispered back. He wasn't even that fond of chocolate himself.
"What was that?" Ben asked, hearing Peter mumble.
"Nothing, Uncle Ben! I said it sounds like a great plan!" Peter forced a smile, silently cursing Venom.
"Settled then. We'll buy a whole case when we get home," Ben decided cheerfully.
Inside Peter, Venom was practically salivating. While not a full meal, chocolate was an excellent snack. More importantly, chocolate contains phenylethylamine, a chemical also found in the human brain. Phenylethylamine is essential for a symbiote to remain healthy and maintain its sanity.
Without a regular intake of this chemical, a symbiote would become sickly and eventually lose its mind, turning into a mindless predator that eats anyone in sight.
"Rest up for a bit. I'll finish packing and we'll head out," Ben said as he walked away.
Once Ben was out of earshot, Peter asked curiously, "So, symbiotes eat chocolate too?"
"Is that what it's called? It's magnificent!" Venom was still reminiscing about the flavor.
"Is it really that big of a deal?" Peter didn't get the hype.
Venom explained: "Chocolate contains an element I need. I must consume it to stay healthy."
"An element? Is it only found in chocolate?" Peter pressed.
"Of course not. It's also in human bra—" Venom stopped abruptly, nearly letting the truth slip.
"Human what?" Peter only caught the first part.
"Human... chocolate," Venom fumbled, circling back to the previous word.
"That doesn't make any sense," Peter rolled his eyes.
Venom added a thought internally: Hardly the same thing. One is a snack, the other is a feast. One maintains health, the other fills the belly.
San Francisco
"Change of plans. Focus all our primary attention on the launch," Riot said to Carlton Drake.
Drake nodded in agreement. "I understand. I didn't expect Venom to be so powerful."
"No, Venom is trash. The powerful one is his host—Spider-Man," Riot said, looking at news reports about the hero.
Through his research, Riot had learned that Earth possessed other extraordinary forces, such as the Avengers. None of them were ordinary. They were obstacles to his invasion. Fortunately, there were countless symbiotes waiting to be brought here; the final outcome of the war was yet to be decided.
"Spider-Man..." Drake snarled with hatred. If not for him, the other symbiote specimens wouldn't have been lost.
"The other companions are gone. I must be cautious." Riot felt as if a pair of eyes was constantly watching them. He had to be careful not to fall into a trap. "When will the rocket be ready?"
"We need two more days," Drake answered quickly.
"Too slow!" Riot growled, clearly dissatisfied.
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