Ch.27 Tony's Dark Side

"Impulsive!"

Steve said confidently, "From what I've seen, Spider seems to have become more impulsive. He's a good kid at heart, though. No matter how bad he gets, he can't stray too far."

Charlie: "..."

"Uh, yeah, everyone says I'm a good kid," Charlie said, flashing an innocent smile.

Just then, Tony, strapped to the metal frame, let out a grunt and suddenly sat up, gasping for air.

"Huff~...Huff~..."

He took a deep breath, then looked around at the people present with a dazed expression.

"I-I just had a nightmare," he said, his forehead drenched in sweat.

Yinsen patted Tony's shoulder gently. "That wasn't a dream. You almost died."

"What?" Tony shivered, recalling the inhuman torment he had endured earlier. The memory made him tremble again, but he forced himself to calm down quickly.

"Who... who are you?" he asked, staring at Charlie and the others, clearly confused.

"They saved you, Tony," Yinsen explained, recounting the events involving the symbiote. Tony then glanced down at his body.

"Amazing symbiote, but... why don't I feel anything inside me?" He was puzzled.

Charlie explained, "Because of the differences between hosts, being bonded with the symbiote results in different effects. You might not be able to feel it, but it's there inside you, probably just shy."

"Shy?" Steve looked bewildered. "Symbiotes can be shy?"

Charlie laughed, "Of course. In a way, every symbiote is a unique individual with its own personality."

Natasha scrutinized Tony. "What do you think Tony's dark side will be, now that he's been bonded?" she asked.

"I only know he's an arms dealer," Steve guessed boldly. "Maybe he'll want to sell weapons across the galaxy now?"

"Quite possible," Charlie mused, rubbing his chin.

Seeing the strange expressions on their faces, Tony felt a little uncomfortable.

"I've already vowed not to be an arms dealer anymore," Tony said, looking at Yinsen with gratitude. "My friend, you've helped me realize that my life shouldn't be like this."

Natasha raised an eyebrow. "So, you're planning to become a superhero now?"

"No."

Tony spread his arms wide, closing his eyes as he envisioned his future.

"I'm going to make a series of movies about my life. It doesn't matter if they make money. What matters is sharing my legendary story with the world. The movies will change the public's perception of me. I'll use that momentum to run for office, and I'll flatten this godforsaken place. Justice is my mission. It'll be amazing!"

Listening to this, Yinsen glanced at the half-finished Mark I armor in the corner, already worrying about what was to come.

Charlie turned to Steve. "Well, there you have it—his dark side."

Steve sighed, rubbing his forehead. "This isn't the Tony Stark I imagined."

"But this idea isn't all that evil," Natasha shrugged.

"Who knows what he'll do next?"

As Charlie spoke, small cracks spread from the cave's entrance into the chamber.

Crack, crack~

Rocks tumbled down as the cave began to shake.

"This place is about to collapse. We need to get out of here fast," Steve said, startled.

Charlie chuckled. "What's the big deal? In my current state, even if the sky fell—"

Before he could finish, Natasha activated the ultrasonic device.

Bzzzz~

"Alright, alright, I'm leaving, I'm leaving!" Charlie rubbed his temples and quickly grabbed Tony, who was feeling a little dizzy. The group sprinted out of the cave.

Boom, boom, boom~~

Just as they escaped, the cave collapsed, sending dust flying into the sky.

By this time, the sky was already lightening.

The valley was in shambles, and the remaining members of the Ten Rings gang, hiding in the corners, watched in disbelief as Charlie and the others drove off in the last working desert jeep.

Vroom~~

The jeep sped across the desert, with Steve at the wheel, occasionally glancing at the clock.

"There's no indication the mission is over, so it seems like we still need to get Stark to a safe place before we succeed," Steve said.

"Taking him to the nearest city should do it," Charlie replied.

Natasha frowned. "I remember Steve saying it would take ten hours to get to the nearest city, but we only have eight hours left."

Steve adjusted his sunglasses. "That was a lie I told to the Lizard."

Natasha: "..."

In the backseat, Tony asked curiously, "Your mission is to save me? Who sent you?"

Yinsen answered, "Saving you should come with a big payday. Just be ready to write a check."

Tony thought for a moment. "You're right."

He patted Charlie on the shoulder. "You guys are pretty capable. Interested in working for me?"

"Sorry, I'm not interested."

"Then what are you interested in?"

"I'm interested in him," Charlie said, pointing at a massive boulder ahead. Steve slammed on the brakes.

"It's Venom Parker!" Steve said, his face grim as he stared at the black figure ahead.

Natasha frowned. "He knew we'd be coming this way."

Charlie opened the car door, stretched, and cracked his knuckles. "He's Peter Parker, a high-IQ genius. Even when bonded with a symbiote, all it did was amplify his dark side. It didn't make him stupid."

Steve got out of the car as well. "If he's that smart, we wouldn't have been able to take down his teammates." He wasn't entirely convinced by Charlie's assessment.

In the back, Tony chuckled. "Old soldier, you don't understand how geniuses think. We don't need teammates."

Steve sighed, exasperated. "Alright, genius Stark, could you shut up? That guy is dangerous."

"No, he's not dangerous anymore," Charlie said as the black nanometal covered his body automatically.

"I'll handle this. You guys get Tony out of here."

"What?"

Before Steve and Natasha could react, Charlie had already transformed into a shadow and charged toward Venom Parker.

"So impulsive, way too impulsive," Steve sighed.

Natasha nodded. "But he's a good kid."

"What good kid runs headfirst into a rock like that?" Tony muttered under his breath.

As Charlie dashed forward, dust billowed around him like a speeding train, slamming Venom Parker into the desert rock.

Boom!!

The boulder shattered instantly, and black liquid surged from the debris, forming a massive ten-meter-long blade that slashed through the wreckage.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

The blade stirred up a storm of yellow sand, its force terrifying. But with one punch, Charlie caused the desert ground to tremble violently. His raw strength of hundreds of tons shattered the ten-meter-long blade in an instant.

Boom~~

The two black figures clashed repeatedly, releasing webs of black silk that quickly enveloped the desert.

On the dark web, their powers collided over and over again. Each impact created violent winds that whipped up the sand, engulfing the entire area in a sandstorm.

Boom-

The next moment, the jeep shot out of the sandstorm.

Steve watched the scene in his rearview mirror, clearly moved.

"Do all Spider-Men get this strong when they turn dark?"

"Old soldier, that's just an ordinary sandstorm in the desert. It has nothing to do with them," Tony remarked casually.

Steve: "..."

"Uh, I guess I overthought it."

Eight hours later, the group successfully reached the nearest city.

[Congratulations to Old, Weak and Disabled Team for winning the resurrection match. Reward: 3 Resurrection Slots.]

[Congratulations to Old, Weak and Disabled Team for rescuing Dr. Yinsen. Mission overachieved. Bonus rewards granted.]