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Inside the dark Hive, the special ops team was searching for the power switch, while Alice and the other two waited nearby.
The silence pressing in from all sides made everyone uneasy. They stayed tense, scanning the shadows, expecting trouble at any moment.
Up above, Jack crept silently across the ceiling in camouflage mode, blending perfectly into the darkness.
He watched the group below for a while, then crawled forward fast, positioning himself right above one of the soldiers.
His arm shifted—black liquid surging and reshaping into a razor-sharp blade. He lowered it slowly toward the ground.
The soldier heard a faint sound behind him and spun around instantly.
Too late. A silver flash swept past, leaving a thin line across his throat. His head toppled clean off, blood spraying in a crimson arc.
Jack stared at the body. Once, back when he lived in peaceful times, killing would've shaken him. But now? Nothing. Not even guilt. If anything, a thrill.
The blade melted back into an arm, and his form shifted again—until he looked exactly like the dead soldier. He slipped back into formation without a hitch.
Just then, another soldier found the switch and flipped it. The entrance flared to life, bright light chasing away the shadows.
"Move out," the captain ordered, scanning his squad. Once he confirmed everyone was present, they pressed deeper into the Hive.
"Kaplan!"
At the elevator doors, the captain called back sharply.
Jack stepped up quickly—since the soldier he was imitating just happened to be named Kaplan.
"No good. Red Queen cut the power," he said, shaking his head after pretending to check the elevator.
Ever since fully merging with Venom, whenever he saw something unfamiliar, knowledge just… surfaced in his mind. As if he'd always known.
"Then we'll take the stairs to the control room," the captain decided at once.
The team started descending into the depths of the Hive.
Watching them, Jack almost laughed to himself. His disguise was flawless—no one had the slightest clue.
He fell in step and followed.
Soon, they reached deeper inside. The Hive was a wreck. Hard to believe all this had happened just a few hours ago.
The group pushed toward the central control room. Passing through a half-flooded lab, they paused, confused at the devastation.
What the hell had happened here? Why did it look like this?
Still full of questions, they pressed on and eventually reached a storage area, where the captain ordered a short rest.
Jack drifted toward a nearby container and peered through its viewing window.
Inside was a grotesque lump of sticky flesh—impossible to identify. Only one thing was clear: a massive, exposed brain pierced by thick tubes.
Unknown liquids flowed through the tubes, pumping into the flesh, while nitrogen kept the whole thing chilled.
Jack studied it for a moment and was just about to move away when his spider-sense suddenly flared.
"What the hell…?"
He glanced around quickly but saw nothing out of place. No threat. So why the alarm?
That's when it struck. A dark blur shot out from the far end of the room and tackled one of the soldiers to the ground.
Everyone snapped to attention. The attacker was a hideous monster—a Licker.
"Help! Help me—ahhh!"
The soldier screamed, thrashing under the beast's claws, but his cries were cut short as the Licker tore into him.
Gunfire exploded.
"Open fire! Shoot it down!" the captain barked, raising his weapon as the others unleashed a storm of bullets.
The moment the squad heard the sound, they all whipped out their rifles and unleashed a storm of bullets at the Licker.
But the thing barely flinched. After tearing into one of the task force members and devouring chunks of his flesh, it almost seemed to evolve, its body bulking up, getting even stronger.
The creature slowly unfurled its grotesque tongue and turned toward the squad. In an instant, it lashed out.
One of the soldiers didn't even have time to react before the tongue wrapped around him and began dragging him toward the monster.
"Help me…! Somebody help me!"
No matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't break free.
"Don't panic! Stay calm!"
The squad captain saw what was happening, yanked a combat knife from his belt, and charged forward. In one swift slash, he severed the Licker's tongue.
The thing let out an enraged screech, thrashing wildly, tearing up everything around it.
Disguised among the squad, Jack had been watching silently. The sudden appearance of this Licker puzzled him, but he didn't linger on the thought.
While the others were distracted, his body dissolved into a black liquid, reshaping into the hulking form of Venom.
Before the monster even noticed, Jack pounced, tackling it through a nearby wall with a bone-shaking crash.
The rest of the squad stared at the gaping hole in the wall, then made the smart choice—they bolted.
On the other side, Venom and the Licker crashed into an open chamber, sprawling across the cracked ground.
Jack rose to his feet, fists tightening as his eyes locked on the snarling creature.
The Licker crouched low, sensing his presence, then shrieked and lunged forward in a blur.
Jack didn't budge. He met the charge head-on, slamming a massive fist into the monster's chest.
The impact drove the Licker into the floor, the ground spiderwebbing with fractures.
Without hesitation, Venom's other hand clamped down on the creature's skull, lifting it off the ground like a toy.
The monster clawed frantically at his arm, but its talons couldn't pierce Venom's armored hide.
With a grunt, Jack hurled it aside, smashing it into another wall. Plaster and stone cracked, leaving a jagged imprint before the body slid down to the floor.
The Licker twitched, scrambled upright, then backed away, fear creeping into its movements. It skittered up the wall, circling fast like a cornered animal.
Jack tracked it calmly. His left arm morphed into a gleaming blade.
The Licker sprang from behind, claws raised for a killing blow.
But Jack's spider-sense flared. He twisted out of range, swung his blade, and in one clean motion cut straight through.
A spray of gore followed. The monster's head toppled from its shoulders, rolling to a stop at Jack's feet.
He looked down at it, then lifted his boot and crushed the skull in a wet explosion.
The blade on his arm dissolved, reforming into a normal hand. He flexed his fingers, shook them off lightly, then turned and walked away.
"The hunt has begun."
"....."