Eddie Brock

"Sandman? Flint? You're the guy who robbed the armored car during the day." Otto asked in surprise. Though he rarely went out, he still had a radio. The news of a superpowered person committing robbery during the day had caused such a huge stir that it was impossible to miss.

"Hmph!" Flint crossed his arms and put on a fierce expression, but his eyes calmly sized up Dr. Otto before him. He looked to be in his forties or fifties, short and stocky. Aside from the four menacing mechanical arms behind him, there seemed to be nothing particularly intimidating about him.

Flint finally dropped his tough act. After all, the man in front of him could save his daughter.

"Then stay here for now. Don't show yourself in front of people for the time being. We'll consider going out again after this uproar dies down."

Li Nian patted Flint on the shoulder, only to end up with a hand full of sand.

"Um... sorry..."

"It's fine." Flint's arm instantly returned to normal.

"I'm heading out. I have plans with Aunt May tonight, and it's about time." Li Nian greeted the two of them and hurried away.

Peter and Mary Jane anxiously watched as the doctors and nurses wheeled Harry into the operating room. As the red light came on, Peter's heart rose to his throat.

"He'll be okay." Mary Jane gently patted Peter's back and comforted him softly.

Although Mary Jane had broken up with Peter, the two of them and Harry had all been close friends. She had even been Harry's ex-girlfriend, so naturally she should be here with them.

"It's all my fault. If I could have stopped Harry, maybe he wouldn't have..."

Peter sat in a chair with his head lowered, clutching his head as he spoke in anguish.

"It's not your fault, Peter." Mary Jane gently stroked the top of Peter's head, then cupped his bruised and swollen face in her hands. "Harry doesn't know anything. He's in too much pain."

"I hurt him... I did..."

"Hi, Aunt May! Where's Peter?" Li Nian had already taken his seat. Warm light shone over the table, giving the room a gentle atmosphere. Aunt May emerged from the kitchen carrying a platter of turkey. When she heard his question, sorrow spread across her face.

"I don't know. He said he'd come back early tonight. Brooklyn is so dangerous, and it's so late already. Could it be..." Aunt May sat down anxiously. She was not imagining things for no reason; her husband, Ben Parker, had indeed died at the hands of a robber.

"Peter will definitely be fine." Li Nian comforted Aunt May. She did not know Peter was Spider-Man, so it was only natural for her to worry.

Li Nian felt that if anyone dared to rob Peter, the unlucky one would definitely be the robber.

Li Nian actually knew that the surveillance device he had placed in Harry's home not long ago could no longer detect Harry Osborn. He had likely gone to seek revenge on Peter. Still, Li Nian was not worried. Even after injecting the serum, Harry could not beat Peter. The key was whether Peter was willing to fight Harry.

"It'll be fine, Aunt May. Why don't you get some rest first? I'll go out and look for Peter." Li Nian supported Aunt May and helped her into her room, while using the Mind Stone's power to put her to sleep.

"They should be at the hospital now."

Li Nian stepped outside and checked the hospital surveillance feeds one by one. Within minutes, he found Peter's location and hailed a taxi.

"Peter!" Li Nian rushed to Peter's side. He nodded at Mary Jane beside him, then turned to Peter.

"Something happened to Harry?"

"You knew?" Peter suddenly raised his head, his eyes filled with a terrifying look. "You knew Harry would come looking for me, didn't you?!"

Peter suddenly grabbed Li Nian by the collar, lifted him high, and slammed him against the stark white wall. "You must have known! Why didn't you tell me?!"

Li Nian's expression turned grave. Peter's mental state did not look right. Could Venom already have covered him?

"Peter! Calm down! Harry is still in the emergency room. What are you making such a scene for?!" Mary Jane anxiously grabbed Peter's arm. She knew Peter was Spider-Man, but she did not know Li Nian was also the superhero Vision. She thought Peter was using his powers to bully an ordinary person.

Neither Peter nor Li Nian spoke. They merely stared at each other. Then, golden light suddenly flared from Li Nian's forehead and shone onto Peter.

"Ah!" The Mind Stone's light enveloped Peter. A stream of black mist rose from the boy's head, floated lightly in the air, then dispersed into the world.

Mary Jane had no idea what had happened. She only saw Peter collapse to the ground. Anxiously grabbing his clothes, she looked up at Li Nian and demanded, "What did you do to him?!"

Li Nian did not answer. He only watched Peter solemnly, a trace of regret hidden in his eyes.

Over the past year or so, those monsters had kept appearing. Li Nian had the Mind Stone's protection, and Otto's mind had been purified by the stone as well. Only Peter... had always been on the front line against them, relying on his own will to resist the monsters' corruption. Unfortunately, he had still been affected in the end.

Li Nian felt a little regretful. If only he had noticed Peter's abnormality sooner.

Eddie Brock had been having a terrible time lately. The Spider-Man photos he had painstakingly taken had been flatly rejected by the Daily Bugle. They said they would not buy his photos because they already had a photographer who specialized in Spider-Man. That stingy old dog Jonathan had even dared to mock his photos as outdated!

And Gwen. He had clearly had dinner with her, and they had enjoyed their conversation so much. Naturally, she should have become his girlfriend. Yet she had publicly kissed that Spider-Man in the park and repeatedly turned down his invitations!

Eddie angrily smashed his bottle on the ground. Who did she think she was? If her father weren't the commissioner of the New York Police Department, why would I even bother with her? She really thought she was something!

And Spider-Man too. He had the nerve to steal his girl. Just because he has a few superpowers, he thinks he can do whatever he wants? He thinks beating a few criminals makes him a hero?!

Eddie kicked over a trash can beside him and began cursing at a streetlamp. The nearby residents turned on their lights to stop him, but Eddie smashed a window with a stone, and everything fell silent.

"Heh... bastards... a bunch of bastards..." Eddie staggered drunkenly down the street. His swaying body naturally made him a target for some habitual "zero-dollar shoppers." Several Black thugs had been eyeing him for quite some time, their faces eager with anticipation. It was unclear whether they had their eyes on his wallet or something else...

Eddie staggered onward and unknowingly wandered close to the outskirts. His stomach churned with nausea, so he found a tree to lean against and began vomiting.

"Bleurgh... bleurgh..."

The Black thugs behind him had long wanted to make their move. Seeing their chance, they rushed out from the darkness, ready to thoroughly rob this white man.