Arc 4Venom and the Hydra Key

Lin Ze and his companions helped Eddie Brock and Venom defeat Riot, then returned to Stark Tower as Nick Fury sought Lin Ze’s help. In Moscow, Coulson’s team pursued Hydra infiltrators and confronted Blaze over the Execution Key.

  • Fury rejected the World Security Council’s demand to supervise the children, while Tony spent his time caring for them at Stark Tower.
  • Ceros became Lin Ze’s TVA liaison, and Lin Ze and Bennett begged him to stay after a lucky gacha pull.
  • Lin Ze’s group found Eddie Brock infected by a symbiote, and Venom took possession of Barbara before the group persuaded it to help rescue Eddie.
  • Lin Ze and his companions helped Eddie and Venom fight Riot, who died with Drake when Diluc destroyed their launching rocket.
  • Tony confronted Lin Ze for disappearing, learned about Teyvat, forgave him, and offered the visitors places to stay.
  • Fury asked Lin Ze for a favor to help S.H.I.E.L.D. survive, and Lin Ze triggered the quest “Nick Fury’s Request.”
  • Coulson revealed that Hydra agents had infiltrated his Moscow investigation team, and Tartaglia and Rosaria offered to hunt them down.
  • Tartaglia and Rosaria confronted Blaze over the Execution Key, but Blaze’s surprise at learning that Aukai, Gar, and Chester had died left them suspicious of him.
Chapters 76–100 Vol. 1 Read

Ch. 76Quiet and ordinary

Nick Fury defended his decisions about the Tesseract, the Avengers, and the superpowered children before the World Security Council. Three months later, Tony Stark was caring for the children while working through the night, then discovered Venti was drinking in his wine cellar.

  • Nick Fury told the World Security Council that Thor had taken the Tesseract and that the Avengers had earned a vacation.
  • Fury rejected the Council's demand to supervise the children, saying Stark would look after them and warning that the Avengers would oppose interference.
  • Three months later, JARVIS urged Tony to rest after he had spent more than seventeen hours working in the laboratory.
  • Tony learned that Paimon had eaten five extra-large ice creams, Bennett and Aether had visited Captain Rogers, and Fischl had ordered five hundred cleaning robots.
  • Tony asked where Venti was and learned that he was in the wine cellar drinking Tony's wine.

Ch. 77What, did you lose your memory?

Lin Ze learned that the missing Stone Gate had stranded him in this world because it needed repairs, and he met Ceros, his liaison from the Time Variance Authority. After Ceros made a successful pull on Lin Ze’s tablet, Lin Ze and Bennett clung to him and begged him to stay.

  • Steve noticed Lin Ze’s distraction and reassured him that the Stone Gate might return, while Lin Ze remembered Minister Wu’s message about its repairs and an incoming liaison.
  • After training with Steve, Lin Ze and Bennett headed toward Stark Tower, where Ceros introduced himself as their Time Variance Authority liaison.
  • Lin Ze mistook Ceros for Senior Zhuang Ruo, then questioned him about the Authority, but Ceros said he could not explain much and had little information himself.
  • Ceros produced Lin Ze’s gacha tablet and offered to make a pull; Lin Ze asked him to tap it because Ceros claimed his luck was average.
  • After the pull, Lin Ze and Bennett clung to Ceros and begged him to stay, calling him their brother.

Ch. 78You're sick

Lin Ze returned to Stark Tower with Bennett, where Tony cared for Paimon and heard about Bennett’s combat training. Tony was suddenly overwhelmed by extreme anxiety, but Venti’s music eased his distress.

  • Lin Ze let Ceros leave after making him promise to keep his liaison job, then wondered whether he had seemed too eager to keep him around.
  • Lin Ze and Bennett returned to Stark Tower and found Tony stopping Paimon from eating more cake.
  • Bennett demonstrated his new combat moves, slipped, and broke a decorative vase, but Tony reassured him and praised his training.
  • Tony jokingly teased Paimon about missing the Traveler, and they chased each other around the living room.
  • Tony was struck by intense dread, checked on Qiqi, and had JARVIS scan him; JARVIS diagnosed extreme anxiety.
  • Venti played the Holy Lyre der Himmel, gradually easing Tony’s gloom and unease.

