The access request was approved, and the door slowly opened.
Tony Stark walked in first, his posture relaxed, confidence evident in every step. Encasing his body was the newly upgraded Mark X armor, its design sleeker than before, its structure more refined, and its systems far more advanced.
Compared to earlier versions, this suit was faster, stronger, and significantly more efficient. Its flight speed had already reached nearly Mach 3, enough to rival even Quicksilver in short bursts.
Aiden Cross glanced at the armor and nodded slightly.
"Your suits evolve quickly."
Tony smirked.
"Slow, actually. There's a kid in Africa who already built a Vibranium mech."
He was referring to Child Emperor.
At present, Tony's strength could be considered at the peak of B-tier, barely touching the threshold of higher levels. But compared to a fully realized Vibranium-based machine, there was still a clear gap.
Then Tony's gaze shifted.
"…And you are?"
Standing across from him, Batman spoke calmly.
"Gotham."
"Batman."
Tony responded instantly.
"New York."
"Iron Man."
For a brief moment, silence filled the room.
But it wasn't empty.
It was sharp.
Like two blades pressing against each other.
Two geniuses.
Two symbols of wealth and intellect.
Technology against technology.
Strategy against strategy.
Tony shrugged casually.
"…Never heard of you."
"Dressed like a shadow."
Batman's expression didn't change.
"And you look like a walking traffic signal."
Tony's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Nice mouth."
"Same to you."
The atmosphere dropped instantly.
Cold.
If Aiden Cross hadn't been present, the situation would have escalated beyond words.
"Enough."
His voice cut through the tension effortlessly.
He turned toward Tony.
"Why are you here?"
Tony pointed behind him.
"Kid's recommendation."
Peter Parker stepped forward, scratching his head slightly.
"He's a good guy."
Aiden Cross glanced around.
"…Where is he?"
Peter turned toward the entrance.
"Hey, come in."
A figure walked through the doorway.
Red.
Black.
At first glance, the outfit resembled Spider-Man's.
But something about it felt… off.
Chaotic.
Unstable.
Aiden Cross's eyes narrowed slightly.
He recognized him immediately.
Deadpool.
Unlike the others, he had no wealth to rely on, no perfected serum, no alien bloodline, no heroic image to uphold.
Only a broken past.
Wade Wilson.
Once a soldier. Then a cancer patient. Then something else entirely.
After being injected with the regenerative genes of Wolverine, he gained an immortal body at the cost of everything else.
His face was ruined.
His body could not die.
And his mind…
was unpredictable.
"…Hey boss!"
Deadpool waved enthusiastically.
"I'm Deadpool."
"The government hates me. Tries to cut me open every week."
"Which is honestly very rude."
He suddenly turned and looked at Batman.
"…You remind me of burnt toast."
He paused.
"…Did I eat toast today?"
"…Anyway."
Then he turned back.
"If you pay me, I'll do anything."
"Except selling my body."
"I have standards."
Silence filled the room.
Even Tony paused for a moment.
Peter facepalmed.
"…Dude."
"Focus."
"Oh right!"
Deadpool snapped his fingers.
"Demo time."
Without hesitation, he drew his twin swords.
Then—
SLASH.
He cut himself cleanly in half.
His upper body fell to the ground, while his lower half remained standing awkwardly in place.
"…Ta-da."
Tony stared.
"…That's disturbing."
The severed body began to regenerate. Flesh reconnected. Bone reformed. Muscle rewove itself together in real time until, within moments, he stood whole again.
Deadpool grinned.
"See?"
"Unkillable."
"I also do magic tricks."
"And I learned some stuff from ancient China."
He paused.
"…Not this China though."
"Another one."
"…Also weird."
Aiden Cross watched him silently.
He understood something others didn't.
Deadpool was different.
He knew things he shouldn't know.
About the world beyond this one.
About stories.
About something outside the rules that governed everyone else.
Among all the heroes gathered here, only one could truly break those rules.
Only one could look beyond the boundaries of the world itself.
Deadpool tilted his head slightly.
"…So?"
"Am I hired?"
"…Or do I need to explode myself again?"
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Read Chapters ahead: [email protected] / KaiOynx