The Savior of American Comics? I'm the Subspace Evil God!

Chapters 369, 654, and 655: A Symbol and a Sentence
After thinking it over, Gwen finally decided to tell Sheriff Frank Cassel everything that had happened the previous night.

After she finished speaking, she lowered her head with a look of self-reproach. "It's all my fault for believing his lies back then, which led to this terrible situation. So I have to stop him myself."

"So the person who destroyed the Stark Industries vehicle was the Vulture? But..."

Looking at the stubborn and determined girl in front of him, Inspector Frank Cassel couldn't help but feel a mix of helplessness and relief.

In his heart, he said to his old friend in heaven: "Old Joe, do you see? Your daughter has grown into a proper superhero!"
"Alright then, since you insist, I can tell you some things..."

Sergeant Frank Cassel sighed slightly, then nodded and said, "Actually, as of now, the clues we have are very limited."

"Because when we arrived at Ravencraft Prison last night, those more than 5,000 prisoners had already vanished without a trace."

"Furthermore, the prison's surveillance system was deliberately and destructively sabotaged, so we have no way of knowing what happened inside..."

“And Adrian Tooms is the only one still ‘alive’ who knows the truth, but…”

At this point, Sheriff Frank Cassel paused slightly, as if considering whether he should tell the girl in front of him the truth about what was to come.

After much hesitation, he finally told the truth: "At the time, Adrian Tooms was wearing a black Symbiote Suit, and after we discovered him, he hurriedly flew away from the prison and has been missing ever since!!"

The "symbiote suit" mentioned by Sheriff Frank Cassel was actually first mentioned by John Jameson, the editor-in-chief of the Daily Bugle.

The other party used this word to describe the "A02 Symbiote" on King Kong's body.

Over time, even the official authorities began to use the 'strange' term "symbiote suit." After all, compared to the more 'aggressive and threatening' 'alien symbiotes,' the term 'symbiote suit,' with its clearly milder connotation, could effectively reduce the public's fear of 'symbiotes.'

"[Symbiotic Suit]?!"

Gwen's pretty face beneath the mask instantly showed an expression of disbelief, her beautiful eyes widening in astonishment.

For some reason, when she heard the news, the first image that popped into her mind was that of her arch-nemesis, Eddie Brock.

Could this be related to him?

Gwen quickly asked, "How did he get the Symbiote Suit... He was clearly wearing an exoskeleton wing that night!"

Her eyes were fixed on Sheriff Frank Cassel, as if trying to find the answer in his face.

Clearly, Inspector Frank Cassel couldn't answer her question either. He could only shrug helplessly, a wry smile on his face, and shake his head, saying:
"I have no idea about that... However, we also found a huge, eerie symbol drawn in blood, and a sentence, deep inside the prison!"

"What symbol?" Gwen asked curiously.

“It’s a red rune that looks like a spiral…” Sheriff Frank Cassel roughly outlined the rune in front of Gwen with his hand.

Gwen silently memorized the shape, then continued, "And what is the remaining sentence?"

"The gods are coming!!!"

Sheriff Frank Cassel's expression was somewhat complicated, with a hint of worry in his eyes. "Although we haven't yet figured out exactly what that statement means, it must be closely related to this incident?"

Then, before turning to leave, he couldn't help but remind her again, "Spiderwoman, you need to be careful when you're on your way."

"Adrian Tooms is extremely dangerous and cunning. If you discover any new clues, be sure to notify the police immediately. Do not act rashly on your own!"

His tone was very sincere, much like an elder giving instructions to their younger family member.

And that's exactly what happened.

Although Gwen was determined not to do as the other person suggested, she still politely nodded and replied, "Thank you for reminding me, I will remember."

Then she raised her hand and shot a spider silk upwards, which instantly adhered to the tall building like a silver rope.

Gwen leaped high into the air and disappeared into the towering "steel jungle" in a few bounds.

"Please take good care of yourself...Gwen!!"

Sheriff Frank Cassel looked in the direction Gwen had disappeared, shook his head helplessly, his eyes full of worry, and then returned to his office the way he came.

He had barely sat down, barely had his bottom warm, when a clerical worker rushed up to him anxiously and reported:
“Sheriff Frank, we received a text message earlier from Agent Misty Knight. She said she found the exact same red spiral rune as the one in Ravencraft Prison in Paterson City, along with that phrase…”

"what?!"

Inspector Frank Cassel looked surprised. He stood up abruptly and asked, somewhat puzzled:

"Wasn't Misty supposed to be in Paterson City investigating a murder case? How did she get involved with that rune in Ravencraft Prison?"

Misty Knight is a key member of Sheriff Frank Cassel's team. Two days ago, she was dispatched to a neighboring city to investigate a potentially multi-person homicide.

But who would have thought that it would unexpectedly intersect with the mysterious symbols in Ravencraft Prison?

However, before Sheriff Frank Cassel could ask for the specific details, the civilian employee in front of him shook his head and continued:

"I don't know about that... but when we called her afterwards, no one answered!"

The civilian staff member wore a look of unease.

"It happened."

Inspector Frank Cassel felt a chill run down his spine; a bad feeling suddenly washed over him.

His expression turned serious. As he walked out, he said, "Misty might be in danger. Immediately locate her last known location using her cell phone signal... I'll head over there to help her right away."

"Yes, sir!!"

The civilian staff member quickly responded and turned to carry out the order.

