The eventful night had passed.
At exactly 8 a.m. New York Times.
New York, Empire State Building.
On the third-to-last floor near the top, in a transparent single-person isolation room with an unknown material and built-in surveillance cameras.
The LCD screen embedded in the middle of the inner wall suddenly lit up and automatically switched to a news channel. The beautiful host, elegantly made up, spoke in standard English, broadcasting the latest news.
"This morning in Brooklyn, on Hadaway Street, in the alley from 654 to 656, midway through the branching road, two groups of unidentified individuals engaged in a fierce fight. Heavy firearms and a large quantity of explosives were suspected to have been used..."
"When the local police arrived at the scene after receiving the alarm, there was no one present. The fight affected nearly ten large buildings, with severe damage to the outer walls of three or more buildings. Also, public property such as the road surface and streetlights suffered damage, with an estimated preliminary property loss of around three million US dollars..."
"Fortunately, no casualties were involved... No witnesses have been found yet, and multiple surveillance records at the scene have been intentionally deleted... The identity of the fighting gangs has not been identified, and the nature of this event is extremely malicious. The local police have temporarily formed a dedicated investigation team to work on solving the case..."
The volume of the news broadcast increased, echoing slightly in the sealed isolation room.
On the opposite side of the screen, on a white single bed, Eddie lay sprawled, sleeping deeply. The news broadcast seemed to disturb him, and in his semi-awake state, he irritatedly covered his ears with the blanket.
"Wake up, Eddie!"
Suddenly, a hoarse and eerie voice resonated as if in Eddie's mind and heart.
"Huh?"
Eddie, in a reflex arc, immediately bounced off the bed, bowed to the screen, and loudly shouted, "Okay, I'll process these news materials and scripts right away!"
No one responded, and the screen suddenly clicked off with a sound, returning the well-insulated isolation room to its usual silence.
"Where am I?" Eddie looked around bewilderedly, only now realizing that he wasn't in a news company but in an unfamiliar room with a monotonous color, constructed of glass and metal.
"Why am I here in the morning? I should be rushing to work."
Muttering to himself, Eddie touched the back of his head with a slight pain. Just then, a strange voice, as if coming from his mind and soul, continued, "What, you slept for a while and forgot everything that happened last night?"
"You... you're Venom." Eddie jumped in surprise as fragments of memories from last night flooded his mind. He widened his eyes and mumbled to himself, "Right, last night, Beelzebub, Bloody Abyss, the Cardinals, and Lorna..."
The events of last night were richer and more varied than what an ordinary person would experience in a lifetime. Not only did it overturn his perspectives, but it also forcibly rewrote his destiny.
Eddie sat back on the bed in despair and sighed, "Right, my life is completely ruined."
Venom arrogantly consoled him, "I found you quite good. We had two or three close calls while being symbiotic partners last night. So, I've decided to remove the 'temporary' from your 'temporary host.' Congratulations, you've been promoted from a standby to the real deal!"
Eddie didn't buy into Venom's words and he coldly exposed him with crossed arms, "You just can't find a suitable host at the moment, so you want to stick around with me."
Venom had nothing to say.
"Well, you saved me a few times last night and even agreed to let me go back to save someone. According to our agreement, I'll let you stay in my body for now," Eddie said helplessly as he looked around the room for signs of anyone coming.
Venom reminded him with annoyance, "What are you looking for? It's useless. They included me in it too. This isolation room is completely sealed, and there's not even a crack for ventilation."
Ignoring Venom's words, Eddie, with a shining gaze, quickly left the single bed and looked around the isolation room, inspecting every nook and cranny.
Venom unkindly reminded, "What are you looking for? Like I said, it is useless. Those people even included me. This isolation room is completely sealed, without even a tiny opening for ventilation."
Eddie, seemingly deaf to its words, asked in astonishment, "Can you tell me where this is?"
"It's the headquarters of those self-proclaimed Cardinals. It seems to be in a building called 'Empire State Building.'" Venom replied.
"What did you say?" Eddie's eyes lit up as he quickly left the single bed, and inspected the room left and right.
Venom: "..."
After a while, Venom roared angrily, "Come on, we are practically being held captive in this isolation room! Take this seriously!"
"Don't worry." Eddie's face relaxed, and he exhaled, saying, "The Empire State Building is the industry and residence of the Symbol of Peace."
"You guys really treat him like a god." Venom found it hard to understand. After traveling through the interstellar for decades, it believed in itself far more than it believed in others.
"If you can stop World War II and save the Earth several times, I will also consider you a god."
Eddie shrugged; anyone who came to New York would unconsciously become a fan of Symbol of Peace. This was the charm of the Symbol of Peace.
Humans are weak, and because of this, they admire the god-like man, hoping that in times of world crisis, heroes can turn the tide and rescue them when they face misfortune and death.
'Squeak...'
The door of the isolation room suddenly opened, and the sound of high heels tapping the floor resonated crisply from outside.
Eddie looked in the direction and saw an oriental beauty in a black dress walking in gracefully. The fair skin revealed by her wrists and neck was radiant, and her flowing black hair exuded a sexy and oppressive aura with every movement.
Raina sat down on the chair, holding a file in her delicate hands. Her long legs were crossed, and the shiny black stockings emphasized a subtle glow. With black eyes, she looked Eddie up and down as she returned to the bedside.
Eddie swallowed nervously.
It had to be said that the woman in front of him was an extraordinary beauty recorded in the books, much more beautiful than the actors on TV with makeup and lighting. Having witnessed Raina's powerful methods last night, he suddenly felt his desires and fantasies wither away.
This woman was way too dangerous!
Venom, who usually roared like a lion at anyone, cowered like a cat as soon as he saw Raina, not daring to make a sound.
"Uh, is Lorna okay?" Eddie mustered the courage to ask.
Hearing Eddie's words, a hint of surprise flashed in her beautiful eyes before she nodded and said, "She's fine, still recovering."
"That's good." Eddie couldn't hide his joy.
"Are you not considering your own situation? Do you really have the time to worry about others' safety?" Raina asked in return.
"I'm already in your hands, so whatever happens, I can't do anything about it," Eddie said, giving up on himself.
"True, you know exactly what trouble you've caused." Raina smiled and continued, "Your original place of residence, along with the financial damage to Hadaway Street and the road, aside from the damage caused by the Cardinals and those Symbiotes, you personally have to compensate One Million Dollars for it."
Eddie could only force a bitter smile.
Raina went on, "And there's more. You're involved in a murder case, which has been recorded in the New York and military archives. The Daily News Company announced the termination of the contract with you last night."
Eddie was at a loss. For an ordinary person, this was almost a futureless situation.
(End of this chapter)
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