Chapter 257: I'm Not a Superhero
"What is that thing?" Dr. Skirth's eyes were wide with terror. She stumbled backward until her back hit a cold lab table.
"This is what I was talking about—the hope I am bringing to humanity," Drake said, his human face flickering through the silver-black mass.
"By turning people into monsters?" Dora gripped her handgun tightly, her eyes darting toward the main exit behind Drake.
Drake didn't miss her gaze. "Monsters? Riot, she's all yours."
Riot's mass surged forward, completely enveloping Dora's field of vision. A long, prehensile tongue flicked out, tasting the air near her face. "It's dinner time!"
"No!" Dora squeezed the trigger.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three shots hit Riot square in the chest. Dora let out a shaky breath, but her relief was short-lived as the three flattened bullets simply slid out of the symbiote's liquid hide and clattered to the floor.
"Sorry, I don't care much for these little snacks. I'd much rather have you!" Riot extended a massive hand, hoisting Dora off her feet toward his gaping maw.
"Aaaargh!" Dora screamed hysterically, kicking her legs, but she was powerless against the symbiote's grip.
"Struggle all you want! The more you fear, the better you'll taste!" Riot opened his mouth wide, preparing to bite her head off.
"Let the lady go!" a voice rang out.
Riot barely had time to turn before a red-booted foot slammed into his face.
BOOM! Riot was sent flying across the room, and Dora tumbled from his grasp.
"Whoa!" Peter lunged to catch her, but a black blur was faster.
Silas appeared beneath Dora, catching her firmly. "You alright?"
"I... I'm okay," Dora panted, her heart hammering against her ribs.
"..." Peter stood there, his arms still outstretched.
Silas set her down and opened a portal to the Shadow Kingdom right at her feet. "This is your way out. Be careful."
"Thank you... and watch yourselves," Dora said, recognizing Spider-Man and Destiny. She didn't hesitate, stepping into the darkness. On the other side, the portal opened just outside the Life Foundation's main gates.
"Phew... what incredible power," Dora muttered, looking back at the building one last time before walking away from the place she had worked for so long.
Inside the Foundation
"You again!" Riot snarled, picking himself up.
"Sorry, but I won't be able to sleep knowing you're still here," Peter said. He couldn't risk leaving Riot alive; the symbiote could hop on a rocket and call his army at any moment.
Riot glanced between Spider-Man and Destiny. He was backed into a corner.
"Where do you think you're going?" Peter fired a series of webs, sealing the main doors and cutting off Riot's escape route.
"Drake, do you have any backup plans?" Riot hissed internally. This was Drake's facility, and he hoped the human had a trump card.
"I have one last move," Drake replied. "I've planted explosives in every corner of the Foundation. Only I have the authorization to trigger them."
"If I detonate them, Spider-Man and Destiny—being 'superheroes'—won't be able to just ignore the people inside. We'll use the chaos to escape."
"Good plan." Riot relaxed slightly.
Riot's face receded, allowing Drake's human head to emerge so he could speak.
"What are you doing, Drake?" Peter asked, wary of a trick.
"Spider-Man, Destiny... the Life Foundation is rigged with explosives. I've just activated the countdown. In less than a minute, this place goes up. I wonder what you 'superheroes' will do? Save yourselves, or save the staff? Hahahaha!"
Drake looked smug. He was certain the heroes' morality would be their downfall.
"Oh no!" Peter's instincts flared. Just as Drake predicted, he couldn't let innocent workers die. "Silas, we have to save them!" Without waiting for a response, Peter bolted out of the room to start evacuating the building.
Silas watched Peter sprint away. "Is he always in such a rush?"
"Destiny, why are you still standing there?" Drake frowned. Why wasn't this hero running to save the 'ants' in the other rooms?
Silas gave a small, chilling smile. "Sorry, I forgot to mention one thing."
"What?" Drake felt a sudden sense of unease.
"I'm not a 'superhero.' That's just a label you people decided to pin on me." Silas had never considered himself a saint. Saving people was just a convenient way to earn Justice Points; in truth, his kill count was much higher than his rescue count.
"What?!" Drake was stunned.
Riot quickly covered Drake's head again. "Doesn't matter! Right now, you're alone. What are you going to use to fight me?!" Riot regained his bravado. If he stayed scared, he wouldn't be Riot.
"What am I going to use?" Silas chuckled. "That's the funniest thing I've heard all day."
Silas spread his arms. Behind him, dozens of jade-green Scroll manifested in the air, glowing with an eerie light. They were inscribed with profound, ancient scripts that seemed to shift and blur when looked at directly.
"Drake, what are those?" Riot asked his host. Was this some new human weapon?
"I have no idea," Drake replied, equally lost.
"Aren't you from this planet?!" Riot shouted. The glowing objects were tracking his movements, making his biological instincts scream in alarm.
The once-tough Riot began to shrink back, his silver form rippling with hesitation.
"I thought you wanted to fight?" Silas plucked one of the scrolls from the air. "Flame Scroll: Incinerate!"
WHOOSH!
A column of white-hot flame, reaching temperatures of over a thousand degrees, erupted from the Scroll. It roared forward like a dragon, engulfing the space in front of Riot.
Riot didn't even have time to scream. His silver hide began to liquefy and boil, separating from Drake's body in a desperate attempt to flee the heat. The massive symbiote was scorched until only a palm-sized, shivering mass remained on the floor.
As for Carlton Drake, without Riot's protection, the thousand-degree blast vaporized the moisture in his body instantly. He was reduced to a charred, smoking husk in seconds.
"How boring. Right, Riot?" Silas looked down. He still had a dozen scrolls hovering behind him. These weren't one-time items; as long as Silas had energy, he could keep them active.
Riot cowered in the corner, trying to crawl toward a window, but in his shrunken state, his pace was pitifully slow.
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