As one of Killian's trusted aides, Marco had some authority to make decisions on his behalf.
At the very least, he could influence Killian's judgment.
Although Vanguard Science couldn't compare to biotech giants like the Osborn Group or the Umbrella Corporation, it was still a major global pharmaceutical company.
It also had involvement in the military-industrial sector.
It maintained close cooperative ties with the military.
Drake of the Life Foundation had long sought cooperation with Vanguard Science to expand his influence and gain greater profits.
However, Killian, who was fully focused on developing Extremis, had little interest in a company that lacked core pharmaceutical patents.
A dark gleam flashed in Drake's eyes. "Of course I can guarantee it. Look, I've been perfectly merged with a Symbiote for 24 hours now. I'm stronger and tougher than ever!"
Half of Drake's body transformed into a black Symbiote form, which greatly impressed Marco.
Although Vanguard Science had already mastered Extremis, having another powerful asset would hardly be something their boss would refuse.
"Alright. I'll relay your proposal to the boss. So, what do you need? Funding? Technical support? Connections?"
Drake grinned. "I need to meet a military official with sufficient authority, preferably inside a military base. You understand, this matter is extremely important, and we need an absolutely secure environment."
"We may also need to conduct some tests, at least to prove to our partners that everything we've promised is real and effective."
Drake forced a smile with the help of the Symbiote, preventing Marco from noticing anything unusual.
"They're all fools! I can't wait to parasitize the strongest country in this world and create a super army!"
"The world belongs to us! Carnage is the true king!"
A voice roared deep within Drake.
Yes, Drake was currently being parasitized by Carnage.
Not only that, he had already lost control of his body, completely assimilated by Carnage's overwhelmingly malevolent consciousness.
Cooperating with Vanguard Science was merely a way to infiltrate the military in one move.
A silent replacement.
"Your request is rather difficult. A high-ranking general with real authority is always busy…"
Marco frowned slightly and spoke with intent. "Unless you can split off a portion of the Symbiote and hand it over to us, we'll try to persuade the military."
"Greedy idiot! Agree to him! Agree! I'll eat him myself, I swear!"
Boom!!
"Who's there?!"
Drake and Marco turned toward the door at the same time.
Marco walked to the window and looked outside, only to see a massive Autobot brutally crushing the mercenaries.
Each enemy was taken down with a single punch, as easily as stepping on ants.
The strange flames burned everything, including the Symbiotes inside their bodies.
"Looks like you've run into some trouble. Do you need help?"
Marco twisted his neck. Fine cracks appeared across his body, and patches of his skin glowed red like molten lava.
"Damn it! He can use fire too? I want to kill him even more!"
Carnage roared in fury. It hated fire.
"He's not the enemy for now. Calm down. Let's deal with the situation outside first."
Drake shook his shoulders as a black fluid spread over his body, transforming him into a black humanoid monster just over two meters tall.
At that moment, Drake's and Carnage's voices overlapped.
"We are—Carnage!"
"Kill the intruder!"
At Carnage's command, four slightly smaller Symbiotes emerged from the room.
They were Devour, Lava, Scream, and Extreme.
All of them were newly born Symbiotes, split off from a parent Symbiote.
[Abnormal targets Carnage, Devour, Lava, Scream, and Extreme detected. Gained 500 Anomaly Points. Current Anomaly Points: 3900 / 4400]
Bang—!
Luke kicked the door open and smiled faintly at the Symbiotes led by Carnage.
"Found you, little ones."
Before Carnage could speak, Marco, who had rushed forward, opened his mouth and spewed high-temperature flames.
Luke turned his head and glared. The Pig Talisman erupted, unleashing a blazing energy beam. The intense heat and violent explosion detonated the Extremis within Marco, blasting him into countless fragments.
"Trash."
Carnage roared in fury and charged at Luke.
Its arms stretched like rubber for over ten meters, the ends transforming into sharp blades capable of slicing steel in half.
But before it could strike, a bolt of purple lightning flashed behind Luke, and Extreme swung her twin arm-spears.
Luke didn't move, allowing the spears to strike his body. With a metallic clang, the razor-sharp Symbiote blades were completely blocked.
Before Extreme could react, Hellfire spread along the spears and surged toward her body.
"Damn it! He's covered in fire!"
Seeing Extreme engulfed in Hellfire and screaming, Carnage was startled and quickly retracted its blades.
Luke pulled out a several-meter-long chain from nowhere, Hellfire clinging to it. With a sharp flick, the chain shot forward, wrapping around a yellow, bulky Symbiote.
"Ahhh! It's burning! It hurts!"
Devour howled in agony before being completely consumed by Hellfire, reduced to ash in seconds.
On the other side, Extreme, whose hands were covered in Hellfire, rushed to a water dispenser. She pierced the bottle and tried to extinguish the flames with water.
But Hellfire continued to burn even in water. It did not rely on air.
It would not stop until its target was completely reduced to ash.
It was even more relentless than the flames of Amaterasu.
"No!"
Extreme screamed and tore off her own hands. Though she quickly regenerated them using other parts of her body, her overall mass shrank, making her noticeably thinner.
"We have to kill him!"
"His abilities counter our entire Symbiote race!"
Carnage roared and retreated behind the others.
Scream, her entire body engulfed in flames, charged fearlessly toward Luke.
"Good! Scream, use your flames to burn him! Let him see our power!"
"And you, Lava, go kill him!"
"You're made of magma, which means you should be immune to fire!"
Carnage pushed its last two subordinates forward while quietly retreating.
Though savage and cruel, it wasn't stupid.
While it was the strongest among the Symbiotes in terms of raw power, it relied purely on brute force.
Against a fire-wielding opponent like Luke, Scream and Lava were far more suitable than it was.
However, the moment Carnage tried to escape, Luke raised his hand and threw out two explosive blasts wrapped in Hellfire.
This was the power of the Dragon Talisman. With Luke deliberately controlling the intensity, the explosions only obliterated Scream and Lava.
"Shit, we can't win! Run!"
Carnage turned and fled.
Luke swung the chain. Even though Carnage tried to split its body apart to escape, the flexible chain twisted around its limbs in a strange angle and dragged it back.
Luke grabbed Carnage by the throat with one hand as searing Hellfire burned through its body.
"Tell me. How many Symbiotes are there besides you?"
"I won't talk, even if you kill me!"
"Then die."
Wait, I'll talk!!
Before the thought could even fully form, Hellfire consumed Carnage entirely, leaving not a trace behind.
Luke glanced at the 3D holographic map. There were no more red markers inside the building.
He waited a moment longer.
After Gwen and the Hellfire-enhanced Bumblebee finished eliminating all the mercenaries, Luke raised his hand and summoned a descending pillar of Hellfire, engulfing the entire area!
[Abnormal targets Carnage, Extreme, Devour, Lava, and Scream eliminated. Gained 2600 (600 + 500 × 4) Anomaly Points.]
[Reality Editor upgraded to version 5.4. Current Anomaly Points: 2100 / 4500.]
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