Multiverse: Deathstroke

Chapter 261: Ch.260 Vanished

Chapter 261: Ch.260 Vanished

Halloway scrunched up Deadpool like a wad of discarded newspaper and then covered him with a pile of garbage and rubble.

"Just play dead and don't move."

After giving those instructions, Halloway rummaged through his pouch, pulling out a stack of papers and a pen, quickly scribbling with flair across them. Once finished, he made two more copies and signed his name on each.

He gently closed Deadpool's eyes, only to realize that his mask didn't have a "close-eyes" feature. Shrugging, he sheepishly smiled, reminded of how he always felt like he was still in the hospital when he got into his work.

Crawling forward towards the three fighting women, he waved the papers in the air, ensuring they could see him.

"Who here is Wade Wilson's next of kin? Come and collect his death certificate!"

The three women abruptly stopped their brawl. While it was odd to see a doctor issuing a death certificate in the middle of a battlefield, they had definitely heard Deadpool's name.

Wade? A death certificate?

Curiosity and panic halted their fight.

Inez was the first to rush over and snatch one of the papers. Glancing down, she read that the cause of death was listed as: "Regenerative Cell Failure Syndrome."

???

What kind of disease was that?

She turned to look at Wade, only to see him lying motionless under a pile of trash.

"Don't fight, don't fight—there's one for each of you. Everyone gets their own death certificate for Wade." Halloway stood up, handing the other two certificates to Vanessa and Domino before turning on his heel to leave.

"We'll cremate the body and divide up the ashes later. You'll each get a piece as a keepsake."

"Nooo!!"

The three women lunged at Wade's "body," discovering that he really seemed dead—no heartbeat, nothing. It was like his body had been reduced to just an empty shell of skin.

"Take heart. It's wartime, and death is inevitable." Halloway said, feigning sorrow as he dragged Deadpool's limp "body" away.

The three women stood there, stunned, exchanging glances. For a moment, they didn't know what to do, so they followed Halloway closely. They knew the Angel of Vengeance was a highly skilled surgeon, and in times like these, his word carried some authority.

Halloway glanced back at the women. They were still in shock for now, but it wouldn't be long before they realized they'd been tricked.

He hurried to the front lines and dumped Deadpool's "body" onto Su Ming, urging a quick retreat.

As for what would happen to Wade when the women found out he wasn't dead—well, that would be his problem later.

"Not bad. How'd you come up with this?" Su Ming, having dispatched some enemies and returned to the rear, dragged Deadpool's gooey remains behind him.

Halloway, panting heavily and eyeing the three suspicious women, whispered, "I had a distant uncle who once racked up a lot of romantic debts. When I was a kid, he told me, 'If you love a dozen women, but only have one marriage certificate, just give each of them a divorce paper.'"

Su Ming laughed, signaling to Monarch in the sky while eyeing Halloway's mustache. "Your uncle wouldn't happen to be named Stark, would he?"

"No, he's been dead a long time," Halloway replied with an awkward shrug. "He didn't succeed. Not every woman wanted a divorce paper. First, he got poisoned, then stabbed a dozen times, and one of my former aunts cut off his head and sailed off with it. I think she went to Greenland."

Su Ming chuckled, raising the Godslayer sword to deflect a few bullets. "Your relative was quite something. You'd think with all that charm, he'd at least have faked a few identities and married each one separately."

Meanwhile, Deadpool, who was slung over Su Ming's arm like a towel, suddenly felt a cold shiver. Even though he'd been reduced to mush and his brainpower was nearly non-existent, his instincts told him something was very wrong.

It was akin to the phantom pain experienced by soldiers who'd lost limbs on the battlefield. They would feel the missing limb's pain for the rest of their lives as though it were still there.

That condition is known as "phantom pain."

But Su Ming wasn't concerned with Wade's thoughts. After all, Deadpool had caused a mess and slowed them down. Now that the situation had shifted and the enemy's next move was uncertain, it was time to put Plan C into action: retreat, gather explosives, and conduct guerrilla warfare. They needed to make the German forces feel threatened enough to move the airship carrying Namor's fragment.

"Contract the line!"

Su Ming shouted to Rogue and Cable, signaling everyone to gather. As bullets rained down, the group used their various abilities to counter incoming artillery and explosives, struggling to stay together amid the chaos.

Monarch, having received Su Ming's signal, quickly unleashed a massive illusion. Thick black smoke billowed into the sky like ink from a giant squid, obscuring the enemy's vision in all directions.

This black smoke wasn't ordinary. It was sulfurous, stolen from the hellish realms where volcanoes and lava burned eternally. Monarch had simply opened a portal on one of those volcanoes.

The sulfurous smoke quickly enveloped the small square, hiding the group within it.

As everyone gathered around Su Ming, his Nightfall sword gleamed with silver sparks, even in the dense smoke. The three women, still dazed, were pulled in by the X-Men, now all huddled together.

"Monarch, do it," Su Ming said softly to Monarch, who immediately understood and began chanting a spell.

A few minutes later, when the German soldiers finally dispersed the thick smoke and reached the battle site, they found... nothing. Their enemies had vanished without a trace, despite being surrounded by nearly ten thousand troops.

They searched the area but found no footprints or signs of anyone having flown away.

The group had simply disappeared.

Soon, high-ranking German officials arrived on the scene. Among the vehicles, one particularly extravagant open-top car stood out.

It wasn't just the car's luxurious design that drew attention—it was the driver.

He had no skin on his face. Beneath the brim of his black hat was a blood-red skull.

One of Hydra's top leaders, and with Baron Strucker now off in Japan starting his own plans, this man was the public face of Hydra's leadership.

He was Red Skull.

In the passenger seat sat another man, clutching a briefcase and wearing comically round glasses. This was Dr. Zola, who had been closely monitored by Red Skull as he worked on the Tesseract project.

The soldiers made way for Red Skull, their expressions a mix of fanaticism and fear—but it made no difference to him. He didn't care what ants thought.

The car rolled up to the ruins, and Red Skull stepped out, gazing down at the uneven ground, mentally calculating the forces that had left those marks.

The conclusion? Far beyond his own capabilities.

That piqued his interest—but not enough to distract him from the Tesseract.

Dr. Zola, struggling to keep up on his short legs, clutched his briefcase. "Schmidt, we're just passing through Paris. There's no need to waste time here."

"I know. I'm just a little curious. But mortal strength could never compare to the power of the gods. Dr. Zola, your progress has me impatient."

Red Skull crouched down, touching the ground. He could still feel the lingering echoes of the battle, and it excited him.

Zola, meanwhile, was sweating profusely. Despite his high rank in Hydra, Zola was a timid man and the lowest of the Hydra leaders. Sometimes, he felt like Red Skull might kill him at any moment.

"No, that blue artifact... If it were so easy to unlock, it wouldn't be worthy of being called a god's relic. You have to give me more time," Zola stammered.

"I wonder if our Führer will give me more time. He seems to be planning to get rid of me, Doctor. Which side will you stand on?" Red Skull asked coldly, towering over the trembling scientist.

Zola pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, nervously wiping away his sweat. He could barely breathe under Red Skull's gaze. Capricious and inhuman, Red Skull only accepted one answer to his question.

Nodding frantically, Zola replied, "Of course—of course, Hail Hydra!"

Red Skull's expression, which might have been a smile, flickered across his skinless face. He patted Zola's shoulder before turning back to the car. "Good answer. Hail Hydra!"