In The DC World With Marvel Chat Group

Upon hearing those few hearty belches, the individuals beside the energy nucleus were stunned for a moment. Following Schiller's roar of fury, Strange lifted his staff and fiercely hammered it on the ground, demanding:

"Immediately find out where that subsidiary passage leads!"

The Ancient One had already narrowed her eyes, a faint glimmer of magic intermittently visible in her hand. The moment she learned that they were dealing with a demon god from some dimension, she would follow the cyber-trail to shred them into pieces.

Loki, arms crossed, appeared somewhat disappointed. He wouldn't miss any opportunity to gather resources for Asgard. Therefore, he would involve himself in the various plans of human organizations, providing inside information under the guise of Asgard's prince.

Nick's expression remained unchanged. The director, who had seen countless storms, was more confident than the rest. The electricity he intended to steal, no one could snatch it before him. If someone did, he would simply reclaim it several-fold from them.

Everyone considered the premature electricity thief an enemy. After all, a plan failing at the last moment reeked of conspiracy. Human civilization had come a long way, everything had progressed too smoothly; it was about time for some setbacks.

Each harbored their thoughts when suddenly, a sorcerer emerged from the Portal, announcing, "Sorcerer Supreme, we've found it. The energy passage hasn't left Earth; it ends somewhere on our planet."

In that moment, suspicion clouded everyone's faces. They weren't afraid of external threats but of traitors within. The presence of bad guys among them would be the worst possible outcome.

"Can you locate the exact point?" Strange asked seriously, looking at the sorcerer, while Nick stepped forward, demanding, "Give me an address. No matter where it is, SHIELD agents will be there immediately."

Quickly, Strange closed his eyes, meditating to connect with Earth's magical defense network. He traced the energy passage's path since it hadn't left Earth, and within a moment, he had found the location.

With a wave of his hand, he opened a Portal. Except for The Ancient One, who stayed behind in Kamar-Taj, everyone else stepped through, ready for a fight.

Had the plan been a challenging one from the beginning, failure at the end would not be so infuriating. If it seemed too easy, they might suspect a trap, not being overly surprised if they got outsmarted.

However, this plan was of the kind that presented challenges that current techniques could deal with. There might be setbacks, but overall, it seemed to be going smoothly. This kind of plan was misleading, giving the impression that the fruits of victory were hard-earned and rightfully theirs.

So, when the outcome was unsatisfactory, it provoked exceptional anger.

They followed the cyber-trail to their destination. Throughout the Portal journey, they anticipated various scenarios - like being ambushed by hundreds of armed guards or facing a Mephisto-like overlord with an overwhelming presence.

But upon arrival, they found Eddie Brock lounging on a sofa, a large tub of cheese balls in hand, and he was just about to pour beer into his mouth.

Strange, leading the group, froze. He asked Eddie, "What are you doing here?"

Schiller had already begun surveying the surroundings. They were in a well-decorated apartment, located in a pricey district near Hell's Kitchen, befitting Eddie's current income level. Judging by his relaxed demeanor, this was Eddie's residence.

Obviously, Eddie had no motive for electricity theft. If anyone did, it was...

"Venom, come out. We need to talk!" Schiller advanced on Eddie, who shook his head, replying, "He's asleep."

"Asleep? Why would he be asleep?" Schiller queried, narrowing his eyes, knowing that a symbiote only needed sleep after absorbing a significant amount of energy.

Schiller surveyed the room again, realizing there had been more than one person here recently. Venom must have collaborated with someone. Suddenly, Schiller squatted and swiped his hand under the sofa.

He didn't pick up anything, but Grey Mist sensed it, whispering to Schiller, "...It's a symbiote. These traces should belong to the one we encountered before... Blue Spirit?"

"Come out, Venom. I know you're not asleep. Don't think you can use Eddie as a shield," Schiller snorted, turning to Nick, who cleared his throat, adding, "The Daily Globe's stock hasn't been doing well. Rumor has it there's a plan for a salary cut across the editorial board..."

"Alright, I'm coming out," Venom's raspy voice emerged from Eddie, fatigue discernible. Schiller, hands on hips, confronted him:

"Was it you who stole my electricity??" he demanded.

"Your electricity? Did you pray for it?" Venom retorted.

"Of course not. But who were they praying to? Wasn't it the Bat Totem?" Schiller pressed.

"Is that Bat Totem yours?" Venom countered.

"Why do you think the Bat Totem exists?" Schiller asked Venom, not waiting for an answer before continuing, "Without my initial plan against the vampires, how could the Bat God have been born? No Bat God, no Bat Totem. No Totem, to whom would they pray? No prayers, where would the electricity come from? So, I say that electricity is mine. Any issues with that?"

Venom was stunned by his audacity but wasn't easy to deal with either. "You devised the plan, but who carried it out?"

"But without my planning, how would you execute?"

