Ch.25 Tony Won’t Die

"There's someone inside!"

"I see him."

The moment Steve exclaimed, Charlie Parker didn't hesitate and shot his webs, locking onto the figure trapped within the black liquid.

"Aaahh!!"

Instantly, Peter Parker let out a painful scream, struggling harder as the symbiote clung tightly to his body, giving him no chance to escape.

"Increase the power of the ultrasonic waves to the max," Charlie gritted his teeth as he pulled, while Steve hurled his shield, though it had no effect on the black substance.

"It's already at maximum," Natasha said, sweat beading on her forehead. She had never seen such a terrifying creature before.

She quickly adjusted the ultrasonic device, and the screeching from Venom grew even more harrowing.

Skreee~!

Boom!!

Suddenly, the black liquid blasted against the cave walls, causing rocks to fly and shatter the ultrasonic device. Venom took the opportunity to fully engulf Peter Parker again, transforming into a liquid mass that fled the cave.

"He's gone," Steve said, picking up his shield and panting heavily. "What was that thing?"

Natasha wiped her forehead. "It's like something out of a movie, an alien monster."

"It is an alien creature," Charlie replied without much explanation. He turned to Natasha. "Make a few more of those ultrasonic devices in case that thing comes back."

"Understood," Natasha said, glancing outside the cave. "What about those people?"

Steve raised his shield. "If they come after us, I'll deal with them."

He had already scoped out the camp. If he triggered their ammunition cache, the Ten Rings would be too preoccupied to fight them.

The trio soon reached the end of the tunnel.

Opening the iron door, they were greeted with the sight of Tony Stark, beaten and broken.

"Stark!" Steve exclaimed, his face a mix of complex emotions.

It had been seventy years since he last saw that face, after the battle of Endgame.

He quickly approached Tony, his heart sinking as he took in the horrifying wounds. Shocked, he instinctively turned away, unable to bear the sight.

Even though this Tony wasn't the one he had known, seeing him like this still filled Steve with a deep sense of sorrow.

"They did this… utterly heartless," Natasha said, her face full of pity as she reached out to touch Tony, but ultimately pulled her hand back.

"He must be in so much pain," she whispered.

Steve took a deep breath. "Yes… Is he really going to die in front of me again?"

At that moment, Dr. Yinsen, with empty eyes, approached them.

"He can't be saved. Look at his back."

Three minutes later, both Steve and Natasha wore grim expressions.

"Can't you Avengers do anything?" Charlie asked.

Natasha shook her head. "We're not doctors, and there are no medical tools here."

Yinsen sighed. "The devil won't let him live."

Charlie checked the time and shook his head. "Looks like we've got no choice but to find that symbiote."

With that, he quickly left the cave.

He didn't want to resort to this, but there was no other option.

Unfortunately, Venom Parker had disappeared without a trace in the remaining time, leading to their failure.

——

[You have been eliminated. No revival slots awarded. Strength bonus: +0.2 tons.]

[Remaining: 5 restarts. Restart now?]

The ninth resurrection match!

Following the original plan, the three took down Lizard Parker and Norman one by one.

In the cave, the ultrasonic device emitted high-frequency sound waves, forcing Venom to screech and flee.

Boom!!!

In a split second, the camp's ammunition cache exploded, sending violent shockwaves and pushing Venom back into the cave.

"Don't let him escape!" Charlie shouted, firing webs to lock onto Peter Parker within the black liquid.

Behind him, Steve and Natasha weren't sure why they needed to capture Peter, but they followed Charlie's lead.

Boom!!

Steve, shield in hand, moved through the camp, triggering more explosions.

Natasha tossed the ultrasonic device directly into the writhing black substance, causing Venom to twist and contort violently.

Skreee~!

"No!! He's mine!!" Venom roared, desperately clinging to Peter Parker.

Snap! Snap!

The webs broke, and Venom, seizing the moment, escaped with Peter, breaking through the encirclement.

Seeing that this method wasn't working, Charlie wasted no time and hit restart.

——

[Remaining: 4 restarts. Restart now?]

Restart!

The tenth resurrection match.

"Don't let him escape!"

Boom!!

This time, the ultrasonic device covered the entire cave, and the explosions sealed the entrance.

"No!! He's mine!!"

Seeing Venom trying to pull Peter Parker away again, Charlie gritted his teeth and, to Steve and Natasha's shock, leaped directly toward the monster.

"Spidey!"

"It's dangerous!"

"Gahaha, you're mine too!"

Venom laughed, transforming into a massive web that wrapped around Charlie.

At that moment, Charlie felt as though he was submerged in a freezing void, struggling to breathe as the eerie liquid invaded his body, seeping into his nerves and flooding his mind with chaotic thoughts.

Suddenly, Venom seemed to sense something. The black liquid convulsed, then violently expelled Charlie from its body.

"Hahaha! I know what you're trying to do! I won't let you succeed."

Venom cackled before breaking through the cave's entrance and vanishing into the night.

Lying on the ground, Charlie felt a pang of frustration.

He hadn't expected the symbiote to be able to share its host's memories to some extent.

Miscalculation. Let's go again!

——

[Remaining: 3 restarts. Restart now?]

Restart!

The eleventh resurrection match.

This time, Charlie lunged at Venom with explosives in hand.

Soon, the symbiote began to invade his body again. But just as Venom was about to detect his plan, Charlie detonated the explosives.

Boom!!

In the point-blank explosion, Venom and Charlie were forcefully separated.

Venom Parker broke through the cave entrance, while Charlie's body was flung into the cave wall by the blast.

"Ugh!"

Seeing Charlie collapse and cough up blood, Steve rushed to check on him.

"How are you?"

"I—ugh!"

Just as Charlie spoke, his body began convulsing. The symbiote cells that had remained in his body started rapidly regenerating and healing themselves.

Immediately, the strange black liquid seeped from his skin, spreading across his nanotech suit and transforming it into a sleek black and gold version.

At that moment, with the symbiote coursing through him, Charlie felt a surge of power. The injuries from the explosion were quickly healed by the symbiote's regenerative abilities.

With the symbiote amplifying his abilities, Charlie felt stronger than ever.

He had succeeded.

By using himself as bait, Charlie had finally gained access to symbiote cells.

But this wasn't his final goal.

His true aim was to give Tony Stark the symbiote cells!