Ch. 79Getting started

Venti helped Tony settle down to sleep, while Lin Ze sent new characters to a mission in New York. In East Malaysia, officials searched for a missing biological specimen, and Barbara led Peter and Ned toward Wanmin Restaurant, promising them a free meal.

  • Venti soothed Tony with music and tucked Qiqi into bed, then played Tony’s requested song as a lullaby.
  • Lin Ze decided to use new characters for the mission and left the others at Stark Tower to keep Tony company.
  • Officials investigating a crashed spacecraft in East Malaysia learned that one biological specimen had escaped and ordered a search.
  • Barbara met Peter and Ned again, congratulated them on getting into Midtown High School, and invited them to eat.
  • Barbara promised Peter and Ned they could eat for free at Wanmin Restaurant and hurried them there.

Ch. 80Something delicious

Barbara brought Peter and Ned to Wanmin Restaurant, where Rice welcomed them as friends of the chef. Xiangling prepared new dishes for the visitors, and the chapter ended as Guoba entered their room ahead of the food.

  • Barbara led Peter and Ned past the restaurant's long queue, where a man accused them of cutting in line.
  • Rice recognized Barbara, explained that she was a friend of the head chef, and escorted the group inside.
  • Rice told Barbara that Xiangling had blown up the black-backed bass and was being kept inside as punishment while the owners went to buy more supplies.
  • Barbara asked Xiangling to prepare signature dishes for Peter and Ned, and Xiangling eagerly agreed to let them try her new creations.
  • Guoba entered the private room, and Xiangling called from outside that she was bringing in the dishes.

Ch. 81A good person, a strange grown-up

Peter and Ned taste Xiangling’s signature dishes and unusual new recipes at Wanmin Restaurant, then Barbara discovers Klee and runs into Kaeya and Diluc. The chapter ends with Diluc confronting Kaeya for helping Klee escape confinement.

  • Peter and Ned struggled to use chopsticks until Barbara taught them, then eagerly praised Xiangling’s signature dishes.
  • Xiangling discovered that Guoba had eaten nearly all the Rice Buns and watched him flee.
  • Peter and Ned taste-tested Xiangling’s unusual new recipes, enjoyed them, and took the leftovers home.
  • Barbara went to check on Klee, collided with her in the hallway, and helped her return to her room.
  • Kaeya told Barbara he had helped Klee sneak out, and Diluc appeared behind him and confronted him.

Ch. 82Searching high and low

Diluc, Kaeya, and the Traveler discussed the Life Foundation’s missing-person cases and learned that reporter Eddie Brock had stolen something from the company. The group went to investigate a disturbance at Wanmin Restaurant, where Xiangling confronted a scruffy man with her spear.

  • Diluc rebuked Kaeya for letting Klee roam freely while Jean was away and explained his worries about New York’s disappearing homeless people.
  • The Traveler and Paimon arrived and shared Venti’s information that someone had broken into the Life Foundation and taken something from Carlton Drake.
  • Lin Ze told the group that the intruder was reporter Eddie Brock, who had returned to the city after escaping the facility.
  • Diluc and the others went downstairs after hearing screams and breaking plates at Wanmin Restaurant.
  • Xiangling threatened a scruffy man and thrust her Favonius Lance at him.

Ch. 83Without lifting a finger

Eddie struggled with the hunger and strange voice caused by an apparent symbiote infection, then lost control at Wanmin Restaurant and attacked its food and Guoba. Guoba’s fire briefly cleared Eddie’s mind, but another man intervened as Eddie faced a spear and an even more intense heat.

