"Stay calm. Don't lose control again." Venom's voice echoed within Ethan's mind, trying to ground him. The symbiote could feel the storm rising in his host's chest and didn't want another destructive outburst like the last time—when they nearly tore a building apart in blind rage.
Ethan inhaled deeply, holding back the growing fury. "It's fine," he muttered, his voice low. "I'm not at my limit yet."
He had been working on controlling himself ever since their last violent episode. Tonight's execution of the three fake robbers had already helped him release some pressure. There was no need to explode again—at least, not yet.
The lone surviving robber trembled, bound tightly and barely able to lift his head. "I—I don't know much," he stammered. "The guy who hired us just told us to wait inside and fake a robbery."
"He said as soon as we started, his people would arrive. But… but if we managed to kill you before they got here, we'd get a thirty percent bonus. That's all I know, I swear… please—"
CRACK.
The sound of a neck snapping echoed in the hollow ruins of the convenience store.
The man's pleading died mid-sentence, frozen in his throat. Ethan let the limp body fall to the side, where it landed amidst shattered glass and debris.
Without hesitation, he stripped off the bloodied clothes and pulled on one of the discarded sets worn by the previous robbers. A black hoodie and dark pants—standard enough to blend in with whoever came next.
Once dressed, Ethan laid flat on the cold floor, forcing his breathing to slow and his body to go limp, mimicking the stillness of a corpse. He closed his eyes, letting the stench of blood and gunpowder mask him. But his mind was racing.
He began connecting the dots.
Crime in New York had spiked noticeably in recent days. He hadn't been patrolling much, so whoever orchestrated this had clearly engineered the increase in violence—just to draw him out.
And the helicopters. He hadn't thought much of them at first—just NYPD or reporters flying overhead—but now it made sense. They'd been tracking his movements from above, narrowing down his position again and again until they launched the staged convenience store heist.
It was all too well-coordinated. A few minutes delay between waves of enemies? That suggested uncertainty. The masterminds didn't have precise intel and were gambling on baiting him into revealing himself. The thirty percent bonus wasn't for motivation—it was to rush the job before the heavy hitters arrived.
Whoever set this up… has serious resources, Ethan thought. Not just money, but influence.
Just as the thought crossed his mind, Venom whispered.
"They're coming."
Ethan didn't open his eyes—but he listened.
Two figures walked slowly toward the wreckage of the store. One was a hulking brute with gray, armor-like skin and a pointed horn protruding from his forehead—Rhino, Aleksei Sytsevich. His size and strength made him a living battering ram. The other was tall and lean, with chalk-white skin and a bald, tattooed head—Tombstone, Lonnie Lincoln. A known mob enforcer with nearly indestructible skin and a voice like gravel.
"Quiet," Rhino grumbled, scanning the building from the outside. "Looks like they already took care of business. Guess we showed up late, huh?"
Tombstone rolled his eyes and stopped, inhaling deeply. "Use your damn nose, Aleksei. Can't you smell the blood from here?"
Rhino sniffed. His face twisted in confusion. "Smells like a butcher shop… Wait. They all dead?"
"Idiots," Tombstone growled, his teeth clenched. "Bunch of low-level punks handed premium firepower, and they still got wrecked. We're going to have a hell of a time explaining this to the boss if the symbiote slipped through our fingers."
"Don't call me stupid!" Rhino suddenly snapped, his hoarse voice rising. He turned on Tombstone with narrowed eyes. "You wanna get flattened? You better take that back."
Tombstone paused, side-eyed his companion, then sighed. "Fine. I apologize. Happy now?"
Rhino huffed and crossed his arms, clearly still irritated, but placated enough not to cause a scene—yet.
As the two villains stepped over the rubble and drew closer, Ethan remained perfectly still, waiting for the right moment. His mind sharpened, the blood pumping in his ears muted beneath the quiet rustle of Venom crawling just beneath his skin.
This wasn't over. Not yet.
After hearing the apology, Rhino grunted and reined in his anger. Without another word, he lumbered forward toward the ruined convenience store, each footstep shaking the cracked pavement beneath him.
Tch. What a brain-dead brute, Tombstone cursed silently as he followed. I don't know why I'm paired with this oversized donkey. If anyone deserves his cut of the cash, it's me.
He knew better than to insult Rhino aloud. The guy had a one-track mind and the emotional stability of a wrecking ball. If he hadn't apologized earlier, Aleksei might've started a fight right there on the street. Working with someone like him was like babysitting a sentient bulldozer.
They stepped inside the convenience store—or what was left of it. Tombstone's usual smirk faded as his eyes swept over the chaos.
Bodies, blood, shattered glass, and the remains of what was clearly a high-caliber firefight. Even Tombstone, with all his years in the criminal underworld, stiffened slightly.
He'd assumed those hired guns might fail—they were cheap mercs at best—but he hadn't expected this. This wasn't a loss.
This was a massacre.
In his plan, even if the mercs lost, they should've worn down the symbiote host. That much firepower would've slowed down even Spider-Man. But here? It looked like Venom hadn't even broken a sweat.
"No one's here," Rhino grunted, glancing around at the carnage. "Looks like he killed 'em all and bolted."
For once, Tombstone didn't mock him. He stared hard at the scene, expression serious. "Don't be careless. Whoever we're dealing with is stronger than we thought."
He crouched by one of the corpses, noting the high-grade bulletproof vest and military boots. "These aren't street punks. These guys were trained—ex-military, black market operatives, maybe even SHIELD washouts."
"To wipe them out this fast…? That takes serious muscle."
Before he could finish processing, a shadow loomed behind him.
"You guessed right."
A cold, hoarse voice followed a thunderous thwack as a black-clad fist crashed into Tombstone's back.
The impact launched him through the air like a ragdoll. He slammed through what remained of the rear wall, dragging a cloud of brick dust and debris with him as he tumbled outside.
Ethan lowered his arm, exhaling quietly. "No wonder his skin's that color. Not human, huh."
The punch had told him everything. Tombstone's body wasn't ordinary flesh and bone—it felt like punching stone reinforced with steel. That weird toughness explained why the guy had survived the initial hit.
While hiding earlier, Chen had overheard their entire conversation. Just like the supernatural assassin from before, these guys weren't normal. Their names, their powers—it was all too strange for average criminals.
"Enemy!! HAH!" Rhino roared the moment he saw Ethan .
He didn't hesitate. With a deep, earthshaking growl, he dropped his head and charged like a freight train.
Each step was a mini-earthquake, the ground cracking beneath his feet. His massive frame built up terrifying momentum.
But to Ethan , this attack was child's play.
With his enhanced reflexes and Venom's assistance, he moved like a shadow. At the last second, he twisted aside, letting the living tank barrel past him.
BOOM!
Rhino slammed into the crumbling wall like a missile, leveling the rest of the convenience store in an instant.
Chunks of concrete and twisted metal exploded in every direction as the entire structure came down around him.
"If demolition crews ever unionize, that guy's gonna put them out of business," Chen muttered to Venom. "He doesn't need machines—he is the whole construction team."
Venom growled with amusement. "His brain's not even as developed as a pig's. Let's call him 'Rhino Bacon.'"
From the rubble behind them, Tombstone stirred. Covered in dust, he stood up slowly, flexing his neck until it cracked.
A wide, unhinged smile stretched across his pale face.
"I haven't felt pain in years…" he muttered, voice low and cold. "Looks like I underestimated you."
Then he bolted forward like a bullet.
Seeing this, Ethan didn't flinch. He surged ahead to meet him halfway.
Their fists collided.
And just like that, the real fight began.