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

As Holm spoke angrily, he floored the accelerator, and his black car shot off like an arrow.

Before long, Holm finally drove the car downstairs. As soon as he entered the area, he narrowed his eyes because he sensed that the number of guards was three times greater than usual.

"This guy's got bad intentions. It seems Garrett has no good plans today." Holm said as he calmly opened the car door, got out, and went upstairs.

"Ah~ I can smell the sweet scent emanating from his head, and this time the scent is far more enticing than ever before."

As Venom sniffed the air, he remarked, "It seems he really has a lot on his mind. This complex scent of various secretions is making me incredibly itchy."

As Venom spoke, Holm opened the door and went inside.

Upon entering, the first thing you see is Garrett sitting on the sofa, looking at Holm with a serious expression and unfriendly eyes.

“You’re moving very slowly today, Mr. Clint,” Garrett said coldly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know you were coming to see me today, sir," Holm said, standing at the door with neither servility nor arrogance.

Upon hearing his reply, Garrett smirked and said coldly, "Heh, no need for excuses, I know what you're thinking."

"You are now the youngest and most outstanding ace agent in S.H.I.E.L.D. It seems that these honors and accolades have made you forget your position and that you are still a member of Hydra."

Hearing Garriott's words, Holm frowned slightly. Garriott had come prepared today and had no good intentions at all, immediately labeling him with such a big accusation.

"I apologize if my words during the last mission offended you, sir. However, my stance and attitude have never wavered. I have always been Agent Viper," Holm said sincerely and firmly.

"No matter how much I have achieved in S.H.I.E.L.D., it is just a new stage in the missions I have carried out in accordance with the organization's orders."

Upon hearing Holm's response, Garrett leaned back on the sofa, his gaze as scrutinizing as when they first met, a playful smile playing on his lips, his attitude one of utter disdain and contempt.

"Agent Clint's verbal skills have improved a lot; he's completely different from when we first met."

"Since you say that your attitude and stance have never wavered, I think you shouldn't mind proving your loyalty to the organization."

Hearing Garrett's words and seeing the strange smile on his face, Holm suddenly sensed something was wrong.

Sure enough, the next second Garrett stared at him and slowly said, "Find a way to kill your partner at S.H.I.E.L.D., and use her blood to prove your loyalty to the organization."

Chapter 190, Accepting the Mission

After saying that, Garrett looked at Holm with a cold smile, eager to see what choice Holm would make.

As long as Holm is not mentally unstable, even if he is unwilling, he will most likely accept it, although he will definitely be conflicted and in pain.

The thought of this made Garrett feel quite pleased. He did need Holm to prove his position and attitude to him, but at the same time, he also enjoyed the feeling of tormenting others.

Holm could guess Garrett's thoughts to some extent, so after a moment of shock and anger, he lowered his head slightly, hiding the uncontrollable killing intent in his eyes, and said in a deep and cold voice.

“I don’t care who I kill as long as the organization needs me to, but doing so will only increase my risk of exposure and will not bring any other benefits.”

“I just said, proving your loyalty and validating your position is the greatest benefit, and it’s worth taking some risks for it,” Garrett retorted, looking at him.

“In that case, I request to change my target.” Holm looked up at Garrett. “I cannot allow myself to take risks that do not bring commensurate benefits to the organization.”

"Anyway, as long as I can prove my loyalty to the higher-ups at S.H.I.E.L.D., I'll request that Phil Coulson be the target. He's far higher in rank than Daisy Johnson, and his importance to Nick Fury is far greater than Daisy Johnson's."

"If I can kill him, it will prove my loyalty, create chaos in S.H.I.E.L.D., and cut off one of Nick Fury's arms."

Holm's words sounded perfectly reasonable, without a single problem, and even considered many things for Hydra, but Garrett's smile became even more amused.

"If I didn't know you well enough, I might actually think you were so loyal and so reasonable."

"You keep saying you're doing this for the organization's benefit, but all you really do is miss your partner."

