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

Suddenly, the massive machine gun barrel behind Rhodey moved on its own, landing on his shoulder and aiming at Tony.

"Just as I expected!" Tony crouched down slightly, energy gathering in his hands and feet.

He knew he would alert the enemy, but it didn't matter. As long as he was there, the other side would definitely take action.

At the same time, all the steel soldiers on the stage raised their arms, and all the gun barrels were aimed at Tony on the field.

"Run! He's taken control of the entire system, and you're being targeted!" Rhodes shouted urgently upon seeing this.

Tony reacted quickly, and as soon as Rhodey shouted, he had already launched his energy and flown into the air.

At the same time, Holm's voice came through his channel.

"Fly to an open area and lure away the flying creatures first. Remember to be quick, there are too many people at the exhibition."

"I'm on my way to the venue. My colleagues are working hard to attack Ivan Vanko's operating system. Once they succeed in hacking in, the threat of these steel soldiers will be eliminated."

"OK." Tony responded to Holm's voice, then accelerated and flew out of the top of the glass.

As Tony moved, the barrels of the steel soldiers' guns fired bullets in tandem with his movements.

"Da! Da! Da!"

Intense gunfire erupted, and whistling bullets shattered all the glass in the ceiling.

The sudden turn of events plunged the venue into chaos, but fortunately the security guards were quite professional and immediately began evacuating the crowd.

Just then, Holm arrived outside the venue. He had just hung up the phone with Coulson, who had told him to be flexible and not to escalate the situation further, and to try to end the matter at the lowest possible cost.

"Beep beep beep!" Just as Holm put his usual cell phone into his pocket, his backup phone started ringing.

After the call connected, Garrett's slightly anxious voice came from the other end.

"Were you at the meeting? Did S.H.I.E.L.D. send you to handle this matter?"

“Yes, I just received the mission,” Holm said as he walked against the flow of the crowd into the venue.

Hearing his reply, Garrett breathed a sigh of relief and then quickly said, "Find a way to protect Ivan Vanko during this mission; the organization needs him to play a greater role."

Hearing Garrett's request, Holm sneered inwardly. It's easy for him to talk when he's not in the situation. He doesn't even know where Ivan Vanko is, so how can he possibly protect him?

“But I don’t know his current location, and I need to follow S.H.I.E.L.D.’s instructions to maintain the security of the venue and resolve this matter as soon as possible.” Holm’s meaning was simple: he couldn’t do this now, as he lacked the right timing, location, and support.

"What are you saying?" Garrett's voice was filled with anger. He hadn't expected Holm to dare refuse him. "Do you really think you're a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent?! Don't forget you're Hydra!"

"All you have to do is accept the order! And then execute it! Understand?"

Hearing Garrett start to speak ill of him, Holm took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "I always remember that I am a member of Hydra, and I have never deviated from my own position, but I really cannot accept this mission."

"I believe that even if Lord Pierce knew, he would understand my decision now. After all, under the current circumstances, if I accept the mission, I would be risking my own exposure, and there is no guarantee that the mission will be completed."

"Therefore, whether considering my long-term development as an undercover agent or the pros and cons for the organization, I cannot accept this mission."

"If the lord still has other opinions on this, I don't mind facing Lord Pierce's questions with the lord after this matter is over."

"However, before that, I would like to remind you to think of your explanations in advance, since I already reminded you yesterday."

"How dare you...?!" Faced with Holm's attitude, Garrett felt like he was about to explode with anger. He never thought that Holm, who had always been obedient to him, would dare to talk to him like this.

His guess was right; this guy was no longer under his control, as evidenced by the extra question he asked during the phone call yesterday.

Before Garrett could even roar out a sound, Holm had already hung up the phone and then crushed it into powder with his fist.

Chapter 186, The Rift

Damn old bastard Deng, he's been putting up with this old guy for a long time. He's always obeyed him because he can help him climb higher in the ranks.

Now that he's in a higher position, before he's even done anything, this old bastard has started to treat him with disrespect.

Thinking of this, a cold glint flashed in Holm's eyes. It seemed that this old guy could no longer be kept alive. He had to find a way to get rid of him properly. He was no longer Holm's help, but rather an obstacle to his advancement.