…………

……

[S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters]. In Nick Fury's office, a large screen is playing a loop of the Daily Bugle's reports on Ravencraft Prison.

Nick Fury sat behind his large desk, his brow furrowed, but he wasn't concerned about the whereabouts or fate of the more than five thousand missing prisoners.

What he was more concerned about was where the symbiote on Adrian Tooms, the Vulture, came from.

"So, you choose to believe what Eddie Brock just said..."

Nick Fury looked expressionlessly at Black Widow sitting across the desk. His eyes were sharp, and he asked with a hint of displeasure and doubt in his tone:

"Are you so sure that the symbiote on Adrian Tooms is unrelated to Eddie Brock?"

“That’s right.” Black Widow nodded with a complicated expression.

As Nick Fury's confidante, Black Widow naturally knew what her naturally suspicious boss was thinking and what he wanted to hear from her.

But she still said truthfully with a serious expression, "Sir, through close surveillance over the past period of time, I have not found anything unusual about Eddie Brock."

"Although I also feel that this kid has been acting strangely ever since he came back, as things stand, the possibility that he is connected to the Ravencraft prison incident or the symbiote on Adrian Tooms is very small..."

"Perhaps that [symbiote] is a [sub-symbiote] that accidentally split off from one of the [symbiotes] that escaped from the [Life Foundation]'s laboratory when it was destroyed."

"After all, wasn't Eddie Brock's Anti-Venom split off from the Venom Symbiote in that man's possession back then?"

Seeing Nick Fury's increasingly pale face, Black Widow quickly added, "Also, I conducted a full examination of Eddie Brock this morning and confirmed that he does not have a symbiote."

"Hmm?" Nick Fury looked slightly surprised and muttered to himself, "Could it be that I was overthinking it?"

His fingers tapped lightly on the table, making a rhythmic sound.

After frowning and pondering for a moment, Nick Fury decided not to dwell on this question, which he couldn't answer for the time being, and immediately changed the subject, "Oh, by the way, how's the investigation into Adrian Tooms going?"

Black Widow's eye twitched involuntarily, and she thought to herself: Seriously, do you have to be chasing me so closely, sir?
Do you think I've had even a single second of free time since I received the notification last night until this morning?

Answer me!!!
Please, sir, can you stop treating me like livestock?

Are all the agents in S.H.I.E.L.D. dead? Are there no other agents left?

Why is it that others can just sit in an office all day, enjoy the air conditioning, drink coffee, and still get paid and have holidays?
But I have to carry out all sorts of arduous and challenging tasks day and night... and I always get scolded by you.

Sir, I have to say, isn't this going a bit too far?
Despite her complaints, Black Widow remained quite dedicated to her work, responding with a hint of weariness in her voice:
"Sir, I have located the engineer nicknamed 'Tinker' Phineas Mason, who is Adrian Tooms's closest associate and has never been caught by the police."

"I'm going to his hideout soon... I think if I find him, I should be able to get more useful information about Adrian Tooms!"

“Good.” Nick Fury was quite satisfied and waved to Black Widow across from him. “Go ahead, and report back to me immediately if anything happens.”

"Yes, sir." Black Widow stood up and fled the office as if she were escaping.

Watching Black Widow leave the office, Nick Fury frowned again.

He leaned back in his chair, his eyes revealing deep suspicion.

His suspicions about Eddie Brock did not lessen; on the contrary, they grew stronger.

For him, the absence of anything unusual is precisely the biggest unusual thing!
Nick Fury even had a feeling that the symbiote on Adrian Tooms was definitely related to Eddie Brock.

There must be some big secret hidden in the other party!
However, he currently has no evidence or clues pointing to Eddie Brock, so naturally he cannot launch an attack against him.

The key to solving this mystery is, of course, to find Adrian Tooms!

Nick Fury thought for a moment, picked up the internal phone to notify his deputy Maria Hill, but then stopped, as if he had thought of something.

His eyes flickered, as if he was weighing something.

He then put down the phone, opened the special safe hidden in a secret compartment under his desk, took out the blue cell phone from one of the two old-fashioned phones (one red, one blue) inside, and dialed the only number in his contacts.

"Beep...beep..."

The phone was answered after two rings, and Nick Fury, in an unquestionable tone, gave the direct and instructive order:

"Talos, immediately send your men to closely monitor Adrian Tooms' family... no, just replace his daughter, and switch her back after the mission is complete!"

"We must find him before the police do and figure out the origin of the symbiote on him."

The person on the other end of the phone did not raise any questions or doubts, and immediately responded seriously, "Yes, Director, I will arrange it right away."

The voice was concise and clear, with a soldier's crispness.

After hanging up, Nick Fury first locked the blue phone back in the safe, then picked up the internal phone on his desk again and called the newly established Symbiote Biosystems Research Laboratory.

"How are the experiments on the division of the [symbiote] going?"

In response to Nick Fury's inquiry, the project manager on the other end of the phone replied somewhat nervously, "Director, we might be facing a bit of trouble here?"

The person in charge's voice trembled slightly, as if he was afraid of being reprimanded by his superiors.

"Hmm? What's the trouble?"

Nick Fury frowned and asked in a cold voice.

"Uh, that..."

The project leader said with a helpless and frustrated expression, "None of the 12 alien symbiotes we brought back seem to have the ability to split into sub-symbiotes."

"All the autonomous splitting experiments we conducted during this period ended in failure... We were helpless about it."

(End of this chapter)