Symbiote Venom

The moment Zhang Ye saw Ashley, he had already sensed that something else was lurking within her.

It was something capable of influencing a person’s character, mind, or spirit. At the same time, it possessed its own intelligence and thoughts. To Zhang Ye, the discordant feeling of two minds stitched together was painfully obvious.

And since this was the Marvel Universe, the first thing Zhang Ye thought of was Venom, that alien parasitic Symbiote. Now it seemed his guess had been right. For Ashley, this little girl, to become like this, Venom had certainly provided no small amount of "help."

Venom was a sapient extraterrestrial life-form created by Knull, the Symbiote God. Without a host, they generally moved about in liquid form. The condition necessary for their survival was parasitizing powerful hosts and using them to sustain their vitality.

At the same time, this parasitic relationship was not one of one-sided taking. Just like their species name, they were called "Symbiotes." In other words, while living in symbiosis with their hosts, they also granted those hosts powerful superhuman abilities.

Those abilities included, but were not limited to, increased strength, speed, reflexes, organ regeneration, and other extraordinary powers beyond those of ordinary people. On the surface, Symbiotes seemed like excellent beings, capable of turning an ordinary person into a superhuman.

But in truth, this symbiotic relationship was not "friendly." Venom, for instance, possessed thoughts of its own. That meant anyone who wanted Venom’s superhuman abilities had to accept that their body would also be occupied and controlled by another life-form.

Although Venom was influenced by its host, when it amplified the host’s inner desires and emotions, it still had an extremely severe effect on the host.

People said Symbiotes made good people better and bad people worse, but that was not quite true. The human heart was unfathomable. Even Spider-Man could not control it completely, much less anyone else.

How should he put it? In a sense, Venom was rather pitiful too. It had no inherent distinction between good and evil, yet it had still been classified among the criminals. And because of its symbiotic nature, neither heroes nor villains were willing to accept it, leaving it to become a drifter in the wasteland.

Zhang Ye did not know how many creatures Venom had parasitized over the years, but he could tell that the Venom before him was completely different from the one he remembered. This one was more like a cruel, bloodthirsty madman—like Carnage.

What Zhang Ye was most curious about, however, was why this guy was not causing trouble for Hawkeye. How had it ended up with Ashley, plotting to kill him?

Could it be that the Spider-Man abilities awakening within Ashley had reignited Venom’s love for Peter Parker? It was not impossible.

Now this was interesting.

Zhang Ye watched Venom force a smile, unsure what to say for a moment. The other party seemed terrified of him. Even while smiling, it tried its best to tuck its rows of jagged fangs inward, maintaining a harmless appearance and keeping them out of sight.

"Venom, have you gone insane!?"

Ashley stared at Venom in utter disbelief. She could not understand why this monster, always going on about "flesh" and "carnage," had suddenly become such a coward at a time like this.

"When you came looking for me, you said we’d defeat every enemy!"

"I never said that to this girl in my life."

Venom did not even glance at Ashley. It merely kept flashing Zhang Ye a fawning smile.

Though that smile was a little difficult to stomach.

"We agreed to kill this wizard! You fucking promised me!" Ashley roared through gritted teeth.

"She threatened me."

Venom immediately blurted out.

"You fucking bastard! You fucking asshole! How did I ever trust a despicable freak like you!?"

Humiliated and furious, Ashley threw a punch. But Venom was faster, nimbly dodging her fists with apparent ease.

It could not be helped. The two of them were sharing the same body now. Venom knew exactly what Ashley was thinking, and it could even predict which direction she was about to throw her punch.

"Get the fuck off me!"

"That is not up to you, little girl. Besides, if you want to live, I advise you to behave yourself right now. If you make that lord unhappy, you will die horribly. I do not want to lose another Spider-Man host," Venom muttered.

It had to be said that Ashley’s appearance had been quite intimidating at first. Kara and the others had all thought some terrifying presence had set its sights on them. Just as they were preparing for a brutal fight, the atmosphere began to grow stranger and stranger.

Especially after Zhang Ye spoke, Venom instantly popped out like a lackey. Not only did it have no intention of offending him, it was terrified of Zhang Ye.

At this moment, Ashley and Venom’s internal squabble had left everyone laughing in exasperation.

"Well, she really is a crazy girl," Pietro said speechlessly.

Blood Baron beside him was equally speechless. At the same time, however, he cautiously glanced at Zhang Ye. As another old relic who had survived from a bygone era, he knew very well that anyone capable of frightening a monster like Venom to this extent was no ordinary person.

And these people had come from another world. The power they possessed was likely even more terrifying than he imagined.

Ignoring Blood Baron’s gaze, Zhang Ye continued to watch Venom and Ashley make fools of themselves with a blank expression.

Honestly, Zhang Ye was not afraid of Ashley at all. If the famous Spider-Man himself had come, he might have been worth exchanging a few moves with. But this little girl, whose Spider-Sense was only half-baked, was truly nothing to fear, even with Venom as a little cheat.

It was not just Zhang Ye. Kara and Pietro had no reason to fear her either.

Perhaps Ashley, with Venom, could unleash combat power comparable to Spider-Man’s at full strength, but their group was no pushover.

Even with Venom’s help, Ashley’s reactions could not keep up with Pietro’s speed, and her strength was inferior to Kara’s. Not to mention Kara’s Heat Vision was a weapon that perfectly countered Symbiotes. What chance of victory did Ashley have?

Among everyone present, Blood Baron, that old fossil, was probably the only one who could fight her to a standstill.

But that was not what Zhang Ye was focused on. Compared to Ashley, he was more curious why Venom was so terrified upon seeing him, as if it had seen Knull, the Symbiote God, crawl out of his coffin.