"Let's find a hotel first," Natasha Romanoff muttered, rubbing her temples as an inexplicable fatigue washed over her.
The culprit behind this was Ethan Walker.
The Symbiote, Venom, naturally merges with human genes. Since Natasha's body treated Ethan as a viral invader, he forcefully merged his genes with hers, activating her body's self-protection system. This was why Natasha felt so tired.
She entered the nearest hotel, booked a room, and after locking the door, collapsed onto the bed, falling into a deep, drowsy sleep.
The world outside shifted from day to night and then to early morning. Gentle sunlight filtered through the curtains, illuminating the room.
Natasha stirred, her eyes slowly opening as she stretched lazily. Checking the time, she realized it was already seven in the morning.
"I've been out for almost a full day?" Natasha murmured, somewhat disbelieving. As a Super Agent, she had strong resistance to drugs and negative physical conditions, yet she had been unconscious for nearly a day without realizing it. What exactly was going on?
She hadn't interacted with anyone, except for Johnson. Could this be his superpower?
Without hesitation, she picked up her phone to call Nick Fury.
"Click!" The sound of mechanical shattering startled her. Staring at the finger-sized hole in her phone, Natasha was dazed. What was happening? She had only pressed a button, yet she pierced through the phone?
Looking at the black screen and the sparking damage, Natasha was stunned. When did her strength increase so dramatically?
"This is strange. What exactly is happening to me?" Natasha pondered, staring at the now-useless phone. Gently squeezing her palm, she heard another crisp sound as the lower half of the phone crumbled.
"Oh my goodness!" Natasha gasped, disbelief washing over her. A day ago, she would've bet she didn't possess such strength, and she hadn't even exerted much force.
"Could that guy's superpower be turning people into monsters?" Natasha quickly walked to the bathroom.
"Bang!" The bathroom door came off its hinges with another soft sound.
Natasha gazed at her reflection in the mirror, relieved to see her beautiful face unchanged. No woman doesn't care about her appearance. If she had turned into a monster, she'd rather not have this power.
"Why do I feel like my skin is whiter, more supple, and even firmer?" Natasha touched her face, confused. A day ago, her skin wasn't this good!
"And my strength has also increased," she thought, recalling the crushed phone.
"How is it? Isn't this power intoxicating?" A low, magnetic voice whispered, jolting Natasha to full alertness.
"Who is it?!" Natasha instinctively assumed a fighting stance.
"Who am I? I'm the one who gave you this power," a pool of liquid on her shoulder condensed into a hideous face.
"What are you? Why are you on me?" Natasha was unsettled. A hideous monster emerging from her body was enough to make her hair stand on end.
"As expected of the person I chose; you're stronger than that guy. My efforts weren't in vain," Ethan admired. Johnson had been terrified, but Natasha remained calm, impressing Ethan.
"You're the one who killed those drug traffickers!" Natasha quickly deduced. Johnson couldn't have done it alone.
"Of course. Do you think that coward would dare kill anyone?" Ethan retorted.
"What kind of monster are you?" Natasha asked, uneasy. Communicating with a monster was unsettling.
"Monster? No, no, no! I'm not a monster. I'm Venom, or Ethan Walker. Nice to meet you. Please take care of me from now on," Ethan's hideous face moved closer to hers, a sinister smile revealing sharp teeth.
## Chapter 4: In This Day and Age, Are Monsters All This Sensible?
"No, no, no, I'm not a monster. You can call me Venom, or Ethan Walker. To be precise, I'm a Symbiote, and now that I'm with you, you should feel lucky! I can grant you superhuman strength, making you a Superman!" Ethan proclaimed proudly.
"Symbiote?" Natasha raised an eyebrow. "What Symbiote? You seem more like a parasite!"
From a human perspective, it was like a parasite, except Venom could bestow extreme strength.
"I'll go to your grandma's parasite! I'm a Symbiote, not a low-level parasite! Is there something wrong with your head comparing me to a parasite?" Ethan cursed.
Natasha raised an eyebrow, finding the cursing monster somewhat amusing. Despite his hideous appearance, he seemed a bit cute now.
"By the way, there's nothing special about my body. Can you leave? I can recommend someone else, someone just as dark and ugly..." Natasha trailed off, the thought too absurd to continue.
"Do you think I'd leave after finally merging with you?" Ethan replied with a 'caring for the mentally challenged' look.
Natasha sighed, "What will it take for you to leave my body?"
"Just give up on that idea. I won't leave, and you should feel honored that I'm with you!" Ethan shook his head, his attitude arrogant.