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Ch. 14 A Small Test
🕑 Added 2023-08-27 06:43:18 +0000 UTCTurn, draw the gun, aim, and fire!
Fluid and seamless, all in one breath!
Despite Sloan's relatively older age, his skill was still very impressive, even better than most of the Brotherhood's assassins.
In the blink of an eye, he had even completed a certain level of tactical thinking, aiming at Venom Russell's left eye.
For most organisms, the eyes were a vulnerable spot.
Targeting the eyes of a foe might not be the most precise choice, but it was certainly one of the wisest.
Especially since Venom Russell's eyes, larger than a normal person's fists, were like bullseyes on his black head.
Confronted with the rapidly incoming bullet, Russell didn't dodge; it was as if he hadn't even had time to react. He stood his ground, allowing the bullet to hit his left eye.
Success!
Seeing the bullet precisely hit Russell's left eye, a moment of satisfaction flashed through Sloan.
However, in the next second, his joy evaporated.
The bullet that struck Venom Russell's left eye was squeezed out effortlessly, just like squeezing toothpaste.
On the seemingly soft and exceptionally white left eye, there was not a trace of damage.
Compared to the body that could easily deflect bullets, the defense of the eyes was indeed slightly weaker.
But that didn't mean Sloan could just shoot a bullet through Venom Russell's head using a Mauser pistol.
The bullet had indeed penetrated the left eye, but it had only gone in by a tiny amount.
For the Venom Russell in symbiotic form, this level of damage wouldn't even take a fraction of a second to heal.
Russell didn't give Sloan a chance for a second shot.
Five snake-like black tendrils burst forth from his body, entwining Sloan's limbs and neck like pythons, lifting him off the ground.
"Mr. Sloan, this isn't a suitable place for conversation. Let's go back to the tunnel," Russell reverted his head from Venom form, revealing his true appearance, and said calmly.
Without waiting for Sloan's response, he carried Sloan back to the underground passage and casually closed the iron door.
Sloan was definitely going to be killed!
He had figured out "Bullet Throwing" and "Adrenaline Autonomous Control."
However, before he killed Sloan, he had some small experiments to conduct.
Experiments related to his Venom abilities.
Although he currently possessed all the abilities of the Venom symbiote, what he had was not a true symbiotic bond.
Compared to the systems that other time travelers had, his system was far from user-friendly, almost dismissive.
His ability to withstand bullets with his body was a perfect example.
Since the system wasn't keen on explaining these things, he had to test them himself.
Among the numerous Venom powers, one in particular piqued his interest: Genetic Replication!
When Venom symbiotically attached to a host for a certain duration, it could replicate the host's abilities.
For example, Deadpool's healing factor and Spider-Man's superpowers.
It was a power with great potential; used well, it could become a stable source of new abilities.
Even though Venom could only replicate abilities related to the body and was restricted by the time of bonding, it was still a potent ability.
If he had a true Venom with him now, Russell wouldn't consider testing it.
But unfortunately, what he had wasn't genuine Venom.
To avoid repeating the situation where he didn't understand his abilities, he intended to test with Sloan firsthand.
Firstly, Sloan was a normal Earth human.
This meant that replicating his abilities through genetics wouldn't require an extended bonding period.
Secondly, Sloan possessed the ability of "Bullet Throwing."
Though different from the superpowers arising from genetic mutations, there was no denying that "Bullet Throwing" was indeed a superpower.
It was a superpower that could be acquired through learning, though.
Lastly, Sloan wouldn't refuse his experiment.
Sloan was almost too overjoyed to speak, his face beaming with happiness.
Glancing at Sloan's current demeanor, Russell slightly relaxed the tendrils wrapped around Sloan's neck.
Aside from testing the ability of Genetic Replication on Sloan, he had another minor curiosity.
He wanted to know if the symbiote split off from his own body would inherit all its abilities and be under his control.
The issue persisted: Russell's Venom wasn't genuine Venom.
If he possessed the real Venom, he could transfer the symbiote to Sloan directly.
But the problem was that he didn't have authentic Venom.
So, this was another question that could only be answered through testing.
One test subject could yield two test results.
From this perspective, Sloan was undoubtedly an excellent test subject.
"How much reward did Cross give you? If you release me, I can offer you twice the amount!"
Sloan, no longer choked, started the conventional bribery tactic of offering twice the price.
"Give it up. You can't afford to pay double what he gave you."
Cross' assignment was directly tied to the rewards the system provided.
This reward was something Sloan could never double.
"You don't need to worry too much. I won't do anything too cruel to you."
"If all goes well, you'll experience a wonderful feeling."
When bonded with the symbiote, one could experience the euphoria of an exponential increase in bodily functions.
That excitement was similar to a beggar suddenly winning a multimillion-dollar lottery.
Russell had experienced it several times, but even during a full-body Venomization, he still got a bit carried away.
After speaking, he once again controlled the black tendrils, tightening them around Sloan's neck to prevent him from continuing to ask questions or yelling.
"Alright, time is limited, let's begin!"
Presently, only Russell's head retained a normal human appearance; the rest of his body was still in Venom form.
His demonic-like body and the black tendrils oozing from it, combined with the fear on Sloan's face and the dimness of the tunnel, created a sinister sight.
Over ten minutes later.
With answers already obtained, Russell acted without hesitation, manipulating the black tendrils to snap Sloan's neck.
A crisp crack echoed, and Sloan's eyes completely lost their light.
At the moment of Sloan's death, the system information that only Russell could see automatically appeared.
"Reward: Fate's Assassin; Status: Activated; Activation Condition: Completion of Cross' Task (Killing Sloan); Activation Effect: After activation, master Bullet Throwing and gain the ability to control adrenaline autonomously."
Seeing the system information pop up, Russell let out a satisfied whistle.
Sloan's cooperative behavior provided him with the desired test results, successfully replicating the "Bullet Throwing" superpower.
However, that wasn't the real reason for his happiness.
What truly pleased him was the "Bullet Throwing" ability granted by the system.