"Tsk tsk tsk, let me guess how many times you slept together? I never expected that our Hydra secret agent would be taken down by a woman like this."

After saying this, Garrett's smile vanished instantly. He looked at Holm, whose expression was equally unpleasant, with a stern face and said, "I had still held a sliver of hope for you, Clint, but I didn't expect you to choose to betray the organization..."

"I accept the mission." Before Garrett could finish speaking, Holm interrupted him, looking at him.

"Sir, there's no need to put such a big label on me. I can't handle it. Since you don't agree with my idea of ​​creating greater benefits for the organization while clearing my name, then I will obey orders."

"I will deal with Daisy Johnson as required by the organization, but it will take time to develop a proper plan."

"After all, her identity is not simple. If she dies, whether it is by accident during a mission or an accident in her daily life, those people from S.H.I.E.L.D. will not let me go. So I must make a flawless plan and at the same time prepare a reasonable and absolutely effective reason to get rid of my suspicion."

Upon hearing that Holm had accepted the mission, Garrett was taken aback for a moment, but then a smile returned to his face.

Both Holm's stubborn words and his unpleasant expression made Garrett feel very comfortable.

He knew, of course, that Holm had not betrayed Hydra. At most, he was just conflicted about killing Daisy with his own hands, but such conflict was not so important when it came to his own life.

So his main purpose in doing all this was to make Holm feel uncomfortable, to make him adopt the correct attitude in front of him, to suppress his status, and at the same time to elevate himself.

His plan had already been approved by Lord Pierce, because he knew that Hydra would not tolerate any possibility of betrayal. Once there was even the slightest sign, whether it was true or false, it needed to be carefully verified.

Moreover, because of Holm's special status, his stance and attitude are particularly important. It was for this reason that Pierce agreed to Garrett's plan.

Hydra can offer Holm preferential treatment, but only if Holm is still one of their own. As for traitors, Hydra has no other way to deal with them except to eliminate them completely.

“I’ll give you a week…” Garrett said, looking at Holm.

"Are you kidding me, sir?" Holm glared at Garrett, barely suppressing his anger, and said coldly.

"Don't you know who Daisy Johnson is? I can't even finalize a plan in a week!"

“Just kidding.” Garrett wasn’t angry at Holm’s reaction. Instead, he continued to laugh. “I’ll give you a month. You must complete this task within this month. You can only complete it ahead of schedule, not late.”

"Understood," Holm replied in a deep voice.

Seeing his reaction, Garrett also stood up and walked towards the door. As he passed Holm, he patted Holm on the shoulder and whispered, "Always remember your place, Clint. Always show respect to your superiors."

After saying that, he straightened his collar and walked out the door, looking quite pleased with himself.

After he walked out the door and began to leave, the people hidden in the shadows around him also retreated like a tide.

Once there were no more anomalies within his perception range, Holm leaned back on the sofa, staring blankly at the ceiling, devoid of any other emotion.

He had already made up his mind when Garriott asked him to do this task; his subsequent conversations and reactions were merely deliberate attempts to conform to Garriott's ideas.

All of this was to lull Garrett into a false sense of security, to make Holm appear as conflicted and tormented as Garrett intended, yet forced to complete the task.

“Well, I’ve been eyeing this old guy’s head for a long time,” Venom said, poking his head out from Holm’s shoulder.

Hearing Venom's words, Holm squinted in thought, and said softly, "At most a month, then you'll be able to taste what his head tastes like."

"Hooray! This day has finally come! I've been putting up with this old guy for so long!" Venom shouted excitedly, not expecting the surprise to come so quickly.

"I've tolerated him for a long time too," Holm said coldly. "He could have lived a little longer, but since he's eager to die, I don't need to wait any longer."

"I can use his brain to help me climb a few more steps, but the original plan needs to be brought forward."

Chapter 191, Rumlow's Trick

"Dong dong dong."

As a knock sounded at the door, Rumlow opened it impatiently, frowned at William Baker standing outside, and said, "What do you want now?"

