A Rotten Story (Part 3)

All coincidences in this world actually contain an underlying inevitability. The fact that something could happen to stimulate an alien race that no one had ever known before was, of course, the result of countless experiments conducted by another host of this alien race.

The injection that drove Venom mad was certainly not just a coincidence. Only criminals can defeat criminals, and only Symbiote can defeat Symbiote.

Based on his experience with Gray Mist, Schiller determined that the highly concentrated Fear Toxin could provide a great stimulus to the Symbiote, a species that feeds on emotions. According to Gray Mist himself, because of his special constitution and being a special species among Symbiote, he had a high immunity to Fear Gas, but other Symbiote would absolutely not be able to resist this stimulus.

Symbiote feed on emotions; it's an unchangeable hunting instinct etched into their genes. Fear Gas can instantly push this instinct to its peak. Even the Gray Mist under system control has a tendency to become addicted to this high-proof alcohol.

For other Symbiote, this is more than just alcohol; it's like a drug addict on the verge of madness finding a pill that he can just swallow. No Symbiote can resist this kind of stimulation.

While the Symbiote are not entirely evil, this cannot conceal the savage nature inherent in them as a first-generation native race, or rather, the chaotic will that Knull brought into their creation.

Schiller knew that Venom might have already passed through Deadpool's body, and with Deadpool's character, did he even know what rules were?

Therefore, once Venom is stimulated into a frenzy, none of the officers who invited Stark to come over will survive.

So when Schiller learned from Coulson's phone call that only Robert had died, Schiller was somewhat surprised. It seemed that Stark's will was stronger than he had imagined. He had actually controlled Venom in an instant, preventing him from going on a killing spree. It was a real pity.

Soon after, Coulson himself rushed over and said, "That black monster went to the streets of Brooklyn. Captain America has gone to stop him. What's going on? Why did Stark suddenly go berserk? Why is he eating human heads? What is that black thing? Is it some new mech he developed?"

"I don't know," Schiller said, shrugging.

At that moment, Nick Fury's voice came through the walkie-talkie on Coulson's waist. "Why did Stark suddenly go berserk?"

"I have no idea."

"Aren't you a Doctor?"

"I am a Doctor, not God."

"Didn't he show any signs before?"

Schiller pretended to think for a moment and said, "Speaking of which, there is indeed one. The last time I treated him psychologically, he claimed that he had developed a second personality. That personality said that he was some kind of alien Symbiote. I think it was because he was under too much pressure. I gave him relaxation therapy, but it didn't seem to have any effect."

"Symbiote? What's that? What else did he tell you?"

"He said it seemed to be some kind of alien race, looking like black mud. He said this race had a strong learning ability and could even read the host's memories. Stark said he had just told the Symbiote some knowledge about mechs, and it had already grasped it all..."

"You mean, this Symbiote possesses Stark's memories and abilities??? And can even build mechs like Stark???"

Then Schiller heard a chaotic commotion on Nick's end, followed by Nick yelling, "Stop all plans to use heavy weapons!!! Don't provoke Stark!! What? The military is preparing to launch missiles?? Damn it! That's S.H.I.E.L.D.. property! Go tell those idiots!! The alien Symbiote on Stark was dropped by S.H.I.E.L.D..!!!"

"I don't care if he has a file or not! Get one made for him right now! All the unidentified creatures in New York were dropped by S.H.I.E.L.D..! Is there a problem with that?"

"So what if a lieutenant general died? This is an alien invasion! He only died, I'll consider him a martyr! I'll pay his compensation! Make them stop! If they harm a single hair on Stark's head, I'll swallow their entire military budget!!"

After hanging up the phone and Coulson left, Peter said, "So General Robert is dead? How did he die? What happened? And what happened to Mr. Stark?"

"It's nothing, but I think you have something to do now."

After saying that, Schiller picked up the phone again and called Steve. Steve's end was also in chaos. Captain America was yelling at the top of his lungs, "What the hell is going on? Why is Stark Jr. going berserk? He's jumping around in Brooklyn, and what's that black suit of his? Good heavens, those two are never giving us a moment's peace..."

"Captain, I remember you said before that you always wanted to beat up Stark Jr., but you never had the chance. Now the opportunity has come."

"What's the meaning?"

