Chapter 407: Venom VS Gabriel
Gabriel had originally planned to create some simple suits for himself—gear that could provide bulletproofing and a boost in strength. He spent a fortune hiring various martial arts masters to train him, intending to wear his suit and fight crime.
Unfortunately, during his first attempt at crime-fighting, he was utterly defeated. The criminals gave him a brutal beating; if his bodyguards hadn't arrived in time, he would have been killed on the spot. When Seth Kennedy found out, he immediately placed Gabriel under house arrest and threatened to cut off all his funding if he ever tried such a stunt again.
Helpless, Gabriel stayed in his villa for a week and tried to put the idea behind him. Then, one day at an auction, a strange yellow mask was put on display. Gabriel felt as if he were under a spell and bought it for a million dollars. Seth didn't object—as long as his son wasn't doing anything dangerous, he didn't care how much money he spent, even if he was just buying junk.
After bringing the mask home, Gabriel naturally went to the mirror to try it on, only to find that it wouldn't come off. Coincidentally, a gang of kidnappers had tracked down the villa's location and broke in that night. In that moment of crisis, Gabriel activated his Shadow General power and summoned the Bat Ninjas.
As the son of the richest man in the city, Gabriel wasn't one for subtlety. He was as high-profile as they came. In no time, news that Gabriel had gained superpowers spread across San Francisco, though everyone assumed his only power was flight.
"I know the feeling, because I'm a General too," Eddie said, summoning his Razor Corps.
Seeing the sudden appearance of the Razor Ninjas, Gabriel was certain Eddie wasn't lying.
"Whatever this is about, let's talk at my place," Gabriel said. He hopped off the counter, opened a portal to the Shadow Kingdom, and walked through. Eddie followed close behind. The Shadow Ninjas vanished, and moments later, a group of men in suits entered the convenience store.
"We are from the Kennedy Group. How much for the store? We're buying it," the lead man said.
The Villa
Upon returning to the villa, Gabriel immediately went for a shower, seemingly indifferent to why Eddie was looking for him.
"Whoa... looks luxurious," Eddie marveled as he surveyed the opulent living room.
"This is nothing, Eddie. If you wanted, we could get something like this easily with our power," Venom's head sprouted from Eddie's shoulder.
"Forget it. I think sleeping in other people's houses is fine as it is," Eddie shook his head. He had no interest in crime; that was his bottom line.
"You humans are so pretentious. I'm hungry. Give me chocolate beans," Venom licked his fangs. Eddie pulled the chocolate from the Shadow Kingdom and poured them into Venom's mouth like he was feeding a pet.
Venom crunched loudly and swallowed. "Finally, some food."
"Hey, Venom, eating sweets at night isn't good for you. You'll get cavities," Eddie noted with a look of mock disgust.
"Hmph! I don't get cavities. That's only for low-level organisms like you," Venom said arrogantly.
"Then why do you eat like a low-level organism?" Eddie countered.
"I am simply following the Law of Conservation of Mass," Venom sneered.
"We eat to replenish energy, and you eat to replenish energy. Therefore, High-Level Animal equals Low-Level Organism. We're basically the same," Eddie calculated.
"Shut up! I want more!" Venom snapped. He never won these arguments, so he just demanded more food. Eddie knew this was Venom's way of conceding, so he opened another box.
About a minute later, Gabriel walked out of the bathroom.
"What is that thing?" Gabriel asked, looking at Venom with genuine curiosity.
"Kid, remember this! The name is Venom. Give me some respect!" Venom growled.
"Venom? I think I've heard of you. The Lethal Protector of San Francisco?" Gabriel had indeed heard of him. Eddie's previous clash with the government had been quite famous, especially since the government had failed.
"That's right. That's me," Venom preened, happy to be recognized.
"I heard you almost died at the hands of the government. Is that true?" Gabriel asked innocently.
Venom's face turned even darker. "Almost died? We wiped them out!"
"I see," Gabriel nodded, clearly not believing a word of it.
"Infuriating! Eddie, give this kid a lesson!" Venom couldn't take the arrogance anymore.
"Wait, Venom, stay calm," Eddie tried to de-escalate. He didn't want to fight someone who was supposed to be on the same team.
"So, what's the deal? Are you the poor guy whose wife dumped him?" Gabriel turned his verbal assault on Eddie.
Eddie's face went black with rage instantly. "I think a small lesson is indeed necessary."
"A lesson?" Gabriel sat on the sofa and crossed his legs. "With what?" Gabriel possessed the same insufferable arrogance as the early Tony Stark.
"Let's take this outside. I can't afford to pay for the damage if we fight in here," Eddie said, standing up.
"Hahaha! Don't worry. I'll cover all the losses," Gabriel shrugged.
"Kid!" Venom surged over Eddie, his height shooting up to over two meters as he loomed over Gabriel. Gabriel didn't flinch. A pair of bat wings sprouted from his back, and his hands turned into steel Razors. He also grew to two meters in height.
"This is getting annoying!" Venom tapped into his Shadow General power. He grew to nearly three meters, and his hands transformed into massive, crab-like pincers. Looking down on Gabriel again, Venom sneered, "I'll give you one chance. You move first."
"You asked for it!" Gabriel lunged, a Razor swiping toward Venom.
Venom caught the Razor in one of his pincers. "You're still too green, kid!" He swung Gabriel off his feet and hurled him through the window.
CRASH!
The glass shattered into a thousand shards. Gabriel plummeted into the villa's outdoor swimming pool with a massive splash.
"How was that, brat? Feel good?" Venom walked to the window, looking down at the pool.
Gabriel stood up in the water, the liquid streaming off his transformed body. "Not bad for the Lethal Protector. But don't you dare look down on me!" He raised his right hand and fired a high-speed energy bolt.
"Venom, jump!" Eddie yelled.
"Quiet! I know!" Venom leapt out of the way.
BOOM!
The spot where Venom had been standing was blasted into rubble. Tiles and bricks flew everywhere. Venom landed at the edge of the pool as Gabriel climbed out.
"Guess I can't underestimate you after all," Gabriel said, stepping up to the towering Venom.
Venom's right hand shifted back into a Razor. He pressed an index finger against Gabriel's chest. "Understand one thing: when you talk to me, you show some respect~"
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