3 chapters will be uploaded on daily basis i.e. 21 Chapters will be uploaded every week apart from the bonus chapters.
1 Bonus Chapter will be uploaded for every 50 Power Stones or 1000 Collections.
All interested readers can read advanced chapters on: Free Members of Patreon can read 12 Chapters ahead of Webnovel for FREE.
[email protected]/Heroicverse
×××××××××××××××
However, the scene of a head falling did not occur.
Wisps of fluid-like substance, like living tentacles, reconnected Anti-Venom's head, which had flown into mid-air.
Seeing this, Selena understood, "It seems that, as Boss said, ordinary physical attacks cannot effectively kill this Alien Symbiote."
"Idiot, such an attack can't kill me."
Anti-Venom bared his fangs and boasted triumphantly, "Although you're not human, and you smell a bit strange, your brain should be barely edible..."
"Who said I smell strange?"
This sentence undoubtedly touched Selena's sensitive nerve. Her expression immediately changed, and she retorted ferociously, "I clearly smell fragrant, okay!"
Whether human or Vampire, any female creature is destined to care deeply about evaluations related to "beauty."
And so...
Before Anti-Venom could finish speaking, an eight-pointed star-shaped special "rune" had already appeared on Selena's forehead.
The corner symbolizing Slaanesh in the "southeast" direction was already shimmering with mysterious purple light.
Buzz...!!!
Selena suddenly opened her mouth and let out a psionic scream that threatened to burst eardrums.
The high-energy sound waves, imbued with Slaanesh Psionic Power, formed visible ripples in the air, directly enveloping Anti-Venom, who had no time to react.
"Wah ah..."
Anti-Venom immediately let out a series of shrill wails. His Symbiote splattered downwards in large chunks, like boiling mud.
Soon, Eddie Brock's general outline was revealed from within. "No, you damned stinky woman, stop it... Anti-Venom can't take it anymore."
But Selena sneered and ignored him. Only when the Anti-Venom Symbiote had completely detached from Eddie Brock's body did she suddenly deliver a flying kick, sending him flying far away.
Screech—
Selena pulled out a pre-prepared White Phosphorus Grenade and threw it directly into the Anti-Venom Symbiote, which was severely wounded, confined in place by Slaanesh Psionic Power, and sprawled on the ground like a puddle of mud.
"What are you doing... No, No, No!!!"
From a distance, Eddie Brock, seeing this, completely disregarded the intense stinging pain from his body and scrambled towards the Anti-Venom Symbiote's location.
He seemed to want to use his own flesh and blood to prevent the flames from consuming Anti-Venom.
Bang—
But while crawling, he was once again knocked to the ground by a powerful swing from John Jameson, who had been ready for a long time.
"Hehehe, I've wanted to beat you up, you bad guy... Now, just stay on the ground and watch!"
"Aow ah ah ah..."
The Anti-Venom Symbiote let out a series of shrill screams as it burned under the white phosphorus bomb.
But under the confinement of Slaanesh Psionic Power, it was powerless to escape, and could only be burned to ashes by the thousand-degree flames, ultimately turning into a wisp of dust.
"No, don't kill it... My Anti-Venom, don't die, don't leave me alone..."
Eddie Brock, seeing this, immediately looked as if he had lost his parents, frantically banging his head against the ground in despair, oblivious to his bleeding head.
With his love life, career, and entire life in rock bottom, he had long regarded Anti-Venom as his only chance to turn his life around.
But now, even this last glimmer of hope had been extinguished.
From now on, he was destined to live out the rest of his life aimlessly, like a walking corpse.
"Hmph, this is what happens when you have a loose tongue!"
Selena said coldly, then drew her long cross sword from her back again and walked towards Eddie Brock.
She wanted to personally chop off the head of this scoundrel who dared to slander her Boss.
"Miss Selena, let's spare his dog life for now..." However, John Jameson suddenly interjected at this moment:
"Instead of simply killing this good-for-nothing, it would be better to let him publicly face the severe punishment of the law, and use that as a warning to those with ulterior motives. If anyone dares to slander Boss in the future, this will be their ultimate fate!"