"Simply put, the current Stark isn't Stark anymore. He's been infected by an alien creature that escaped from S.H.I.E.L.D.. Stark alien creature constantly triggers negative emotions in humans. You know, a couple of days ago Stark was driven to the brink by the military, and this alien creature bit off an Admiral's head. Stark must be feeling great right now, after all, he's been wanting to get rid of those guys for a long time..."

"This emotion has been exploited by the Symbiote, which is why Stark is now extremely arrogant..."

"Alright, no need to make it so complicated. Just tell me, if I go and beat him up now, I'll actually be helping him break free from that alien creature's control, right?"

"Yes, this is a great thing. You can't just sit by and watch your nephew be controlled by this evil creature, can you? He should Thank you!"

No sooner Schiller finished speaking than a dull thud of a shield slamming against the other side came from the other end. Steve shouted, "Look here! I'm your uncle—no! Not yours, but that kid Tony's!"

Schiller put down the phone, looked at Peter, and said, "Now you have two choices..."

"I choose to help the captain," Peter said decisively.

"Aren't you going to reconsider? Stark's been pretty good to you, hasn't he?"

"But I also feel obligated to help Mr. Stark break free from the control of that evil alien creature," Peter said obediently.

"Okay, they're on the easternmost street in Brooklyn. Good neighbor Spider-Man, let's get going."

Before long, S.H.I.E.L.D.. and the military realized just how much destruction could occur when three superheroes were fighting each other.

Although Peter said that, he didn't dare to go all out. He mostly used Silk to interfere with the Venom Suit's movements. But Steve was not polite. He hit Stark with shield after shield, making Stark, who was wearing the Venom Suit, dizzy and disoriented.

Stark didn't lose control for no reason. After Venom snatched the box, he swallowed the Fear Gas inside in one gulp.

Once Venom was high, Stark couldn't control him at all. Simply put, it was like an alien creature was acting crazy while drunk. Although his host tried very hard to control him, it was difficult to stop a crazed drunkard from the outside, let alone from the inside.

Stark could only try his best to drag Venom to a less crowded area. If he were to go berserk in Brooklyn, one of the most densely populated neighborhoods, who knows how many people would get injured.

However, it's already quite an achievement that he can barely control the direction of the Venom's movement; expecting him to bring the Venom back into his body is impossible.

Although Captain America was beating up Stark, like Spider-Man, he didn't have any particularly powerful lethal weapons. The military brought in several armed helicopters, and large-caliber machine guns kept Burst Fire Stark, clearly intending to kill him. Sometimes when grenade launchers came flying, Steve had to help Stark block them. The three of them fought for a long time without any clear winner.

At that moment, Schiller went to the rooftop of the nearest building, then pulled out a strangely shaped speaker from somewhere and said into the phone, "Jarvis, are you sure your emergency wake-up device can reach the decibel level you mentioned?"

"Actually, it could go even higher, sir."

"No, there's no need. Didn't you use this kind of sound wave to expel the Symbiote inside Stark before?"

"Indeed, based on the Symbiote's reaction at the time, I am certain that this will be an effective action."

"Okay, I'll leave first. Once I signal you, you can immediately activate the emergency wake-up procedure."

Schiller vanished in an instant; he needed to stay far away, since even the Gray Mist was afraid of this thing.

After a while, Stark, wearing a huge black suit, landed on the ground of the street. Several armed helicopters behind him took turns firing, sending stone chips flying. Captain America and Spider-Man followed closely behind, trying their best to subdue this big guy.

Before Stark could jump away from the block again, a huge burst of music came from the rooftop. To put it bluntly, it couldn't be called music anymore; it was more like a sonic weapon.

The ground shook violently, and the black monster in the middle of the road began to tremble wildly. Then, in an instant, Stark let out a violent scream, fell to the ground, and returned to his normal human form. The black Shade flashed and disappeared.

The surrounding Armament Department immediately surrounded them, but Peter was faster and grabbed Stark and carried him away. By the time S.H.I.E.L.D.. arrived, both Stark and the alien were gone.

When the military personnel saw the S.H.I.E.L.D. there, they realized that this might all be a conspiracy by S.H.I.E.L.D..

As we all know, the feud between S.H.I.E.L.D.. and the military has reached its breaking point. Robert has even publicly accused Nick on multiple occasions. Could this be an assassination attempt against General Robert, orchestrated by the cunning Director of S.H.I.E.L.D..?

