Eddie walked to the door of his room, leaned against it, and peered outside through the peephole with his left eye.
Once he saw the situation outside, he took a sharp breath. His still-foggy brain woke up completely, and the chills down his spine prevented any complaints from escaping his lips.
Outside the door, the corridor was filled with dust. The front door of the bald, robust man's neighboring room was shattered open, revealing a pitch-black hall without any visible light.
Inside the hall, two large, robust humanoid shadows were entangled in a fierce battle.
In just a few moments, the hall was in chaos, with furniture rolling, stone walls collapsing, and the ceiling caving in, causing the entire residential building to shake and tremble.
The dull and immense sounds of violent combat echoed, accompanied by the screams and calls for help from neighboring tenants...
It was like a scene from a disaster!
"This is prime material for breaking news." Eddie couldn't resist his professional instincts and muttered to himself. However, as the vibrations grew stronger, he quickly realized that now was not the time to think about a news story.
If he didn't evacuate, he might end up as the male protagonist in a news report with no life left!
Eddie took a deep breath, gathered his courage, unlocked the door, and was about to push it open swiftly, planning to run to the staircase at the end of the corridor.
However, right after he unlocked the door, with a loud bang, the room door vibrated intensely, and Eddie quickly withdrew his hands.
Something had collided with the door of his apartment!
In doubt and astonishment, Eddie, with a hint of relief, once again brought his eye close to the peephole. This time, he couldn't see the outside but was met with a massive and pale iris.
Eye to eye.
Although Eddie knew that peepholes were designed to prevent people from seeing inside, he couldn't help but shiver at the sight.
Those were definitely not human eyes!
Cold sweat dripped from Eddie's forehead as he cautiously moved away from his main door. When he retreated to the corner of the living room, the main door burst open with debris flying in.
In addition to the main door, there were two humanoid monsters, each about two meters tall, exposed in the glaring light, well within Eddie's view as the owner of the room!
Eddie could guarantee that, despite being a journalist with a broad knowledge of various subjects, having watched every episode of the animal world, he had never seen a terrifying lifeform like the one currently invading his home.
One of the monsters had entirely white pupils, terrifying fangs, muscles, and fibers expanding throughout its black body. There were white burn-like marks resembling flames on its chest— this was Venom, fully covered with a frontal view.
The other monster had greenish irises, skin leaning towards dark brown, muscles with hardened knots, and several rows of spikes on its back. Its nails were sharp and pointed. This was one of the three symbiotes freely roaming in the New York City area, named "Beelzebub."
The commonality between them was the brutal and violent wildness emanating from every inch of their bodies. Every muscle seemed to be filled with a sense of power, and it looked as if both of them were born for battle.
"You're not from the same species as Symbiote from the Symbiote planet; you're an outsider! Die!" Beelzebub roared hoarsely while pinching Venom's neck and charging, relentlessly pushing it deeper into the room.
Venom firmly gripped Beelzebub's arms with both hands, sinking its feet into the floor. It smoothly plowed two grooves into the ground as it resisted Beelzebub's force.
"Get out of the way in the back!" Venom growled, and just as Eddie, who had reacted belatedly, moved from the corner to the other side near the bathroom, Venom abruptly stopped its movement.
With both hands embracing Beelzebub's palms, Venom's arm muscles swelled, pushing Beelzebub away from its neck and executing a forceful shoulder throw. Beelzebub was slammed harshly into the corner of the wall.
"Boom!"
The corner of the wall collapsed like paper, creating a hole. Beelzebub's head disappeared into a pile of rubble, leaving only its two robust thighs exposed, pointing upwards.
Witnessing the exaggerated destruction, Eddie's jaw dropped, and his first thought was, "Oh no, I'll have to pay the landlord to fix the house..."
"What are you still standing there for? Quickly, get out of here!" Venom rolled its eyes and surprisingly showed a bit of neighborly concern toward Eddie.
"OK!" Eddie nodded vigorously like a chick pecking at grains with his back against a wall. He maneuvered around the pile of rubble where Beelzebub was and rushed towards the door.
Eddie had barely taken a few steps when Beelzebub swiftly flipped over with a low growl, sending debris flying and dust billowing. In the midst of it all, there was a sharp, dark-brown glow.
Before Venom could react, its body suffered a severe blow. A massive dark-brown spear pierced through its chest, viciously impaling it from behind. Black liquid, akin to blood, splattered onto the floor.
"Damn it," Venom struggled hoarsely, reaching out to grab the handle of the spear in front of it. However, the tip of the spear was held by Beelzebub.
"You're finished," Beelzebub grinned ferociously, adding force to the charge, using the spear to lift Venom off its feet and propelling it forward until the spearhead was embedded in the wall next to the door.
"Not going to be that easy." Realizing it was difficult to break free, Venom let go of the spear willingly. It shifted to the offensive, striking Beelzebub with a pair of palm thrusts.
In the brief moment of the swing, Venom's arms transformed and elongated into black spikes with spiral drills—
'Pūchī!'
Beelzebub's laughter abruptly halted as it looked down. The dual spikes had also pierced through its chest, and a dark-brown liquid flowed downward.
"You!" Beelzebub stepped back, trying to free itself from the spiraled spikes.
However, Venom reacted faster, connecting the tips of the dual spikes, forming a chain-like structure that seemed to lock the bones of Beelzebub's inner host.
With no room to retreat, Beelzebub could only maintain its grip on the spear handle.
"That's about right." Venom grinned.
Both were now equally wounded, caught in a stalemate.
"You really are something. However, my host is obviously much stronger. In the end, I'll be the one to win." Beelzebub sneered, firmly holding onto the spear, preventing the connected Venom from breaking free.
Hearing this, Venom remained silent, its fully covered monstrous form melting away. But it was evident that it was a bit faster. The head had already dissolved, revealing the face of the host— the bald man.
At that moment, a surprised voice came from the side, "Neighbor?"
Venom glanced sideways, only to see Eddie, who hadn't left the room yet, leaning against the wall about five meters away, observing them from a safe distance.
"Are you okay?" Eddie nervously asked Venom. He hadn't forgotten Venom's two timely warnings.
"I'm fine, but things will go south soon." Venom sighed and, seizing an opportunity, urgently asked hoarsely, "Do you have gas in your house?"
"Yes, why?" Eddie was puzzled.
"Turn on the switch and let the gas leak into the room, quickly!" Venom said.
Beelzebub didn't know what gas was, but its subconscious told it that it couldn't let Venom succeed. Its face twisted ferociously as it warned Eddie, "Kid, I advise you to leave now. Otherwise, after I deal with the freak, I'll make sure to swallow you alive!"
Eddie hesitated for a moment but, upon hearing Beelzebub's threat, shrugged and walked towards the kitchen. He sighed slightly, saying, "I am gonna to what he said just based on your threats."
(End of this chapter)
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