Marvel's Venom, starting with a Hydra undercover agent.

"Take her to Midtown Middle School, and the rest of the money, besides the transportation fee, is your tip."

Seeing Rumlow's wealth and generosity, the driver raised an eyebrow, whistled, and said, "Don't worry, buddy, there's absolutely no problem."

Although the driver readily agreed, Rumlow sensed his flippant attitude and glanced at the well-behaved Katie in the back seat before opening his wallet to reveal an ID.

FBI

Seeing the large letters on the document and Rumlow's slightly threatening gaze, the driver's smile faltered for a moment, then he quickly nodded and said, "Ahem, I guarantee there won't be any problems."

Although Rumlow didn't say a word, everything was understood without being said; adults don't need to say much to each other.

"Ahem, young lady, please fasten your seatbelt. We're about to depart," the driver said seriously, then slowly drove away under Rumlow's watchful gaze.

Rumlow watched the taxi turn the corner and disappear from sight before turning and walking into the building.

Meanwhile, Holm was already standing by his window, watching everything that had just happened.

"Tsk tsk tsk, no wonder he's the subordinate you chose, his style of doing things is exactly like yours." Venom complained about Rumlow's earlier act of threatening the driver with his FBI credentials.

It remembered that Holm had done the same thing when he took Gwen home before, and it wondered how much of the FBI's bad reputation was due to the misdeeds of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.

Hearing Venom's rant, Holm responded, "Great minds think alike. Any smart person knows the principle of using both carrot and stick."

After saying that, he turned and left the window, walking to the sofa and sitting down.

At that moment, Rumlow was swinging his keys as he went upstairs in the hallway. Thinking of Katie's soft and sweet thanks, a smile couldn't help but appear on his tough-guy face.

"Click!"

Rumlow opened the door while humming a little tune, only to find Holm sitting on the sofa.

The moment he saw Holm, his whole body seemed to be electrified, his smile froze, and his body stiffened abruptly: "Sir, you've arrived."

Holm was leisurely peeling an orange when he saw Rumlow's series of instinctive reactions. He nodded slightly and asked, "How much does the shirt cost?"

“Nine pounds and fifteen pence!” Rumlow answered without hesitation.

"Sit down," Holm said calmly.

"Yes!" Rumlow placed the key on the shoe cabinet next to him, locked the door from the inside, and then slowly walked to the sofa and sat down, his back ramrod straight.

Despite having met Holm several times, he was still very nervous each time, feeling that Holm's aura was becoming increasingly unsettling and unpredictable.

"How have you been lately? How are things going with that child? Do you have enough money?" Holm asked, popping a segment of orange into his mouth.

Although he himself felt nothing unusual when he went there, to others, it seemed as if Orange merged into the black mask on his face after touching it, which looked very strange.

Upon hearing Holm's question, Rumlow responded without hesitation, "Reporting, sir, there have been no problems recently. Katie and I... the mission target are getting along very well. She is very obedient and there haven't been any major issues."

"The task you entrusted to me has plenty of funds, so there shouldn't be any problem with funding in the short term."

Hearing Rumlow's reply, Holm nodded and continued, "Very good, you have done a good job with the task I gave you."

"And what about at S.H.I.E.L.D.? How's your work there going?"

"For now, I'm still the same as before, the leader of a special team at S.H.I.E.L.D., and I probably won't get much of a promotion in the short term," Rumlow said seriously.

"However, I will complete the task well, solidify my foundation, and strive to seize the opportunity to be promoted when the next opportunity comes."

After Rumlow finished speaking, Holm did not respond immediately, but looked at him quietly and ate the orange segment by segment.

This posture made Rumlow, who was already on edge, even more nervous. He began to rack his brains to think if there was anything wrong with his answer just now.

Time ticked by, and just as Rumlow was starting to feel suffocated by the oppressive atmosphere, Holm, having swallowed the last segment of orange, finally spoke again.

Are you scared?

"Huh?" Before Rumlow could even catch his breath, Holm's sudden question left him momentarily stunned.

"I said, were you scared just now?" Holm continued.

"No...no, I was just wondering if I said something wrong..." Rumlow swallowed hard.

Upon hearing his reply, Holm slowly stood up and walked to his side, then gently placed his hand on the back of Rumlow's neck.

Rumlow got goosebumps the moment he felt Holm's hand.

As he slowly increased the pressure in his palm, he also felt a suffocatingly cold killing intent.

Even though she only placed her hand on his neck, he felt as if his entire neck was being squeezed, and he even had difficulty breathing.

"Sir...Sir...! I...I..." Rumlow's voice trembled uncontrollably.

He did sense Holm's murderous intent towards him, but he didn't understand why.

"Are you scared now?" Holm said calmly.

Chapter 161, Granting You Power

As Holm repeated the question, Rumlow opened his mouth, trembling slightly, as if to say something, but the hand on his neck felt like a mountain, pressing down on him so hard he couldn't breathe and couldn't make a sound.

Just as his body began to tremble uncontrollably, Holm finally removed his hand, then slowly lifted his chin, looked into his terrified eyes, and said, "Do you feel your own weakness and powerlessness?"

"Remember this feeling. If you never want to feel this way again, then make yourself strong. Your enemy will not pity you because you tremble, and you will not let your target go just because he begs for mercy."

Hearing Holm's words, Rumlow, despite his trembling body, stood up abruptly and said, "I will become stronger! I will definitely be promoted when we meet again!"

He thought Holm was dissatisfied with his slow promotion rate at S.H.I.E.L.D. and felt he was worthless, so he quickly expressed his determination and explained his usefulness.

Seeing this, Holm patted him on the shoulder and said, "Don't be nervous, I'm not blaming you, you've done very well."