Nick didn't respond at all, but he felt that it was very likely that the military had taken the alien creature. He had to force them to hand it over. He absolutely couldn't let them discover that this alien creature possessed Stark's memories and abilities, otherwise the military's expansion would be completely out of control.

Upon learning that this creature was an escapee from S.H.I.E.L.D.. and had even killed one of their Admiral, the military naturally wouldn't stand idly by. They demanded an explanation from S.H.I.E.L.D.., but Nick, in order to protect the secret of the alien creature, refused to respond. The two sides immediately went to war, neither willing to back down.

Meanwhile, Schiller was standing in a ward at the Presbyterian Hospital, next to a exhausted Strange with large dark circles under his eyes. Schiller said to Dr. Connors, who had just woken up, "Doctor, good news."

"... I'm not dead yet? That's good news..."

"No, there is even better news: you are not dead, but General Robert is dead."

Connors: "...?"

Meanwhile, Stark was taken to the rooftop of Stark Tower by Peter. He was still somewhat confused, after all, Venom had been shot out in one go, and Stark had no idea what had happened.

There was a soft sound behind him, Stark saw Schiller appear behind him, holding a glass jar containing a clump of black Slime.

"So this is what he looks like."

"Indeed, you're a lump of mud, much like you when you're drunk."

Stark lit a cigarette and said, "What exactly was that injection? Why did it drive him crazy so quickly?"

"You discovered it?"

"Of course, if you use your brain, you'll know that nothing in this world is that coincidental. The military just happened to develop a drug that happens to stimulate alien creatures from some unknown star system..."

"That general wasn't lying to you; this kind of thing can indeed stimulate the brain."

"That..."

Before he could finish speaking, Schiller shook his head and said, "It's unlikely. Obadiah's situation is too complicated, and this stuff has strong aftereffects. Your uncle is too old to withstand this kind of stimulation."

Stark looked somewhat disappointed.

"But it's not impossible." Another voice rang out. Stark looked up and saw Dr. Connors walking out of the rooftop door. He said, "I can extract the beneficial parts of this strange medicine and perhaps turn it into a treatment for neurological diseases..."

"What exactly is going on?" Stark asked.

Dr. Connors stood opposite him and said, "I have to say that the media reports about you were indeed wrong. Although you are a bad person, at least you have a sense of justice. I apologize for the damage I caused at the Stark Industries Tower."

Stark paused for a moment, about to ask something, when Schiller said, "Let's not stand here in the wind, let's go talk over there, you'll see how interesting this story is."

As the sun gradually set, the lights on the streets of Hell's Kitchen went out. In the psychiatric clinic, Dr. Connors and Peter went upstairs to rest, while Stark, having heard the story, became drowsy.

"So you know now, the Symbiote was the one who killed, and the person who died deserved to die."

"Are you worried that I'll feel guilty and conflicted about this? No, I won't. I only regret not letting that piece of mud chew on it a few more times."

How does it feel to get rid of the mud?

Stark fell silent, and slowly closed his eyes.

Perhaps geniuses are always lonely, but he didn't want to admit that he was so pathetic that even knowing an alien was not trustworthy, he still craved the feeling of someone understanding him and being able to accompany him.

"A great story?" Stark muttered to himself. "No...no, a terrible story, utterly terrible."

He thought that there wasn't even a perfect hero like in traditional stories here; a mess caused by a lump of mud had dragged out a bunch of rotten people.

But this terrible story gave him a good night's sleep, something he hadn't had in many days, or even years.

A few days later, one morning, as the first rays of sunlight streamed in, Schiller, who had just gotten up, opened the stopper of the glass jar and dropped in a chocolate ball.

The pile of black sludge immediately enveloped the chocolate ball, then suddenly froze. Afterward, the black sludge twisted its liquid body and emitted a series of pleasant brainwaves.

On the bedside table, a gold and red candy wrapper glittered in the morning light.

Today's 10,000-word update is here!

The dual timeline is a real headache. I originally wanted to tell both stories simultaneously, but I found that the writing style of this article couldn't withstand such rapid scene changes. If I wrote it along a single timeline, cutting it to both sides would definitely make it fragmented. So I decided to write it along two separate timelines.

Thinking about storyboards gives me a headache.