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

Seeing his pained expression, Holm bent down with a cold look in his eyes, placed his hand on his head, and said in a deep voice, "You don't seem to understand what it means to give me your soul and your life."

"Without me, you would still be spinning around on the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier like a pile of ordinary sand, drinking nutrient solution every 6 hours to stay alive."

"If you think that little guy was specifically chosen by me to be your weakness and leverage, then you're wrong, because I don't need that kind of thing. After all, your life is in my hands."

"The truth is you should kneel down and kiss my shoes to thank me for the gift of bringing this little guy to you."

As Holm spoke, he tightened his grip, and when his last words fell, William Baker's head was completely reduced to a pile of sand.

As the sand broke apart and slowly began to heal, returning to the shape of his head, Holm patted the sand off his hands and said calmly, "Thank me from the bottom of your heart, because I not only gave you a second life, but also a second chance to have a happy life."

"What happened today is the first and last time. If you still don't understand your place, then I can send you to hell for free, understand?"

“I…I understand…” William Baker replied, kneeling on the ground and panting heavily.

He had just truly felt the threat of death, and he knew very well that if the pain continued, he would definitely die instantly.

It's not the kind of sudden death where you can recover after being broken up, but a sudden death in the true sense where both body and soul die.

"For the next period of time, you will live across from them. I will inform my men of your presence, and you can help take care of the little guy."

Holm said to William Baker as he looked at Rumlow and Katie, who had already returned home.

"You should now have the ability to transform yourself, so remember to prepare a completely new image for yourself. You will have a completely new identity in this country."

"Thank you," William Baker said slowly as he stood up, bowing his head in a deep voice.

Holm ignored his thanks and instead took out a photograph and a stack of documents from his pocket, handing them to him and continuing, "Based on the image of the person in the photograph, we'll develop a plan that can be changed to resemble that person at any time. The documents contain complete intelligence on this person."

"I'll give you a month. You need to get familiar with his appearance and all his habits as soon as possible. When the time is right, I will let you replace him."

William Baker nodded silently and accepted the photos and documents.

"Baron Strucker... Sokovia... Leader of Hydra's Sokovia branch..."

Looking at the information above, William Baker felt as if he had come into contact with a completely new world, a real world that he had never heard of or encountered before.

Chapter 188, Upgrade Celebration, Old York Pizza

"Welcome to Level 8, Agent Clint." In the conference room of the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, Nick Fury spoke to Holm while extending his hand.

“It’s my pleasure,” Holm replied with a smile, shaking his hand in return.

Beside them, Coulson smiled with a hint of satisfaction and clapped his hands gently in congratulation, while Daisy was even more excited than Holm, clapping loudly and shouting incessantly, creating an atmosphere that seemed to belong to a whole crowd all by herself.

"Reaching Level 8 not only signifies an increase in privileges and benefits, but it also means that the tasks you will face in the future will be more difficult and dangerous. I hope you are prepared," Nick Fury said solemnly to Holm.

Holm nodded upon hearing this and replied very seriously, "Please rest assured, sir, I will do my best."

Then came some more pleasantries, and after that, Nick Fury and Coulson went to take care of other things, leaving Daisy and Holm to prepare to enjoy their vacation.

"Wow! The vacation has begun! You didn't forget what you promised me a few days ago, did you? Let's go have some fun today and celebrate your promotion," Daisy said excitedly.

Holm chuckled and said, "Not only do I get a level up, but you also get double the bonus. By the way, since we're getting double the bonus, how about today...?"

"No way! You're the one who leveled up, don't even think about taking my bonus. I need it to buy lots of things," Daisy immediately interrupted Holm's idea, clearly treasuring her bonus.

"But I've prepared a gift for you, hehe, you'll find out tonight." As she said this, Daisy's eyes darted around, as if she was thinking of something.

Holm had only meant to tease her, but he hadn't expected to elicit such a surprise. He didn't know exactly what it was, but it was probably a gift or something, like the clothes Gwen had given him.

Thinking of this, Holm couldn't help but think of Gwen. There had been too much going on lately, and they hadn't met in person since their chance encounter at Stark Tower. They had only chatted online from time to time.

I'm on vacation now, and I should find some time to see her. According to her, the company seems to be on the right track recently, but he, as the biggest investor, hasn't had much time to check on it.

"What are you thinking about? We should go." Daisy waved her hand in front of Holm, interrupting his wandering thoughts.

"I was wondering what gift you'd prepared for me." Holm smiled as he followed her out of the conference room and into the hangar; they needed to board the Quinjet to return to the ground.

Hearing Holm's words, Daisy simply shook her head mysteriously, then curled the corners of her lips and said, "You'll find out tonight. It's a secret for now."

"What kind of clothes are they?" Holm asked tentatively.

“No.” Daisy shook her head.

"Is that a firearm?"

"No."

"Is that wine?"

"Ugh, no, you're so annoying. Stop asking, you'll find out tonight."

Daisy was getting annoyed by Holm's relentless questioning. She angrily raised her fist and threatened him, "Don't ask me anymore, or I'll hit you!"

Seeing Daisy raise her fist, Holm stopped teasing her and pressed her fist down while saying, "Alright, alright, I'm not teasing you anymore. I'll take you out for something delicious tonight."

"Hmph! That's more like it." Daisy lowered her hand when she saw this, and then took the lead in boarding the Quinjet.

Half an hour later, he and Daisy drove from the base into the city, discussing what to eat along the way.

"Where to? Is there any shop you'd like to visit?" Holm asked Daisy as he drove.

