"Honored?" Natasha Romanoff looked at Ethan Walker with a strange expression, unable to resist a retort, "Who would feel honored to be parasitized by a parasite?"
"You're the damn parasite, I'm a Symbiote! Do you believe I'll eat you?" Ethan's ferocious face opened into a gaping maw, threatening Natasha.
Natasha pouted, unimpressed. If you have the guts, eat me! If you could, would you still be here babbling?
Seeing Natasha unmoved, Ethan retracted his maw and said indifferently, "Life is like a storm; if you can't stop it, learn to dance in the rain."
Natasha looked at Ethan with surprise and asked, "You know a lot!"
"Nonsense. As an intelligent life form, automatically learning the knowledge of a planet is common sense. When you've calmed down, come find me again," Ethan said calmly, his ferocious face turning into fluid and disappearing from Natasha's arm, leaving her right hand under her control again.
Natasha rubbed her face, feeling as if what had just happened was a dream. But the broken phone and the bathroom door reminded her it was real. A monster had inexplicably moved into her body and had no intention of leaving. Since reality couldn't be changed, why not try to accept it? This creature had given her incredible strength; she was no longer ordinary.
If they could communicate effectively, Ethan might become a powerful ally.
After a while, Natasha spoke again, "Alright, I've calmed down. You're right; since you won't leave, and I can't make you, I'll accept you. We need to understand each other, though. Why did you enter my body, and what do you plan to do?"
"Hmm, that's quite simple," Ethan's voice returned as the black fluid formed a face again.
"A simple introduction: my name is Venom. Of course, that's my species name. On Earth, everyone has a name. Mine is Ethan Walker," Ethan said calmly.
"Um, aren't you in the U.S.? Why not take an American name?" Natasha asked seriously.
"Because it's simple and easy to remember. Your names are too long; it's troublesome," Ethan replied casually.
Natasha raised an eyebrow, noting Ethan's aversion to complexity. Was it a trait of the Venom species or just Ethan himself?
"You and I are in a symbiotic relationship. You don't have to worry about me harming you. You've already felt it; I can give you incredible abilities and become your battle suit, making you stronger than anyone else," Ethan coaxed.
Natasha was skeptical. "What about the side effects? I don't believe there are no downsides to you being in my body."
"Of course, I need to eat," Ethan nodded.
"What do you eat?" Natasha asked.
"Phenethylamine," Ethan replied indifferently.
"Phenethylamine?" Natasha gasped, her gaze changing. Phenethylamine is a chemical secreted by the pituitary gland, meaning Ethan could eat people!
"What are you thinking? Human brains don't taste good. That stuff is terribly unpalatable, not as good as chocolate," Ethan rolled his eyes.
Natasha wasn't naive; she couldn't fully trust such a creature. But Ethan continued, "You have a freshly killed pig's head in front of you, still with hair, and you're told to eat it raw. In another plate, there's a pile of chocolate balls. Which do you choose?"
"Chocolate balls, of course," Natasha answered without thinking.
"Exactly! To me, human brains are like a freshly chopped pig's head. If there's something better, who'd choose that? As a Symbiote, my palate is discerning. Besides, what good would eating people do me? I'd be hunted as a villain. It's not worth it!" Ethan said disdainfully.
Natasha felt relieved and couldn't help but sigh, "In this day and age, even monsters are sensible. If everyone had this level of awareness, would I still need to be so busy?"
## Chapter 5: Three-Point Agreement
Calmed down, Natasha reluctantly accepted this uninvited guest. He was beneficial to her and harmless, and she had gained strength surpassing Captain America.
Having lived from the World War II era until now, she knew how powerful Captain America was. Her current strength exceeded human limits.
"Johnson wanted to see me; that was your doing, right?" Natasha asked sternly.
"That's right! What's wrong? Any objections?" Ethan asked proudly.
Natasha's teeth itched with anger. She wanted to pull this ghostly thing out and give it a good beating. This is my body; of course, I have objections!
But she could only imagine that. Natasha said helplessly, "This is our first meeting, and I have no grievances with you. Why target me?"
She needed clarity; her thoughts wouldn't be at peace otherwise. Why did Ethan seek her out?
"Well, I took a liking to your body," Ethan said ambiguously.
Natasha: "Excuse me???"
Natasha's expression was subtle. Took a liking to her body? Her gaze fell on Ethan, the black fluid.
"Sorry, I'm not interested in cross-species love. I can recommend you to others who might be," Natasha said quickly.
Ethan: "???"
Ethan was baffled. Where was this going?
"What are you thinking? Watch fewer adult websites. I already said, my name is Venom, I'm a Symbiote, not a parasite! I don't even have *that* thing, what snake are you playing with?!" Ethan was practically speechless.
"Uh..." Natasha laughed awkwardly. "Who told you to be ambiguous?"
"It's your own mind. Don't blame me," Ethan snorted.
"Knock knock knock."
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
"You handle it," Ethan's face turned into fluid, vanishing into Natasha's body.
Natasha opened the door, finding the hotel owner. She recalled the bathroom door she'd accidentally torn off.
"Ma'am, your lodging time has expired," the owner said politely, appearing quite gentlemanly. After all, no man would resist showing off in front of Natasha.