The monster gradually disappeared into the darkness.
At the same time, as it vanished, it dragged away the bodies of the soldiers who had almost managed to escape.
No one dared to think about why the monster had taken those corpses. No one even wanted to imagine it.
Whatever the reason, they all knew one thing—it was bound to be an utterly horrific scene.
At this moment, not a single American soldier dared to advance recklessly. They had no idea how far the monster's attack range extended.
None of them wanted to die so meaninglessly in this war, reduced to nothing more than a small medal or a death gratuity payment sent back home.
The two soldiers who had initially pushed forward to assist had now retreated back into the defensive line.
They swallowed nervously, their hands instinctively fidgeting with their helmets.
The sheer pressure the monster exerted on them was overwhelming, making it hard to breathe.
"How long are we supposed to hold this position?" One soldier turned to his captain, hoping for an order to retreat.
They couldn't move forward, nor could they withdraw. Were they really supposed to just sit here and wait for death?
The captain had already communicated with the command center, but the only response he received was to hold the position.
Retreat was not an option.
"Those bastards," one soldier muttered angrily. "They just sit back and plan their strategies like our lives mean nothing to them!"
"Aren't we supposed to have superheroes? What about that so-called super-soldier squad? Where are they now?"
A soldier named Jacob, who avidly followed superhero news, asked his captain with growing frustration.
The existence of a super-soldier team within the military was no secret—the U.S. government had openly announced it.
After all, their super-soldiers had already been deployed in active military service, serving as a deterrent to any potential threats against America.
But that deterrent hadn't lasted long. After the announcement, the country had quickly plunged into chaos.
The super-soldier team had initially been tasked with hunting down members of the Ultimate Alliance. Later, the president sent them on various suppression missions elsewhere.
Simply put, they were constantly occupied, never getting a moment's rest.
The captain shook his head and simply focused his gaze on the Sanfei Building.
If the thing inside got bored of staying there, they would likely be the first to die. But for now, they had no other choice.
Just as a few soldiers were about to start complaining again, a burst of static suddenly came through the captain's radio.
"All troops, withdraw from the Sanfei Building. Establish a new defensive line three kilometers away."
The captain immediately recognized the voice—it was their superior officer.
Now that the order had been given, they had no reason to stay.
For those enhanced superhumans, a three-kilometer retreat might not mean much, but for these soldiers, it provided significant psychological relief.
Upon hearing the command, everyone quickly gathered their gear and began evacuating the area in front of the Sanfei Building.
However, none of them noticed a silent aircraft descending onto the rooftop of the building.
"How did you do that?"
Miles had clearly seen Bruce's maneuver, but he couldn't believe that such an obvious aircraft could land on the Sanfei Building without being detected.
"Spectral reflection cloaking technology," Jessica answered before Bruce could respond. "A technique originally used by S.H.I.E.L.D. for their airborne carriers."
After the U.S. took over S.H.I.E.L.D., its database became an open book. Any technology stored there was now accessible.
And with Bruce's additional resources, he had access to rare materials hidden within secret facilities.
Applying this technology to the Batwing was a simple matter.
Bruce said nothing and simply leaped out of the cockpit.
Jessica and Miles followed closely behind, landing on the rooftop of the Sanfei Building.
Miles made sure to pull out their "cargo" from the aircraft—Nick Fury, whom he unceremoniously dragged onto the ground.
"What should we do with him now?" Miles asked, looking at Fury, who was still paralyzed by fear.
"Remove the webbing from his mouth."
Bruce stepped forward and injected another dose of a drug into Fury's body.
Miles watched as Bruce peeled away the sticky web that had been covering Fury's mouth.
Then, before his eyes, Bruce injected the entire vial into Fury's system.
"You didn't just inject him with something weird again, did you?" Miles asked uncertainly, eyeing the now-empty syringe.
"It's an antidote for the fear toxin."
Sure enough, moments after receiving the injection, the terror-stricken expression on Nick Fury's face gradually faded, replaced by a calmer demeanor. The effect was almost instantaneous.
Within moments, Fury regained his clarity.
He looked at Bruce, and the fear in his eyes was completely gone.
"What exactly did you inject me with earlier?"
Fury's voice carried a hint of tension. He was still anxious about whatever Bruce had put into his system before.
"I just needed you to cooperate."
Fury shot Bruce a skeptical look, but before he could respond, he realized they were already at S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters.
"It looks like you already know everything."