One has to admit.
When it comes to publicity and guiding public attention, John Jameson is definitely an expert.
Therefore, what he considers is often very different from what others under Karl consider.
"Alright then."
Selena glanced disdainfully at Eddie Brock, who was sprawled on the ground crying his eyes out, looking utterly useless like a sissy, and said indifferently:
"But while he may be spared the death penalty, he cannot escape punishment for his crimes... Daring to slander Boss, he must receive the punishment he deserves."
As her words fell, a cold glint flashed, and Eddie Brock's two hands had already been severed at the wrist.
"Ah, my hands..."
Eddie Brock let out a painful wail, then, under the dual blow of physical pain and mental shock, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted on the spot.
Selena shook the blood from her sword and snorted, "Hmph, let's see if you dare to be so reckless with your hands again."
Hiss~~
John Jameson felt a chill run down his spine upon seeing this and instinctively pulled his hands behind his back.
...
And the scene that unfolded in this abandoned warehouse was all seen by Karl, who was far away in Sokovia, through the shared perspective of Selena's Mind Chains.
However, even when he saw Selena destroy the Anti-Venom Symbiote with a White Phosphorus Grenade, he did not intervene.
Although the Symbiote Suit was a very valuable strategic resource for Hyperspace Group at this stage.
Compared to the safety of his core subordinates, Karl clearly cared more about the latter.
He did not want his subordinates to feel hesitant during future missions because of certain special resources, thereby causing unnecessary sacrifices.
Because in Karl's eyes, talent is the most precious resource!!
As for John Jameson's desire to send Eddie Brock to court for trial, he expressed complete acceptance.
On one hand, even if Anti-Venom hadn't been destroyed, Eddie Brock posed no threat to Karl whatsoever.
On the contrary, for Karl to deal with him was as simple as stepping on an ant.
Furthermore, as John Jameson said, through The Daily Bugle's follow-up reports, not only could it serve as an effective warning to prevent large-scale imitation in the future.
It could also seize the opportunity to harvest more Prestige.
This only benefited Karl, with no downsides.
So... why not?
When it came to treating subordinates and appropriately delegating power, Karl was fundamentally different from those bosses who were always suspicious and dictatorial.
What about subordinates outshining their superiors?
In his opinion, it was all just a pretext to eliminate dissent or to cover up one's own incompetence.
As a qualified boss with taste, ambition, and vision.
Karl was more willing to see his subordinates think independently and help him solve those trivial and complex problems.
For this, he would even often actively leave opportunities to shine intentionally for his subordinates.
Instead of doing everything himself, it was better to appropriately delegate power to his subordinates, allowing them to enjoy the process of solving problems and gain faith and growth from it.
After all... these people were all working for him!
Moreover, if he, the boss, had to personally handle everything, then what was the point of him painstakingly recruiting these subordinates?
What was the meaning of him being a boss?
When would he have time for his future orgies?
...
The next day.
A news report aired by The Daily Bugle quickly caused a considerable stir in New York's news circles.
"According to our reporter, renowned journalist Eddie Brock, who was previously wanted by the police for illegally invading Life Foundation's core laboratory, was successfully apprehended last night by a mysterious individual and transferred to the police station..."
"Furthermore, according to an anonymous inside source within the police, there is now ample evidence to prove that Eddie Brock is the 'white monster' who previously devoured the heads of nearly a hundred innocent civilians, including Chief George Stacy."
"And he will now face simultaneous charges for nine serious crimes, including illegal invasion, intentional homicide, kidnapping, and intentional defamation... If convicted, he will be sentenced to life imprisonment, spending the rest of his life in prison!!!"
Then, at the end of the news, a video was played that had clearly undergone post-production, with some voice and visual alterations.
This video was not long, but it fully showed how Eddie Brock, transformed into Anti-Venom, abducted an old man whose face was heavily pixelated from an underground parking lot, and then took him to an abandoned warehouse and tied him up.
