Why Are You So Good at This? (Part 2)

Late at night, on a Manhattan street, Dora hurried after Eddie and asked, "Where are you going?"

"Didn't you say we were going to infiltrate the Life Foundation's base?"

"Yes, but not this way. We need to go to Brooklyn District first..."

Eddie stopped, turned to Dora, and said, "You're not just going to take me in like this, are you?"

"I have a high-level pass to the base; I can drive right in. You just need to hide in the trunk..."

"Don't be silly, this can't even be considered a plan."

"Do you have a detailed map of the base? Once we're inside, how do we find where Drake keeps his top-secret documents? And once we find them, how do we bypass the security? How do we open the safe? How do we get around the security guards? How do we investigate and gather evidence? If we have physical evidence, how do we move it? And if we're discovered, how do we escape?"

"You're planning to just go in without making any preparations?"

Dora stared at Eddie, her mouth agape. "You're really a reporter? How come you're so skilled?" she asked in astonishment.

Eddie didn't answer her question because he didn't know himself. In his mind, he asked Venom, "Are you really an alien? Why are you so skilled?"

"Because I'm a bat... uh, Venom!"

Eddie said to Dora, "Go get the car. I have a few friends who can help us."

The two drove back to Eddie's apartment, where Peter, Matt, and Thor were already waiting. As Eddie walked in, the other three turned to look at him. Peter first looked at the design on Eddie's chest, then looked down at the design on his Spider-Man suit, and said, "Hey! You're copying this. Isn't this my Spider-Man logo?"

"Look closely, is that a spider?" A hoarse voice came from Eddie's throat.

Peter was taken aback. He muttered under his breath, "Okay, but you just changed the spider to a bat, the design is still the same, you have to pay the copyright fee..."

"3 tubs of cheese balls."

"We need five buckets, and they have to be large buckets."

"Make a deal."

After Dora came in, Eddie introduced her to everyone, Peter brought Dora a chair, and the five of them sat down around the coffee table.

"Thor and I were both selected as volunteers," Peter said first, then he looked at Matt, Matt shook his head and said, "Don't forget, I'm a lawyer. They probably have reservations about this profession, so they weren't selected."

"You and Thor, one is a high school student with no money or connections, and the other is a warehouse worker who used to be homeless. The Life Foundation will naturally trust you more easily."

Dora stared wide-eyed at Peter and Thor, saying, "You two didn't go to apply to be volunteers for the Life Foundation, did you? That's dangerous, you absolutely mustn't go!"

"If it's just testing finished products, that's fine. But if you're assigned to the product development department, you might die!"

"They weren't really going to volunteer; they were just working with us from the inside to figure out the secrets of the Life Foundation."

"But I have to warn you," Dora said very seriously, "They have very strict control over the volunteers. Once you enter the Foundation's base, they may inject you with anesthetics or other sedatives, and then you may not be able to resist."

"Don't worry, they're not ordinary people. At least, anesthetics definitely won't work."

"Can you get a detailed map of the Foundation's base?" Eddie asked Dora.

Dora thought for a moment and said, "No problem."

"The part of the experiment I was in charge of was very important. Drake gave me the highest level of access, which allowed my pass to directly open the door to the security room. There should be a detailed route map on the computer there."

"But my major is biology, and if that computer has security software, I probably won't be able to crack it."

At this point, Peter raised his hand and said, "After I infiltrate, you can come directly to me, and then the two of us can go in together. Just leave the hacking of the computer to me."

Matt then said to Thor, "Although you don't have any extra powers, your physique is different from that of ordinary people. Most human drugs are ineffective against you. Your job is to cooperate with Peter, create an opportunity for him to escape, and then pick up the two of them."

"All right."

"So, the plan is as follows..."

Three days later, outside a factory on the east side of Brooklyn District, a car with its high beams on turned onto the factory gate. When it reached the guard post, a woman's hand reached out of the car window, and the guard verified her pass with a machine.

The security guard glanced down at the machine screen, where a woman's ID photo appeared, with the name "Dora Milnaz" next to it.

Under the headlights, the Life Foundation headquarters building ahead was shrouded in darkness, with only faint light flickering from the windows on the upper floors. In one of these windows, Peter was standing among a group of people, listening to Drake explain the so-called "Life Cornerstone" concept to them.

"... You, yes, it's you. You look quite young. What's your name?"

"My name is Peter, Peter Parker, sir."

"Okay, Peter, you have a good name." Drake walked over to Peter, put his arm around his shoulder, and led him out, saying, "You are different from those homeless people who were taken downstairs. You will be a great practitioner of the Human Life Cornerstone Project, and one of the first to try it. You will be written on the monument of human history."

"Uh, but... sir, I still don't understand what the Life Cornerstone Project is. I just heard about this project and decided to give it a try."

"That means you're very talented." Drake patted Peter on the shoulder and led him to a cylindrical experimental table, on which a Cosmic Cube projection was playing.