  • Eddie woke in a bathtub after vomiting and discovered his altered appearance, extreme hunger, and a voice in his head.
  • Eddie went to Wanmin Restaurant to find Anne and explain that he had broken into the Life Foundation and might be infected.
  • Eddie lost control, devoured raw dishes, and tried to reach the seafood tank while Anne and Dan watched in alarm.
  • Xiangling confronted Eddie, but he grabbed Guoba and tried to bite him.
  • Guoba breathed fire on Eddie, briefly silencing the voice and restoring his senses, and a man's command stopped Xiangling's spear attack.
  • Eddie felt a chill followed by intense heat, making the voice in his head scream again.

Ch. 84What Color Slime?

Eddie collapsed at Wanmin Restaurant with a dangerous fever, and Barbara used her singing to stabilize him before he was taken to the hospital. An MRI revealed a dark mass filling Eddie’s chest, and Paimon guessed it was a huge Black Slime.

  • Eddie collapsed with a high fever after Kaeya used ice on him, and Dan said he needed hospital tests.
  • Barbara sang to lower Eddie’s temperature while Diluc, Kaeya, Lin Ze, and Paimon accompanied him to the hospital.
  • Eddie woke in the ambulance, and Anne accepted Diluc and Kaeya’s apologies and offer of help.
  • During Eddie’s MRI, he began shaking and screaming, so Lin Ze rushed into the room and Dan stopped the scanner.
  • Lin Ze saw a dark mass filling Eddie’s chest on the MRI image, and Paimon declared it was a huge Black Slime.

Ch. 85Leave it to Paimon

Eddie left the hospital after panicking during an examination, but his strange reaction to Diluc’s touch suggested something unusual was inside him. Lin Ze suspected the Life Foundation would come looking for Eddie and planned to bring Xiangling and Klee along, trusting Paimon to help.

  • Dan calmed Eddie after he became frightened during the examination and let him go home while he studied the MRI results.
  • Eddie apologized to Diluc and Kaeya, but he felt a sharp pain when he first touched Diluc’s hand and then noticed no pain when he tried again.
  • Lin Ze asked whether the black mass inside Eddie was connected to the Life Foundation, while Paimon guessed it might be a Slime.
  • Diluc said he had briefly felt something slippery when he touched Eddie and concluded that Eddie was where the problem lay.
  • Lin Ze predicted the Life Foundation might come looking for Eddie and proposed bringing Xiangling and Klee, reassuring Diluc that Paimon would help.

Ch. 86Hello, We're Here to Check the Water Meter

Eddie struggled with hunger, a voice in his head, and strange physical changes caused by a parasite. Lin Ze, Diluc, Kaeya, Xiangling, and Klee arrived at Eddie’s apartment to check on him, just as the voice warned him not to open the door.

  • Eddie heard a voice in his head and learned from Anne and Dan that he had been infected with a parasite.
  • Eddie’s symptoms worsened when his neighbor played loud guitar, and his face briefly transformed into a frightening, monstrous appearance.
  • Lin Ze brought Diluc, Kaeya, Xiangling, and Klee to Eddie’s apartment after getting his address from Anne.
  • The group reached Eddie’s door and knocked, while the voice in Eddie’s head warned him not to open it.

Ch. 87One step too late

Lin Ze and his companions went to the wrong apartment before learning Eddie Brock lived upstairs, where they arrived too late to stop him escaping with the symbiote. As they fought the Life Foundation’s mercenaries, Klee found Eddie and greeted him.

  • Lin Ze and his companions mistakenly visited a woman’s apartment, learned it was her birthday, and gave her gifts before asking where Eddie Brock lived.
  • The woman directed them to apartment sixty-three on the sixth floor, but gunfire erupted before they reached it, and Eddie escaped through a window.
  • Kaeya and the others fought Trish’s mercenaries as Trish reported Eddie’s escape and the symbiote bond to Drake.
  • Drake watched footage of Eddie using the symbiote and ordered Trish to bring him back, eliminating anyone who interfered.
  • Klee slipped away from the adults, found Eddie suspended against a wall, and introduced herself before forgetting what to say next.

