Reading settings
Chapter 553: Symbiote Legion
During the Vietnam War in the 1970s, former S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury had already set the super-soldier program in motion.
He had discovered a frozen black dragon and planned to use it as a source for extraordinary power.
Nick Fury pierced the iceberg with a special instrument and carefully extracted a small amount of black liquid from the black dragon. This liquid possessed the ability to attach to a host, granting them unimaginable physical enhancements.
S.H.I.E.L.D. called this liquid the "Symbiote."
"We've been dealing with symbiotes for a very long time," Agent Coulson said, his expression grave as he stood before the iceberg, gazing at the seemingly dead black dragon.
"Deadpool once acquired a symbiote named 'Venom' from an unknown source. What we can confirm is that Venom did not come from this black dragon. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s containment and surveillance have always been extremely strict."
Agent Coulson continued, "That symbiote was forcibly stripped from Deadpool by Tony long ago. We have no idea what secrets these symbiote creatures are hiding. We haven't even figured out the origin of this black dragon."
May silently looked up at the black dragon, saying nothing.
Agent Coulson also fell silent. Faced with this cruel reality and a relentless stream of bad news, all explanations were superfluous.
"I'm giving the order: reactivate the Symbiote Legion project," Agent Coulson said in a low voice. "I need more powerful soldiers. Even if the consequences of being parasitized by this thing are tragic, that's something we can only consider after we've repelled the enemies from Apokolips."
The few soldiers who were bonded with symbiotes during the Vietnam War all ended up as madmen who couldn't distinguish friend from foe. Their minds descended into extreme insanity and brutality, a result that forced Nick Fury to terminate the project at the time.
However, Agent Coulson could no longer be bothered with such trivial side effects. If they couldn't defeat the forces of Apokolips, if they couldn't survive this period, they would all be finished.
Their only choice was to take the risk: extract this unknown black dragon's tissue on a massive scale and create more symbiote soldiers.
The more, the better.
Teams of specialists struggled to lift needle-like instruments, then carefully aimed them at the iceberg and pierced through. Upon making contact with the black dragon's body, they immediately activated the suction function, drawing out a small amount of liquid before quickly withdrawing.
The moment this black liquid was exposed to the air, it came to life, writhing and twisting, as if searching for something.
Agent Coulson waved his hand. A squad of soldiers, already prepared, walked over and reached out to the black liquid. Upon contact with life, the symbiotes frantically burrowed into them as if on stimulants. The parasitized soldiers let out shrill screams, clutching their heads in agony as they fell to their knees.
"Everything for victory. If we can win, this price is nothing."
Agent Coulson thought to himself, his gaze stiff and numb.
Yes, it was just human life. The one thing Earth had no shortage of was human life; there was an endless supply. Rather than letting the Parademons slaughter them out there, it was better to bring them all back to accept the symbiote parasites and then send them back to the battlefield.
The colossal black dragon remained motionless within the iceberg, its black body still, seemingly oblivious to everything. Yet, a sharp and chilling sense of oppression emanated from it, casting a heavy gloom over the vast base.
No one spoke. Everyone was busy, extracting symbiotes and creating symbiote soldiers.
Agent Coulson watched for a while, then turned and walked towards the main gate without a backward glance.
Behind him, rows of blackened warriors followed in lockstep.
...
The disastrous state of the war on Earth exceeded everyone's imagination, shattering the perceptions and optimism of Earthlings again and again.
A ceaseless Parademon army poured from Apokolips to Earth. These things moved in swarms, their combat prowess was formidable, and they were cunning to the extreme, making them difficult to kill.
Earth's top-tier combatants united, carrying the hopes and expectations of all humanity, and engaged Steppenwolf in a bloody battle.
But the result was utterly tragic. If The Flash hadn't experienced a power burst mid-battle and suddenly increased his speed tenfold, it's likely none of them would have survived. They all would have been slaughtered by Steppenwolf like he was slicing watermelons, cut down in droves with every swing of his axe.
A large number of second-tier heroes died in battle. The pillars of combat and strategy were either dead or injured—a devastating defeat.
Steppenwolf, merely an avatar of a supreme god from Apokolips, had only to reveal a sliver of his ferocity to fill every living being on Earth with a deep-seated fear and terror.
