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

He found the gas mask in a toolbox hidden under the electrical distribution box by the door; he had prepared it a long time ago.

He had already prepared contingency plans for this kind of thing, and now he was just carrying them out according to the plan.

Just as Holm took a few steps into the house with his gun in hand, he suddenly saw a figure sitting on the sofa, also wearing a gas mask.

"Don't move. Answer my questions. If you hide anything or make any moves, my bullet will blow your head off instantly," Holm said, gripping his gun tightly.

After he finished speaking, the voice sitting on the sofa said in a deep voice, "Cut off a head."

"Grow two more heads," Holm replied with a hint of surprise.

“Hail Hydra,” the person sitting on the sofa continued.

“Hail Hydra!” Holm continued in response.

"Your reaction was very good, Agent Clint. You certainly didn't disappoint me," the person sitting on the sofa said to Holm, his tone carrying the composure and praise of a superior.

As he spoke, Holm slowly walked to one side of the living room and opened the window to allow air to circulate and quickly disperse the spreading smoke.

After a moment, once the smoke in the room had dissipated, Holm removed his gas mask and looked at the figure on the sofa, asking, "Sorry, in the past it was always Agent Ward and I who communicated unilaterally, so..."

"That was before. From today onwards, you will be under my direct supervision." The person on the sofa said this while also removing his gas mask, revealing a serious and dignified middle-aged face.

His hair was neatly combed, matching his spotless suit and unique temperament, making him look intimidating. His eyes were deep yet contained a sharp glint, as if he could see through everything.

“By the way, let me introduce myself. My name is John Garratt. You can call me Agent Garratt. From now on, I will be your direct contact, and all your orders will be issued by me personally.” John Garratt said, sitting upright on the sofa and looking at Holm standing in front of the coffee table.

Hearing John Garratt's words, Holm hesitated before asking, "Has something happened to Agent Ward?"

As he asked the question, Holm's eyes also revealed a hint of doubt and distrust.

John Garratt observed all of this and realized that a few words alone might not be enough to gain Holm's trust, so he continued to ask questions.

"Horm Clint, born and raised in a church-run orphanage in Manhattan, was discovered at the age of 10 and brought back to Hydra for training. After basic training, Grant Ward served as your instructor for further training..."

"Joined S.H.I.E.L.D. at 18, and has consistently performed exceptionally well since then, rising through the ranks and assisting the organization in completing numerous classified missions..."

"After last month's mission and the abilities you demonstrated, you should now have been promoted to a Level 7 S.H.I.E.L.D. agent..."

John Garratt gave a concise overview of Holm's life story, and he also noticed that the doubt in Holm's eyes gradually disappeared, replaced by trust and some hidden shock.

He was satisfied with Holm's reaction, but remained outwardly calm as he continued, "This information should be enough to dispel your doubts."

"I shouldn't be telling you about Grant Ward, but I'm very satisfied with you, so I can tell you some secrets."

"Your instructor, Agent Ward, did many things during his tenure that fooled the organization and violated its rules. The organization was supposed to eliminate him directly, but he noticed something was wrong and escaped in advance."

"He's hiding very well. We currently know nothing about his whereabouts, but he's both a defector from S.H.I.E.L.D. and a wanted criminal by Hydra. He's destined to remain hidden for long."

As John Garratt recounted these events, Holm appropriately displayed an expression of disbelief and shock, while also concealing a hint of joy and resentment, as well as a fleeting ambition.

As a top agent, John Garratt noticed all of Holm's changes in expression.

This further convinced John Garratt of his investigation and made him more satisfied with Garratt himself.

He knew very well about the relationship between Holm and Grant Ward. If Holm was a completely tamed and stupid servant, he would only think that this tool was superfluous and unusable, like a chicken rib—tasteless to eat and a pity to throw away.

But now Holm is displaying all the qualities he wanted: not only keen observation and powerful combat skills, but also appropriate ambition and strong self-control.

Such a powerful weapon was wasted by Grant Ward; that traitor deserves to die.

John Garratt wanted nothing more than to chop Grant Ward into mincemeat when he thought about the things Grant Ward had done, including betraying him.

The more proud he was of this student, the more he wanted to kill him now.