Ch. 88Klee came to help

Eddie tried to escape the Life Foundation while Venom struggled with the dangers around them and Klee and Paimon joined him. The chapter left Eddie fleeing by motorcycle with the girls as Klee destroyed a pursuing car and drone with Jumpy Dumpty, badly burning Venom in the process.

  • Eddie begged Venom to stop tossing him around, then met Paimon as she searched for Klee.
  • Klee and Paimon urged Eddie to wait for Diluc and the others, but Eddie set off to avoid endangering them.
  • Eddie used Venom to pull Paimon clear when a drone attacked and exploded against a wall.
  • Eddie escaped on his motorcycle with Klee and Paimon as more drones pursued them, while Lin Ze and the others fought off the Life Foundation's mercenaries.
  • Klee hurled Jumpy Dumpty at a pursuing car and drone, destroying them, and Venom shielded the group from the blast while suffering severe burns.

Ch. 89So fierce!

Lin Ze and the others tried to help Eddie escape Trish’s pursuit, but a collision left Eddie badly injured before Venom healed him and revealed his monstrous form. Venom killed Trish, while Xiangling mistook him for a new ingredient.

  • Klee threw bombs at the pursuers, setting the street ablaze and wrecking the road.
  • Eddie and the children escaped a roadblock with Venom’s help, while Lin Ze rescued Paimon and destroyed a pursuing drone.
  • Diluc caught Klee after Eddie’s motorcycle launched into the air, and Kaeya froze the road, sending enemy vehicles crashing.
  • Trish stole a motorcycle and pursued Eddie, but a truck struck Eddie and sent him flying.
  • Venom healed Eddie, seized Trish, and bit off his head as Xiangling arrived and called him a new ingredient.

Ch. 90A great river

Venom fled from Xiangling and bonded with Eddie on a platform in the Hudson River, while Lin Ze and the others crossed the river to search for them. After Anne called Diluc for help with Eddie’s failing organs, the group headed to the hospital, where Barbara encountered a suspicious smiling dog.

  • Venom recognized Xiangling’s appetite for him, fled into the Hudson River, and revealed himself to Eddie as Venom, claiming Eddie’s body belonged to him.
  • Lin Ze and the others used Kaeya’s Cryo powers to cross the river on ice, but they found only a puddle on the platform and no sign of Eddie.
  • Anne called Diluc and asked him to contact Barbara after Eddie’s test results showed that his internal organs were failing.
  • Lin Ze found that Barbara was already at the hospital, so the group set out to join her, making Kaeya create another ice bridge.
  • Eddie attacked Dan to avoid an MRI, then ran off and left the black parasite behind; the parasite disappeared while Anne and Dan were distracted.
  • Barbara reached the examination department and found no one there, then approached a small dog that appeared to smile at her.

Ch. 91Reasonable and understanding

Lin Ze and the others rescued Venom from Barbara and brought it back to Eddie, while Drake prepared to dispose of Eddie and launch his plan to unite humans with symbiotes. Venom reunited with Eddie, furious over its ordeal, as the group arrived at the Life Foundation.

  • Venom escaped Eddie during the MRI by possessing a puppy, then entered Barbara when she touched it.
  • Lin Ze recognized Venom's possession of Barbara, fought its consciousness, and the group beat the symbiote until it explained that it wanted to rescue Eddie.
  • Lin Ze returned Venom to the puppy, and Klee carried it in her backpack while the group headed to the Life Foundation.
  • Drake revealed his own symbiote form, ordered Eddie taken away, and prepared to launch a rocket to bring more symbiotes to Earth.
  • Eddie fought Drake's mercenaries in the woods, but Lin Ze and the others arrived by Wind Glider and defeated them with Venom in puppy form.
  • Klee presented Little Black to Eddie, and Venom rejoined him, angrily complaining about what it had endured.

