Why Are You So Good at This? (Part 2)

Late at night, on the streets of Manhattan, Dora hurried after Eddie and asked, "Where are you going?"

"Didn’t you say we were going to infiltrate the Life Foundation’s base?"

"Yes, but not this way. We need to go to Brooklyn District first…"

Eddie stopped and turned to Dora. "You’re not seriously planning to take me in just like that, are you?"

"I have a high-level access pass for the base. I can drive straight in, and you can hide in the trunk…"

"Don’t be stupid. That doesn’t even count as a plan."

"Do you have a detailed map of the base? Once we get in, how are we supposed to find where Drake keeps the top-secret files? After we find it, how do we crack the security system? How do we open the safe? How do we get past the guards? How do we investigate and gather evidence? If there’s physical evidence, how do we get it out? And if we’re discovered, how do we escape?"

"You haven’t prepared any of that, and you were just going to charge in?"

Dora stared at Eddie with her mouth open and asked in shock, "Are you really a reporter? Why are you so good at this?"

Eddie didn’t answer, because he didn’t know either. In his mind, he asked Venom, Are you really an alien? Why are you so good at this?

"Because I’m Batman… uh, Venom!"

Eddie said to Dora, "Go get the car. I have a few friends who can work with us."

The two drove back to Eddie’s apartment, where Peter, Matt, and Thor were already waiting. When Eddie entered, the other three all turned to look at him. Peter first looked at the emblem on Eddie’s chest, then lowered his head to look at the one on his own Spider-Man suit. "Hey! That’s plagiarism! Isn’t that my Spider-Man logo?"

"Look carefully. Does this look like a spider?" A hoarse voice came from Eddie’s throat.

Peter choked on his words and muttered, "Fine, but you just replaced the spider with a bat. The design is still the same. You need to pay royalties…"

"Three buckets of cheese puffs."

"It has to be five buckets, and they have to be the large ones."

"Deal."

After Dora came in, Eddie introduced her to everyone. Peter brought Dora a chair, and the five of them sat around the coffee table.

"Thor and I both got selected as volunteers," Peter said first. Then he looked at Matt, who shook his head. "Don’t forget, I’m still a lawyer. They might be wary of that profession, so I wasn’t selected."

"You and Thor—one of you is a high school student with no money or connections, and the other is a warehouse worker who used to be homeless. Of course the Life Foundation is more likely to trust you two."

Dora widened her eyes at Peter and Thor. "You didn’t apply to become Life Foundation volunteers, did you? That’s dangerous. You absolutely can’t go!"

"If they’re merely testing finished drugs, it might be fine. But if you get assigned to product development, you could die!"

"They’re not really going to be volunteers. They’re just going to coordinate with us from the inside and help us uncover the Life Foundation’s secrets."

"But I have to warn you." Dora spoke with great seriousness. "They keep extremely tight control over volunteers. Once you enter the Foundation’s base, they may inject you with anesthetics or other sedatives. At that point, you might not be able to resist."

"Don’t worry. Neither of them is ordinary. At the very least, anesthetics definitely won’t work."

"Can you get a detailed map of the Foundation’s base?" Eddie asked Dora.

Dora thought for a moment. "No problem."

"The part of the experiment I’m responsible for is important. Drake gave me the highest level of clearance, so my pass can open the security room directly. There should be a detailed route map on the computers there."

"But my field is biology. If those computers are protected by security programs, I may not be able to crack them."

At that moment, Peter raised his hand. "Once I get in, you can come find me directly. Then the two of us can go in together. Leave cracking the computers to me."

Matt turned to Thor. "You don’t have any extra powers, but your constitution is different from ordinary people’s. Most human drugs are ineffective against you. You’ll work with Peter, create an opportunity for him to break out, then meet up with the other two."

"Fine."

"Then, the plan is as follows…"

Three days later, outside a factory on the eastern side of Brooklyn District, a car with its high beams on turned up to the factory gate. At the guard booth, a woman’s hand extended from the car window, and the guard used a machine to verify her access pass.

The guard lowered his head to look at the machine’s screen. It displayed a female ID photo, with the name "Dora Milanje" beside it.

Under the car’s headlights, the Life Foundation base building ahead was shrouded in darkness. Only faint lights flickered from the upper-floor windows. Behind one of those windows, Peter stood among a group of people, listening as Drake explained the so-called "Life Cornerstone" concept.

"…You, yes, you. You look quite young. What’s your name?"

"My name is Peter. Peter Parker, sir."

"Very good, Peter. You have a good name." Drake walked to Peter’s side, put an arm around his shoulders, and led him out. "You’re different from those homeless people taken downstairs. You’ll be a great practitioner of the human Life Cornerstone Project, one of the first to undergo it. Your name will be written on the monument of human history."

"Uh, but… sir, I still don’t understand what the Life Cornerstone Project is. I only heard about it, so I came to give it a try."

"That shows you have talent." Drake patted Peter’s shoulder and led him to a cylindrical experimental platform, where a projection of a cube was playing.

