Chapter Fifty-Four: The Onset of a Colossal War

There’s a saying—what was it again? Ah, yes: drunkenness leads to mischief. Kyle shot up from the bed with the agility of a fish flipping over, scanning the bed, floor, and bathroom. Not finding any trace of women’s clothing, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

It was good nothing happened last night. The last thing he wanted was to end up taking care of Steve’s frozen friend so well that he “took care of her” in bed. But where had his tailcoat gone?

Yesterday had been a day off, and Kyle certainly hadn’t let Venom morph into a formal suit—last time, curiosity nearly exposed him—so instead, he’d carded Venom and donned real clothes. That was why he had no memory whatsoever of what transpired after he got drunk late last night.

“Maybe I gave it to the staff for cleaning,” Kyle mused, unconcerned. It was just a suit, nothing particularly valuable.

He washed up simply in the bathroom, and after donning his underwear, drew the [Venom] card from his card space, tossing it onto the bed to let it materialize.

Venom squirmed under the covers, letting a black line of liquid dangle down in a way that seemed to complain to Kyle with almost human-like grievance. It had grown increasingly enamored with this state of symbiosis after so much time on the battlefield. In other words, all living things instinctively yearn for evolution. Venom’s race, after all, evolved by fusing with other beings, learning their hosts’ abilities and thus advancing itself.

“Alright, alright, time to head back to base.” Kyle said, extending his hand toward Venom. Instantly, Venom’s liquid form delightedly transformed into countless black lines, climbing up his palm and wrapping around his body until it morphed into a suit.

Looking down at the jet-black combat suit that covered him, Kyle slapped the emblem on his chest in mock annoyance. “This isn’t a battlefield—give me something more casual.”

With a swish, like a chameleon changing colors, the suit shifted into a jacket and jeans.

Wearing Venom day-to-day did have its perks: it saved him money on clothes and time changing outfits.

Stepping out of his room and walking through the club’s corridor, Kyle was greeted with fawning “good mornings” from every staff member he passed. To a guest who held both military power and wealth, they would have gladly hosted him for a ball every night.

Just as he was about to leave through the main entrance, Kyle seemed to recall something and stopped a passing waitress. “Excuse me, where’s the lady I danced with last night?”

“Mr. Kyle, you mean Miss Carter?” the waitress replied quickly. “She left the club alone very early this morning.”

“Is that so? Didn’t even wait for me to return to base.” Kyle shook his head, slipping his hand into his wallet pocket. Concealing the action, he materialized an object and soon handed a club card to the waitress. “Here’s the VIP card from last night; there should be over nine thousand dollars left on it. If Carter ever comes here again to dance, all her expenses are to be charged to this card.”

“Of course!” The waitress accepted the card with both hands, and when she looked up again, Kyle was already striding out the main doors, leaving her with only a tall, cool silhouette.

Training base, basement, Research Division.

Kyle had just stepped inside when a violent explosion sounded from within. A familiar figure in a lab coat was blown off his feet by the blast, landing awkwardly on the floor, smoke still curling from his clothes.

“Howard, you really haven’t changed,” Kyle remarked, eyeing the disheveled scientist on the ground.

“K-Kyle?” The gentleman stared in disbelief, rubbed his eyes to be sure, then leapt to his feet, elated. “Kyle, you’re finally back!”

Howard hurried forward, and given the difference in height, could only clutch at Kyle’s belt as he hugged him, exclaiming, “With you gone, I haven’t even felt like going to parties or bars. You’re not just my friend and comrade—you’re my best partner for building the future of top-tier industry!”

“That last part is what really matters, isn’t it? You still haven’t finished researching what I gave you, and already you’re after more of my black tech,” Kyle retorted, shoving Howard away and eyeing him warily, as one might a thief.

Howard just laughed. “If Carter hadn’t insisted on going alone last night, I’d have gone to the club to see you myself.” The return of his dearest friend truly delighted him.

“Wait—you all knew the box was from me?” Kyle asked, surprised. With the tuxedo, the rose card, and all, any other man would have been mistaken for one of Carter’s many admirers. At the very least, perhaps suspected Steve had returned…

Howard chuckled. “You underestimate Agent Carter. The English handwriting on the box and the card—you wrote those, and she recognized it instantly.”

“I see.” Kyle fell silent, images from the previous night flickering through his mind, wondering if he’d missed something important.

“By the way, Carter didn’t come back with you? Could it be…” Howard’s gaze turned sly, the same investigative curiosity he applied to science now directed at Kyle.

“Don’t get the wrong idea. Nothing happened between us last night. I thought she’d gone back to base already,” Kyle muttered, feeling a little guilty, and quickly changed the subject. “By the way, I noticed when I arrived—there are far fewer soldiers on guard, and Fury’s gone too. What’s going on?”

“Oh, you’ve just come back, so you don’t know the latest.” Howard’s expression grew serious. “Our leaders—the Americans, British, and Soviets—recently decided at a joint meeting that, with Germany suffering crushing defeats on the front lines, they’ll amass their forces and launch a direct assault through the English Channel into German territory.”

The Allied forces of three nations attacking Germany? Starting from the English Channel?

Normandy landings!

The name of this campaign flashed through Kyle’s mind. He hadn’t expected the Marvel world to so closely mirror the history of his previous life, following the same path of war.

The Normandy landings were a monumental campaign in the latter part of World War II. After that, Germany was completely defeated and surrendered, leaving only the Japanese in Asia stubbornly holding out.

Howard continued, “Last night, we reported your return to headquarters. General Chester replied with orders for you to head to the main US base in Europe as soon as possible.”

“Didn’t even give me a chance to rest,” Kyle said with a shrug. His blue eyes flashed with a dangerous light, and both his body and the Venom suit stirred with excitement.

After such a long break, it was time to stretch his muscles and wage war once more. He hoped, on such a grand battlefield, to finally meet a worthy opponent—one who would let him unleash his full strength.