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On the big screen, Drake's youthful face wore a smug expression as he spoke. "Though it might be presumptuous of me, I invited this lady here because I believe… this is the only way for me to reclaim what rightfully belongs to me! It's also the only way for us to reach a mutual understanding. Taking something that belongs to someone else without their permission, no matter who you are, that's just painful!"
Venom stretched his neck, watching intently for a moment before turning to Arthur. "That woman… is she the one Brock likes?"
Arthur nodded uncertainly. "Ask Brock."
Then came something truly bizarre. Venom's head split open down the middle, revealing Brock's face inside.
On the big screen, both Drake and the woman tied to the chair suddenly changed expressions. The woman looked horrified, while Drake's face lit up with excitement. "I knew it! My instincts were correct!"
"No!" Brock gritted his teeth. "Your instincts are completely wrong! You've done something you absolutely shouldn't have!"
"Less nonsense. Is that the woman you like or not?" Venom interrupted bluntly.
"It is her," Brock confirmed. "But what now? That damned guy actually kidnapped her, "
Before he could finish, both Brock and Venom were stunned as another figure suddenly appeared on the big screen. It was… Arthur!
Brock immediately turned to check for Arthur beside him, but he was gone!
More importantly, Drake still seemed completely unaware, continuing his smooth speech. "Brock, how about I give you an opportunity? Not only could you be with this woman again, but I'll also offer you a job with a salary beyond your wildest dreams. All I ask is for your cooperation in conducting a few experiments that will make this world a better place! If we succeed, our names will go down in history!"
Then, suddenly frowning, Drake asked, "Where's the guy who was just next to you?"
"Hmmm…" Brock paused for a moment, then replied, "I'm guessing you don't keep up with major entertainment events or current news much, do you?"
Drake wore a confused expression. "Huh?"
"What are you doing?" Brock suddenly exclaimed.
Drake looked bewildered. "I'm not doing anything!"
But Brock could see it clearly: Arthur was now standing behind Drake, having just tapped the woman gently on the forehead, and she instantly passed out. In that moment, Brock nearly lost it. But the next second, he watched in disbelief as Arthur made both the woman and the chair vanish.
Gone.
Completely disappeared!
Brock stood there, dumbfounded. 'What the hell just happened?'
Then he saw Arthur slowly strolling toward Drake's back. So close, in fact, that if Drake turned around, he could practically kiss Arthur. But Drake remained clueless. In this moment of utter obliviousness from Drake and total shock from Brock, Arthur reached out with a wicked grin, and in the very next second…
Drake disappeared!
Brock stood there, mouth agape, having witnessed everything firsthand. Then, in front of the camera, Arthur shrugged at him and said, "We can go now."
Brock's head was spinning.
When he barged in earlier, everything had gone according to the script he expected. But now, it felt like the story had completely derailed in a way no one could have predicted!
There was no dramatic climax where the villain's evil plan almost succeeded, pushing the hero to the brink of collapse, only for a once-in-a-lifetime turning point to lead to a thrilling victory!
From the moment they broke in, Arthur and Brock acted like a pair of unleashed huskies, darting left and right, tearing through everything in their path. The opposition barely put up a fight.
And when the so-called villain, Drake, finally made his grand entrance, his scheme didn't even get a chance to unfold. Not only did Arthur rescue the hostage, but he also managed to take out the boss himself!
'What the hell is going on?!' Brock's mind was racing with doubts, about everything happening, his life choices, and even about himself.
Then Arthur appeared in front of him.
"Still not leaving?"
"Let's go! Wait," Brock blurted out, "Where's Anne?"
"She's here." With a flick of his wrist, Arthur made a woman appear beside him, unconscious. Before Brock could even reach out, Arthur had already stowed her away again.
"Once we're out of here, you'll have plenty of time to talk. But for now, we need to move."
"You're right. But I still need an explanation!" As they hurried toward the exit, Brock asked, "I still don't get it. Why did you have to knock her out?"
"Every combatant in the entire Camp Lehigh base knows what's going on," Arthur replied casually. "But if you want, I don't mind letting you experience what it feels like to be absorbed while awake... Oh, and didn't you see what happened to Rattles?"
"Rattles?"
As they fought their way out, guards kept pouring in to stop them, but there simply weren't enough of them.
This was, in fact, a tactical mistake on Drake's part.
Arthur and Brock's break-in wasn't exactly stealthy; it was practically a loud, open declaration of war.
Drake had quickly figured out what was happening. In fact, even earlier, when Anne had been taken, he had anticipated that with the help of a symbiote, Brock would come crashing in to rescue her.
So, they had set a series of traps.
Luring Arthur and Brock into the central hall was part of that plan. What they didn't know, however, was that around the very hall with the giant screen, they had already installed various containment devices, ready to lock everything down with a single command.
Granted, these would have been mostly useless against Arthur and Brock, but they proved that Drake had some foresight and wasn't completely unprepared.
In fact, most of the base's armed forces had been deployed around that hall in case things went south.
The problem? Arthur didn't play by the rules at all.
He bypassed the entire setup so quickly that by the time Drake's defenses could be activated, he was already gone.
With their commander captured, the whole chain of command fell apart. What was left of their strategy turned into meaningless scraps of paper.
The result? Arthur and Brock made their escape while the bulk of the base's armed forces were still sitting around the hall, waiting for orders that never came. They struggled to respond, and even when they did, all they could do was chase after the two like headless chickens.
With Arthur and Brock's superior mobility, there was no comparison. By the time they reached the teleportation circle and activated it, most of the guards hadn't even seen their faces.
Looking back, that might have actually been a blessing in disguise.