In the aftermath of the recent SHIELD turmoil, Raina had never seen her Boss’s expression so serious. It was evident that the adversaries they were about to face were no ordinary small players.
“Boss, what should we do?” Raina spoke, handing the decision-making authority back to Kyle.
“Let me think a little. I have matters to attend to, and I’ll be in New Mexico for a few days,” Kyle pondered. Suddenly, he thought of something and communicated with Venom through his thoughts, “Venom, if it were you, arriving in an unfamiliar alien area, what would be the first thing you do?”
“Adapt,” Venom responded without hesitation, explaining, “We Symbiote lifeforms can only truly survive by attaching to other lifeforms. So, when arriving in a strange area, we would immediately seek suitable local indigenous life to symbiotically adapt and integrate into the local life. Then…”
“And then what?” Kyle inquired.
Venom stated in a cold and hoarse voice, “Symbiotes have a territorial awareness. If the local area is already occupied by other Symbiotes, the incoming Symbiote, adapted to the local environment, will challenge them.”
“Lucky for the incoming ones, there’s a Symbiote king who happens to be away from New York,” Kyle said with a faint smile. After thinking for a moment, he instructed Raina, “The Symbiotes have just arrived in New York. They’ll probably remain hidden for a while, seeking suitable strong humans for symbiotic attachment. During this time, the Carl Family members are strictly prohibited from going out alone. Form teams of three and disperse throughout the city to observe in secret. If you spot a Symbiote, do not engage in combat; inform Lorna or notify the Avengers for a response.”
“As for the Life Foundation… inform Fury first, let SHIELD exert pressure and investigate them. We can’t handle everything on our own,” Kyle added, finishing with a special reminder, “And most importantly, do not let those Symbiote lifeforms get too close; they are tough to deal with.”
“Got it, I understand,” Raina nodded solemnly. This was the first time the Carl Family was dealing with extraterrestrial lifeforms!
It was also Earth’s first attempt to handle an alien invasion without relying on Asgard, using their own influence and strength.
“This is just the beginning. There will be more who will come and they will come on a larger scale… consider this a test,” Kyle said softly. After ending the call, his dark wings fiercely flapped in the air.
After a strong dust storm rose, Kyle took off from the wilderness, breaking through the sound barrier with waves of black light.
Not long after Kyle left, an old car drove by the crater, stopping at the edge. A middle-aged local man opened the door, got out, and approached, looking bewildered at the huge meteor crater and the silver hammer standing upright in the center.
At this moment, in the New York City area, at the Empire State Building.
After Raina issued the orders, the Supernatural Incident Bureau temporarily announced the cessation of operations, with the recovery time undecided, explaining to the outside as internal reasons.
In the New York area, Carl Family Agents formed pairs, maintaining audio connections with headquarters 24/7, starting to search for traces of the extraterrestrial Symbiote.
On another front, near the bustling Brooklyn district, a rundown rental residential building.
“These companies are all the same, treating new employees like trash.”
After being bossed around by superiors and colleagues all day, journalist Eddie dragged his tired body up the stairs of the cheap, shabby building. Naturally, the cheap monthly rental did not come with fancy elevators, so he wearily climbed the stairs step by step.
Reaching the fifth floor, Eddie walked through the crowded corridor, nearing the room he had rented. There, he saw a bald, robust man standing in front of the door opposite his, holding a continuously swinging black plastic bag.
“Hey, neighbor.” Eddie wiped away his sweat and friendly waved.
The bald, robust man glanced at him, his pitch-black eyes radiating a cold light, staring coldly and warily at the approaching Eddie.
“Uh.” Eddie pulled back his arm, scratched the back of his head, and awkwardly said, “Sorry, sorry.”
Eddie quickly walked to the door of his room, nervously fumbling for the keys in his pocket. He could feel the gaze of the bald, robust man behind him, staring at his back.
He opened the door, leaving only a narrow gap for passage, swiftly squeezed inside, and with a snap, firmly closed and locked the door.
Completing this series of steps, Eddie, exhausted, leaned against the door of the room and complained, “Terrible neighbor.”
“Weird neighbor.” Outside the door, the bald, robust man spat as well, leisurely took out his key, opened his own door, and stepped inside.
Inside the room, besides simple furniture like a bed and chairs, there was nothing else. The black curtains were tightly drawn, and with the only light source, the room became completely pitch-black after closing the door.
The bald, robust man sat on the chair, took out a lively jumping sea fish from the bag, opened his mouth, and took a bite of raw fish. He devoured it in big, hearty bites.
While eating, the bald, robust man fell into contemplation.
He was Venom, born on Planet Sakaar, several galaxies away from Earth. Guided by some mysterious force, he came to Earth to find the meaning of his existence.
Of course, Venom arrived on Earth half a year ago. It lived in a local indigenous village in Africa for two to three months, stayed in Asia for a few months, transferred to Europe for a few months, changed hosts five times during that period, and became familiar with and integrated into human society on Earth.
Finally, following a faint clue, it arrived in the United States, in New York, just a few days ago.
When Venom arrived in the New York City area, it sensed the unique aura of its only kin. It had hoped to quickly unravel some mysteries on its own, but the sudden extraterrestrial invasion disrupted the key aura with the arrival of several Symbiotes, throwing the area into chaos.
Now, Symbiote lifeforms from different regions gathered in New York City, attracting and repelling each other, making it challenging to distinguish.
“I can only find them one by one and eliminate them. I hope you carry the message I need on you.” Venom finished devouring the sea fish with an expressionless look on his face.
The distance from Planet Sakaar to Earth, decades of wandering through the starry sky, none of these could stop its pace. There was no reason for it to halt at mere fellow kin.
Whoever blocked its way, would be killed.
Puente Antiguo.
Returning to the town, Kyle headed straight to the agreed-upon restaurant. Upon opening the door, he found not only Darcy’s trio at the corner table but also Thor, wearing a T-shirt and jeans, joining them.
“Hey, Carl, over here!” Darcy’s seat faced the door, and she was the first to spot Kyle, excitedly waving to him.
As Kyle approached, Erik had already vacated a seat, respectfully and ingratiatingly saying, “Mr. Carl, I’ve already arranged for the chef to prepare your meal. I’ll have it heated and brought over.”
“Morning, Carl,” Stacy greeted with a smile, having finished chewing her food.
“Morning.” Kyle nodded and took the seat next to Thor without hesitation.
Thor, famished, was still stuffing beef into his mouth. Seeing the three’s enthusiastic attitude towards Kyle, he couldn’t help but glare with a pair of indignant eyes.
“Wait a minute, how come the treatment for him and me is so different!?”
(End of this chapter)
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