Chapter 330: The Great Event of Light (Part 5)

Spider-Man stood in S. . . . . .'s lab, holding a glass jar containing a pool of red slime.

After pulling out the stopper, he reached in; the moment his fingertips touched the red liquid, a small depression formed on its surface. As he pushed his finger deeper, the entire mass of red slime recoiled from his fingers—until a thin strand cautiously made contact with his skin.

A young Ma Lei voice sounded in Spider-Man's ear: "Huh?? Wait! Venom once bonded with you? Good heavens, pull your hand back!"

"Why does everyone react like this? What's wrong with Venom??"

"He's a lunatic! So his host must be one too! Their minds are full of all kinds of crazy junk..."

"... uh? You, uh... oh my god! You're the perfect host for a symbiote—I sense your kindness and resolve... Alright, I'll give it a try."

"That's the spirit." Peter watched as the red slime slowly spread over his arms, then his entire body. He shook his head, did a quick warm-up, and said: "Don't forget the spider emblem on my chest—that's my patent!"

"Is this good? Or should it be bigger? How about dark blue? Keep the original suit's signature look."

"Perfect! Oh my god, you really get me!"

The remaining symbiotes still in their jars communicated via their gene catalog.

"I told you Red Bee would get along with these kids—he even gave him a new suit."

"Normal," Blue Spirit's neutral voice replied. "Red Bee is the youngest among us, and all his previous hosts were young. I once suggested he find an older host to learn how to carry out missions calmly. Now he'll just get chattier."

"Alright, what's your ability?" Spider-Man asked Red Bee mentally. Red Bee fell silent for a long time, then suddenly screamed, startling Spider-Man. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"No... I mean... oh my god, how strong are you? What's your maximum strength? What is this?... Wow!"

As Spider-Man and Red Bee adjusted to each other, Blue Spirit's voice spoke: "I want the girl with black hair. The one-eyed human just told me she controls shadows—I think we'll suit each other perfectly."

The blue slime inside the jar surged, pushing it to the floor, where it rolled to Shadow's feet. She bent down, picked it up, and regarded the slime inside with curiosity.

She looked up at Spider-Man. She had just witnessed Red Bee's bonding with him—it didn't look disgusting. In fact, it looked kind of fun.

Shadow pulled the stopper from the jar and reached in. At first, Blue Spirit avoided her fingers, then extended a thin filament to touch her fingertip. A calm voice echoed in her mind: "Hello, I'm Blue Spirit. Can you hear me?"

"I can... This is incredible! I feel like another voice is talking inside me!"

"Good. Do you feel any discomfort when hearing this voice? Dizziness? Blurred thoughts? Mental sluggishness?"

Shadow shook her head. She spoke to the air: "No, nothing. I feel nothing unusual."

"Excellent. Try speaking without sound—communicate with me mentally..."

"Like this?"

"Exactly. You learn fast. Your insight is impressive. Now open your superficial consciousness to me. I'll scan your body's baseline data and determine the optimal way to bond with you."

"Alright, but how?"

"Follow my guidance. First, empty your mind. Imagine a pure white space in your thoughts... Yes, like that. You'll sense some noise—it's my mind connecting with yours. Stay focused..."

"Good. Mental connection established. Now relax your muscles... Yes, don't tense up. Do you want a suit?"

"Of course! I've wanted one forever!" Shadow's excited voice rang out. "All the high-level mutants have awesome suits!"

"Alright. Imagine your perfect suit in your mind. I'll handle the rest."

Standing nearby, Colossus and Cyclops watched as a deep blue bodysuit slowly enveloped Shadow's body, with two sleek black stripes along her waist—resembling a shiny, leather-like wetsuit.

"Wait!" Colossus interrupted. "You're not even legal! You can't wear that! Hey! Symbiote—Shadow's still a child!"

"I'm not a child! I'll get my license soon! Ignore him—I'm wearing this!" Shadow shouted.

"Alright, calm down, kid. It's a great suit—but it needs defensive capabilities, right?"

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Instantly, a layer of gleaming armor appeared over the deep blue suit, covering the shoulders, chest, thighs, and feet in metallic plating. The suit lost its form-fitting look but became far more impressive.

