The next morning, the family of three ate breakfast together as usual.
After sending his parents off, Meng Ran hurried back to his room and switched on his computer to start searching.
He wanted to find out if any famous boxers or wrestlers were in Queens. Their physical condition should be among the best of ordinary people.
The more Venom he possessed, the more feedback he received, and the stronger he became.
So, he planned to find athletes with excellent physical attributes to improve himself.
As for why he wasn't looking for extraordinary humans, one reason was that they were too difficult to find; he wouldn't know where to look before Iron Man was even born.
Another reason was that Meng Ran worried that if their physical condition differed too much from his own, some unexpected situations might arise.
Therefore, to be on the safe side, he decided to start by finding strong, ordinary people; after all, every little bit helps.
After a day of researching and screening, Meng Ran found three athletes in Queens. Two were boxers, and one was an NBA star. These three were his temporary targets.
After finishing dinner, Meng Ran returned to his bedroom and lay on the bed, closing his eyes to rest. At the same time, a blob of black liquid detached from him.
Now, after being tamed by the system, Venom no longer had a strong urge to possess the host. It had been remade and returned to its initial state.
Although this initial state of Venom didn't provide the same boost to physique and combat strength as the fully mature Venom, it had the advantage of being completely under Meng Ran's control, and wouldn't be as evil or rebellious as the mature version.
Moreover, the initial state of Venom could grow alongside Meng Ran, possessing high potential value. It would definitely become even stronger than the previous mature version in the future.
Meng Ran attached a portion of his consciousness to Venom, and then moved along with it.
His consciousness guided Venom towards the place he had investigated during the day.
About half an hour later, Venom stopped in front of a building. Here was the first target he had selected - the boxer, Brian.
Venom crept up the side of the building, quickly reaching the target's 26th floor. Once there, Venom seeped inside through a crack, entering the hallway.
Room 2603. Venom squeezed under the door and into the room.
The large room was empty. The city's neon lights streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, flickering on the floor.
In the living room display case, Brian's career achievements were on display, including several trophies and a Golden Belt.
Meng Ran and Venom wandered around the apartment, waiting for Brian to return.
Before long, the sound of a key turning in the lock echoed, and the door opened.
Meng Ran watched the door from the corner, his excitement building. He's finally back! I've been waiting forever!
The door opened, revealing a man and a woman embracing and kissing as they entered the apartment, before collapsing onto the sofa.
Meng Ran in the corner was also speechless, watching the two on the sofa with a black line across his face.
Venom, on the other hand, hadn't seen this kind of thing before, so he was watching with great interest.
Meng Ran could feel Venom's overflowing curiosity, because every time they changed positions, Venom stared intently.
Meng Ran looked at the two playing games on the sofa and then looked at Venom, and then used his consciousness to block Venom's vision, saying to it: "Be good~ Little kids shouldn't watch these unhealthy things, it's not good for growth."
"Meow meow meow?" Venom was full of question marks. It had already been rebuilt by the system and was re-growing, a time when it was curious about everything.
And why couldn't it watch, but Meng Ran could?
Perhaps sensing Venom's doubts, Meng Ran also coughed lightly and said: "Cough cough, I'm about to come of age, rounded up, I'm an adult, it's no problem to take a look, very reasonable!"
"I'll let you watch when you grow up."
Venom: "..."
After a long wait, Brian and his female companion finally finished their game and started to rest in bed.
Meng Ran, hiding in the corner with Venom, began to prepare to merge.
Venom quickly moved to the bedside and seeped into Brian's body.
The two people lying in bed were already fast asleep, unaware of anything unusual.
Meng Ran took a moment to glance at Brian's companion. Even the thin blanket couldn't hide her hot figure.
"Focus! Focus!" Meng Ran reminded himself, after just a glance. After all, he was here for serious business today, and he'd already seen what he needed to see.
Clearing away his scattered thoughts, he focused on merging with Venom.
After a moment, Venom, having finished its business, and Meng Ran returned the way they came, moving quickly back home.
Meng Ran, who was lying on the bed, sat up, allowing Venom to drop from the window and seep into his hand, then into his body.
The instant Venom seeped in, he immediately felt a surge of power merging into his body.