And one mustn't forget, the one attacking Earth was just a minor avatar, one of the more powerful, disposable pawns that Steppenwolf had deployed throughout the multiverse.
This was a supreme god. This was a supreme god from the hell-star, Apokolips. An avatar this powerful didn't even possess one-ten-thousandth of Steppenwolf's true power.
Steppenwolf stood on the Australian continent, the seawater boiling beneath his feet. Around him, countless Parademons swarmed like locusts, blotting out the sun and choking the air.
Satellites in orbit captured Steppenwolf's every move. His demon-god-like figure plunged the entire planet into a dead silence. Hearts felt ready to burst, and no one dared to even breathe.
Somewhere on Earth, at a temporary superhero command center, a group of battered and crestfallen heroes gathered, dragging their weary and broken bodies together.
"How are we supposed to beat that monster..."
After a long silence, Robin spoke, his voice dry as he tasted the blood in his mouth.
Everyone looked at him, then turned away, sinking back into a prolonged silence.
Everyone present was one of Earth's elites. Each of them had defeated numerous supervillains and possessed an impressive track record.
But now, everything they were proud of had been torn to shreds before Steppenwolf. Their weakness had been laid bare in front of an unprecedentedly terrifying enemy.
Captain America tapped the table with his remaining left hand and said in a low voice, "I've faced many bad situations before..."
"Ha! Enough, Steve. Don't use your little skirmishes from the battlefields of World War II as an example. This is completely different! The enemies you faced could die, they could fail. But the one we're facing now won't!" the first Ant-Man, Hank Pym, said with a cold sneer.
"He can be defeated too!" Captain America roared. Looking at the grim faces of the heroes, he was incredibly anxious, trying to rally their morale.
"Rhodey is dead," Tony said, as if to himself. "That guy was always drooling over my various armor models, but I wouldn't give him a new one... If I'd given him an upgrade, maybe he wouldn't have died..."
Iron Man's face was deathly pale, a side effect of massive blood loss. His most powerful armor couldn't even withstand a single blow from Steppenwolf; it had exploded with just a light touch. Although he had narrowly escaped with his life, his confidence had suffered a tremendous blow.
(end of chapter)
During the Vietnam War in the 1970s, former S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury had already set the super-soldier program in motion.
He had discovered a frozen black dragon and planned to use it as a source for extraordinary power.
Nick Fury pierced the iceberg with a special instrument and carefully extracted a small amount of black liquid from the black dragon. This liquid possessed the ability to attach to a host, granting them unimaginable physical enhancements.
S.H.I.E.L.D. called this liquid the "Symbiote."
"We've been dealing with symbiotes for a very long time," Agent Coulson said, his expression grave as he stood before the iceberg, gazing at the seemingly dead black dragon.
"Deadpool once acquired a symbiote named 'Venom' from an unknown source. What we can confirm is that Venom did not come from this black dragon. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s containment and surveillance have always been extremely strict."
Agent Coulson continued, "That symbiote was forcibly stripped from Deadpool by Tony long ago. We have no idea what secrets these symbiote creatures are hiding. We haven't even figured out the origin of this black dragon."
May silently looked up at the black dragon, saying nothing.
Agent Coulson also fell silent. Faced with this cruel reality and a relentless stream of bad news, all explanations were superfluous.
"I'm giving the order: reactivate the Symbiote Legion project," Agent Coulson said in a low voice. "I need more powerful soldiers. Even if the consequences of being parasitized by this thing are tragic, that's something we can only consider after we've repelled the enemies from Apokolips."
The few soldiers who were bonded with symbiotes during the Vietnam War all ended up as madmen who couldn't distinguish friend from foe. Their minds descended into extreme insanity and brutality, a result that forced Nick Fury to terminate the project at the time.
However, Agent Coulson could no longer be bothered with such trivial side effects. If they couldn't defeat the forces of Apokolips, if they couldn't survive this period, they would all be finished.
Their only choice was to take the risk: extract this unknown black dragon's tissue on a massive scale and create more symbiote soldiers.
The more, the better.
Teams of specialists struggled to lift needle-like instruments, then carefully aimed them at the iceberg and pierced through. Upon making contact with the black dragon's body, they immediately activated the suction function, drawing out a small amount of liquid before quickly withdrawing.
