The wealthy small town in New York always has an exceptionally blue sky, free from the light pollution of glass skyscrapers. Rows of low-rise villas full of color harmoniously contrast with the lush shrubs and brilliantly blooming flowers.
The activity room of the Arkham Sanatorium is a standalone building and consists of a whole hall on the first floor. The second floor is connected to the first, but there is a loft with a glass floor on the far right. The loft contains two streamlined single chairs and a modern-style coffee table.
Shiller, sitting on one of the chairs, looked at the record file in his hand and said, "Mr. Brock, please forgive me for calling you by such an unfamiliar name. As we are discussing a topic related to mental health, I want to avoid personal relationships as much as possible."
"Regrettably, the basic psychological examination done by Dr. Owen for you, and the comprehensive psychological evaluation report written by Miss Lord, indicate that your current state is certainly not good. Can you tell me what's going on?"
Eddie Brock, seated in the other chair, appeared rather worn out. He was wearing a somewhat dusty dark blue plaid shirt and a black leather jacket. His hair was messy, and his full beard, failing to conceal, was spread all the way to his neck.
Although he looked like a homeless man, the black-framed glasses on his face reminded others that he was a journalist involved in clerical work. However, his suntanned skin became hard to explain.
"Mr. Brock, I don't believe the ultraviolet amplifying effect of the newspaper office window is this distinct. Or did you encounter something while vacationing at the beach?" In seeing Eddie's silent response, Shiller repeated his question.
"I quit."
When Eddie opened his mouth, his voice was very hoarse. He closed his eyes for a moment, swallowed, and forced down the nauseating taste of alcohol in his mouth. He said, "I had a dispute with my immediate supervisor. To prevent Venom from hurting him, I quit."
Shiller raised his eyebrows slightly, showing an air of understanding. He nodded and said, "It seems you haven't lost your mind completely. By which I mean, your boss still has his head on his shoulders, right?"
"Venom wanted to eat him." Eddie grimaced in pain, his voice trembling as he said, "I did my very best to stop him. That's why I'm so exhausted."
"Venom thinks that the newspaper's editor-in-chief is an evil man, because he described the common folks who protested against the operation of the shuttle bus as fools who act without thinking. He said their act of violent protest was a terror attack."
"The area where I live is not middle-class. It has too many unemployed people, homeless and immigrants. They used to rely on the public transport system to make a living. Now that they've lost their livelihoods, they can only take to the streets to protest. But no one cares about them. They resort to sabotaging the shuttle bus routes."
"Venom feels that the editor-in-chief is trying to silence the people and suppress them. His solution was to eat the editor-in-chief. But I stopped him. He felt betrayed by me."
Eddie covered his eyes and said, "But the editor-in-chief wasn't wrong. Because I live among them, I know some people purposely guide them to vent their emotions, incite them to violence and looting, even to cause the shuttle to crash, killing the passengers."
"Some people want to stir up conflicts, make both parties fight to the bitter end, then profit from the chaos. Whether it's these protesting commoners or the accusing editor-in-chief, they are all exacerbating the conflict. I cannot let them get their way, but Venom doesn't understand this. He's naive like a child."
"These few days, we've been arguing non-stop. Whether sleeping or working, those terrifying thoughts of devouring people circled in my mind."
"In the past, while Venom also feels hunger, he wouldn't convey these thoughts to me. But now, these horrifying negative emotions keep pouring into my mind. I simply cannot control them."
"Eddie, Eddie …" Shiller gently called out, pulling Eddie out of his terrifying fantasy. When Eddie turned his head, he saw the calm and gentle face of the psychologist.
But this didn't make Eddie feel any better. He shook his head somewhat desperately and exhaled, "Venom thinks I should do the same. He believes the whole world is on Stark's side. I must stand with these desperate poor folks."
"You might find it hard to believe that such a sinister-looking creature could have a heart as pure as a child's. I saw a pure white heart at the center of that black, viscous substance. He looks like Peter Parker."
"Perhaps he is Peter Parker. Peter was once his host. But this originally reckless boy has moved forward, while Venom, because of me, because I'm not a genius, because I'm just an ordinary person, still remains stuck."
Eddie's eyes were bloodshot, apparently lost in his hallucinations again. He said, "I couldn't give him anything good - no wisdom, no kindness, just conflicts, contradictions, and pain."
"I explored the lives of the poor. I saw unemployed bus drivers, street vendors, and ticket sellers who are homeless because they can't pay off their credit cards. I saw the quality of their family life taking a nosedive, with their children needing to transfer schools."