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Rustle, rustle—
Eddie Brock, moving swiftly before Black Widow could get close, put on the spacesuit that was clearly no longer needed.
After all, he didn't want Nick Fury, that black man, to become suspicious too early.
Only after everything was properly put away did he turn and walk into the passage on the other side of the cave.
His steps were steadier and firmer than when he came, for at this moment, he had already been reborn!
He hadn't walked far when he ran into Black Widow, who had a wary expression.
"What's wrong with you? Why didn't you answer on the communicator just now?" Black Widow's brows were tightly furrowed, and her eyes revealed unconcealed suspicion.
"Sorry, Agent Romanoff."
Eddie Brock feigned a deeply apologetic look, shrugging his shoulders with a hint of an awkward smile on his face, "The further in I went, the worse the signal got, and then I got lost, which is why it took a bit longer, but…"
As he spoke, he raised the Symbiote Capture Device, shaped like a vacuum cleaner, in his hand and grinned at Black Widow, revealing a mouthful of white teeth, "But this time can be said to be a great harvest, the mission was successfully completed!"
"Hmm?"
Black Widow looked suspiciously at the tail of the Symbiote Capture Device in his hand.
Immediately, from inside the open hatch, she saw various colored, sludge-like creatures, churning back and forth in the clear collection slots, each the size of a baby's arm, inside the capture device's tail magazine.
Those Symbiotes were like restless Beasts, constantly changing shape in the collection slots.
Black Widow's eyes widened sharply at the sight, and she exclaimed in disbelief, "What, you... you actually captured so many Symbiotes?"
The reason Black Widow was so shocked was that although she had also seen traces of Symbiotes earlier, the capture process was not smooth for her.
Due to her unfamiliarity with the terrain and the cumbersome spacesuit preventing her from utilizing her agile movements, even though she had spent nearly half an hour in another passage, she hadn't even caught a single Symbiote.
Who would have thought that Eddie Brock, who had always been regarded by her... no, by everyone in S.H.I.E.L.D. and the New Avengers Alliance as useless and trash, would suddenly become so 'heroic' this time?
Does this guy really possess some special physique that attracts Symbiotes?
Her eyes were filled with doubt and confusion as she stared intently at Eddie Brock, trying to find answers on his face.
Eddie Brock was quite pleased with the expression on Black Widow's face, and immediately patted his chest, showing off with a proud look:
"Hehe, if the capture device only had 12 collection slots inside, I could have captured even more Symbiotes!"
A hint of undisguised disdain flashed in Black Widow's eyes. She had always disliked this glib and greasy middle-aged man, but this time, he was indeed 'exceptionally capable,' so she didn't say much.
Black Widow glanced at the glowing green timer on her spacesuit and said with a hint of urgency in her voice:
"The agreed return time has arrived. I've been receiving intermittent distress signals on the communicator. I'm afraid something has happened to the other two teams..."
With that, she swiftly snatched the capture device filled with Symbiotes from Eddie Brock's hand.
Eddie Brock's hand remained in the position of holding the device, slightly suspended in mid-air, but his face still held that calm smile.
Black Widow didn't look at him again, walking out of the cave on her own. Her figure, illuminated by the lights, stretched endlessly in the dark cave.
"Hehe..."
Eddie Brock chuckled softly. Even though the other party had roughly snatched "all" the Symbiotes, he didn't say much, appearing very generous and calm.
He unhurriedly followed quietly behind Black Widow, walking outwards.
The cave was extremely quiet, with only the footsteps of the two echoing in the empty space. Eddie Brock walked, calculating his plan in his mind.
In fact, the 12 Symbiotes in the Symbiote Capture Device were deliberately infused by Eddie Brock.
His purpose was to allow these Symbiotes to infiltrate S.H.I.E.L.D., thereby completing his ultimate infiltration plan by possessing Agents.
After Knull bestowed upon him the identity and power of the Void Knight, he had already become the 'new king' of the tens of thousands of Symbiote armies currently hidden within him!
And as those hosts possessed by Symbiotes complete deep links with their respective Symbiotes, Eddie Brock can easily control the consciousness and actions of these people for his own use... and this, precisely, is the true power of the Void Knight!
Therefore, what he had just said to Black Widow was not boasting. If the Symbiote Capture Device in his hand had not been equipped with only 12 collection slots, he would have actually wanted to 'voluntarily' offer more Symbiotes to S.H.I.E.L.D..
It would be best if everyone in S.H.I.E.L.D. had a Symbiote. That way, as soon as the time was right, he could effortlessly take control of the entire S.H.I.E.L.D.!
Next, led by Black Widow, the two followed their tracks back, checking the directions where the other two teams were located.
When they tracked to the end of the two underground caves, the eerie silence that permeated within sent shivers down their spines.
But the four S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents seemed to have vanished into thin air, all mysteriously disappearing?
There were no frantic footprints from their escape on the surrounding ground, nor were there any traces of struggle on the cave walls... In short, not a single useful piece of information was left behind.
Black Widow's brows were tightly furrowed, her eyes revealing anxiety and confusion. In this deathly silence, she, with no other recourse, finally had to choose to return.
...
A few tens of minutes later.
In the cabin of the S.H.I.E.L.D. spaceship, a suppressive atmosphere was quietly spreading.
Eddie Brock secretly glanced at Black Widow, who looked extremely solemn, feeling a bit of schadenfreude.
Because only he knew the whereabouts of those four S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents... needless to say, the Symbiote God, Knull, must have controlled the Symbiotes to devour them!
