The Marvel world was no longer the same as it was in the movies.
Riot had succeeded.
He had escaped into space,and returned with millions of symbiotes.
Faced with such a terrifying threat, the entire world trembled.
And yet, in a small rented apartment in San Francisco, a boy named Marcus was quietly evolving.
All because… he had already devoured three symbiotes.
On a street in San Francisco, beside an overflowing trash can, a dirty boy crouched low to the ground. His posture was tense, his eyes sharp,like a cheetah watching its prey,as he stared at the people passing by.
"Venom… are you lying to me?" he muttered under his breath.
"Didn't you say Riot brought millions of symbiotes to Earth? I've been waiting for three days and haven't seen a single one."
"Marcus… you need to be patient."
As the voice spoke, a black, viscous substance suddenly seeped out from Marcus's back. It gathered and twisted, forming a face,strange, grotesque, yet oddly expressive.
Marcus let out a quiet sigh when he saw it.
It had been four days since he arrived in this world.
In that time, he had not only adapted to his new life, but also digested the information this "gooey thing" had given him.
The creature was called Venom,an alien lifeform.
It couldn't survive independently on Earth. It needed a host.
And now, Marcus was that host.
Venom had bonded with others before. The most compatible one had been a man named Eddie Brock.
But Eddie Brock… was dead.
According to Venom, he and Eddie had fought another symbiote,Riot.
Riot had tried to escape Earth, travel into space, and bring back more of their kind. If he succeeded, it would mean humanity's extinction.
Neither Eddie nor Venom could allow that.
So they fought.
And they lost.
Venom was severely injured in the battle. Eddie Brock died as a result.
Worst of all,Riot succeeded.
He brought countless symbiotes back to Earth. Now, they were hiding among humans, waiting.
After that, Venom found Marcus.
The moment Venom bonded with him… was the same moment Marcus transmigrated into this world.
Their relationship could truly be called a symbiosis.
They lived together.
They survived together.
They were one.
"Be patient? It's already been three days," Marcus muttered. "If we don't catch one soon, we're going to die."
His eyes never stopped scanning the crowd.
He was hunting.
"Ha! Whether I live or die, it's the same for you now," Venom said with a wide, toothy grin, its face resting on Marcus's shoulder.
"We're permanently fused. One body. One life. Neither of us can survive without the other."
"Shut up. And you can still laugh…" Marcus cursed quietly.
Venom wasn't wrong.
Their fusion was permanent.
If one died,the other would follow.
The reason Marcus was so desperate was simple:
Venom was dying.
After the battle with Riot, Venom had only seven days left to live.
Unless…
Unless they could find another symbiote.
If Venom devoured one, it could absorb its life force and recover.
Otherwise, both of them would die.
"There's no point rushing," Venom said lazily.
"If they're hiding, they won't be easy to find. Looks like today's a bust. Let's go,I'm hungry."
Marcus glanced at the crowd one last time, unwilling to give up.
But in the end, he stood and turned into a nearby alley.
Across the street was a supermarket.
Before transmigrating, this body had belonged to a homeless street kid,sleeping under bridges, scavenging to survive.
But Marcus had quickly changed that.
He rented a small room and started living a more stable life.
As for money?
He stole it.
With Venom's power, dealing with ordinary people was easy.
And in a city full of criminals… one more thief didn't matter.
Inside the supermarket, Marcus headed straight for the chocolate aisle.
Symbiotes required massive amounts of energy.
Chocolate and raw meat were the best sources.
But Marcus couldn't bring himself to eat raw flesh.
So for the past few days, he had been surviving on chocolate.
However,
When he reached the shelves, they were empty.
Sold out.
"Hey, Auntie," Marcus called toward the counter. "Where's the chocolate?"
The shop owner, a Chinese woman in her forties or fifties, looked up apologetically.
"Sorry, we're out of stock. New shipment comes tomorrow."
Marcus bit his lip, annoyed.
Guess he'd have to try another store.
He turned and started walking out,
But after just two steps, three tall men entered the shop.
The moment they appeared, Marcus's eyes narrowed.
Something felt… off.
Their presence.
Their smell.
"Venom," he said quietly, "those three,something's strange about them. Take a look."
Ever since bonding with Venom, Marcus's senses had sharpened dramatically. His vision, strength, and especially his sense of smell were far beyond normal.
As soon as he finished speaking,
His eyes changed.
The black pupils vanished, replaced by a pale, inhuman white.
"Wow…" Venom's voice turned excited, almost hungry.
"Your luck's not bad."
"They're prey."
"And there are three of them."
Millions of symbiotes had already spread across Earth. No matter how scattered they were, only a handful would appear in each city. And San Francisco, the birthplace of these creatures, was no exception.
Marcus hadn't encountered a single one in the past three days.
Yet now… three showed up at once.
He let out a quiet sigh, his expression darkening.
"What amazing luck I have…" he muttered under his breath. "Yeah, right. What kind of cursed luck is this? Have you ever fought three at once?"
Venom fell silent for a moment before replying awkwardly,
"…I may have forgotten to mention,I'm still injured. Right now, I'm basically useless."
Marcus frowned.
Venom had been severely damaged. Against ordinary humans, he was still more than capable,but against symbiotes? Even handling one would be a struggle.
Three?
That was suicide.
Marcus shifted slightly, using a row of shelves to conceal himself as his eyes carefully observed the enemies ahead.
There were three hosts.
Two american men, and one African American man.
Each of them stood over 1.9 meters tall. The black man, in particular, was terrifying,his arms were thicker than Marcus's thighs, his build like a walking tank.
In comparison, Marcus looked fragile.
His body was that of a thin young man, about 1.7 meters tall. His mixed Eurasian features leaned more toward Asian,black hair, yellow-toned skin, and only his slightly lighter pupils hinting at something different.
Physically, he was already at a disadvantage.
And now… the enemy had three symbiotes.
He had one.
A badly injured one.
No matter how he thought about it, there was no way to win.
Venom's voice echoed again in his mind, quieter this time.
"…How about we don't do this? We can find another target."
End of chapter