Chapter 273: Venom Has Found You
"Nicely done." A brand-new Spider-Suit had been crafted by Peter. This suit was entirely black, except for the spider emblem on the chest and the eye lenses, which were stark white.
Originally, Peter only intended to make a few minor adjustments to his gear, but the more he tinkered, the more ideas he had. Eventually, he decided to build a completely new suit from scratch using advanced materials.
"Thanks, Alpha," Peter said, nodding to the AI.
"You are welcome, Peter. It is my duty," Alpha replied.
Throughout the fabrication process, Alpha had provided constant prompts and suggestions on how to make the suit more perfect. It was only with Alpha's assistance that Peter was able to finish this high-tech suit so quickly.
"A perfect fit." Peter donned the suit and did a few test jumps. It felt significantly better than the previous version.
Without wasting any time, Peter opened a portal to the Shadow Kingdom and transitioned to the outside world.
The City
"Woohoo!" Peter swung through the urban canyons. The web-fluid deployment was smoother, and the fabric felt like a second skin.
Peter performed a 360-degree mid-air flip. While patrolling, he handily saved a few hostages and apprehended a group of criminals.
"Your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is back!" During his patrol, he eventually found himself near Parker Industries.
Peter landed steadily on the giant logo atop the skyscraper. He sat there, looking down at the endless stream of traffic below.
"So this is Parker Industries? It looks impressive." Peter dropped into a huddle, hooking his feet onto the sign to hang upside down. Through the glass windows, he observed the interior of the building. Staff were busy at work, surrounded by massive, cutting-edge instruments.
"After I graduate, I definitely need to come here for a tour!" Peter eventually leaped away, continuing his trek to fully break in the new suit.
Nightfall
"I'm home," Silas said, opening the door and stepping inside.
"Welcome back, Silas. Would you like some snacks?" Aunt May pointed to a tray on the coffee table. They had finished dinner long ago and were currently watching TV.
"Thanks, May, but I'm stuffed. Where's Peter?" Silas asked, already knowing the answer.
Peter had already used the Shadow Kingdom to head to San Francisco in search of Venom. Silas hadn't expected Peter to be so proactive; he had actually come home early to see if Peter wanted help, but his brother had already vanished into the shadows.
"He went upstairs to sleep. He told us not to disturb him," Aunt May said, sounding puzzled. "I don't know why that boy is turning in so early."
"Right. I'll head up then." Silas waved to May and turned to the stairs.
"Wait, Silas." Ben Parker, who had been quietly reading the newspaper, finally spoke. He set the paper down and patted the seat next to him.
Silas sat down, slightly confused. "What is it, Uncle Ben?"
"How was the date?" Ben asked, draping an arm over Silas's shoulder.
"It went very well." Silas was a bit surprised by the question. Actually, Ben had promised May he would ask, as she felt a bit awkward bringing it up herself.
"Misty is a wonderful girl. May and I liked her very much at the science expo. I hope you treat her right," Ben said earnestly. He didn't want his nephew to be someone who toyed with people's emotions.
"I know, Uncle Ben. Don't worry, I won't," Silas promised.
Ben smiled warmly. "Go on then, get some rest."
As Silas headed upstairs, Ben turned to May. "May, weren't you supposed to ask him?"
"I just... I felt a bit shy all of a sudden," May admitted with an embarrassed smile. If Ben hadn't spoken up, Silas would have been in his room already.
"Nothing to be shy about, we've all been there," Ben chuckled.
Upstairs
The first thing Silas did upon entering his room was share the vision of a Shadow Ninja to get a "live broadcast" of the events in San Francisco.
San Francisco
"Whoo!" Peter swung through the skyscrapers of the West Coast, hunting for any sign of the symbiote. Silas watched through Peter's shadow, keeping tabs on his brother's progress.
Peter landed on a tall building, crouching to survey the streets. He stopped a few minor crimes along the way but hadn't seen any black goo yet.
"Wish I had a tracker," Peter muttered.
"We can deploy the micro-spider drones to scout," Gaia (the suit AI) suggested.
"Great idea." Peter tapped the spider emblem on his chest. Dozens of white micro-drones flew out in all directions.
Peter's black suit was specifically designed for this hunt. The fabric contained microscopic pores that could emit high-frequency sonic waves on command. Furthermore, his webbing had been upgraded to ignite upon impact, generating temperatures of over a thousand degrees.
"Peter, a potential match for Venom has been found," Gaia reported.
"Where?" Peter's heart raced. It felt like he was about to meet an old friend.
"I am uploading the coordinates to your HUD now."
"I'm on my way!" Peter dove off the building.
The Alleyway
CRASH!
Venom grabbed a mugger and slammed him against a brick wall.
"Aaargh!" The criminal slumped to the ground, clutching his chest. He felt his ribs snap.
"Eddie, this is what we call 'tenderizing the meat.' Time to eat!" Venom licked his lips and opened his massive maw to swallow the man.
Thwip!
"Hey! Old friend! People are friends, not food!" A strand of white webbing snatched the mugger's torso and yanked him away.
Crack!
"AAAGH!" The sudden jerk caused the mugger's broken ribs to shift painfully.
"Oops! Sorry, sorry! My bad!" Peter stammered, his hands fluttering in a panic.
"Peter?!" Venom hissed internally. He was stunned to see his former host here.
Eddie's face emerged from the black mask, looking confused. "You sound like you know this guy."
"Of course I do. He was my first host—Spider-Man!" Venom hissed. However, he pointedly did not reveal Peter's real name to Eddie.
"Spider-Man?!" Eddie's head spun. Who would have thought the world-famous Spider-Man was Venom's first host?!
Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MistaQuartz
On Patreon, you can explore Extra Chapters in advance!