Chapter 275: Seeking Help
Venom's sudden disappearance left Peter momentarily disoriented. With no other leads, he had no choice but to head back home.
The Parker Residence
Silas had watched the entire encounter through the shadows. He had expected a fierce, high-stakes battle between the two, but to his surprise, Venom had simply turned tail and fled without any physical confrontation.
Sensing Peter's return, Silas immediately flicked off his light, jumped into bed, and closed his eyes. If Peter found him awake, he would surely be subjected to a long-winded lecture and a detailed debrief of the night's events. Silas decided to play dead to save his ears the trouble.
Outside the window, a dark figure landed softly.
"Silas went to bed this early?" Peter muttered, peering through the glass.
Based on the time, he knew Silas should have been home from his date. He had intended to find his brother and share everything that happened in San Francisco. Seeing the dark room, he hesitated, unsure if Silas was truly asleep.
"I'll tell him tomorrow," Peter whispered, not wanting to disturb Silas after his long day out. He turned and slipped back into his own room.
What Peter didn't realize was that a spiritual entity was floating right beside him.
It was Silas, using his astral projection.
"Phew... lucky I was quick, or I'd be listening to Peter's nagging for hours," Silas thought as he watched Peter retreat. Once his brother was safely in his own room, Silas entered the Shadow Kingdom—his nightly routine of study and training was about to begin.
San Francisco
"I really thought you two were going to throw down," Eddie said, walking down the street while munching on a burger.
"I'm hungry. I didn't have the energy to fight him," Venom replied.
"Oh, come on, Venom. Was it because he was your first host and you couldn't bring yourself to hit him?" Eddie teased, wiggling his eyebrows.
"Impossible! I was just hungry!" Venom insisted stubbornly. He would never admit to Eddie that he had no desire to fight Peter.
"Alright, alright. You want some chocolate?" Eddie sat down on a park bench.
He was effectively homeless now, drifting through the streets with no source of income. To keep Venom fed and himself clothed, Eddie had taken to "confiscating" the wallets of the criminals Venom ate. It provided enough for snacks, cheap meals, and basic necessities.
"Let's stay here tonight," Eddie said, looking up at an apartment building with no lights on.
He hated sleeping on the street; the experience was miserable. Whenever it was time to sleep, he would scout for an empty apartment and slip inside. After checking that the coast was clear, he climbed the wall and entered through a window.
"Hello? Anyone home?" Eddie called out softly. Silence.
He flicked on the light. "Nice. This place looks comfortable."
Taking full advantage of the situation, Eddie headed to the bathroom, grabbed a clean towel, and took a shower. Afterward, he flopped onto the sofa, put his feet up on the table, and grabbed the remote.
"Whoa! The Boys! My favorite superhero show." Eddie ripped open a bag of chips and settled in.
Venom's head sprouted from Eddie's shoulder. "Eddie, give me some chocolate."
"Sure thing." Eddie tossed a piece into Venom's waiting maw. "By the way, do you ever brush those teeth? You're going to get cavities."
Venom leaned in close, baring his rows of pearly white, razor-sharp teeth. "Do you think that's likely?"
"Uh... good point." Eddie chuckled nervously. "Hey, your eyes look pretty intense. Can you change the shape? You know, make yourself look a bit... cuter?"
"No!" Venom hissed. "Looking fierce makes the food more afraid. Fear makes them taste better."
"But if they're scared to the point of... losing control of their bladder... isn't that a bit..." Eddie couldn't even finish the thought.
"It happens sometimes. We swallow them whole anyway," Venom replied indifferently.
Eddie felt a wave of nausea. "Maybe next time just eat the head? Or the arms and legs? Let's stay away from the middle bits."
"No! I am not a picky eater!" Venom refused.
Eddie sighed. The road to "rehabilitating" Venom was going to be long and arduous. He reached for another piece of chocolate, but Venom lunged forward, engulfing Eddie's entire hand along with the candy.
"Gah! Disgusting!" Eddie cried out, looking at his slime-covered hand. He frantically grabbed a handful of tissues to wipe off the symbiote's saliva.
"You were feeding me too slowly. I was losing patience," Venom complained.
Eddie rolled his eyes. "Fine. Open wide, and I'll just dump the whole bar in."
"Now you're talking." Venom opened his massive mouth, waiting for the delivery.
The Next Morning
"Three, two, one..." Silas counted down, sitting up in bed with a blank expression.
Click.
"Silas! Time to get up—oh? You're already awake?" Peter burst into the room right on schedule.
"Of course. I've been conditioned by your daily wake-up calls," Silas said, reaching for his clothes.
"Really? Haha!" Peter scratched his head, feeling a sense of pride. He felt like his efforts were finally paying off; Silas wasn't oversleeping anymore.
"You're here because you need something, right?" Silas asked, having already predicted his brother's intent.
"Yeah. I ran into Venom yesterday, but he showed off an ability that really caught me off guard..." Peter proceeded to tell Silas everything about Venom using the Shadow Kingdom to escape.
"The Shadow Kingdom?" Silas began his performance. He couldn't let Peter know about his "Shadow General Cultivation Plan."
"Yes. Even though I can use the shadows too, I have no way of knowing where he went once he entered," Peter explained.
"I see. I'm not really sure about that either, Peter," Silas lied with an apologetic face. "The Shadow Kingdom isn't exactly exclusive to me, after all."
"I was hoping you'd be able to track him," Peter sighed. If he couldn't follow Venom through the shadows, the "Capture Venom" plan was essentially dead in the water. Every time he got close, the symbiote would just vanish.
"Maybe you should check out Hell's Kitchen," Silas suggested.
Silas knew that Hell's Kitchen was currently under the watch of three of his Shadow Generals—most notably Jenny, who was the goddaughter of Daredevil.
"Hell's Kitchen?" Peter repeated, his interest piqued.
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