Before Alex could finish his statement, the guards burst in, their bodies covered in bloodstains.
"Boss, it's horrible! The people protesting turned into monsters and attacked us!"
A vein pulsed on Alex's forehead, annoyed at being interrupted. He would remember their faces for a "friendly" visit later—assuming they didn't turn into zombies first. Even then, he wasn't sure he'd let them off.
"If you want to waste time attacking me, go ahead! But Wilson, if you're smart enough, you know that millions of zombies in a confined place like this are not an easy problem—even for your team of mercenaries. So if you agree to work for me, in addition to taking care of your family, I can temporarily immunize you against the virus," said Alex, unaware that the virus greatly reduced male libido—even in those immune.
"Couldn't you have said that sooner?!" Fisk didn't seem to doubt Alex's words. On the contrary, there was a hint of fear in his expression.
"And miss the chance to beat you up? No thanks! Don't worry—I'm not a demon, a trickster god, or some alien spy." Alex's words made a few people around the world—watching the situation in New York—feel an inexplicable urge to sneeze.
"I know. Black Emperor! If you save my family and wake them from their comas, I will give you everything I have."
"My name is Alex—not Black Emperor or whatever!"
BOOM BOOM
The massive door began to shake violently.
"Tell me, Fisk—the viral samples you're studying… they're not in the same lab as your family, are they?"
"It's on the same floor, but in separate sections secured by armored doors."
"Then make it quick before something breaks through! I'll go through the windows—show me the way!"
"Scream, accompany him," said Riot, the gray symbiote.
"Go ahead, Donna! He's extremely strong and dangerous. If he becomes our ally, I'll be less afraid of him," Agony added, still shivering from her encounter with Alex.
"Leslie, this is probably your fault he's here! Normally, it's your job to handle this."
"I'm not as strong as you."
"Obviously!"
Without waiting, the yellow female symbiote smashed through the window and leapt from the building.
"Well… she doesn't waste time."
"Follow her. She'll take you to the laboratory. But can you immunize us?" asked the gray symbiote.
"Here's something you can use—it's unlimited." Alex handed them a dozen sharp purple crystals before jumping out the window himself, his black suit reforming around him. His voice echoed one last time:
"Try not to die too easily!"
(Didn't you already expose them to AL-Dream with the gas?) Venna asked.
(Of course—but no one needs to know.)
(...I'm glad I'm not your enemy, Alex.)
…
"Do you trust him, Fisk?"
After Alex's departure, those unaware of his identity remained hesitant.
"If you don't want to become the next zombie, stop talking and prepare to fight!"
The moment he finished speaking, the door burst open.
A horde of zombies flooded the room.
At their front stood a massive humanoid lizard—its flesh rotting, its eyes burning with insatiable hunger.
"I'm starving!"
"It's Dr. Connors… they got him!"
Fisk immediately understood—this was no ordinary virus.
"Inject yourselves now! If creatures like the Lizard are infected, things will get complicated!"
(The airborne virus doesn't normally affect enhanced humans, but a bite guarantees infection. Women are resistant to airborne transmission—only bites can infect them, and the transformation is slower.)
(Alex: A feminist virus… lol.)
…
Most of the zombies were men.
Women, children, and the elderly were being guided by AL-Dream hosts to safer locations.
Gunfire echoed across the city.
All five boroughs were affected, yet somehow, the hordes remained contained within New York.
Secret organizations, superhero teams, mercenaries, and even the army were working together to contain the outbreak and protect the population.
…
Meanwhile, Alex followed Scream.
Deep in the underground levels, a trail of zombie corpses marked her path.
"Hey, Alex—is that it? Why do you look smaller than before?" asked the female symbiote, slicing through zombies with her living hair.
"Actually, I am smaller. In truth, I'm only fourteen years old. As for your question… let's just say I have special abilities."
"Right. A fourteen-year-old who beats up and blackmails the Kingpin of New York… sure."
"When you say it like that, it sounds crazy. But everything has a beginning. Speaking of beginnings… want to go out with me after we deal with this mess?"
This time, Alex didn't release his aura—his tone was almost casual.
"Hahaha! Very funny. You're probably cute under that mask, but you're way too young for me—and I'd probably terrify you… die!"
She laughed, flashing her sharp teeth, trying to intimidate him.
Unfortunately for her—
"…Heh. Cute."
Silence.
Scream frowned.
As the strongest of the artificial symbiotes, her fear-inducing presence usually broke people instantly.
But Alex didn't even flinch.
(…Why isn't it working?!)
Before she could react, a massive zombified dog lunged from behind Alex.
"Watch out!"
The creature snapped at his head.
For a split second, Donna felt a flicker of concern. Despite her instability, she didn't want to see the boy die.
But she forgot one thing.
"You really want to interrupt me while I'm talking to a lady?!"
Alex shrank instantly, dodging the bite, then launched himself backward at incredible speed—slamming against the wall before rebounding like a missile.
Mid-charge, his body expanded—
Venom form.
Muscle surged. One arm transformed into a massive weapon.
He collided with the beast—
CRASH
The impact obliterated the dog's head instantly.
"It's not over, you bastards!"
More zombie dogs rushed in like a tidal wave—mindless, unaware of their fate.
"VENOM BLAST!!!"
Alex inhaled deeply—his chest swelling—before unleashing a devastating torrent.
A fusion of Venna's toxin and his own purple energy erupted from his mouth, forming a corrosive beam that tore through the horde like a living laser.
Silence followed.
Scream stood frozen—
Watching.
Shocked.