Feeling the power gradually integrating into himself, Meng Ran clenched his fist and thought, "Although it's not a huge change, I can feel that my strength and physique have become a bit stronger."
He opened the data panel:
Host: Meng Ran Age: 17 Height: 180 cm Intelligence: 30 (Normal average is 20, a relatively intelligent youth)
Strength: 120-150 kg (A very strong youth) Speed: 15 (A very agile youth) Current Abilities: None
His original strength of 80-110 kg had increased to 120-150 kg, and the evaluation changed from "relatively strong" to "very strong."
His speed also increased from 10 to 15, from "relatively agile" to "very agile."
His intelligence didn't change, probably because a boxer's physical fitness doesn't improve intelligence.
After checking his data panel, Meng Ran activated the full coverage of the combat suit.
This sudden surge of power truly feels good, Meng Ran thought to himself, feeling the strength coursing through his body.
"However, I still need to get used to the increased power. The current boost isn't huge, but it will be a pain to adapt when there's a sudden, massive increase in the future."
Both Venom and Meng Ran had grown to a certain extent after this possession.
Moreover, as Venom continued to grow, its enhancement to Meng Ran's overall combat ability would also increase.
From Venom's feedback after this possession, Meng Ran also learned that at this stage, Venom needed a certain amount of time to cool down between each possession before it could attach again.
However, as Venom's abilities improved, the rest time it needed would become shorter and shorter.
After understanding this, Meng Ran pondered, "It seems I'll have to take it slow with the other two. This time is perfect for getting used to my current strength."
"How about we go out and test the waters? I seem to recall there's been a lot of robberies at night recently."
After gaining extraordinary power, people always want to give it a try, and Meng Ran was no exception.
He first made sure his parents were asleep, then jumped out the window, blending into the night.
New York is the most developed city on Earth, but even its glamorous facade can't hide its deep-seated evils.
In places where the city's lights don't reach, darkness reigns.
Under the dim yellow streetlights, Rachel was walking quickly.
"Damn it, it's all that pig-headed boss's fault, why did he put his work on my head, making me miss the last train."
She cursed her pig-headed boss in her heart while hurrying home.
Rachel grew angrier the more she thought about it, and at the same time, she was also a little afraid that something unexpected would happen.
After all, New York at night wasn't exactly peaceful, and recently, people had been getting robbed in these few blocks.
Thinking about this, Rachel's footsteps became even more hurried. She didn't want to run into any bad luck.
But reality is always unreasonable; sometimes the things you fear the most are the things that happen.
In the direction Rachel was heading, a few men whose faces screamed "I'm a thug" were talking to each other, and they would occasionally let out bursts of strange laughter.
Just as Rachel noticed them, they also saw her.
"Oh, damn it!" Feeling the gaze of that group of people, Rachel cursed under her breath, then hurried to turn down another street.
She ran while occasionally looking back to see if she had shaken them off.
At the same time, she silently prayed, "God bless me! Please don't follow me! Please don't follow me!"
Perhaps God had already clocked out for the day, because Rachel's prayers were utterly useless.
Just as she was about to leave the street, those thugs had already blocked her path from both ends.
Watching the thugs slowly approach, Rachel slowly backed away.
Finally, she was cornered, and she helplessly slumped against the wall, her voice trembling as she begged, "My money is all in my bag, take it all, please don't hurt me!"
A lamb to the slaughter had no right to bargain. Those thugs not only ignored Rachel's pleas, but had even begun to discuss the order of things.
"This chick is really not bad looking."
"Yeah, her figure is just like those model sluts, she looks like she's just begging for it."
"Ouch, look, she's so scared she's crying, hahaha! Don't worry, we'll be very 'gentle' with you, we'll make sure you're in ecstasy, you'll never forget us in this lifetime, hehehehe!"
Rachel was covered in tears, and her body was trembling uncontrollably with fear.
She looked at the approaching thugs, regretting only why she had endured that damned, idiotic supervisor, why she had worked overtime so late, and allowed herself to suffer this kind of thing.
"Ahem, I'm sorry to interrupt you, but treating a lady like this is indeed very rude."