Drake opened his arms to Peter and explained, "I know that in school, teachers tell you that humans haven't found any conclusive evidence of extraterrestrial life yet, and that's true for ordinary people."

"But since you've come here, I will naturally show you something different, especially for talented and promising children like you. You should learn the Truth about this world as soon as possible."

"Uh... you mean aliens?"

"No, that's too narrow-minded. Humans are always used to judging others by themselves, thinking that other life forms in the universe should be like humans, with hands and feet. But in fact, human physique and strength are too weak. Life in the universe is far more advanced than humans."

"Really?" Peter asked curiously. "Don't they look different from humans? What else could they look like?"

Drake said with a hint of helplessness, "See? You just lack that one thing: imagination."

"But that's okay, you're still young, you can learn slowly."

"But you still haven't told me what the Life Cornerstone Project is."

"Don't rush, child. Didn't I tell you? You will be among the first to implement this plan."

As he spoke, Drake's tone became excited. He turned around and said to the dozen or so volunteers behind him who were about the same age Peter, "You will become the strongest warriors among mankind, the guardians of the Life Foundation!"

"With you all here, neither Stark Industries nor that damned Osborn Group will be able to interfere with my grand plan."

"Okay, but what are we going to do?" Peter asked Drake.

"Peter, come here, come to me..." Drake walked to a glass observation window and beckoned to Peter.

Peter walked over and saw a similar cylindrical experimental table in the center of the room. On the table was a box containing a pool of purple water that was still churning.

"This is your job. In a moment, go inside and take this box out for me."

Peter squinted at the box inside and muttered to himself, "This thing looks familiar. Why is it purple? Shouldn't it be black?"

"Looks familiar?" Drake chuckled and said, "This isn't ketchup, kid. Alright, get inside."

Several people in lab coats came over, opened the door for Peter went inside and walked toward the box.

Just as he reached out One Hand to touch the box, Drake outside waved to the experimenters, who then pressed a few buttons on the door.

The lid of the box suddenly popped open, and at that moment, Peter's hand was just above the box. The purple Slime instantly coated his arm and then covered his entire body at an extremely fast speed.

At that moment, a hoarse female voice came from Peter's throat. "... Hmm???"

The purple Slime slowly condensed and took shape, the head began to change, the shape of two spider compound eyes appeared in the eye area, white spider web stripes began to appear on the body, and a spider pattern emerged on the chest.

Peter stretched his neck and wrists and said, "Could the lines on the chest be a little denser... and the spider pattern a little bigger, yes..."

The Symbiote possessing him was completely bewildered. The female voice in his mind said to Peter, "Are you really human? Why are you so skilled?"

"Because I know your relative, his name is Venom, he's black, do you know him?"

"Who are you talking about? Venom???"

"Damn it, you're Venom's former host! Goodbye!!!"

Drake, watching from outside the glass window, saw the purple Slime quickly slough off Peter's body, fleeing as if in a panic, and instantly return to the small box, even extending a tentacle to close the lid.

Peter clearly hadn't expected this turn of events. He opened the lid, reached in to scoop up the clump of purple Slime, and said, "Don't run away! Why do you hate me so much?"

"I'm having a pretty good time working with Venom, and maybe the two of us will even..."

The moment Peter's fingers touched the slick Slime, he heard her roar, "It's because you're having such a good time working with Venom that I'm staying away from you!! You must be crazy, get away from me!!!"

As she spoke, she glued the lid back on and then extended several tentacles, firmly fixing the lid to the box.

Peter wasn't without temper either. He rolled up his sleeves and started pulling at the lid of the box. Since it was difficult to exert force while standing upright, he put one foot on the lab table and pulled the lid out like pulling a radish.

"I think we can talk! You must have some misunderstanding about me. I can't let you go back and spread bad rumors about me. Hurry up and open the lid, or I'm really going to have to use force!"

"Dream on! I have nothing to talk to a madman! I'm a normal Symbiote, stay away from me!!"

"Open it now!! Don't say I didn't warn you, I'm very strong!"

"No way! I don't believe it!!"

"Bang!!!"

When the lab bench shattered into pieces, Drake and all the researchers were shocked.

Peter bent down, scooped up the clump of purple Slime that had fallen to the ground, and said, "I told you, I'm very strong. You better explain yourself clearly, did Venom say bad things about me to you?"

The purple Symbiote said in a devastating voice, "I knew it! Green Thorn and Thunder were right! Not a single person possessed by that lunatic Venom is normal; they're all madmen!!!"

"Don't waste your energy. I don't want to possess you. It's no use you holding me. Besides, you're already so strong, what do you need me for?!"

"I need to understand, is my reputation within your tribe really that bad? Why is that? If there's any misunderstanding, I can clarify it..."

"Actually, my collaboration with Venom has been quite pleasant. Although we bicker occasionally, it's nothing serious. I'm really a good person and have never bullied him. You have to believe me..."

Just then, a loud noise suddenly came from the laboratory, and the clump of Slime let out a fierce scream and "whoosh" darted to the corner of the wall.