Venom sensed Holm's intentions and cackled, "Is it finally time to kill this old turtle? We've kept him around for so long, it's time to taste him. Hopefully, he'll taste better than your previous boss."

"It won't be long. Once I figure out how to squeeze every last drop of value out of him, he won't be far from death," Holm said coldly.

By this time, most of the people in the venue had run away. Holm directed the arriving S.H.I.E.L.D. agents while kicking back the Iron Soldiers who were trying to leave the exhibition hall one by one.

These guys didn't fly over from above like the air force before; instead, they wanted to follow orders to go outside the exhibition hall and then attack Tony Stark in the air from the ground.

So even though Holm kicked them back one by one, they stubbornly got up again and walked out with heavy steps.

Seeing this, Holm pressed his earpiece and asked Daisy on the other end, "How's your intrusion progress? How much longer until it's complete?"

"Right away, almost done!" Daisy replied while furiously tapping on the screen. "3...2...1, all done!"

As soon as she finished speaking, the steel soldiers in the venue instantly stopped moving, and the red lights flashing above their heads disappeared at the same time, all of them entering a shutdown state.

Meanwhile, the Air Force Iron Soldiers who were firing at Tony Stark all stopped in mid-air and then flew back into the venue according to the new instructions Daisy gave them.

“I have now taken control of all the steel soldiers and returned Major Rhodes’s operational authority to him. These steel soldiers are still carrying bombs, so we need to contact the department as soon as possible to disarm them all to avoid any accidents.” Daisy said as she maneuvered the Air Force steel soldiers back onto the display platform.

Holm nodded and said, "Call Commander Coulson. I'll ask about Tony Stark's situation."

After Holm finished speaking, he connected to Tony Stark's channel and asked him as he walked out of the venue, "How's the situation on your end? We've taken control of the Iron Soldiers."

“I saw it. Those Iron Soldiers have gone back, but a new Iron Armor has appeared, completely different from the previous ones. I’m planning to lure it into the Botanical Garden with Rhodes and take care of it.” Tony answered Holm’s question while driving the Iron Armor at high speed.

"Be careful, I'm heading to the botanical garden now," Holm cautioned.

After hanging up the phone, Holm strolled leisurely toward the botanical garden, displaying a completely different, relaxed demeanor from when he was on the phone.

Finally, just as he was about to reach the botanical garden, two armored vehicles flew rapidly into the sky. Then, with a loud bang, flames exploded all over the sky, engulfing the entire botanical garden.

"It's finally over," Holm thought, squinting as he looked at the sky ablaze with fire.

He did it on purpose. Ivan Vanko's existence was of no importance to him, but it was important to him that Garrett misjudged the situation and failed to complete the mission.

After all, if he wants to continue climbing the ranks, Garrett is the first obstacle he needs to eliminate.

......

In a luxurious villa in the suburbs of New York, Garrett watched the news on television and listened to his subordinates' reports on the phone. He gritted his teeth and threw the remote control on the ground, smashing it to pieces.

Holm had just texted him, telling him the outcome of the mission and that although he had tried his best to save Ivan Vanko, he still couldn't make it in time.

After receiving a more detailed report from his subordinates, he confirmed the result and could no longer control his anger.

This idea of ​​"making the most of both things" was first proposed by him and was also approved by Pierce and other senior executives, who then put it into practice.

He had originally planned to take advantage of this mission to climb the ranks and, incidentally, suppress Holm's momentum. After all, while the higher-ups admired Holm's abilities, they also felt that he did need to be kept in check.

As a veteran agent with many years of experience, he still has the sense to see things clearly. So, with the right timing, location, and people all around him, as long as this mission is completed, he might even be able to reach the highest level and become the true core of Hydra.

But no matter how much he planned, he never expected such a turn of events. Not only did Hammer Industries' steel soldiers become a laughing stock, but Ivan Vanko himself was also blown to ashes. In this incident, he not only failed to achieve his goal of killing two birds with one stone, but he didn't even get a single fish scale.

The failure of the mission had already infuriated him, and the disobedient tendencies shown by Holm only fueled his anger.