If Eddie Brock hadn't been able to prove his 'worth' at that time, he would probably have met the same tragic end as those four Agents, disappearing without a trace, wouldn't he?
But fortunately, his previous efforts and persistence were not in vain.
The spaceship slowly ascended, emitting a low rumble. Through the porthole, Eddie Brock quietly watched the asteroid, still hiding tens of thousands of Symbiotes, grow further and further away from him.
The asteroid gradually became a small black dot in the dark Universe, until it finally disappeared completely from sight, swallowed by the dark space of the Universe. A sinister smile couldn't help but appear on his lips.
Eddie Brock secretly swore in his heart: "Karl Merks, you just wait for me... It won't be long before you find out what happens when you cross me, Eddie Brock!"
"I will use my Symbiote army to completely crush everything you currently possess..."
...
...
Meanwhile.
In a certain unknown starfield, inside the Klyntar Planet, darkness, like thick ink, permeated every corner.
Knull, his entire being confined to the dark throne by shackles formed by Symbiotes, slowly raised his head.
His eyes were deep and mysterious, as if they could pierce through the endless galaxy, gazing towards Eddie Brock's direction.
The surrounding Symbiotes, like writhing black tides, emitted eerie sounds.
Knull murmured, "Go, my children... As long as everything goes smoothly, it won't be long before your Father God descends..."
"When you obtain the last missing Gene Code and deliver it to Klyntar... I will completely break free from this cage..."
"When I am reborn, I will continue the great undertaking I left unfinished... I will personally destroy every living Planet, enslave all life, and I will completely eradicate 'light' from my Dark Empire... Of course, I will also eliminate all my Symbiote offspring, and as a boon... Eddie Brock, I will spare your life!"
...
...
Time flew by, and in a blink of an eye, it was over ten days later.
Triskelion, S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters.
"Ding-dong—"
As the elevator doors opened, bright light spilled onto Eddie Brock, who was wearing a S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform.
He straightened his collar and stepped out with confident strides.
The corridor was wide and quiet, with S.H.I.E.L.D. emblems and photos of meritorious Agents hanging on the walls. Eddie Brock walked all the way to the Director's office at the end of the corridor.
Just a few hours ago, the spaceship carrying Eddie Brock and Black Widow had successfully landed at S.H.I.E.L.D.'s space launch center.
After handing over the twelve Symbiotes to the researchers, Eddie Brock was originally planning to return home directly, but unexpectedly, he received a call from Nick Fury midway, so he rushed here.
Did that black man notice something?
Impossible!
Eddie Brock raised his hand to adjust his tie and cuffs, a gesture that looked somewhat deliberate, as if Eddie Brock was trying to hide his guilt.
Taking a deep breath, Eddie Brock finally knocked on the office door.
His heart rate slightly quickened, and he secretly prayed that Nick Fury, that black man, wouldn't notice anything unusual about him.
Because even if he now possessed a myriad of Symbiote armies, if he couldn't disperse them among qualified hosts as planned, then neither S.H.I.E.L.D. nor Karl Merks would be threatened at all.
Eddie Brock was well aware of this.
So, he couldn't turn against S.H.I.E.L.D. yet.
"Come in."
Nick Fury's voice came from behind the door. Eddie Brock then pushed the door open and entered. The light in the office was dim. Nick Fury had already adjusted the smart floor-to-ceiling window behind him to a dark color, making the entire room filled with a mysterious and suppressive atmosphere.
In front of the large screen directly opposite the desk, twelve holographic projections flickered with blue light in the air. The light was particularly striking in the darkness, illuminating Nick Fury's dark face.
"Sit."
Nick Fury did not turn off the holographic projection device, but smiled and gestured for Eddie Brock to sit in the chair in front of the desk.
His smile seemed gentle, but subtly carried a sense of scrutiny.
Within S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury's amiable demeanor was clearly not common.
However, Eddie Brock was not surprised by this, as he had already roughly guessed the other party's true intention on his way here.
Eddie Brock first glanced out of the corner of his eye at the twelve holographic images, the transparent containers holding different colored Symbiotes emitting a mysterious aura in the projection.
Then he pulled out a chair and sat down on his own, a perfectly appropriate smile on his face, and asked, "Director, you wanted to see me?"
"Agent Brock, I apologize. You've just returned from an interstellar voyage, and you should have gone straight home to rest, but I called you here instead."
Nick Fury clasped his hands on the desk, leaning slightly forward, and said with a smile, "But I must say, you delivered an impressive performance in this mission to explore the Symbiote Planet."
The office was extremely quiet, with only Nick Fury's oppressive low voice echoing in the air.
"Thank you for the compliment, Officer, these are all things I should do."
Facing the rare praise, Eddie Brock quickly showed a perfectly appropriate smile with a hint of excitement and a touch of nervousness, and responded humbly:
"After all, I'm also a member of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the New Avengers Alliance!"
Nick Fury nodded in satisfaction upon hearing this, his single eye glinting with shrewdness. He pointed to the twelve transparent containers holding different colored Symbiotes, which were being displayed in the holographic projection opposite him, and said with a glint in his eye:
"While everyone else failed, you, alone, successfully captured twelve Symbiotes... This is crucial for the upcoming Symbiote Soldier Program and the Titan Hunter Mecha Project!"
Nick Fury did not ask Eddie Brock how he caught those Symbiotes, but continued to praise him:
"Furthermore, you voluntarily gave up the priority ownership of the Symbiotes that I had previously promised you... Therefore, this time, your contribution is immeasurable!"