Hum!
A reckless red sports car sped out of Garcia City and onto the interstate, moving at an extreme pace.
Symbiotes out foraging merely glanced before retracting their heads.
The ones in the car were the leader's right-hand men, Pain and Hybrid, not figures they could afford to provoke.
The sports car weaved through the highway like lightning, its speed briefly approaching 300 kilometers per hour.
In the passenger seat, Pain licked her eyes with a greatly twisted expression.
"Faster, faster! I want to taste her head!"
Pain, finding the car's speed insufficient, urged them on.
Hybrid, driving, cast a cold glance at her. "Do Flame's head is mine!"
This statement caused Pain's arrogant howl to pause. She turned to meet Hybrid's sinister eyes.
"You want to fight me for her head?"
"No, no, no! You're not fast enough!" Pain shrieked. Her speed was among the fastest of all symbiotes; if Hybrid wanted to snatch her prize, she likely wouldn't get the chance.
"Roar..." Hybrid irritably twisted its head, its snake-like tongue flicking out and dancing in the air.
Devouring Flame would grant its abilities; both symbiotes were extremely covetous of Flame's power.
"You want to fight me for Flame's head? I don't mind ripping yours off first! As an appetizer!"
Hybrid's threat made Pain narrow her eyes. "Let's catch her first! You know the consequences of failing the mission!"
"As for her head, may the best symbiote win!"
Hybrid roared and didn't refute, pressing the accelerator even harder.
Honestly, Hybrid's threat made Pain hesitate slightly.
Hybrid was a composite of four exceptionally capable symbiotes, possessing the combined abilities of many siblings.
In the comics, Hybrid was formed from Riot, Scorn, Scream, and Lasher.
However, the symbiotes in this world had clearly deviated from the original lore.
While Hybrid's speed was inferior to Pain's, its combat prowess was superior.
To obtain Flame's head, a fight between the two was inevitable...
The interstate stretched northward, a seemingly endless road connecting to a massive settlement.
Huadunzhou Habitation Zone, one of the five major human enclaves established after the symbiote invasion.
Towering metal walls enclosed the entire city.
Its inhabitants numbered over 20 million. Approximately 1 million were combat units.
Eddie Brock and Venom were stationed in this zone.
He commanded a team composed entirely of symbiotes, numbering around 500.
Normally, the symbiotes remained hidden beneath human skin, transforming into savage, terrifying monsters only during combat.
At this moment, Eddie Brock stood with several uniformed humans atop the metal wall, gazing into the distance.
"Eddie! What's the situation?"
The speaker was a serious-faced man, about 30 years old.
He wore a camouflage uniform, with a prominent captain's insignia on his shoulder.
The higher-ups were taking Flame's defection to the human side very seriously.
Symbiotes varied in strength.
By now, ordinary symbiotes posed a significantly reduced threat to humans.
The ones that required attention were the elite symbiotes bearing extreme epithets.
For instance, Carnage, Torture, Shriek.
Their abilities were endless, and as new-generation elites, they no longer feared fire or sonic attacks.
Each strike from these elite symbiotes inflicted massive casualties on the human ranks.
The total number of symbiotes on the human defense lines was less than 2,000.
Within the symbiote faction, the number of new-generation symbiotes, unafraid of sonic waves and fire, was roughly estimated to be no less than 20,000.
Humans were in a bitter struggle; had it not been for heavy weaponry like missiles, the human settlements would have been annihilated long ago.
Flame, who had sent word of her desire to join them, was an elite among the new generation. Not only was she immune to fire and sonic attacks, but she could also manipulate fire. Ordinary symbiotes were like mere appetizers before her.
Furthermore, according to the intel, Flame's host was Spider-Woman, who was known as a good neighbor before the symbiote invasion.
No one had ever seen what Spider-Woman looked like; she always appeared in dangerous situations clad in a suit.
The only known characteristic was that she was a young woman.
The more powerful the host a symbiote possessed, the stronger the symbiote became.
Flame, immune to fire and sonic attacks, coupled with the Spider-Woman host, was a trump card, both in the symbiote and human factions.
Therefore, it was understandable why the higher-ups were placing such importance on this newly joined symbiote.
Frankly, this pair could very well become the core force against the extreme symbiotes.
In response to the man's question, Eddie fiddled with the signal receiver in his hand.
"Officer Hawke, after Flame left Garcia City, her signal was lost."
"I suspect her signal receiver was destroyed."
"If all goes well, she will reach the habitation zone in a week!"
Officer Hawke's expression remained serious, and he nodded silently. After a moment of thought, he gave instructions: "Continue trying to contact Flame."
"The higher-ups are placing great importance on Flame. I will apply to use a satellite to observe the situation."
"Should I go to provide assistance?" Eddie asked.
They knew Flame's abilities were formidable, and Carnage, the leader of the symbiotes, was certainly aware of it.
Eddie was worried that Carnage would dispatch powerful symbiotes to hunt Flame.
Hawke pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "You cannot go. Massacre's symbiotes are still lingering about 50 kilometers away."
"We cannot take that risk!"
Eddie nodded, a touch of helplessness in his voice. "Alright, I understand..."
Hawke clapped Eddie on the shoulder and departed.
He was going to apply for satellite usage rights.
Carnage had intentionally destroyed most of the satellites upon entering Earth. The US now had only two operational observation satellites, both with minor damage and frequent signal interruptions.
This posed a significant obstacle to observing symbiote movements.
Do not assume all symbiotes are idiots; many are quite intelligent.
The officer had a premonition that this would be a protracted war.
A protracted war of humans against alien parasites!
Fortunately, the satellite usage request was quickly approved.
After Hawke's anxious wait, a live video feed appeared on the screen.
On the straight interstate, two vehicles were traveling, one black and one red.
The black vehicle was not moving fast, while the red one was steadily closing in.
Hawke's expression darkened. As expected, Carnage would not let Flame leave easily...
After weighing his options repeatedly, Hawke pressed the red button on the control console and turned to give a few instructions to his subordinate.
From the underground launch base, a missile entered its trajectory...
Hum...
On the interstate, an extremely faint hum reached Gwen's ears.
It was the sound of an engine! Gwen could discern that it did not belong to her vehicle.
Her scalp suddenly tightened and ached; her spider-sense was screaming danger!
A large amount of red liquid erupted from Gwen's back, instantly forming a large head – Flame.
"Gwen, danger is approaching."
"Mm... I sense it already." Gwen pressed the accelerator hard, but her damaged Chevrolet had reached its limit.
"Prepare for battle, Flame!"
As the words fell, red liquid continuously seeped from Gwen's skin, enveloping her. In a short while, a pale red monster appeared, its body curves explosive, its head monstrous, covered in red patterns that faintly glowed.
The engine sound behind them grew louder, and a red sports car gradually appeared in the Chevrolet's rearview mirror.
"Yeehaw!" Pain joyfully leaped onto the car's roof!
"We caught up, we caught up!"