Drake spread his arms and explained to Peter, "I know that at school, your teachers tell you humanity has yet to find conclusive evidence of aliens. For ordinary people, that is true."

"But since you’ve come here, of course I’ll show you something different. Especially gifted, promising children like you—you should learn the truth of this world sooner."

"Uh… are you talking about aliens?"

"No, that’s too narrow-minded. Humans always judge others by themselves, believing that other life forms in the universe should be like humans, with arms and legs. But humanity’s physique and strength are far too weak. Life in the universe has evolved far beyond humanity."

"Really?" Peter asked curiously. "Do they not look like humans? Then what could they look like?"

Drake said helplessly, "See? That’s where you lack imagination."

"But it’s fine. You’re still young. You can learn slowly."

"But you still haven’t told me what the Life Cornerstone Project actually is."

"Don’t rush, child. Didn’t I say it? You will be among the first practitioners of this project."

As he spoke, Drake’s tone grew excited. He turned to the dozen or so volunteers behind him, all around Peter’s age, and said, "You will become the strongest warriors among humanity, the guardians of the Life Foundation!"

"With you, neither Stark Industries nor that damned Osborn Group will ever be able to interfere with my great plan again."

"Okay, but what are we supposed to do?" Peter asked Drake.

"Peter, come here. Come over here…" Drake walked to a glass observation window and beckoned to Peter.

Peter walked over and saw another identical cylindrical experimental platform in the middle of the room. There was a box on it, and inside the box was a pool of purple liquid that kept churning.

"This is the task you’ll be doing next. In a moment, go inside and help me take that box out."

Peter narrowed his eyes at the box inside and muttered to himself, "Why does this thing look kind of familiar? Why is it purple? Shouldn’t it be black?"

"Familiar?" Drake smiled. "This isn’t ketchup, kid. All right, get in there."

Several people in lab coats came over and opened the door for Peter. Peter walked inside and headed toward the box.

Just as he extended a hand to touch the box, Drake outside waved at the researchers, and they pressed several buttons on the door.

The box’s lid suddenly sprang open. At that moment, Peter’s hand was directly above it. The purple Slime instantly wrapped around his arm, then covered his entire body at incredible speed.

At that moment, a hoarse female voice came from Peter’s throat. "…Huh???"

The purple Slime slowly solidified, and its head began to change. The shapes of two spider compound eyes appeared where the eyes should be, white web-like stripes spread across its body, and a spider emblem emerged on its chest.

Peter rolled his neck and wrists, then said, "Make the lines on the chest a little denser… Make the spider emblem bigger too. Yes…"

The Symbiote possessing him was completely dumbfounded. In Peter’s mind, the female voice said, "Are you really human? Why are you so good at this?"

"Because I know one of your relatives. His name is Venom, and he’s black. Do you know him?"

"You said who?? Venom????"

"Damn it, you’re Venom’s former host! Goodbye!!!"

Drake, watching through the glass window, saw the purple Slime rapidly peel itself off Peter again. As though fleeing for its life, it instantly returned to the little box and even extended a tentacle to pull the lid shut.

Peter clearly hadn’t expected that turn of events either. He opened the lid and reached in to scoop up the purple Slime. "Don’t run. Why do you dislike me so much?"

"Venom and I worked together quite happily. Maybe the two of us could also…"

The instant Peter’s finger touched the Slime, he heard her furious roar: "Precisely because you worked so happily with Venom! That’s why I need to stay far away from you!! You must be insane. Get away from me!!!"

As she spoke, she stuck the lid back on, then extended several tentacles and firmly secured it to the box.

Peter wasn’t without a temper. He rolled up his sleeves and started tugging at the lid. Since he couldn’t put enough force into it standing upright, he planted one foot on the experimental platform and pulled the lid like he was yanking up a radish.

"I think we can talk this out! You must have some misunderstanding about me. I can’t let you go back and spread bad things about me. Open the lid, or I’m really going to use force!"

"Dream on! I have nothing to discuss with a lunatic! I’m a normal Symbiote, so stay away from me!!"

"Open it now!! Don’t say I didn’t warn you, I’m very strong!"

"No way! I don’t believe you!!"

"Bang!!!"

When the experimental platform shattered all over the floor, Drake and every researcher were stunned.

Peter bent down, scooped up the purple Slime that had fallen to the floor, and said, "I told you I was strong. Explain yourself right now. Did Venom say bad things about me?"

The purple Symbiote said in a collapsing tone, "Just as I thought! Green Thorn and Thor were right! Not a single person who’s been possessed by that lunatic Venom is normal. You’re all crazy!!!"

"Don’t waste your effort. I don’t want to possess you. Holding onto me is useless, and you’re already so strong. What do you even need me for?!"

"I need to find out whether I have a bad reputation among your kind. Why exactly is that? If there’s some misunderstanding, I can clear it up…"

"Venom and I really did work together quite happily. We argued occasionally, but that was no big deal. I really am a good person. I never bullied him. You have to believe me…"

Just then, a huge noise suddenly erupted in the laboratory. The Slime let out a piercing scream and shot into the corner with a whoosh.