The silence of the forest was pierced by the crisp snap of a dry branch.
Wednesday's breath hitched instantly. Her body froze in place, as if solidified. Only her heart slammed violently against her ribs, the dull, rapid thuds sounding like war drums to her own ears.
She turned slightly, pressing her eye close to a gap in the dilapidated wooden planks. The cold wood pressed tight against her brow bone.
What is outside? Is it those guys in beak masks? Or... Joseph Crackstone, with eyes as emotionless as physical laws?
A strange, scorching emotion seized her suddenly—at this very moment, for the first time ever, she wished Victor Black's noisy figure were beside her.
As soon as this thought surfaced, it triggered a wave of intense self-loathing that rose in her throat like bile.
Cowardice.
She cursed herself coldly in her heart.
She had resolved to cut the chains of fear for him, yet now she longed for the very person she had pushed away to act as her shield? Absurd! Laughable!
Just then, the light outside the gap dimmed.
A gigantic, lidless, bloodshot eye pressed up abruptly, blocking the gap completely and colliding directly with her line of sight!
It's it! The monster from the forest on the night of the Harvest Festival!
Unexpectedly, Wednesday's taut nerves actually relaxed for a second.
A nearly absurd sense of "relief" replaced extreme fear—compared to the unknown, cold, despair-inducing "Beaks" and Crackstone who felt like fate itself, this monster radiating blood and savagery seemed... simple and direct. Even familiar.
However, her rationality quickly suppressed this absurd comparison.
Victor and Venom could treat it like a toy didn't mean she could.
Strategy clarified instantly: Must evacuate, now.
Just as Wednesday lowered her center of gravity, muscles tensing to sprint toward the dense forest to her rear-left—
A muffled, somewhat aggrieved whimper rolled from the monster's throat. Immediately after, a familiar voice laced with teasing laughter—one she never expected to hear at this moment—drawled lazily:
"Hey, sweetheart, peeping isn't a good habit~"
Wednesday's movement halted abruptly, her entire being frozen instantly.
The next second, accompanied by the cracking sound of wood, the already tottering low wooden wall in front of her was smashed open by brute force, splinters flying everywhere!
Amidst the dust, the scene became clear—
Venom's massive, hideous black body stood like an iron tower. One of his hands easily gripped the gigantic monster's throat, lifting it high like a ragged doll.
The monster kicked its legs futilely, emitting indistinct whimpers.
"Victor!"
Wednesday didn't even realize she had blurted out the name, her tone carrying a trace of urgency she could barely detect and had never experienced before.
The corner of her mouth twitched upward in a tiny arc, so fleeting it was like an illusion.
"Miss De la Muerte," Victor's voice rang out low, mixed with Venom's unique, gravel-grinding undertone, carrying a feigned grievance of accusation.
"Firing your Watson and withholding his wages... that's not something a decent employer should do, right?"
Without waiting for Wednesday's response, he turned his head slowly to look at the monster struggling futilely in Venom's grip. His eyes shone with a researcher-like, almost cruel curiosity.
"Hey, big guy. To better 'taste' and 'understand' you, I specifically looked up information in the library." He tilted his head, his tone as light as discussing a dinner menu.
"Hyde, right? What a name... full of classical tragic beauty."
He leaned closer. Although the monster's face was distorted from suffocation, Victor's smile grew even brighter.
"Although I'm hungry enough right now to swallow a whole dessert like you, usually, before enjoying dessert, I prefer to have some... main course."
His voice dropped abruptly, carrying unquestionable threat: "Can you tell me who let you out of your cage? Or, those bastards in beak masks, where is their kitchen... uh, I mean lair?"
Venom opened his maw cooperatively, viscous saliva dripping onto the ground with a soft sizzle. His long, forked tongue licked over his jagged teeth.
"It's okay if you don't talk," he growled low. "I don't mind... adjusting the dining order."
Just then—
Bang!
A crisp gunshot tore through the forest air!
In a flash, as if having anticipated it, Victor moved so fast he left only an afterimage.
The bullet sank instantly into the Hyde's thick shoulder blade, bursting into a small spray of blood.
The monster let out a suppressed roar of pain!
"So noisy." Venom grumbled dissatisfiedly. His other hand scooped up a large clump of wet soil mixed with rotting leaves with lightning speed and rudely stuffed it into the Hyde's mouth as it tried to roar, completely silencing it and preventing any possibility of spitting out another flashbang.
Half of Victor's face emerged, looking in the direction the bullet came from. His face was written with exaggerated, insincere "surprise" and thick mockery.
"Whoa! Seriously? Again?"
He dragged out his tone, the disdain practically overflowing.
"The same trick, on the same person, twice? Is your creative department on collective vacation, Mr. Beak? Or does your budget only cover this one copy of The Villain's Starter Guide?"
Clap clap clap clap—
Slow, distinct applause came from the deepest shadows of the forest.
A figure wearing the iconic beak mask paced out unhurriedly, his demeanor as composed as if attending a banquet.
"Oh, look at you," his voice came through the mask, carrying a strange, metallic buzz. "C-136, C-137. Long time no see. You truly are... as hard to 'file' as ever."
Victor rolled his eyes exaggeratedly, not even bothering to turn his body fully out from behind the Hyde.
"Whoa. Slow clapping? Walking out of the darkness? Are you serious, dude?" He drawled, the disgust in his tone almost solidifying.
"This outdated villain entrance routine isn't even used in third-rate B-movies anymore, okay? Which century did you dig this script out of?"
The Plague Doctor didn't seem angry. The gaze beneath the mask even revealed a hint of peaceful amusement.
"Really? That's a pity." He actually shrugged with regret. "Personally, I quite like this classic entrance style."
His beak turned slightly toward Victor, seeming to sniff carefully.
"During my previous 'observations' of you, my instruments could pick up the rich, mellow aroma of fear radiating from the depths of your soul from miles away. But now..."
He paused, a trace of genuine confusion in his tone. "I can barely smell it. Are you not afraid anymore, C-136?"
"Hahaha—" Victor burst into loud laughter, the hand gripping the Hyde's neck shaking in coordination. "Afraid! Of course I'm afraid! Can't you see my hand choking the 'little dessert' is trembling with fear?"
He changed the subject, his tone suddenly becoming flippant and dangerous:
"You know what? Before coming here, a 'Da Vinci' with prophetic dreams showed me a drawing. It depicted me in the future, tied to your operating table, covered in tubes like a circuit board. Whoa, scared me so much I almost wet my pants!"
He tilted his head as if thinking seriously, Venom's giant white eyes blinking in coordination.
"But, thinking about it carefully..." Victor's mouth split into a grin of extreme madness, his eyes burning with a near-joyful desire for destruction. "If that blind old hag, Goddess of Fate, is destined to throw me back onto your chopping block..."
His voice dropped suddenly, filled with unmistakable, burn-it-all-down resolve:
"Then before that, I'm gonna flip your 'kitchen' upside down, release all the 'ingredients', and smash your precious instruments to bits!"
Venom opened his blood basin of a mouth cooperatively, white fangs gleaming coldly, saliva dripping.
"That's right," he hissed low, voice full of greedy anticipation. "Bite, and bite off the biggest, fattest chunk of meat!"