Holm also noticed the resentment flashing in John Garrett's eyes. He knew without a doubt that Grant Ward's actions were largely related to his superior.

Thinking about this, Holm suddenly felt that Grant Ward should thank him, after all, he killed the other party so decisively.

If Hydra found out about what Grant Ward had done, he wouldn't be able to die even if he wanted to.

A thought flashed through his mind, and after John Garratt finished speaking, Holm continued sincerely, "I see, I understand. I will follow your orders from now on, sir."

Seeing Holm's current attitude, John Garratt nodded in satisfaction.

However, considering that Holm and Grant Ward had known each other for so many years, he still narrowed his eyes and tentatively asked, "It seems you don't know his whereabouts? Didn't he give you any instructions before he left? After all these years, you've maintained a superior-subordinate relationship, and you've always been his best tool."

Here it comes, the test is here again.

Faced with John Garratt's renewed probing, Holm mentally cursed him and his family, but outwardly he couldn't show any abnormality and still had to express his attitude with trepidation.

Chapter 63, Let's get some more blood samples.

He also needed to reveal some of the vicious ways Grant Ward had treated him in the past, so that John Garratt would know that he and Grant Ward were definitely not allies, and on the contrary, that he harbored a deep resentment towards Grant Ward.

After hearing Holm's words, John Garratt nodded with a playful smile and said, "In that case, if we find any trace of him in the future, I will give you the opportunity to deal with him yourself."

"Thank you, sir! I will do it flawlessly, quickly and cleanly!" Holm expressed his attitude without hesitation.

Seeing Holm's attitude, John Garratt's final test was over. Based on this month's investigation, previous data, and the recent exchange, he now had a comprehensive understanding of Holm.

He could sense Holm's barely concealed surprise, joy, and ambition upon learning that Grant Ward had become a traitor.

As Holm said, although he and Grant Ward had a superior-subordinate relationship for many years, they were definitely not accomplices. On the contrary, if given the opportunity, Holm would be happy to take matters into his own hands and deal with him.

“Alright, sit down and let’s talk. I can sense your loyalty to the organization, and I trust and recognize your abilities, so let’s discuss your future plans.” John Garratt waved to Holm, gesturing for him to sit on the sofa to the side.

Hearing his words, Holm knew that the final test was over, so he sat down to the side as required.

It has to be said that John Garratt is quite the shrewd old fox; Holm must have been wary of countless pitfalls during their conversation.

Even if he racked his brains, he would never have imagined that Grant Ward was already dead, and that he was killed by the seemingly trembling Holm in front of him.

“First, let me see your abilities. To be honest, I’m quite curious,” John Garratt said, scrutinizing Holm.

Upon hearing this, Holm knew what the other person wanted to see, so he stretched out his hands, letting the black, viscous liquid ooze from his skin, flowing continuously on the surface of his hands like a piece of clay that could be molded at will.

Seeing the abilities Holm displayed, John Garratt moved forward to get a closer look at the venom on Holm's arm.

Looking at John Garratt, who was close to his arm, and his neck, which was inches away, Holm felt an absurd urge to chop off his head.

If the former Grant Ward was a perverted tyrant, the current John Garratt felt like a giant rat in the gutter—not only cunning and shrewd but also sinister and ruthless, equally disgusting.

Venom, inside Holm's body, also sensed his subtle emotional changes.

Thinking about the possibility of getting new snacks, Venom excitedly said, "Should we kill him? Let's kill him!"

"I just need to gently stroke his head and it will fall off. I've also locked onto the others outside. Hehehe, so many little snacks, slurp slurp, my mouth is watering."

Hearing that Venom had already started planning how to silence him, Holm quickly stopped him: "Calm down, now is not the time to kill him. If you want some snacks, I'll take you to find those unlucky guys later."

While Venom and Holm were talking, John Garratt sat up straight again, looked at Holm and smiled, "I've seen the records about you in S.H.I.E.L.D. With your current skills, there's probably no one in this world you can't kill."

After offering a compliment, before Holm could say anything, he had already taken out a toolbox from the side, placed it on the table, and opened it.

“Keep your current position, I need to collect some samples,” John Garratt said, taking out a sharp knife and tweezers.