Colossus exhaled. He turned to Cyclops: "These symbiotes are surprisingly reasonable. If Professor X saw Shadow in this outfit, he'd shake his head and sigh..."

"Yeah, then launch into another lecture about declining morals and how we failed to guide them properly." Cyclops looked at Shadow. "Remember Professor Xavier's face when Phantom Cat designed her own suit? I bet that's exactly how I'll look when my daughter gets married..."

"Don't remind me. Wolverine nearly went insane back then. I was standing next to Phantom Cat—he looked like he was about to eat me alive!"

Watching Shadow's transformation, Crystal's gaze grew curious—but she hesitated, not stepping toward the jars. Then, a jar of green slime rolled down and stopped at her feet. Like the others, she picked it up.

The moment Crystal's fingers touched the green slime, a child's voice spoke: "Hello, I'm Green Spike. The instant we made contact, I sensed a shift in your brainwaves, so I adjusted my voice. How does it sound? Does it make you nervous?"

"No, it's nice. Kind of like my sister's voice."

"Good. I sense you're shy—but it's fine. My ability matches yours perfectly. We'll be an excellent team."

Soon, Crystal transformed too—but instead of a suit, she let the green slime form a dress of emerald and white, with a pale green bow at the neck. Colossus and Cyclops's gazes softened instantly—Crystal looked adorable.

"I bet if everyone was as easygoing as Crystal, Jean wouldn't have flown off the handle."

"Don't start. Weren't you and I just like that? Professor Xavier used to say teaching us for a year cost him ten years of his life."

When it came to Amplifier and Lei Ting, Lei Ting's voice was crisp: "Relax. I'm coming!"

He caused the most commotion. The instant he bonded with Amplifier, golden lightning flashed continuously across the ceiling. When the symbiosis completed, Amplifier floated midair, clad in golden armor, his face masked by a lattice of crackling electricity.

He stared at his hands, where arcs of electricity danced. Lei Ting sighed in awe: "Your ability and mine were made for each other. You amplify my lightning—expand its range and intensity. I love this feeling!"

"Honestly, I misunderstood humanity. I thought you were among the weakest hosts—some of you were too frail to even sustain a symbiote. But I didn't expect you to have so many extraordinary abilities."

"Uh, we're mutants. We just have extra abilities beyond ordinary humans—not everyone's as strong as us..."

"Mutants are still human, right? A subspecies? I'll add that term to my gene catalog."

"Let me check... Ah, here it is! Pan-Human Civilization Standard Human Species... Human Genus... Human Subspecies... Mutants. Done!"

"To be honest, I don't even know if I count as human," Amplifier scratched his head. "Normal humans reject us so much we have to go to special schools."

"You're human. Most of your genes are human. Only a tiny fraction differs—nowhere near enough to constitute a separate species."

"Besides, even if you were different, your civilization is indistinguishable from humanity's. You look the same, speak the same language, learn the same knowledge—you're part of the Pan-Human Civilization."

The same words echoed in the children's minds. Blue Spirit added to Shadow: "In our homeworld, 2. 4 million light-years away in the Andromeda Galaxy, there's a civilization called the Andromeda Consortium. It includes many species—some look like you, with two legs; others have six..."

"Six legs? That's unbelievable. How do they get along? Don't they fight?"

"Long ago, they formed a Unified Council. Today, their language, writing, measurement systems, and technology are all unified. Now they're recognized as a single interstellar civilization."

"They look completely different—and still count as one civilization?" Shadow shook her head. "Incredible."

"Of course. Interstellar societies judge civilizations by language, technology, and history—not race."

Shadow nodded. "Our school's professor once told us mutants are different from normal humans. But you're right—if I visit my parents, do I need a visa?"

"No. Even in the Andromeda Consortium, many high elves and totem spirits have hybrid offspring who travel freely between star systems without restriction."

"Alright!" Spider-Man raised his hand. "You've all adapted? Next, we're going on a mission. Follow me."

Before the lab's glass window, Nick stood with his arms crossed, turning to Shi Ler. "Are you sure these symbiotes can accurately convey everything you told them?"

"No problem. Their intelligence is far higher than you imagine—and among symbiotes, these few are top-tier."

"Honestly, targeting the next generation to shift perspectives is smart. But I worry about Professor X... Oh right, you two already reached an agreement. Maybe he's watching from above right now."