Upon hearing this, Daisy sat up and excitedly pointed to the road, saying, "Come this way, I'll take you to a new restaurant I discovered. Their pizzas are really good, especially the smoked sausage one, it's absolutely unique in New York."

“Pizza? That’s fine, but is it really as good as you say?” Holm said, turning at the intersection ahead as she was being directed.

We continued driving for another 20 minutes and finally arrived at the entrance of a shop that looked very stylish.

Above the storefront hangs a large sign that reads their name: "Old York Pizza".

"This is it. The owner has been running it for many years, and it was only recently renovated," Daisy said as she led Holm inside.

"I discovered it by chance last time. I heard from people around me that the food here was really good, so I came to try it out, and it really lived up to its reputation."

Holm listened as he walked into the shop, where he saw an old man with gray hair but a good spirit, dressed in a white chef's uniform, kneading dough by the stove at the back.

When Daisy came in, the old man greeted her kindly.

“Hehe, this is the owner, Old York. He’s the soul of this shop. Don’t let his amiable appearance fool you; he can be quite strict with his apprentices.” Daisy led Holm to sit by the window.

No sooner had he finished speaking than a shout rang out. Holm looked up and saw old York holding a dark lump of dough, scolding the young apprentice beside him so harshly that he couldn't lift his head.

Beside the young apprentice was a young man of Asian appearance, who was looking at the apprentice with schadenfreude while trying to calm old York down.

Judging from their language and actions, the young Asian man and old York seem to have an unusual and close relationship, almost like a grandfather and grandson.

As Holm was lost in thought, a unique fragrance wafted into his nose.

The waiter had already brought out their pizza. Bright red sausages were laid on the baked pizza crust, paired with sticky cheese. It not only smelled complicated, but also tasted amazing.

This restaurant is definitely something special. Sure enough, it must be something special to make Daisy, a foodie, crave it so much.

After dinner, Holmben wanted to take Daisy to a bar for a drink, since that was what he had said last time.

But Daisy shook her head, saying that she had already prepared good wine at home, and we could just come to her house to drink.

When he heard Daisy's idea, Holm agreed without much thought, since her house was indeed more convenient than going to a bar.

If she's drunk, just throw her into the bedroom; you won't have to bring her back from the bar like last time.

Chapter 189, A Unique Gift, Garriott's Test of Loyalty

So they went to Daisy's house together, then snuggled up on the sofa in the dim light, chatting and drinking cool champagne.

"Didn't you say your alcohol tolerance had improved a lot? How come you seem the same as last time?" Holm said, looking at Daisy, whose cheeks had turned pink.

After just a few glasses of champagne, Daisy's cheeks began to flush again, and her eyes became glazed over.

Seeing that she seemed to be almost drunk, Holm put down his glass and teased, "Didn't you say you had prepared a gift for me?"

"Give it to me before you pass out."

Upon hearing Holm's words, Daisy pursed her lips and suddenly stood up. Then, looking into his eyes, she flipped over and straddled him.

“I… am your gift,” Daisy said, staring at Holm with her big, watery eyes.

"You...no, are you drunk?" Holm asked, somewhat at a loss, looking at Daisy's face and eyes so close to his.

“I’m not drunk. The gift I’ve prepared for you is myself.” Daisy said, pulling the thin straps of her dress aside and letting the thin silk slip off her body.

"Mmm!" Before Holm could say anything more, Daisy had already wrapped her arms around his neck and lowered her head to kiss his lips.

......

Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the tightly drawn curtains, providing a sliver of light into the dim room.

On the soft, large bed, Daisy was curled up on Holm's chest like a kitten, a slight smile on her lips, lost in a sweet dream.

"Beep beep beep!" With a few short rings, Holm suddenly opened his eyes and grabbed the phone from the bedside table.

Looking at the message on his phone, he frowned slightly, a hint of displeasure flashing across his face.

After thinking for a moment, he got out of bed slowly and quickly put on his clothes.

Looking at Daisy, who was still fast asleep, Holm tucked her in tightly and then gently kissed her forehead.

Just as Holm left the room and the cars in the yard started up, Daisy, who was "sleeping," slowly opened her eyes, then gently stroked her forehead and curled up the corners of her mouth.

At this moment, Venom emerged from Holm's body in the car and rolled around in the passenger seat while saying, "Yesterday's opportunity was finally not wasted. See, isn't it just like I said before? I told you last time that she was interested in you."

Hearing Venom's words, Holm shook his head helplessly and said, "Yes, yes, you're right."

"Hmph! Of course I'm right! If you hadn't been so hesitant and indecisive last time, we wouldn't have had to wait until now," Venom said smugly.

Holm ignored Venom's self-praise and recalled their conversation the previous night.

"If any woman can have me, why can't I? I don't care, you can't refuse me!"

Daisy's stubborn words and her eyes, brimming with spring water, once again surfaced in his mind.

"Beep beep beep!" Before Holm could think any further, his phone started ringing again.

Seeing the message that had just arrived, Holm unconsciously gripped the steering wheel tighter.

This was a message from Garrett urging him to get home, questioning why he hadn't arrived yet.

The text message that had just woken him up was also from Garrett, telling him to come home immediately.

"I can't wait to taste what this guy's head tastes like. Let's kill him. We'll kill him when we get back," Venom said to Holm, baring his teeth as he looked at his phone.

Hearing its words, Holm's face tightened, and he said with an unfriendly expression, "He does not have long to live, but now is not the time."

"When the time is right, I will make him kneel before me and repent properly!"