Here we go again, Holm thought to himself as he watched this scene unfold.

So for the next minute, Holm repeated what he had done at the burger shop.

"I'm sorry, sir... but this is not something I can control. Although it is under my control, it also has its own instincts..." Holm explained nervously.

Listening to Holm's explanation, John Garratt also looked at him with a gloomy face and said in a deep voice, "Is it really its own instinct? Or is it actually your own idea?"

Sure enough, the difference between Hydra and S.H.I.E.L.D. began to emerge here. Although both of them were shady organizations, living in the shadows, and S.H.I.E.L.D. also had its share of dirty deeds, compared to Hydra, these were nothing. After all, in terms of filthiness, Hydra had a long history in this world and was far ahead.

Faced with John Garratt's distrust and doubts, Holm hurriedly and nervously continued to explain, including the same thing that happened when S.H.I.E.L.D. collected samples that day.

After a moment of silence, John Garratt also abandoned the idea of ​​directly collecting venom samples and instead turned his attention to Holm.

"By the way, it's said that your body's healing ability is also quite amazing," John Garratt said, looking at Holm's arms that had returned to normal.

“That’s right, my healing ability is indeed far beyond that of ordinary people now, compared to before…” Before Holm could finish speaking, John Garratt had already brandished a sharp knife and cut a long gash in his arm.

The sudden pain forced Holm to swallow back all the words he was about to say.

John Garratt remained calm, holding the bloodstained knife and watching with great interest the rapidly healing wound on Holm's arm.

For him, what he had just done was nothing to worry about; even if he had cut off Holm's hand, it wouldn't have mattered.

"Damn it! ****!"

Holm remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he had already marked John Garratt as a culprit, and when the time was right, he would definitely send the old man down to meet Grant Ward.

“It’s healed! That’s unbelievable.” John Garratt exclaimed in amazement as he looked at Holm’s healed wound.

Then he took out another test tube, and with a slash of the knife, cut a small piece of flesh directly off Holm's arm.

“Since we can’t collect a sample from this strange creature, we’ll use your flesh and blood as a substitute. Your flesh and blood are also of great research value, and the organization needs them,” John Garratt said casually as he put the next portion of flesh and blood into a test tube.

"It is my honor," Holm said with a faint smile, as if what had been cut off was not his own flesh and blood.

Watching John Garratt put the test tube away, he continued with a smile, "Let's collect some more blood samples."

(Please read on! Remember to scroll back to the homepage after you finish reading!)

Chapter 64, Code Name: Viper

With Holm's cooperation, the sample collection was completed quickly. Watching John Garrett pack the items back into the box, Holm silently wished well of his family and relatives, if they were still alive.

“According to what you just said, you’ve now joined Phil Coulson’s special team, right?” John Garratt asked Holm, leaning back on the sofa.

Holm nodded in agreement and said, "Yes, the specifics are not yet clear. All we know is that this team is here to handle some special missions."

“It seems they also value your abilities,” John Garratt said with a smile. “Such an opportunity is rare.”

"You probably don't know how difficult it is to get close to the most key people in S.H.I.E.L.D., so you are really lucky to have this opportunity."

"So your most important task in the coming days is to perform well in your new team, earn more trust from Phil Coulson, and become a high-ranking member of S.H.I.E.L.D."

"If you can really become one of the key figures in the upper echelons of S.H.I.E.L.D., then your future will be immeasurable."

John Garratt's words were not an exaggeration. Although Hydra's infiltration of S.H.I.E.L.D. was severe, especially among the lower and middle levels, it actually didn't have much usable power at the higher levels.

Nick Fury truly deserves the title of King of Agents, maintaining extremely strict control over the core areas of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Phil Coulson and Maria Hill are his right-hand men, not to mention top agents like Black Widow and Hawkeye who can handle some troublesome matters for him.

Over the years, since Nick Fury became the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., only John Garratt has been close enough to get into this circle.

He only managed to do this because of his long-standing relationship with Phil Coulson.

Therefore, this opportunity that Holm has been given is also very crucial for Hydra. If he can truly make full use of his abilities and enter Nick Fury's field of vision to become his capable subordinate, then Hydra's control over Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. will be almost as easy as using his own limbs.