Ch. 92Klee likes you

Lin Ze and his allies attacked Riot to stop him from launching the rocket and bringing Symbiotes to Earth. Klee's explosives devastated the launch platform, and Venom rescued her as it collapsed; Klee told him she liked him.

  • Eddie and Venom revealed that Symbiotes were vulnerable to fire and sounds between 4,000 and 6,000 Hertz, and Lin Ze prepared to confront Riot with the group.
  • Drake ordered the rocket launch to begin, and Riot slaughtered the control-room staff and destroyed the launch controls before heading for the rocket.
  • Riot attacked Venom on the launch platform and demanded that he join him, but Venom refused and defended himself while awaiting help.
  • Guoba breathed fire at Riot as Xiangling attacked him, and Klee bombarded him with explosives from atop Starfell.
  • Klee's blasts weakened Riot and damaged the platform until it began collapsing, and Venom rescued Klee from the flames.
  • Klee thanked Venom, called him Little Black, and told him she liked him.

Ch. 93The end

Lin Ze and the others fought Riot as he tried to escape aboard a rocket, and Diluc destroyed the rocket with a fiery attack. Afterward, Tony called Lin Ze about staying out, then appeared in his armor and caught him in a lie.

  • Riot emerged from the river and charged toward the rocket, but Venom tackled him away from it.
  • Xiangling, Kaeya, and Diluc attacked Riot while the launch countdown continued.
  • Riot reached the rocket and climbed inside just as it launched, but Diluc’s flaming phoenix struck and destroyed it, killing Riot and Drake.
  • Lin Ze and the others returned to the rooftop, where Lin Ze received an angry call from Tony about being away for two days.
  • Tony appeared in his red armor and confronted Lin Ze after hearing him claim he was at a friend’s place.

Ch. 94This is entrapment

Tony confronted Lin Ze and Paimon about hiding their fight against the symbiotes, then heard how Teyvat and its gods had helped them. The group reunited at a Stark Industries hotel, where Tony introduced himself to Eddie and punished Lin Ze and Paimon by banning them from cake for a month.

  • Tony landed at the Life Foundation, called Lin Ze and Paimon liars, and arranged a car to take everyone somewhere quiet.
  • Tony sent armored suits to help contain the fires while Lin Ze and the others left for a Stark Industries hotel in his limousine.
  • Tony questioned Lin Ze privately, learned how Teyvat connected to their world, and asked how divine power had restored Qiqi.
  • Tony forgave Lin Ze for acting without telling him but banned him and Paimon from eating cake for a month.
  • Tony introduced himself to the group as Iron Man and told Paimon she was also forbidden from having cake, prompting her to yell in protest.

Ch. 95They're here

Tony settled the newcomers into rooms for the night and erased Life Foundation surveillance footage that could endanger Aether and his friends. The next morning, Nick Fury arrived at Stark Tower.

  • Tony introduced himself to Xiangling, Diluc, Kaeya, Klee, Eddie Brock, and Venom, then offered them places to stay.
  • Kaeya and Diluc declined Tony's offer, Xiangling chose to return to Wanmin Restaurant, and Kaeya said Klee should stay with them.
  • Tony had JARVIS erase dangerous Life Foundation surveillance footage and stayed awake until dawn.
  • Tony hid his coffee from Qiqi, then questioned Venti about his night out while Bennett accidentally broke another cup.
  • JARVIS told Tony that Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. had arrived.

Ch. 96Don't give up

Lin Ze finished his mission and began another, but his luck failed when he pulled Qiqi instead of a coveted five-star character. Qiqi then carried her frustration into Tony’s world, where Tony stopped fencing with Nick Fury to comfort her.

  • Ceros woke Lin Ze, had him sign his mission report, and told him to begin another pull immediately.
  • Ceros explained that the Bureau had banned him from pulling for Lin Ze after detecting an anomaly in Lin Ze’s golden finger.
  • Ceros offered to hold Lin Ze’s arm while Lin Ze pulled, promising to take responsibility if he lost the fifty-fifty.
  • Lin Ze pulled Qiqi, slapped the tablet facedown, and despaired over his bad luck.
  • Qiqi slammed down her Coconut Milk and clung to Tony’s leg, so Tony left Nick Fury to comfort her.