The moment this black liquid was exposed to the air, it came to life, writhing and twisting, as if searching for something.
Agent Coulson waved his hand. A squad of soldiers, already prepared, walked over and reached out to the black liquid. Upon contact with life, the symbiotes frantically burrowed into them as if on stimulants. The parasitized soldiers let out shrill screams, clutching their heads in agony as they fell to their knees.
"Everything for victory. If we can win, this price is nothing."
Agent Coulson thought to himself, his gaze stiff and numb.
Yes, it was just human life. The one thing Earth had no shortage of was human life; there was an endless supply. Rather than letting the Parademons slaughter them out there, it was better to bring them all back to accept the symbiote parasites and then send them back to the battlefield.
The colossal black dragon remained motionless within the iceberg, its black body still, seemingly oblivious to everything. Yet, a sharp and chilling sense of oppression emanated from it, casting a heavy gloom over the vast base.
No one spoke. Everyone was busy, extracting symbiotes and creating symbiote soldiers.
Agent Coulson watched for a while, then turned and walked towards the main gate without a backward glance.
Behind him, rows of blackened warriors followed in lockstep.
...
The disastrous state of the war on Earth exceeded everyone's imagination, shattering the perceptions and optimism of Earthlings again and again.
A ceaseless Parademon army poured from Apokolips to Earth. These things moved in swarms, their combat prowess was formidable, and they were cunning to the extreme, making them difficult to kill.
Earth's top-tier combatants united, carrying the hopes and expectations of all humanity, and engaged Steppenwolf in a bloody battle.
But the result was utterly tragic. If The Flash hadn't experienced a power burst mid-battle and suddenly increased his speed tenfold, it's likely none of them would have survived. They all would have been slaughtered by Steppenwolf like he was slicing watermelons, cut down in droves with every swing of his axe.
A large number of second-tier heroes died in battle. The pillars of combat and strategy were either dead or injured—a devastating defeat.
Steppenwolf, merely an avatar of a supreme god from Apokolips, had only to reveal a sliver of his ferocity to fill every living being on Earth with a deep-seated fear and terror.
And one mustn't forget, the one attacking Earth was just a minor avatar, one of the more powerful, disposable pawns that Steppenwolf had deployed throughout the multiverse.
This was a supreme god. This was a supreme god from the hell-star, Apokolips. An avatar this powerful didn't even possess one-ten-thousandth of Steppenwolf's true power.
Steppenwolf stood on the Australian continent, the seawater boiling beneath his feet. Around him, countless Parademons swarmed like locusts, blotting out the sun and choking the air.
Satellites in orbit captured Steppenwolf's every move. His demon-god-like figure plunged the entire planet into a dead silence. Hearts felt ready to burst, and no one dared to even breathe.
Somewhere on Earth, at a temporary superhero command center, a group of battered and crestfallen heroes gathered, dragging their weary and broken bodies together.
"How are we supposed to beat that monster..."
After a long silence, Robin spoke, his voice dry as he tasted the blood in his mouth.
Everyone looked at him, then turned away, sinking back into a prolonged silence.
Everyone present was one of Earth's elites. Each of them had defeated numerous supervillains and possessed an impressive track record.
But now, everything they were proud of had been torn to shreds before Steppenwolf. Their weakness had been laid bare in front of an unprecedentedly terrifying enemy.
Captain America tapped the table with his remaining left hand and said in a low voice, "I've faced many bad situations before..."
"Ha! Enough, Steve. Don't use your little skirmishes from the battlefields of World War II as an example. This is completely different! The enemies you faced could die, they could fail. But the one we're facing now won't!" the first Ant-Man, Hank Pym, said with a cold sneer.
"He can be defeated too!" Captain America roared. Looking at the grim faces of the heroes, he was incredibly anxious, trying to rally their morale.
"Rhodey is dead," Tony said, as if to himself. "That guy was always drooling over my various armor models, but I wouldn't give him a new one... If I'd given him an upgrade, maybe he wouldn't have died..."
Iron Man's face was deathly pale, a side effect of massive blood loss. His most powerful armor couldn't even withstand a single blow from Steppenwolf; it had exploded with just a light touch. Although he had narrowly escaped with his life, his confidence had suffered a tremendous blow.
(end of chapter)
