When Wednesday snapped her eyes open, her vision hadn't completely cleared, but the first thing to fill her sight was Victor's face, magnified to the extreme.
He was too close—close enough for her to count his long eyelashes and see the sparkling eyes currently filled with some mischievous delight.
Seeing Wednesday wake up, instead of backing away, he pushed his luck and leaned in even closer, the corners of his mouth curving into an arc that could only be described as bewitching.
"Wait, what are you doing?" Wednesday's breath hitched subconsciously. Forcibly suppressing her heart, which had started drumming wildly and disobediently in her chest again, she raised her hand to press precisely against his chin, forcefully turning his face aside.
She had no choice. Victor, with his face fully revealed, madness restrained, leaving only focus and a facade of gentleness, was basically a living human succubus at this moment, radiating astonishing attraction.
"In fairy tales..." Victor allowed her to push him away compliantly, but his tone retained that tooth-achingly cheerful lilt.
"Doesn't the sleeping princess always need a true love's kiss from her Prince Charming to wake up?"
"First," Wednesday's voice sounded like it had just been dredged from an ice cellar as she deftly flipped over and stood up, brushing non-existent grass from her clothes.
"I am not a princess. Second, if your lips dare to touch me, I will let you personally experience the fundamental difference between sleeping and eternal rest."
"Alright, alright," Victor raised both hands in surrender, though his face showed zero regret. Instead, he grinned like a cat that got the cream. "Your way of waking up really lacks romance, Miss De la Muerte."
He changed the subject: "During your... hmm, 'nap', the other teams have already set off with their flags for quite a while. If we still want to win, we need to speed up."
Before he finished speaking, pitch-black symbiotic matter surged from his neck, rapidly covering his entire body.
Venom's massive form condensed. He looked down at Wednesday, blinking his giant white eyes.
The next moment, a thick, flexible tendril skillfully and indisputably wrapped around Wednesday's waist. Before she could voice a protest, he lifted her easily off the ground and "secured" her firmly onto his broad, muscular back.
"Is this position absolutely necessary?"
Wednesday's voice came from behind Venom's neck, cold as an ice pick, but she adjusted her posture to sit more securely.
"Hey! This is a VIP exclusive ride!"
Venom turned his massive head, grinning with a mouth full of jagged teeth, his voice low and full of banter. "That kid Victor was just yelling in my brain that he'd prefer a bridal carry—"
"This position is fine." Wednesday interrupted him decisively, her fingers subconsciously gripping the cold, elastic "skin" on Venom's shoulder.
"Speed. Now."
"Aye aye, Captain!" Venom rumbled with laughter, saying no more. His massive body burst with terrifying speed completely disproportionate to his size. Like a streak of black lightning hugging the ground, he shot into the forest, racing madly toward the shore!
Wind whistled past Wednesday's ears, the trees on either side turning into a blurred green stream.
She narrowed her eyes slightly, feeling this extraordinary mode of transport, and ruthlessly suppressed the strange emotions arising from the high speed and bumps (and perhaps something else) deep in her heart.
---
Venom carried Wednesday back to the shore of Black Lake like a black hurricane, stopping steadily beside their canoe.
"Victor! You guys are finally back! What happened? What took so long?" Enid rushed forward immediately, her face full of worry and urgency.
She was worried about their safety, yet anxious about the extremely disadvantageous situation—the Gold Bug and several other boats were already small dots in the center of the lake!
"No rush, Enid," Victor's voice came from under the receding Venom body, carrying his usual maddening leisure. "Let the bullets fly a little longer."
As soon as the words fell, Venom fully retracted into his body. Wednesday, losing her support, dropped suddenly from mid-air—
And landed precisely into Victor's waiting arms, caught perfectly in a standard bridal carry.
"See," Victor looked down, smiling at Wednesday whose body went stiff instantly in his arms. His beautiful eyes shone with triumphant, delighted light. "As expected, I still prefer this position."
Wednesday reacted as if scalded by a branding iron. She practically catapulted out of his arms with speed exceeding human limits, even stumbling slightly when her feet hit the ground.
She spun around abruptly, turning her back to him, trying to cover the panic of that moment with cold commands: "Set sail. Immediately."
Her voice remained icy, and her commanding posture was as unquestionable as ever, but her slightly faster-than-usual speech rate and deliberately averted gaze betrayed an extremely rare trace of unnaturalness.
Victor looked at her and chuckled low, hopping onto the boat first in a great mood: "Aye aye, Captain~"
Under the action of Venom's multiple tendrils churning the water like biological propellers, the Black Cat broke through the lake surface like an arrow leaving the bow, moving at astonishing speed.
Soon, the figures of the other contestants paddling furiously ahead, thinking victory was in sight, became clearly visible.
"Oh my~" Victor stood at the bow, shading his eyes with a hand as he looked out, his tone full of fake pity:
"The speed of the return trip is not proportional to the speed of their desperate escape earlier... Seems everyone is slacking off a bit. They need a little 'motivation' to speed up."
Grinning, he pulled a round "Chocolate-Flavored Grenade" out of Venom's body, weighing it in his hand, a smile of childlike innocence and cruelty on his face.
"The final carnival game begins~"
However, as if suddenly struck by a brilliant idea, he paused. He turned around, his gaze landing on Enid, who was paddling hard, and his eyes lit up.
He pulled out another grenade and shoved it into Enid's hand.
"Hey, Enid!" His tone was as relaxed as inviting someone to play dodgeball. "Don't just watch, you throw a few too!"
Enid looked at the heavy, black dangerous object in her hand, her scalp tingling instantly. She shook her head like a rattle drum: "No no no! Victor! This is absolutely not okay! I-I'll cause trouble!"
"Aiya~ Just try it~" Victor leaned in instantly, like a large, clingy black cat, gently rubbing his shoulder against Enid's.
Victor softened his voice, adding a sweet, drawn-out tail to his words. Those beautiful eyes blinked, filled with pure expectation. "Please, please~ It's really fun~ I'm begging you~ Baby~"
This "Baby" was like magic. Combined with his deceptively charming face and wheedling tone, it hit Enid with precision.
She felt her bones turn to jelly. Her cheeks exploded red instantly, and her head spun as if she were drunk.
"O... Okay..."
Her eyes glazed over. Almost instinctively, dazedly, she gripped the grenade tight, even subconsciously mimicking Victor by hooking her finger through the small pin.
Wednesday watched Victor's fluid "bewitchment" process expressionlessly, her lips pursing slightly.
This guy really utilizes his physical assets and acting talent to a heinous extreme whenever conditions allow.