Ch. 97I'm counting on you, boss

Lin Ze celebrated pulling the Head of the House and asked Ceros to secure him a Serenitea Pot to house future characters. After Ceros left, Lin Ze prepared to meet Nick Fury, while Tony told him that Qiqi had suddenly become angry.

  • Lin Ze recognized the newly summoned Hydro character as the Head of the House and celebrated the pull.
  • Ceros warned Lin Ze to be careful around S.H.I.E.L.D. and not reveal the Transmigration Management Bureau or the Time Variance Authority.
  • Lin Ze asked Ceros to request a Serenitea Pot as a perk so his summoned characters would have somewhere to live, and Ceros agreed to handle it.
  • Lin Ze finished getting ready and found Nick Fury waiting to speak with him, then agreed to meet after breakfast.
  • Tony warned Lin Ze to watch out for Fury and asked why Qiqi had suddenly become angry; Lin Ze guessed she might be in a rebellious teenage phase.

Ch. 98Even Jesus Couldn't Help

Lin Ze told Nick Fury about his friends from Teyvat and received a secret request tied to S.H.I.E.L.D.’s survival. In Moscow, a nun heard an absurd confession about a fish, while a gray-clad man laughed from the back pew.

  • Lin Ze told Fury that his friends had crossed through the Stone Gate to Celestia to help him save people, then described his travels and the worlds of Teyvat.
  • Fury warned Lin Ze to keep their conversation about Teyvat secret, revealed recent discoveries, and asked him for a favor concerning S.H.I.E.L.D.’s survival.
  • Lin Ze memorized the information Fury had slipped him, destroyed the note, and triggered the quest “Nick Fury’s Request.”
  • In Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Savior, a man confessed to having sex with a fish and pleaded for it to go to heaven.
  • The nun reluctantly forgave the man, and a gray-clad man in a back pew burst into laughter over the confession.

Ch. 99Every One of Them a Talent

Tartaglia, Rosaria, and Sayu met Phil Coulson in Moscow and learned that traitors had decimated his investigation team and infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. They gathered at a secret headquarters, where Coulson prepared to explain their mission and the trio offered to eliminate the traitors.

  • Tartaglia and Rosaria met Phil Coulson in a park after confirming his coded signal.
  • Tartaglia woke Sayu from her hiding place, and Coulson confirmed that the three had arrived as reinforcements.
  • Coulson led the group through a record shop to a hidden headquarters and revealed his identity.
  • Coulson explained that traitors had infiltrated his investigation team, killed its agents, and spread through S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Moscow branch.
  • Tartaglia and Rosaria offered to kill the traitors, while Sayu asked if she could go back to sleep.

Ch. 100I predicted your prediction

Blaze went to a bar and was lured into a room by Rosaria, where Tartaglia revealed they knew he was a Hydra spy and asked him to help obtain the Moscow S.H.I.E.L.D. Branch's Execution Key. Blaze learned that Aukai was dead and that Hydra had been purged from S.H.I.E.L.D., but his claim that he had not heard the news made Tartaglia and Rosaria suspicious.

  • Blaze met Rosaria at an underground bar and followed her to a secluded room, where Tartaglia ambushed him and called him by his real name.
  • Tartaglia asked Blaze for the Execution Key, and Blaze denied knowing it until Tartaglia whispered, “Hail Hydra,” revealing Blaze’s allegiance.
  • Rosaria gave Blaze the device that unlocked the Execution Key, and Blaze dropped his timid act and asked where Aukai was.
  • Tartaglia told Blaze that Aukai, Gar, and Chester had been killed in Phil Coulson’s purge of Hydra agents, and noted that the news had been shared that morning.
  • Blaze said he had not known about the deaths, prompting Tartaglia and Rosaria to regard him with suspicion.
Arc 4 of 18