"If you apologize sincerely to her now, I might consider letting you off the hook."
A hoarse voice sounded behind them; this was Meng Ran's voice, altered.
The thugs turned around to look, and were all startled by the scene before them.
They could see no one in the darkness, only a pair of long, narrow, pale eyes reflecting a terrifying light.
Just as they were getting creeped out by the eyes, the eyes suddenly vanished before them.
At the same time, the familiar, raspy voice sounded behind them again.
"Looking for me? I'm right here."
The thugs immediately turned around at the sound, and a black figure appeared before them.
The black Combat Suit had a natural camouflage effect in the night, and the terrifying eyes under the hood were coldly staring at them.
Rachel, her face streaked with tears, looked at the figure that had suddenly appeared in front of her. She wasn't even sure if she was going to be saved.
One of the more timid thugs swallowed hard, then asked in a trembling voice, "Who are you?"
Another thug, with a scar on his face, was infuriated by his fearful question and slapped the other thug hard on the head.
"Are you an idiot? What's there to be afraid of? It's just some clown in a costume, playing hero and trying to rescue the damsel in distress!" Scarface roared at the thugs.
The thugs around him, hearing Scarface's words, also became vigilant, watching Meng Ran. The timid thug was now annoyed at himself for being scared.
Who the hell is wearing a costume? This is a Combat Suit, alright! Meng Ran cursed inwardly, hearing Scarface's words.
At the same time, the thugs couldn't hold back any longer and brandished their weapons at him.
Seeing the batons and knives in front of him, Meng Ran also became serious. After all, he didn't have any combat skills, only brute strength. The boxer's physique he gained didn't come with boxing techniques.
Just as a thug with a knife charged at him, Meng Ran began to counterattack. He sidestepped to avoid the knife, then stepped forward and punched one of them, sending him flying.
After punching this thug away, Meng Ran then kicked someone else, and the person who flew out also took down one of his own thug teammates.
Meng Ran's quick speed gave him a slight advantage in the fight. In just two seconds, several thugs had already lost their ability to fight.
The remaining thugs reacted and all charged at Meng Ran.
Facing the swarm of thugs, Meng Ran could only throw out a set of wild punches based on his instincts.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Sure enough, brute force worked wonders. Although the fighting process wasn't particularly elegant, Meng Ran managed to crush them with his strong physique and the meager fighting experience he had from childhood.
In less than a minute, those thugs were all lying on the ground, some still groaning, others already knocked out.
Although Meng Ran had deliberately held back his strength, he still hadn't controlled it well, and it was estimated that a few of the thugs had broken quite a few bones.
He spoke coldly to the thugs lying on the ground, "I hope you can remember this lesson. If I meet you again next time, it won't be as simple as breaking a few bones."
After the warning, Meng Ran turned his head and looked at Rachel, who was still sitting on the ground in a daze, and said, "Miss, the trouble has been resolved, you can go home safely."
Rachel heard the voice and quickly stood up, leaning against the wall. Her voice trembled slightly as she said to Meng Ran, "Thank you for saving me. Waaah, thank you so much."
Having just experienced such a rollercoaster of emotions, she was still a bit unstable. Meng Ran could only offer a few words of comfort and then told her to go home quickly.
Seeing Rachel's worried expression, Meng Ran knew she was concerned about whether she would encounter such a situation again.
Thinking about this, Meng Ran said softly to her, "Don't worry, I'll follow you. You won't be in danger."
Hearing his words, Rachel gradually relaxed her anxious heart and quickly walked towards her home.
When she finally reached her door, the anxiety she had felt along the way finally dissipated.
Thinking about what happened tonight, Rachel looked back at the heavy night, then gratefully said to the night sky, "Thank you for walking me home."
After a moment's thought, she then gathered her courage and asked, "Can you tell me your name?"
The darkness in the distance offered no response, only the sound of wind echoing through the streets under the black night sky.
Finally, after a moment, a raspy voice drifted through the wind, "Ghoul. My name is Ghoul."
Rachel, who had been disheartened, raised her head in delight upon hearing the response. She gratefully said to the night, "Thank you! Mr. Evil Ghost! I will always remember your saving grace!"
This time, there was no reply.