"As an ordinary person, you've reached your current social class very quickly."

"The reason I'm asking you this, to make you feel like your life is under my control, isn't because I want to kill you. It's because I want to ask you, if you had a choice, would you choose the powerful or the weak?"

"Become stronger! I choose to become stronger!" Rumlow said without the slightest hesitation.

If being weak is what it feels like just now, then he never wants to remember it again in his life.

Upon hearing Rumlow's answer, Holm also raised his hand, revealing a small black sphere in his palm.

"This is power. After you consume it, you will no longer be an ordinary person, but will gain the opportunity to evolve and become a superhuman even more powerful than Captain America."

"However, the only price is that you must exchange your life and soul for it. Once you consume it, everything you have will be under my control."

As soon as he finished speaking, Rumlow stared blankly at the small black ball in Holm's palm.

Two seconds later, his eyes hardened, and he picked up the small black ball, stuffed it into his mouth, and swallowed it.

In an instant, a strange power began to coursing through his body, and he could even see a small bump on his skin that was constantly moving around.

He felt an itch all over his body, an irresistible urge to scratch, but the feeling seemed to come from his very bones. Even though he knelt on the ground and scratched his skin raw, the feeling did not lessen at all.

Only after a few seconds that felt like centuries had passed did the sensation quietly fade away, leaving only the power that filled my limbs.

"Haa! Haa!" Rumlow gasped for breath, trying to calm himself. As his consciousness gradually cleared, he realized that the floor had become a mess, and even the sofa next to him had been broken into pieces.

Looking at the mess, Rumlow looked up in shock at Holm sitting on the sofa.

"What? Are you frightened by your own power?" Holm said softly.

"Don't doubt yourself, this is your masterpiece, and it's just caused by a little bit of out-of-control force."

Hearing Holm's words, Rumlow clenched his fist, feeling an immense surge of power coursing through his body.

The numerous wounds he had just scratched had now completely healed, leaving only some faint pink marks.

So he really succeeded, becoming the superhuman Holm just described—that incredible power! That insane regenerative ability! It's absolutely fascinating!

He knew he would be right! From the first time he saw the venomous snake, he sensed its extraordinary aura!

He could sense the serpent's immense ambition, so he firmly grasped every olive branch the serpent extended to him.

Even if it means selling his soul and life, as long as he follows the serpent closely, one day he too can follow in the serpent's footsteps and grovel at his throne, becoming his loyal hound and a figure second only to the king.

“Thank you, sir, for everything you have done for me! My soul and my life are now yours!” Rumlow said excitedly as he knelt on the ground, even crawling forward to get closer to Holm’s feet.

Holm nodded in satisfaction. He enjoyed dealing with intelligent people like this, regardless of their status or position; they could always adapt and integrate into their roles quickly.

“Enjoy it, explore it thoroughly, and you’ll discover that the potential of this power far exceeds your imagination,” Holm said softly.

"Let this strength be your stepping stone and springboard, helping you to reach a broader platform."

"You can't help me right now, so keep going, try to climb higher and get to a high place so I can see you. Only then will you have any value to me."

“I understand! I will follow your instructions! I will use this strength to climb to the top!” Rumlow said firmly. This was the opportunity he had been waiting for, and now he had seized it.

Holm looked at Rumlow, who was lying prostrate on the ground, and continued, "I have given you the power; its source and explanation are for you to worry about."

"There are so many strange people in this world, and all sorts of supernatural events happen one after another, so as long as you find a suitable excuse, S.H.I.E.L.D. won't be able to find anything."

"If a few test tubes of medicine can create Captain America, then nothing is impossible."

“I understand! I will handle this matter as soon as possible! I will definitely not leave any trouble behind!” Rumlow had already started to have a plan in mind.

As Holm said, there are just too many strange things in this world, like the Sandman who appeared some time ago; nobody knows how he became like that.

So as long as he can give a slightly reasonable excuse, such as accidentally touching some chemical reagent while carrying out a mission, stumbling into some ancient ruin, or being bitten by some strange animal or insect, then the source of his ability will be found.

In any case, no matter how hard S.H.I.E.L.D. investigates, they won't find any clues, and it's impossible to replicate an accident like his again.

"Your life begins a new chapter from this moment on, so enjoy it." Holm's voice echoed in Rumlow's ears.

"Yes!" Rumlow replied, prostrating himself in response.

When he looked up again, Holm was no longer in the room; only the broken floor and the rotten sofa proved that what had just happened was not a dream.

Chapter 162, Squad Meeting and New Mission

On a street not far from Rumlow's house, Holm, now dressed normally, was walking towards his car.

"Haha, this feeling is amazing! I can sense the location of my little clone; it's currently hidden inside Rumlow's brain," Venom said excitedly, describing his experience.

Holm asked, "Are you sure you won't be discovered? Once he demonstrates his special abilities, S.H.I.E.L.D. will definitely conduct a thorough investigation of him."

"Don't worry, there's absolutely no problem." Venom said confidently, "After establishing a symbiosis with its host, it becomes a part of the host's body and is completely integrated into it. Unless I activate it, no one will be able to detect it."

"Judging from what just happened, Rumlow was indeed willing and offered no resistance. My little clone has already perfectly merged with him."

Venom's ability to create clones is indeed very powerful, but there is only one problem: in order for it to function perfectly, the host must willingly accept it, just like Rumlow just now.

If Rumlow hadn't genuinely accepted the power Holm gave him and swallowed the small black sphere that his clone had transformed into, their fusion wouldn't have been successful.

After all, the small clone is only a tiny bit in terms of size and other aspects, and cannot be compared with the complete Venom. If it were the complete Venom, it wouldn't care whether the host is willing or not, and would directly force the possession.