Not only could one clearly see Eddie Brock's complete transformation into Anti-Venom and his return to human form.
One could also hear parts of his conversation with the hostage.
This included his self-admission of slandering Karl and Sokovia online...
For a time, the internet was in an uproar.
While the vast number of netizens condemned Eddie Brock, they also recalled Karl's previous deeds.
And this unexpected "re-popularity" brought Karl extremely generous Prestige.
After all, The Daily Bugle's influence now was incomparable to what it once was!
...
Queens.
"Santa baby, slip a sable under the tree, for me I've been an awful good girl..."
Gwen, wearing a pink apron adorned with Winnie the Pooh, holding a rag and a mop, actively engaged in a thorough cleaning of her messy room, accompanied by the melodious tune playing on her phone.
After the "ultimate battle" in Hell's Kitchen, the anger that had accumulated in her heart was greatly released, and her mood also improved significantly.
After all, her father often said... only by living well is the best way to mourn the deceased!
"Phew—"
A moment later, Gwen looked at the room, which had at least recovered to 70% of its original state, and the cluttered clothes at her feet, piled up to her waist and neatly stored in an organizing box. She couldn't help but let out a long sigh.
"It turns out that tidying up housework is far more troublesome than being a street hero. I really don't know how Dad managed to work, take care of my daily needs, and keep everything in the house organized at the same time..."
Recalling the little moments she had shared with her father in life, the girl's eyes unconsciously reddened again.
Inhale—
Exhale—
Inhale—
...
After several deep breaths, Gwen readjusted her emotions. She then threw the stack of clothes into the washing machine, then picked up the rag and mop, preparing to press on and clean up the kitchen and dining room as well!
But just then.
The music playing on her phone suddenly stopped, and then an urgent ringing sound followed.
"Hey, Peter, how are your injuries?"
Picking up the phone, Gwen greeted him as usual.
But Peter Parker on the other end of the line did not rush to reply. Instead, after a brief silence, he cautiously said:
"Gwen, the killer who ate... I mean, killed Uncle George, seems to have been caught last night!!"
Thud—
The mop in Gwen's hand slipped to the floor, making a soft sound that made Peter Parker's nerves on the other end of the phone extremely tense.
And along with it, two lines of uncontrollable hot tears fell.
"Thank you, Peter..."
Gwen tried her best to control her voice, so it wouldn't tremble or choke.
Even though he knew the other party couldn't see his actions, Peter Parker still waved his hands awkwardly, saying:
"Uh... Gwen, don't misunderstand, I just saw it on The Daily Bugle's news. If you turn on the TV now, you should still be able to see the full rerun..."
Gwen immediately rushed to the television, picked up the remote control, turned it on, and switched to The Daily Bugle's paid channel, where the relevant news was coincidentally being replayed.
When she saw the footage of Eddie Brock transforming into Anti-Venom.
Gwen's eyes once again saw the scene of her father's headless body that she had witnessed in the morgue.
Her fists clenched tightly, nearly crushing the phone in her hand.
An aura of murderous intent, so thick it was suffocating, instantly filled the entire room.
However, Gwen's face quickly regained the fragility and sadness befitting a girl her age.
That's right.
Perhaps when she was on the battlefield, she was the Demon Princess who dared to face any powerful enemy and struck fear into their hearts.
But at home, she was still the helpless girl who had just lost her father...
After a long silence, Peter Parker on the other end of the phone cautiously asked:
"Gwen, do you want me to ride my bike and take you... Oh no, I mean, take a taxi and go with you to the cemetery to visit Uncle George?"
"I think he'll be very happy when he hears this news, right?"
While speaking, Peter Parker quickly rummaged through his pocket.
He successfully found four crumpled 10 U.S. dollar bills and silently calculated the distance in his mind.
If he didn't pay a tip, this money should barely be enough for the taxi fare for the two of them to reach the cemetery (Eh? Did I forget something?).