Chapter 255: Killing Venom
"They're all carrying flamethrowers; it looks like they're waiting for us." Peter was currently wearing his red-and-black suit rather than the Venom-enhanced one.
Peering through the feed of his miniature spider-drones, Peter saw the scene inside the lab: a large group of security personnel stood ready with flamethrowers, anticipating their arrival.
"That's definitely for me," Venom hissed. The mere mention of fire made him certain that Riot was behind this.
"How did he find out we were sneaking in?" Peter asked, bewildered. They had traveled through the Shadow Kingdom to remain undetected.
"Maybe it's a sensory thing between symbiotes," Silas said, looking at Peter—or more accurately, looking at the creature inside Peter.
Venom grumbled defensively, "Don't blame me. I can't help it."
"Alright, alright, I'm not blaming you," Peter said, trying to soothe the symbiote. Sometimes he felt like Venom was like a toddler with a big ego and an even bigger temper.
"Hmph. I'll need five boxes of chocolate to calm my nerves after this," Venom said haughtily. He was relying on the chocolate to maintain his health and sanity.
"Don't worry, you'll have plenty," Peter promised. Uncle Ben had already ordered a whole case for him, and Peter knew he couldn't eat that much himself.
"My appetite is quite large," Venom added. Compared to chocolate, he was far more interested in humans... just the thought of a proper meal made him salivate.
"What are you two whispering about?" Silas asked, unable to hear Venom's mental dialogue.
Peter shrugged it off and returned his focus to the drone footage. "Should we charge in? Drake seems to have locked himself in a small side room."
Silas thought for a moment. "Better to send the Shadow Legion in first to play it safe." With a wave of his hand, a group of Shadow Ninjas emerged from the darkness behind him and rushed into the lab.
Inside the Laboratory
"Incoming! Open fire!" The guards shouted as they saw dark figures surging from the walls. They panicked and began spraying bullets from their rifles.
Rat-tat-tat-tat!
A few agile ninjas dodged the hail of lead, but many more were struck and dissolved into black mist. There were simply too many bullets to evade entirely. However, the ninjas that did close the distance acted with lethal efficiency, drawing their katanas and severing the hands of those firing at them.
"Aaaargh!" The disarmed men collapsed to the floor, screaming in agony.
Carlton Drake sat silently in his reinforced room. The walls were made of a transparent, high-strength material, allowing him to watch the chaos unfold. Whenever a Shadow Ninja got too close to his enclosure, the Riot symbiote would manifest a massive arm through the wall, crushing the ninja instantly.
"What are these things?" Riot growled in confusion. He had never seen anything like the Shadow Ninjas. They looked human enough, but when he crushed them, they turned into smoke instead of blood and bone.
"I have no idea," Drake replied, equally baffled. Their intelligence on Destiny was pitifully thin. The world knew the hero could fire lasers from his eyes and commanded a group of black-clad fighters, but beyond that, his abilities were a total mystery.
Because Silas maintained such a low profile, no one truly understood the full scope of his powers.
"So annoying!" Riot surged over Drake's body and bit the head off a Shadow Ninja, only to find a mouthful of dissipating black mist. "RAAARGH!" Riot was beyond frustrated. He couldn't eat them, yet they kept coming, emerging from the walls in an endless stream.
More importantly, these black-clad fighters showed no fear. Despite seeing their comrades "die," they continued to advance with cold, calculated courage.
Soon, overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of the Shadow Legion, Drake's security detail lay defeated on the ground, clutching their wounds and moaning in pain.
"Silas... are they going to die?" Peter asked, his conscience pricking him. The sight of so much blood made him uneasy.
"Don't worry, I'll have the ninjas take them to a 'hospital,'" Silas said with a dismissive wave. The ninjas carried the wounded into the Shadow Kingdom—in reality, they were being sent to Silas's private lab for "processing."
"That's good then." Peter turned his attention to the reinforced room. "Riot, you have nowhere to run. Your plan ends here."
"What a traitor," Riot sneered. He hadn't expected Venom to blab about the invasion plan to Spider-Man.
Venom's head emerged from Peter's shoulder. "I'm not a traitor. I've just fallen in love with this planet and don't want to see it destroyed."
"Hahahaha! What a pathetic lie!" Riot laughed harshly. He looked at Silas, seeing that the hero hadn't moved yet. He addressed Peter: "Spider-Man, do you even know what our food source is? It's you humans."
"Humans?" Peter felt a cold shiver run down his spine. Why would Riot say that?
"Riot is trying to drive a wedge between us! Trust me, Peter!" Venom shouted mentally, desperate that his lies were being exposed.
"Is it true?" Peter asked, his trust wavering again.
Seeing Peter's doubt, Riot pointed toward Silas. "I think your partner over there knows the truth best. He's the one who took my brothers and sisters."
Through the laboratory's surveillance, Drake and Riot had seen the Shadow Ninjas making off with the other symbiote canisters.
"You took the other symbiotes?" Peter looked at Silas, stunned. It seemed his brother was keeping a major secret from him as well.
"Sorry, Spider-Man. I did keep that from you, but it was for research purposes," Silas admitted calmly. He didn't see the point in lying to Peter anymore. "And Riot is right—symbiotes do need to consume human tissue to satisfy their hunger."
"Venom... you lied to me!" Peter's heart sank. He might have doubted Riot, but he believed Silas implicitly.
"Don't listen to them! Riot is manipulating you!" Venom scrambled for an excuse.
Peter ignored Venom's pleas. The priority was capturing Riot; he would deal with Venom afterward. Either way, he was going to get this creature out of his body.
"Riot, don't think hiding in there will save you," Peter said, stepping toward the glass enclosure.
Riot chuckled darkly. "Heh... hahahaha! Goodbye, Venom!"
SLAM!
Riot struck a large red switch on the wall next to him.
Instantly, all the doors and windows sealed shut. Arrays of small, high-output speakers extended from the walls and ceiling.
"Oh no!" Venom realized what was happening. He tried to take control of Peter's body to flee.
But Peter, fueled by a surge of will and anger, stood his ground. He refused to move. The two forces—human and symbiote—began a violent internal struggle for control.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING, PETER?! RIOT IS GOING TO KILL ME WITH THE NOISE!" Venom screamed. In a room filled with high-frequency sound, he would have nowhere to hide.
"No! This is the chance!" Peter's face was flushed red with effort. He wanted to be rid of the creature. He hated being lied to, and he hated that Venom had been deceiving him from the very start.
"NO!" Venom tried once more to forcibly override Peter's motor functions.
But this time, Peter didn't break. Last time, Venom had caught him off guard; now, Peter's will was a fortress of steel.
BZZZZZZZZZZT! The noise began!
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