Thinking of this, he raised his hand and looked again at the text message Holm had just sent him. With this text message, even if he wanted to go to Pierce to say that Holm was not following his instructions, there was no way to do so.

Although he had a fight with Holm, according to Holm, he still tried his best to complete the task, but in the end, it was not satisfactory and he was unable to save Ivan Vanko.

From Holm's perspective, there was no problem. At most, his attitude was a little improper when speaking to his superiors. But since he was capable and kept mentioning Lord Pierce, even if it caused some dissatisfaction among the higher-ups, it wouldn't affect the overall situation.

From Garrett's perspective, Holm, his subordinate, was now breaking free from his control and trying to climb over him, which was something he absolutely could not tolerate.

We can't let this go on; we have to teach that guy a lesson!

Thinking of this, Garrett pondered for a moment with a flicker in his eyes, then picked up his phone and dialed Pierce's number.

"Sir Pierce, I suspect that Agent Viper's stance and loyalty have wavered somewhat..."

"...Understood. I will use my methods to thoroughly test him, solidify his stance, and ensure he fully belongs to the organization..."

Chapter 187, The Meaning of Selling One's Soul and Life

After Tony Stark's affairs were settled, Holm finally had some free time and handed over all his responsibilities.

Taking advantage of the darkness, he quietly slipped into the sewers and arrived at this vast underground space that was usually deserted.

After passing through several dark passages and several closed iron gates, he finally arrived at an abandoned platform.

There was only a small light bulb that flickered occasionally, providing a sliver of light; the rest of the time, it was completely dark.

The original platform was now covered in moss, and rats or other reptiles could be seen sparsely moving about in the dark corners.

Holm stood on the platform, reached out and tightened the small light bulb to stop it from flickering, and then turned to the dimly lit corner next to him, saying in a hoarse voice, "Don't you find it dazzling?"

"Or do you just want to hide there and wait to give me a hard time?"

As he finished speaking, countless grains of sand surged from the dim corner and gradually coalesced into the shape of William Baker.

He looked better than when he was at S.H.I.E.L.D. It seems that after escaping, he ate a lot of food that he hadn't been able to eat during that time, and regained some vitality and energy.

“I would like to do that, but I know I can’t now,” William Baker said in a deep voice, looking at Holm’s dark face that seemed to absorb all light.

Upon hearing his answer, Holm tilted his head and earnestly corrected him, "It's not that you can't do it now, it's that you've never been able to do it."

"This is just to help you see reality more clearly and save you some effort."

“I understand. After all, I’ve already sold my soul and life to you, you ‘devil,’ haven’t I?” William Baker said with a self-deprecating laugh.

"At least this devil of mine is reasonable," Holm chuckled hoarsely. "I gave you extraordinary power, and now I will give you a happy life that you've regained."

After saying that, Holm turned around and jumped off the platform. Without looking back, he said to William Baker, "Come on, come with me to see what you've been thinking about all this time."

Upon hearing this, William Baker pursed his lips and, with a somewhat complicated expression, followed Holm down to the platform.

Half an hour later, the two of them stood on the roof of a building, quietly watching Rumlow below as he parked his car and began carrying large bags from the trunk, and Katie, who was following behind him with a backpack, a ponytail, a bright smile, and a cute and clever look.

Compared to when Holm came here last time, Katie is now much more relaxed and cheerful. It seems that she and Rumlow have been getting along very well during this time. Even Rumlow, that tough guy, has a happy smile on his face.

“You lied to me. You didn’t tell me she’s been adopted and is doing very well,” William Baker said in a low voice, looking at the heartwarming scene below with a mixture of pity and sadness.

"Is that what you think?" Holm asked with a hint of amusement.

"What if I told you that the man who adopted her is my subordinate, and that he is taking care of her on my orders?"

Upon hearing this, William Baker abruptly turned his head, his tense face filled with anger.

Seeing his angry expression, Holm remained unmoved and continued loudly, "I told him to take good care of that little guy, and he has been doing so very well. If I told him to kill that little guy..."

Before Holm could finish speaking, William Baker, enraged, raised his fist at him.

But just as he raised his arm, Holm snapped his fingers, and he collapsed to his knees as if struck by lightning, clutching his head and groaning in pain, his t-shirt instantly soaked with cold sweat.