Nick Fury spoke to them with a hint of despondency. He had no idea what he had revealed under the influence of that serum, but the fact that they had brought him to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters meant they already knew the location where the Spider-Man clones were being stored.
"Not everything. At least, we still have no understanding of the red creature inside the Tri-Sky Tower."
At this moment, Bruce had already moved to the other side, connecting his device to the internal network of Tri-Sky Tower.
It was unclear whether the Spider clones had completely blocked all underground cameras or if there was another reason, but Bruce could only observe the main interior of the tower.
And that was enough for him to spot the red creature wandering inside the building.
Nick Fury was stunned. While S.H.I.E.L.D. had indeed detained many strange beings and possessed advanced technology, he didn't recall there being a red creature in their custody.
He wanted to move closer to Bruce to see what was happening, but Miles' webbing was too strong—so strong that he couldn't move at all.
"Hey, kid, mind helping me get this thing off?"
Noticing Miles standing there in a daze, Fury tried to draw his attention back to himself.
But Miles ignored him, instead shifting his gaze toward Bruce.
It wasn't until Bruce nodded that Miles finally released Fury from his bindings.
That simple action made one thing clear—at least for now, everyone here was looking to Bruce as their leader.
As soon as he was freed, Fury rushed to Bruce's side.
When he finally saw the creature for himself, he fell silent.
Because he recognized exactly what it was.
"So, I take it you know what that thing is?"
Seeing Fury's reaction, Bruce immediately knew that he had identified the red creature running amok inside the building.
"Richard Parker and the elder Eddie Brock once developed a revolutionary technology designed to cure human diseases and even disabilities."
Instead of directly stating what the red creature was, Fury began recounting the history behind it.
"They called it the symbiote, a substance capable of enveloping and enhancing its host's body. They named their creation the 'Venom Project.'
"But the project was unstable—and dangerous."
"This drew the attention of both Trask Industries and Roxxon Corporation. However, their interest wasn't in using the project to heal people. They wanted to turn it into a biological weapon and a tool for creating super-soldiers."
"Two brilliant scientists—how could they possibly withstand the crushing force of two corporate giants?"
"In the end, Trask Industries acquired all the research data from the Venom Project and began competing commercially with Roxxon. However, Roxxon also managed to secure its own sample of the project."
"Neither company expected that Venom possessed a consciousness of its own—and that it strongly preferred becoming part of Spider-Man."
"After the Ultimates intervened in Venom's possession of Peter Parker, the symbiote was brought into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s custody."
"S.H.I.E.L.D. also conducted its own research on the symbiote—and successfully bred a new generation."
"So… this thing is your so-called 'surprise' offspring?"
Bruce deliberately emphasized the word "surprise" as he looked at the monstrous creature.
Fury nodded.
"We call it 'Carnage.' On the very day it was born, several of our geneticists lost their lives to it."
Fury was deeply concerned about the situation. He understood better than anyone the stark difference between Carnage and Venom.
During their tests, Carnage had demonstrated power that far surpassed the Venom symbiote in its usual host form.
It was an outright massacre.
If Carnage had now bonded with one of the Spider-Man clones, then resolving this situation might require recalling the Ultimates.
"Wait—if S.H.I.E.L.D. already has the Venom symbiote in custody, then what was that thing we fought earlier?"
Suddenly, Miles recalled the battle he had fought in the bank lobby against another dark, monstrous creature.
If he wasn't mistaken, that thing had also been a symbiote.
"I know where that symbiote came from."
Bruce turned to Miles and gave a concise answer.
"Roxxon Corporation."
He projected a holographic image of a man—the same individual they had extracted from Venom's body earlier.
"Dr. Conrad Markus—a biochemist and former scientist at Osborn Industries. Later, he defected to Roxxon Corporation."
"He took Roxxon's last remaining Venom sample—the only one they had left."
"Roxxon even reported the theft to the authorities, but they never found him."
Fury glanced at Miles. He hadn't expected so much to have happened in New York while he was away—things he had absolutely no knowledge of.
It was clear he needed his own people to start gathering intelligence.
Otherwise, if he kept being left in the dark like this, wouldn't that make him completely blind?
And for Nick Fury, that was simply unacceptable.
"Where is S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Venom symbiote being kept?"
Bruce suddenly raised his head and asked about the symbiote's storage location.
"Sublevel Five."
Fury had more or less figured out what Bruce intended to do and told him without hesitation.
(End of Chapter)
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