Harry Osborn's brow furrowed.
S.H.I.E.L.D.?
Why had they come knocking?
Was it because of one of the Osborn Group's projects, or because he was working with William Stryker?
No.
That was unlikely.
Prometheus's existence and the security of its related information were both tightly protected.
As for his collaboration with Stryker, publicly, it was a joint project with the military...
"SIR, the visitor is still waiting."
Prometheus's voice interrupted Harry's thoughts.
"I know."
Harry took a deep breath, composed himself, and shut off the laboratory's internal surveillance and alarm notifications, leaving only the regular external security system active.
He hurried out of the underground laboratory, crossed the luxurious mansion's foyer, and headed for the door.
Through the peephole, he confirmed once more that the man outside had a painfully receding hairline, but a warm smile.
Phil Coulson.
Harry knew that face all too well.
He reached out and opened the mansion's heavy front door.
"May I ask who you are?"
Harry feigned confusion as he looked at Coulson, his voice carrying a hint of displeasure at being disturbed.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Osborn."
Coulson wore his trademark gentle smile, the kind that put people at ease.
"I'm Phil Coulson, with the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division."
As he spoke, he pulled out his official credentials...
"That's quite a long name for a department..."
"So, Mr. Coulson, what can I do for you?"
"If this is about Osborn Group business, you should contact my secretary."
Harry glanced at the credentials, then asked.
"No, Mr. Osborn. I came to see you personally."
"I have a few... academic questions I'd like to ask you, as a brilliant biologist."
Coulson smiled and shook his head.
Academic questions?
Harry raised an eyebrow. Having solved the problem of cancer, he had earned a formidable reputation in the scientific community, especially in biology.
Was S.H.I.E.L.D. asking him for help with a problem in that field?
Interesting...
"Oh?"
Harry gave no indication of what he thought.
Coulson said nothing more. Instead, he turned slightly, revealing the silver briefcase he had been carrying.
He set it on the ground and entered the combination.
"Click."
The case sprang open.
A plume of white vapor seeped through the gap, bringing a faint chill with it.
Harry's gaze sharpened slightly.
It was a custom-made cryogenic storage case.
Coulson slowly opened the lid.
Thick shock-absorbing material lined the interior. At its center sat a transparent, sealed canister.
Inside, a fist-sized mass of viscous black liquid, like oil, gave off an eerie sheen. It writhed faintly, as if alive.
"What is that...?"
Harry's pupils contracted slightly. That shape, that method of storage... Was it some kind of biological tissue?
Where had S.H.I.E.L.D. gotten something like this?
"Mr. Osborn, I don't think this is the best place to talk."
Coulson gestured toward the object in the case, then glanced around, letting his meaning speak for itself.
Harry's eyes flickered.
He understood what Coulson meant.
Something like this wasn't suitable for display on the doorstep.
"Please, come in, Mr. Coulson."
Harry stepped aside and gestured for him to enter.
The object Coulson had brought had certainly piqued his interest.
The two of them entered the mansion's living room, one after the other.
Harry indicated that Coulson should take a seat on the sofa, then sat across from him.
There was no polite offer of tea or water. The atmosphere was tense.
Coulson placed the briefcase on the coffee table and opened it again. Carefully, he took out the sealed canister and held it out to Harry.
"Mr. Coulson, what exactly is this?"
Harry accepted it and examined the black liquid inside, asking with some curiosity.
"Half a month ago, our people found traces of this thing in a forest park."
"We lost quite a few people trying to track it and bring it under control..."
Coulson's expression grew grave.
As he spoke, he took a tablet from his pocket, tapped the screen a few times to bring up a video, and handed it to Harry.
"This is part of the footage recorded at the scene."
Harry took the tablet.
The footage shook violently, as if filmed on a handheld device, and was filled with panicked shouting and confusion.
In the dim woods, a black shadow darted through the trees at high speed like liquid. Fully armed operatives were torn apart and hurled aside like scraps of paper wherever it passed.
The black liquid creature displayed astonishing strength, speed, and shapeshifting abilities. It could even transform into bladed weapons.
Bloody and brutal.
The clip was short. It ended abruptly as the black liquid lunged at the camera.
Harry returned the tablet to Coulson without changing expression, but inwardly, a storm was raging.
He had already recognized what the creature was...
"As you can see, this thing is extremely dangerous."
Coulson took back the tablet, his voice heavy.
"After paying a steep price, it seemed to sustain some damage and managed to evade us."
"We only found this remaining tissue sample at the scene."
He pointed to the black liquid in the sealed canister before Harry.
"Our biologists' preliminary assessment is that this may be... an extraterrestrial life-form that came to Earth on a meteorite."
"They believe that if we want to get to the bottom of what this thing is, and whether it's still alive or poses a potential threat, we should consult a leading bioengineering expert like you."
"Furthermore, we learned through some... special channels that you and Colonel Stryker have collaborated extensively in certain specialized areas of biological research."
"You should have considerable experience and unique insight when it comes to anomalous specimens like this."
Coulson kept his eyes fixed on Harry as he delivered this bombshell, watching for the slightest change in his expression.
Stryker!
It was both flattery and an unmistakable warning.
S.H.I.E.L.D. was demonstrating the reach of its intelligence network: they knew about Harry's secret research with Stryker.
The corners of Harry Osborn's mouth slowly curved into a meaningful smile.
"Heh."
"Now, that's interesting..."
He reached out and took the cold sealed canister.
It felt icy in his hand.
The black liquid inside seemed to sense that it had a new observer and rippled faintly.
He had recognized the creature the moment he saw the footage.
A symbiote!
And judging by that iconic black color, there was a very good chance it was none other than the famous Venom!
Talk about perfect timing.
He had just launched the "X-Kryonaut" project and was worried he didn't have sufficiently advanced and unusual biological material to test and integrate Unit G technology from the Guyver world in Zhang Qi's network.
And now, S.H.I.E.L.D. had personally delivered a sample of a symbiote—a cosmic-level bug of a life-form—right into his hands!
His first move had already paid off more than he could have hoped. First the X-Gene, and now a symbiote...
Harry's thoughts raced, but his expression remained calm.
He toyed with the sealed canister, a strange light glimmering in his eyes as he looked at Coulson.
"I'm certainly... very interested in this thing from outer space."
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