For a few seconds, everything was quiet. Then, with a sharp sound, Deadpool swung his two knives apart. The man he had lifted into the air was cut open and fell to the ground. Deadpool spun his knives in a flashy move and then slid them back into the sheaths on his back.
"Look, what do we have here?" Deadpool's eyes widened with excitement as he stared at Lin Yu. "You don't belong to this world, do you? You're from the real world?"
"Yes, you could say—" Lin Yu started to answer, but a loud motorcycle engine roared behind him. The rider who had run away earlier had turned around and was speeding back, shooting his gun as he came.
Lin Yu moved into his super speed state. In an instant, he was next to the motorcyclist. He grabbed the man and threw him off the bike with one strong movement. Then he kicked the still-moving motorcycle away. It skidded across the road with a loud scrape.
"Really, I am trying to have a conversation here. Why must you cause trouble?" Lin Yu said, leaving his super speed state. He gave the dazed man on the ground a light kick, sending him sliding over to Deadpool's feet. "Can you have a private word with me?" Lin Yu asked Deadpool.
"Oh, I am so flattered! Are you a fan of mine?" Deadpool clapped his hands together like a shy young girl. "I did not expect someone from the real world to be my fan. What should I do? I am so happy. Should I say yes to him?" He started to wiggle back and forth.
Lin Yu said nothing. He just stared.
"Okay, okay, wait for me," Deadpool said, seeing Lin Yu's unamused face. He shrugged and then turned his attention to the man at his feet.
Deadpool kicked the man hard, sending him sliding against the low wall of the bridge. He kicked the man's hat off. Then, in one fast motion, he pulled out a knife and stabbed it straight through the man's body. The knife was so strong it went right through the man and sank deep into the concrete wall behind him, pinning him there.
"You have a strong spirit, Francis," Deadpool said. He held up two fingers near his own head. "It seems you are not a top, and you are not a bottom. Does that ring a bell? No?"
Francis looked at Deadpool with a confused and angry face. He could not see Deadpool's face under the full red mask.
"Now?" Deadpool said. He reached up and pulled the red mask off his head. He revealed his face. It was a face that the bar owner at Sister Margaret's had once described as looking like a dried-up, old avocado that had been in a car crash with another, even older avocado. The skin was rough, lumpy, and badly scarred. It was a face that was hard to look at.
"You bastard, Wade Wilson," Francis said. His own face was covered in blood from the fight. But because of his mutation, he felt no pain. He gave a mocking smile to Deadpool. "Hello there, 'Handsome'."
"I was bitten by a radioactive Shar-Pei dog. Whose fault is that, Francis?" Deadpool said. He sounded a little annoyed, but his voice was mostly calm. "And it gave me this face that even a ghost would cry over."
While Deadpool was talking to Francis, Lin Yu saw a large, advanced fighter jet descend from the sky. It made almost no sound. Deadpool, who was focused on his conversation, did not notice it at all.
Lin Yu recognized the shape of this jet immediately. It was the X-Men's special plane, the Blackbird.
The hatch of the jet opened. Two people came out. One was a very big, tall man whose skin looked like solid, shiny metal. This was Colossus. The other was a shorter woman with cropped hair, wearing a leather jacket. This was Negasonic Teenage Warhead. They both saw Lin Yu standing to the side.
"Hello," Lin Yu said with a friendly smile.
"Who are you?" Colossus asked. His voice was deep and had a Russian accent.
"My name is Lin Yu. I am just a passerby," Lin Yu replied.
"I am here to catch that idiot in the red suit. Please do not get in the way," Colossus said. He did not know who Lin Yu was, but a normal person would not be standing here so calmly. So he thought it was best to warn him.
"That is fine. I am just here to watch the show," Lin Yu said.
Colossus gave a short nod. He then turned and walked toward Deadpool, who was still talking with Francis.
"You should thank me. You cannot die now. I am actually a little jealous," Francis said, looking at Deadpool.
"But what is the point of living like this?" Deadpool said. He shook the knife that was still stuck in Francis's body.
At that moment, Lin Yu, who was standing not far away, spoke up. "Actually, I can heal your face," he said.
"I am going to destroy you, just like I will— Wait, what?" Deadpool was about to continue threatening Francis when Lin Yu's words hit him. He spun his head around. "What did you say?!"
But when Deadpool turned, he saw the massive, metal form of Colossus standing right behind him like a living wall. Before Deadpool could react, Colossus grabbed him and threw him through the air. He landed in a heap on the ground a distance away.
"I said, I can heal your face!" Lin Yu repeated, his voice still calm.
"What did you say? Is that true? Come on, then! Show me this magic power that can fix my face!" Deadpool jumped up from the ground, completely unharmed. He dodged another grab from Colossus and ran over to Lin Yu. He gave Lin Yu a very big, tight hug. Then he put his hands on Lin Yu's shoulders. "If you can fix my face, I will do anything for you. I will even give you my... well, you know," he said with a wink.
"..." Lin Yu pushed Deadpool back, preventing him from trying to give a kiss. "I have no interest in that part of a man," he said, sounding a little exasperated. "And I do not need you to do anything for me."
Then, Lin Yu lifted his hand. He snapped his fingers in Deadpool's direction. A soft flash of light, glowing with six different colors, washed over Deadpool. The burned, scarred, and lumpy skin on his face began to change. It smoothed out. The colors returned to normal. Right before their eyes, his face transformed back to the handsome, familiar face of the actor Ryan Reynolds.
"Oh! I have missed you so much, my handsome face!" Deadpool said. He excitedly stroked his now smooth and normal cheeks. He turned back to Lin Yu. "Please, you must come to my place tonight. You can have anything you want!"
"...Let me say it again. I am not interested in that," Lin Yu said firmly. He knew Deadpool was mostly joking, but it was better to be clear. He could already see the strange looks that Colossus and Negasonic were giving them.
"Are you a mutant as well?" Colossus asked, walking closer to Lin Yu. He looked at him with great curiosity. "Would you be interested in joining our Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters?"
"Your power is incredible," Negasonic said, her eyes wide. "Is it an ability to enhance the powers of other mutants? To perfect them?" She was guessing because Lin Yu had just fixed Deadpool's face with a snap of his fingers. She thought maybe he had not healed it directly, but had instead improved Deadpool's own healing power so much that it fixed his face instantly.
Both of them thought Lin Yu might be a rare kind of mutant, one who could support and strengthen others. They were excited. It reminded them of another powerful mutant from stories, Apocalypse, who could also boost the powers of others. But that one had wanted to rule the world. This young man in front of them seemed much kinder and gentler.