The sprawling grounds of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters were unusually quiet. The usual buzz of student activity was absent, leaving an empty, hollow feeling in the air. Only three figures stood on the quiet campus: the massive, metallic form of Colossus, the young, fiery Warhead, and a very agitated Deadpool.
With a silent flash of blue light, Lin Yu appeared directly in front of them. "What is the matter?" he asked, his voice calm but direct. "Vanessa was arrested?"
"That is right," Colossus said, his deep, resonant voice full of concern. "It is Francis's subordinates. They captured Vanessa. They want us to bring Francis to them in exchange."
"Those bastards!" Deadpool hammered the wall of the mansion with a gloved fist. "They took her while she was out shopping. Damn it!"
Hearing Deadpool's words, the corner of Lin Yu's mouth twitched. He then looked at Colossus and Warhead. "The other X-Men have not come back yet?"
"Two more days," Warhead said, his arms crossed in frustration.
"Such a coincidence? Is this plot inertia?" Lin Yu rubbed his chin in thought. It seemed that even though he had captured Francis himself, the major events still wanted to happen. The details had just shifted. He had taken Francis, so Francis's men had come for revenge on their own, taking Vanessa to force a trade.
"Yes, it is the inertia of the plot," Deadpool nodded, his anger mixing with a strange sense of resignation. "Because you messed up the plot, the story of Deadpool 1 was not finished. So the will of the world, that funny old man, corrected the direction of events. This happened so the plot could continue."
"Stan Lee? That is no wonder," Lin Yu said, stunned for a moment before a new confusion arose. "Then you come to me again. If we disrupt the plot again, other things will happen. We will have to trouble Mr. Stan Lee to correct things again. We are working that old man too hard." Stan Lee was a constant presence across the multiverse. Lin Yu made a mental note to find a chance to chat with him one day.
"Whatever," Deadpool waved a dismissive hand. "I am here for revenge. And the audience thinks your appearance makes the plot more interesting. So I must find you."
"So amazing?" Lin Yu raised his eyebrows.
"What are you two talking about?" Warhead asked, a headache forming as he listened to their incomprehensible conversation.
"Children, do not ask so many questions," Deadpool said, waving a hand at him.
"Whatever!" the Warhead snapped, turning his head away angrily.
"What is the plan now?" Lin Yu asked.
"We go save people," Deadpool stated. "Anyway, do not count on the other X-Men."
"Now?" Lin Yu asked.
"Soon. We have a meeting time at ten o'clock," Colossus explained.
"Then let us go buy something to eat first," Lin Yu suggested.
At 9:30, the group stood at the main gate of the school. Lin Yu looked at the slightly battered taxi, driven by the young Indian man, Dopinder. Then he looked at Colossus, who had to sit bent over in the back seat because of his great height. Lin Yu pursed his lips and turned to Deadpool. "You cannot expect us to squeeze into this car."
He then pointed at Francis, who was tied up and gagged nearby. "And, what about him?"
"No other way. We squeeze," Deadpool said with a shrug. "As for Francis, just put him in the trunk."
Deadpool did not notice the flash of panic that crossed Dopinder's face at the mention of the trunk.
"I can teleport, you know," Lin Yu reminded him. "Why do not we just teleport there?"
"That is so boring," Deadpool complained. "The subtitles would say the show was over in a few minutes. This is Dopinder's big moment to shine, and you want to ruin it? Just go with it."
"Fine, you go ahead. I will follow," Lin Yu said, scratching his head. "I will take Francis with me."
"Okay. Dopinder, drive," Deadpool ordered.
Hearing this, the Indian driver seemed relieved. He nodded and started the taxi's engine.
Lin Yu stood on the curb and watched the overloaded car pull away. He shook his head, then raised a hand and waved it casually at the empty road ahead. A blue light flashed, and a white Wuling Hongguang S van appeared on the roadside. Lin Yu kept a portable space with a ten-kilometer diameter with him, storing all sorts of useful things inside, including this vehicle.
He pulled open the rear door of the van, unceremoniously tossed the bound Francis inside, and shut the door. He then walked to the driver's side, got in, and closed the door. "Pyramid," he ordered his onboard AI, "follow that taxi."
"Yes," Pyramid replied. The van pulled forward smoothly, maintaining a steady distance behind the taxi.
"Pyramid, long time no see," Xiao Ai's voice chimed from the bracelet on Lin Yu's wrist.
"Long time? Was it not just a few minutes?" Pyramid asked, confused.
"The time in my portable space can be controlled by me freely," Lin Yu explained, already pulling up a touchable holographic projection to play his favorite game, Honkai Impact 3.
"I see," Pyramid said. He and Xiao Ai had been with Lin Yu for a long time, and they were no longer surprised by his seemingly bottomless well of abilities.
Inside the taxi, Colossus and Warhead stared out the back window, watching the van appear from nowhere. "Where did he get that car?" Colossus muttered, his surprise warring with a sense of resignation. They were almost numb to Lin Yu's endless tricks, but conjuring a car from thin air was still bewildering.
Dopinder, who saw the same thing in his rearview mirror, was also shocked. The metal-skinned man in his back seat was strange enough. Summoning a van from nothing was downright horrifying.
"Anyway, he did not pull it out of his backside," Deadpool said, settling into his seat. "Do not worry about it. Knowing too much is not good for you." For someone who knew he was a fictional character, nothing was truly surprising anymore.
"Who is that guy following us?" Dopinder asked Deadpool curiously. "And that shiny guy in my back seat?"
"The one following us is my fan, from the real world," Deadpool said, pulling a pistol from the Hello Kitty bag on his lap. "As for the guy with the metal skin in the back seat, he promised to help me. In exchange, I will consider joining his boy band."
"This is not a boy band!" Colossus boomed, pausing from drinking his Coke. He automatically ignored the part about Lin Yu being from the real world.
"Yes, yes, yes," Deadpool sighed. He turned back to Dopinder. "How is it going with Gita?"
Last time Deadpool was in the cab, Dopinder had complained about the girl he liked being stolen by his cousin. Deadpool had offered him some questionable advice.
"I tried the moves you said," Dopinder said, shaking his head helplessly. "But my cousin is taller than me. And more cunning."
"I think you are cute," Deadpool offered.
"Ahhh!"
At that moment, the taxi hit a sunken manhole cover. The car jolted violently, its undercarriage scraping the pavement. A distinct, muffled scream came from the trunk. Dopinder squirmed in his seat, a guilty look on his face.
The air in the car froze for a second. Deadpool stared at the driver. "What was that?"
"Uh," Dopinder stammered, his smile uglier than a frown. "That is the cousin. In the trunk."
"What!" Colossus roared from the back seat, his metallic eyes wide with disbelief.