"Without my execution, how would your plan succeed?"

"Grey Mist, bite him!"

In a moment, a grey fog and a black goo burst through the window. The remaining three stood in a line at the window, watching two symbiotes chase each other across the New York skyline. Nick glanced at his watch, remarking, "I give it 5 minutes, tops..."

"Underestimating them, huh? Two minutes, tops," Strange said, waving his hand, and the unfinished tub of cheese balls in Eddie's possession flew into his grasp. He popped a cheese ball into his mouth and chewed. Before he could swallow this morsel of a snack, two symbiotes smashed through the window again.

Schiller, having resumed his human form, clapped his hands, and Nick approached, lowering his voice to ask, "How much did you negotiate?"

"Thirty percent, plus half of that in late fees," Schiller disclosed. Nick nodded, seemingly pleased with this figure, while Venom, walking ahead, snorted, "I toil to steal this electricity, only to face such hefty taxes! A bunch of leeching vampires!"

"Don't think I'm clueless. The symbiotes that left are charged up with your stolen electricity, aren't they? If you complain again, we'll include their share in the 35% tax, plus full late fees..." Schiller retorted, not even glancing at Venom as he settled himself on the sofa.

However, Nick narrowed his eyes at Venom. "You're resorting to tax evasion now? How much energy did they carry? Did it amount to 50% of what you have? Where's the IRS when you need them?!"

"Of course, it's less, and they've already left the country. If you want to reclaim it, you might as well search outer space," Venom responded, confident in his position.

Venom, inheriting traits from both Batman and Stark, knew to plan ahead or, more aptly, to flee quickly after causing mischief.

His lingering presence was merely a ploy to attract the attention of the others, allowing the other symbiotes, laden with substantial funds, to transfer swiftly.

Venom had a keen understanding of their psychology. As long as not everyone was fleeing with the money or refusing to pay taxes, they wouldn't face the worst of consequences—perhaps just a financial pinch.

If he could divert their attention with additional information, then the matter would likely blow over. So, Venom began, "There's something I must tell you. When I was siphoning off the Power of Belief, I found that someone might have beaten me to it." He paused, then continued, "I thought it could be you, but now it seems someone else is involved."

The others exchanged glances. Schiller, focusing on Venom, inquired, "You're suggesting someone else siphoned this power before you? How do you know?"

"While in meditation, I could see the Bat Totem. Initially, the Power of Belief within it was profound, almost entirely within my control. But today, it was notably diminished, barely a thin layer remaining, seemingly recently accrued, starkly different from the previously accumulated power."

Venom recounted his earlier observations and shared his analysis, "During my absence, someone else likely used a method similar to mine, taking the Power of Belief stored within the Bat Totem by its worshippers..."

Finally, Venom stressed, "And I'm certain they took more than I did."

Sure enough, upon hearing this, the group hurried back to Kamar-Taj, considering the other branch they had observed on the energy pathway. Although they hadn't seen energy transfer directly, it indicated that others had acted even sooner.

And if, as Venom stated, they had stolen more energy, it meant they owed more taxes.

After closely examining the energy pathway, Strange found traces of the Power of Belief passing through. As for who the other party was, there was no need for deduction. The Bat God consisted of two people: Venom and Peter.

As Strange opened the Portal, Schiller commented, "Peter wouldn't think of energy theft. He's too innocent, not that low. So, it's obvious who guided him."

Ten minutes later, Pikachu was hoisted by his tail by Schiller. As he flailed, he protested loudly, "It wasn't me!!!!"

Clutching his Thunderbolt tail and pulling him close, Schiller peered into his dark, wide eyes, "If not you, then who? Every bad habit Peter has is influenced by you. Did he stay up playing games until 2 AM before?"

While Schiller interrogated Pikachu, Strange patted Peter's shoulder, "Whatever Pikachu told you, Peter, forget it. It's wrong. You can't emulate him. He's an adult... I mean, an adult rat. You're just starting college..."

"Mmm..." Peter grimaced but, seeing Pikachu, now being ceaselessly squeezed by Schiller, couldn't deny his conscience. He admitted, "Actually, it wasn't Pikachu's plan..."

"Not Pikachu? Then who?" Strange asked, surprised.

"It was... it was Helen."

Everyone froze. Loki, recognizing the name, stepped forward, "Who? Helen? But wasn't she just born a few days ago?"

"Uh, yes, but she grows fast, and..."

Peter was cut off as a beam of light descended in the center of the room, revealing a small figure. Helen floated mid-air, stunned by the sudden crowd in the laboratory.

She scanned the faces, her gaze fixing on Loki. Sensing something amiss, Loki stepped back but couldn't prevent Helen from lunging at him.

With a loud "thud," Helen crashed into Loki, pinning him to the wall. A piercing scream echoed across the New York skies:

"Mommy... Daddy...!!!!!"