Venom x Multiverse [4]

“This feels… incredible.”

The girl’s enhanced physique amplified Dante’s strength and agility, pushing his limits even further. But there was a trade-off.

The injection had killed the host.

The moment the virus entered her bloodstream, the girl’s biological functions ceased. She wasn’t human anymore—just a walking corpse animated by the virus and Dante’s control.

“No big deal,” Dante muttered, shrugging off the thought. He didn’t need the girl to be alive—just functional.

But Alice?

She was different.

Dante’s smirk widened as his eyes gleamed with hunger. If he could bond with Alice, whose body was genetically compatible with the virus, his power would reach even greater heights.

“Alice… I’m starting to crave you more and more.”

With that thought lingering in his mind, Dante shot out of the train like a shadow, moving with inhuman speed as he plunged deeper into the Hive.

….

In the pitch-black corridors of the Hive, the Umbrella Special Forces Unit worked to restore power. Alice stood nearby with two others, her gaze fixed on the surrounding darkness.

The silence was suffocating, broken only by the occasional mechanical hum of failing systems. Tension weighed heavily on the group as their eyes darted nervously around the room.

They were waiting for something—anything—to happen. And in a place like this, it usually did.

Dante clung to the ceiling, his camouflage ability blending him seamlessly into the shadows. Moving with predatory grace, he observed the group of soldiers below, his eyes scanning their movements like a wolf sizing up prey.

After a brief moment of calculation, he crawled silently above one of the Umbrella operatives. The man was too focused on his search to notice the danger looming above him.

Dante’s arm rippled, the black liquid flowing down and solidifying into a gleaming blade. Without hesitation, he dropped silently to the ground behind the soldier.

The faint sound of his landing caused the man to spin around, but it was already too late.

A flash of steel glinted under the dim lights. A thin red line appeared across the soldier’s neck, and a second later, his head slid clean off, hitting the floor with a thud. Blood sprayed across the walls as the body crumpled lifelessly.

Dante glanced down at the corpse, feeling nothing—no guilt, no hesitation. In fact, he felt a thrill surging through him. This power… it was exhilarating.

He retracted the blade, allowing it to morph back into his arm before shifting his form entirely. The black liquid rippled across his body, molding his features until he looked identical to the fallen operative.

Calmly stepping into formation, Dante rejoined the group as if nothing had happened.

The moment the squad located the power switch, the leader gave the signal. The lights in the corridor flickered to life, casting long shadows along the walls.

“Let’s move.”

The team leader scanned the group, confirming that everyone was accounted for before leading them deeper into the Hive.

When they reached the elevator doors, the leader turned and barked out an order.

“Kaplan!”

Dante stepped forward without hesitation. The name matched the disguise he had taken.

“Elevator’s out,” he said after a quick inspection, shaking his head. “Power’s been cut off—Red Queen must’ve locked it down.”

Mimicking the soldier’s tone and demeanor felt almost effortless. Since merging with Venom, Dante had gained an almost instinctive knowledge of the technology and systems in the Hive, as though the information had always been buried somewhere in his mind.

“Stairs it is, then.”

The leader didn’t waste time deliberating. Motioning for the group to move, he led them toward the emergency stairwell.

Dante followed, his steps blending perfectly with the others. No one noticed anything strange. His disguise ability was flawless—every movement, every breath synced perfectly with the human form he was imitating.

As they descended deeper into the Hive, the atmosphere grew heavier. The walls bore the scars of chaos, and the scattered debris painted a picture of recent destruction.

When they reached the central control room, the sight before them only deepened the unease. The once-pristine labs were now submerged in water, desks and computers barely visible beneath the surface.

“What the hell happened here?” one of the soldiers muttered, his voice breaking the eerie silence.

Their eyes darted nervously across the room, trying to make sense of the devastation.

The group pressed forward, their unease growing with each step. Before long, they arrived at a storage room and decided to take a brief rest.

Dante, still disguised as one of the operatives, kept his movements calm and calculated. He drifted toward a nearby shipping container, curiosity tugging at him. Peering through its reinforced observation window, he froze.

Inside, a grotesque mass of flesh and tissue pulsated unnervingly. Its shape was impossible to define—just a writhing, organic lump. Protruding from its exposed brain were thick needles, each one pumping an unknown fluid into its body through transparent tubes. The entire container was encased in a cryo-chamber, icy mist swirling around its edges.

Dante’s eyes narrowed as he studied the creature.

“What the hell is this…?”

Just as he turned to leave, his Spider Sense flared like an alarm.

“Danger?”

He scanned the area, eyes darting between the soldiers. Everything looked normal—no movements, no disturbances. Yet the warning persisted.

That’s when it happened.

A dark blur shot out from the shadows, slamming into one of the operatives and taking him down instantly.

The soldiers snapped into action, weapons raised, but the sight before them sent a chill down their spines.

The creature was hideous—a grotesque, mutated monster with exposed muscles and razor-sharp claws. Its elongated tongue flicked out like a predator testing the air.

“Licker.”

Dante recognized it immediately.

“Help! Help me! Ahhh—!”

The soldier pinned beneath the Licker’s claws screamed, but the sound was cut short as the monster sank its teeth into his flesh, tearing him apart in seconds.

Gunfire erupted.

“Fire! Take it down!” the captain barked, emptying his clip into the creature.

The others followed suit, unleashing a hail of bullets. The flashes of light illuminated the Licker’s monstrous form, but the barrage barely seemed to faze it.