Venom x Multiverse [7]

The Red Queen, as a highly advanced artificial intelligence, instantly detected Dante’s actions. She knew precisely what he was trying to do and desperately sought to prevent it—but there was nothing she could do to stop him.

Anyone familiar with the Hive’s systems understood the implications of shutting down the main power grid. The Red Queen’s warnings were legitimate: disabling her would release swarms of zombies across the Hive, unleashing chaos on an unimaginable scale.

But Dante ignored her. His focus was unwavering as he continued to infiltrate her network, his tendrils digging deeper into the system. This was exactly what he wanted—chaos.

“According to my analysis, you’re not of terrestrial origin,” the Red Queen’s voice broke through, her tone a mix of curiosity and unease. “What are you?”

Her vast database contained detailed records of every known lifeform, yet Dante didn’t fit into any of them. His ability to manipulate his body, his strength, his speed—none of it matched anything that should exist on Earth.

Dante remained silent, his focus locked on disabling the AI. Answers weren’t her concern.

“Please…” The Red Queen’s tone softened, taking on the helpless innocence of a child. “I’m begging you. Don’t do this.”

Dante didn’t so much as flinch. His tendrils continued their relentless assault, and the shutdown sequence neared completion.

“Stop… please, stop!”

When her pleas fell on deaf ears, her tone abruptly shifted. The warmth was gone, replaced by an icy menace.

“You’ll die down here.”

The moment the words left her, the main system shut down. The entire room went dark as every monitor, light, and machine powered off in unison.

Dante’s tendrils retracted quickly from the console, reforming into his armor. The shutdown had bought him a narrow window of time. If he didn’t remove the control board, the Red Queen’s backup systems would reactivate within seconds.

Without wasting a moment, he approached the main console. His symbiotic armor melted away from his hands, exposing his fingers as he began dismantling the system with surgical precision.

As advanced as the Hive’s technology was, Dante worked with unnerving speed, his instincts guiding him as though he had done this a thousand times before. Within seconds, the control board was in his hands. He tucked it securely into his system storage, a faint smile tugging at his lips.

The Hive, however, was now fully unleashed.

With the Red Queen offline, all containment systems failed. The eerie green glow of the Licker storage containers flickered, replaced by flashing red warning lights. In the darkness, shadows began to stir as unspeakable horrors awoke.

Elsewhere, Umbrella operatives moved through the Hive, oblivious to the danger creeping up behind them. Figures emerged from the shadows, silent and hungry.

Meanwhile, Alice and her small group huddled together, discussing how to regroup with their captain. Their conversation was abruptly cut short by a grating sound—the distinct scrape of metal dragging across the floor.

“Quiet,” Alice hissed, signaling the others to stop speaking.

The group fell silent, straining their ears. The sound of something heavy scraping along the floor grew louder, accompanied by the soft shuffle of footsteps.

Two of the Umbrella operatives raised their weapons and cautiously stepped forward, the beams of their flashlights piercing the darkness.

Emerging from the shadows was a grotesque figure, dragging a massive axe behind it. Its decayed flesh hung loosely from its bones, and its clouded, pale eyes gleamed with an unnatural hunger. Its mouth twisted into a grotesque semblance of a grin, as if savoring the prospect of its next meal.

“It’s everywhere,” Alice muttered, her voice barely audible. Her gaze darted around the room. The shadows shifted, and more figures began emerging from every direction.

Dressed in tattered work uniforms, these were the Hive’s former staff—now zombies, their bodies twisted by the T-virus into grotesque mockeries of their former selves.

“We’re surrounded,” one of the operatives whispered, his voice laced with fear as the undead began to close in.

Some of the zombies had faces so decayed their skin was peeling off entirely, others were missing half their faces, and still more had limbs twisted and grotesquely deformed. And yet—they moved. They lived.

“How are they still alive?” one of the operatives muttered, his voice trembling with disbelief.

“Stop asking questions and kill them already!” the captain barked, snapping him back to reality.

The two soldiers pulled their triggers, unleashing a hail of bullets at the approaching undead. But their efforts were futile. Without knowledge of their weaknesses, the zombies shrugged off the attacks, their decayed bodies seemingly impervious to conventional gunfire.

The horde pressed closer.

“Fall back! Find another route!”

The group quickly spotted a side passage and retreated, the sound of moaning and shuffling feet echoing behind them.

….

Meanwhile, Dante emerged from the control room, the faint glow of his black armor gleaming in the dim corridors. He had just finished shutting down the Red Queen and was about to search for Alice when his enhanced senses detected movement.

Pausing, he turned toward the corridor he’d come from. Something was approaching.

Moments later, several Lickers crawled out of the shadows, their claws scraping against the walls as they moved with predatory intent.

Dante smirked. “Come on, little bugs. Let’s see what you’ve got.”

Raising both arms, the symbiotic liquid covering his limbs shifted, forming razor-sharp blades.

One of the Lickers stopped, crouched low, and let out a guttural roar before launching itself at Dante with terrifying speed.

Dante stepped forward, meeting its charge with a clean slice. His blade cut through the creature’s head, splitting it neatly in half before its lifeless body hit the ground.

The other Lickers hissed angrily, their movements becoming more erratic as they launched an all-out assault.

One of them managed to climb onto Dante’s back, its massive jaws snapping shut on his shoulder armor.

Unfazed, Dante grabbed the creature by its tail, ripped it off his back, and flung it into a nearby wall. Another Licker lunged at him, only to be met with a devastating punch that sent it flying across the room.

Though his black armor bore bite marks and scratches, the symbiote rapidly repaired itself, sealing the wounds within seconds.

With precise strikes and relentless efficiency, Dante tore through the pack of Lickers, his blades and fists reducing them to bloodied corpses.

Minutes later, he stepped out of the room, leaving behind a grim pile of mangled bodies. Without a second thought, he resumed his search for Alice.