William Baker at this time no longer looked the same as before, but had become a new figure who looked thinner and younger.

Thanks to the enhancements Holm gave him, and his deeper application and control over his abilities, he can now use the properties of sand to change his appearance and physique at will.

Hearing Rumlow's somewhat impatient words, William Baker didn't say anything, but glanced at his watch and said, "It's time to pick Katie up from school. I was thinking... could I pick her up by myself today? I want to talk to her more."

Upon hearing William Baker's question, Rumlow replied somewhat displeased, "Let me tell you, although the commander said you'd be involved in this mission, don't go too far..."

“He told me to get along well with Katie,” William Baker interrupted Rumlow.

“Katie looks a lot like my deceased daughter, so he told me to get along well with Katie, saying that this warm and loving life is a gift from him to me….”

"Don't go too far!" Rumlow glared fiercely at William Baker and shouted sternly.

“Katie is Katie, she is not your daughter! She is not a substitute for anyone!”

Faced with Rumlow's suddenly harsh tone, William Baker frowned, his demeanor becoming stern.

However, after hearing what Rumlow said, his expression froze slightly, and he immediately realized his mistake.

“That’s not what I meant… I just wanted to get along with Katie, and that’s what he wanted too…” William Baker hurriedly explained, the fierce aura he had just gathered instantly dissipating.

But Rumlow was clearly not satisfied with his explanation, nor was he prepared to forgive him. He just frowned and looked at him fiercely, saying, "I know very well what the officer told me, so you don't need to remind me again."

"Given what you just said, I am even less likely to agree to your request to let you pick up Katie alone."

"I won't stop you from getting along with Katie, but I'll be watching your every move, so don't do anything dangerous."

“I know your abilities are unique and powerful, but my strength is equally impressive.” As he said this, a hint of threat crept into Rumlow’s tone.

Just as William Baker was about to say something more, the alarm clocks in both rooms went off simultaneously, reminding them to pick Katie up from school.

Upon hearing the alarm, William Baker and Rumlow went back to their own home, turned off the alarm, and then went downstairs one after the other without exchanging a single word.

From any perspective, the two of them didn't get along well. If it weren't for Holm's prior warning, they probably would have already fought.

Rumlow simply walked to the driver's seat, opened the door, and got in.

William Baker paused for a moment upon seeing this, then opened the passenger door and got in.

An hour later, Rumlow happily took Katie home, while William Baker was nowhere to be found.

"Uncle, isn't the uncle next door here today? He said he'd come pick me up from school last time he saw me," Katie asked, looking at the door across the street as Rumlow opened it.

“He must be busy. Never mind him, put your things down, have a drink of water, and then we’ll go out and have some fun,” Rumlow said as he opened the door.

Katie nodded obediently upon hearing this, then carried her schoolbag and went into the house.

On his way home, William Baker sat in a taxi with a livid face, holding a few lollipops in his hand.

Because his face was so pale and his mood so low, even the usually cheerful and easygoing New York driver didn't dare to say much today.

"Damn Rumlow!" William Baker cursed in a low voice, looking at the lollipop in his hand.

On their way to pick up Katie, they passed a candy store, so Rumlow stopped the car and said he wanted to go in and buy some candy because Katie loves the candy from that store.

Upon hearing this, William Baker also opened his car door and went into the store, but when he came out after buying his things, Rumlow had already driven away without him noticing.

He immediately realized something was wrong, so he quickly took a taxi to the school gate, but he was still too late. Katie had already been picked up by Rumlow and taken home.

Faced with this situation, William Baker could only grimace as he hailed a taxi and returned home, while simultaneously resolving in his heart that he absolutely had to get a car.

"Hello, we've arrived," the driver said, glancing at William Baker in the rearview mirror.

William Baker didn't say anything, just tossed him a banknote, then got out of the car and went into the building.

Although he was somewhat prepared, he still felt a bit vulnerable when he knocked on the door and no one answered, and when he turned into fine sand and entered the house but found no one there.