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Arthur's goal… to some extent, was like seeking cooperation from a tiger while holding its tail, dangerous and risky.
That's why, only under the absolute premise of ensuring their own safety could anything else proceed.
If that foundational condition couldn't be guaranteed, he'd rather abandon the entire plan.
From a moral standpoint, his intention was to protect this world, and under no circumstances would he allow it to be destroyed by his own hand.
Combat power could be obtained from many different sources. There was no need to pin all hopes on the Symbiotes.
But since the Symbiotes had essentially walked through the door themselves, it would be a huge loss to let the opportunity pass without at least trying.
After Arthur laid all of this out clearly, the entire room went silent.
"Millions of them…" Tony took a deep breath and said, "If we lose control, this will become a total disaster."
"That's why I want a 100% guaranteed solution," Arthur said firmly. "If we can't manage that… then I'll have to ask them all to die, every last one of them."
"No! You won't do anything!!!!" Venom's furious roar exploded once again from within Brook's body.
But immediately afterward, another shout rang out.
Banner, who had been quietly sitting, suddenly stood up, and his entire body swelled dramatically. He was on the verge of turning into a chibi version of the Hulk: all muscle and fury.
He roared, "Listen to Arthur when he talks, or Hulk will smash you!!!!"
Everyone else in the room was used to this. But Harry, who hadn't seen it before, stood there dumbfounded.
As for the two scientists Harry had brought with him, well, they nearly wet themselves.
Even Dr. Skirth opened her mouth in shock: "A raging Hulk… Why does he talk so weirdly?"
Arthur waved his hand, and Hulk came over to stand in front of him.
Arthur took one of Hulk's huge hands and gently patted it. "Calm down."
"Hulk is very angry!!!" Hulk tried hard not to pull his hand away, allowing Arthur to hold onto just one of his thick fingers. "He said you can't do anything! Hulk doesn't believe that!!!"
"Mhm… I don't believe it either." Arthur chuckled and turned to look at Brook.
Brook stared at Hulk, stunned. "So Hulk's not a parasite, right? Compared to what I've got… that's honestly a power to be envied."
At least for now, Hulk seemed to follow instructions. Unlike the one inside him, Venom, who was totally uncontrollable.
"In short, that's my goal," Arthur said. "There are two things you must remember during the experiments:
No fatal experiments on the Symbiote. Do not harm our friend Brook in any way.
If things really can't continue, and the experiment fails, then temporarily separate the two."
"Understood." Everyone nodded in unison.
Arthur stood up. "Then I'll leave everything in your hands. There's something else I need to take care of."
With that, he gestured for Natasha to follow him.
Outside the room, Arthur asked, "What's the update on that thing I asked you to investigate?"
"There is progress… but it's not good news," Natasha said. "I found traces of the person you were looking for, at the airport. But he's already dead."
"The airport…" Arthur frowned. "If he went to the airport, he must've been trying to catch a flight. Where was the body found?"
"In the restroom near the boarding lounge. It was next to a gate for a flight that was just about to leave for San Francisco."
"San Francisco…" Arthur closed his eyes. "Was there something in San Francisco? Something that the Symbiote needed to get?"
"Maybe…" Natasha shook her head. "Or maybe… he just wanted to go home. Just like you, back when you returned to Earth from the universe, Driven to madness… just to go back."
"No…" Arthur shook his head. "He may not be trying to go home. He's not like me, he has no home to return to. Venom clearly has rational thinking abilities. And from their perspective, humans are undeniably just… food. They were discovered on a comet, they're homeless, and now they've found a planet full of food. So… what do you think his next move is?"
"Bring his fellow Symbiotes to Earth for a joyful all-you-can-eat feast?"
Natasha blinked, putting herself into the Symbiote's mindset. Her expression quickly darkened. "Looks like… you really do have to act."
"What is it?"
"Dr. Skirth mentioned something," Natasha replied. "She said they've run out of usable Symbiote samples. So there's a very good chance that Drake is going to launch another rocket, and bring more Symbiotes here!"
"You're saying… the Symbiote that escaped might be heading for the Life Foundation?"
Arthur nodded. "They came to Earth aboard a spaceship from the Life Foundation. So it's entirely possible they'll try to use that same spaceship to bring their kind here."
Then suddenly, Arthur smirked. "Too bad… he's not going anywhere."
With that, he opened the lab door and walked straight in.
At that moment, Brook hadn't yet entered the lab. Tony and Banner were already in position, geared up to throw him in the moment he got uncooperative. But then, Arthur arrived.
"Venom," Arthur said directly, "if it's really you, then you should know. Who exactly is that Symbiote that escaped?"
"'Person'?" Venom's voice chuckled darkly from Brook's body. "Fine, using your terms, he'd be our leader. And what he's going to do… will be your worst nightmare."
"Excellent," Arthur nodded with satisfaction. "He'll be here soon, you'll get to meet him."
"You won't be able to pull it off!!!!"
"Wanna bet?" Arthur offered. "If I can… you listen to orders from now on?"
"Dream on!" Venom looked around at the lab setup, then glanced at Banner and Tony. "I'll rip off every one of your, "
BOOM!
Before he could finish his threat, one of Tony's armored arms flew over and fired a round at Brook.
Dozens of tranquilizer darts shot out in rapid succession, hitting Brook all over.
Venom's rant cut off instantly. Brook collapsed.
After dragging the unconscious man into the most secure lab, Tony clapped his hands and walked out. "That wasn't so hard."
Everyone looked at each other, speechless.
Arthur grinned. "You're right… I'll head out and prep another lab. I think we'll be adding a new test subject very soon. And he doesn't deserve to be treated as politely as this guy."
With the lab duties assigned, Arthur returned to his quarters and stepped onto the teleportation array.
When he appeared again, he was already at the Life Foundation's experimental base.
"A goose leaves a shadow when it flies, water leaves ripples as it flows, but when Arthur passes through… he leaves behind a teleportation array."
A good habit.
Today I'm dead tired… No exaggeration, if I lie down right now and close my eyes, I'll pass out instantly. Just absolutely exhausted!!!
(End of Chapter)