Above the Wasteland

Pietro’s remark left Zhang Ye shaking his head as he laughed and cursed.

"Eat already. Even all that food can’t shut your mouth."

"That’s exactly the point. Every time you tell me it’s safe, we end up facing some especially serious crisis, and each one is worse than the last." Growing more agitated, Pietro pointed at the ruins in the distance. "Look at that. Before, we teleported next to a trash can. Now we’ve landed right in a garbage dump. This place looks like it’s been plowed over by missiles, and you’re telling me it’s safe?"

"All right, I admit my wording was a bit off." Zhang Ye rubbed his earlobe, then turned his gaze back to the campfire before him.

"What I mean is, we’re safe for now. I haven’t sensed any unfamiliar life signs nearby. Unless there’s something wrong with my magic, that means there are no living creatures left in these ruins."

"You can still use magic? I mean, are you still as powerful as before? Honestly, what you did earlier was so cool. That figure filling the entire sky really scared me." Pietro looked up and asked curiously.

At that, Zhang Ye raised a hand and snapped his fingers crisply. The next instant, the campfire turned a ghostly green. It pulsed in rhythm with Zhang Ye’s fingers, its green flames illuminating their faces and making the night seem especially eerie.

"Simple magic is still no problem. Those seventeen years weren’t for nothing. But there’s an issue with the source of my magical power. To avoid some unknown accident happening in that world, it’ll be difficult for me to keep drawing energy from that dimension."

As Zhang Ye spoke, a blurred image of those eyes flashed through his mind.

His mistake had caused irreversible consequences in the Ruined Universe. Although the breach had been sealed, after speaking with Miss Minutes, Zhang Ye had decided not to maintain too much contact with the Ruined Universe in the future, for the sake of safety.

Unless he possessed sufficient strength—strength enough to uncover the secret behind it all.

For that reason, Zhang Ye was considering recording another new timeline as a trump card and backup source of magical energy.

The disasters in those previous worlds had struck too quickly, leaving Zhang Ye without enough time to record them. As a result, he had missed two worlds that would have been ideal sources of supplies. But things were different now.

This world had already been shrouded in the shadow of apocalypse. Long before Zhang Ye arrived, its land had become scorched earth. The haze of war blanketed every corner, while scavenging vultures circled high above. Here, those filthy birds never lacked for food.

Just like the Ruined Universe, this world no longer held any hope. Or rather, compared to the despair hanging over this wasteland, whatever hope remained was far too faint.

"We crash-landed in this world. Logically speaking, this universe should be similar to the one we were in before, part of the same parallel-universe branch. And I can use magic here smoothly, without interference from different rules. That should support my guess."

"So this world has another me too?" Pietro asked casually.

According to what Moon Knight had said, that world’s Pietro had already died, killed by Deadpool in an extremely gruesome manner. Pietro had been deeply surprised by that outcome. No matter how he thought about it, both versions of himself were speedsters. How could he have been hacked to death with a blade?

"This…" Zhang Ye took a deep breath and looked toward the distant ruins. After a pause, he muttered, "…I really can’t guarantee that."

"…" Pietro’s expression was a sight to behold.

There was no helping it—Zhang Ye truly could not guarantee it. As a speedster, Pietro might not have possessed the ability to travel through timelines and alter history, but he was still extremely powerful. So whenever a major event occurred, Quicksilver, like The Flash, would inevitably end up dying hand in hand on the road to becoming a sacrifice.

They said that if you were well, the skies would be clear. Judging from this wasteland, this world’s Pietro had probably already kicked the bucket too.

"…No way. Is my fate in parallel universes really this miserable? Zhang, I can’t even imagine what would have happened to me in that world if you hadn’t saved me." Pietro shuddered.

"Don’t think about it too much. It’s not your fault. In normal universes, even though all kinds of crises happen, the heroes still unite to overcome them. We’re probably just unlucky, always ending up in worlds like this." Zhang Ye gave a bitter smile.

"I don’t think we’re unlucky," Pietro suddenly said.

Hearing that, Zhang Ye looked up at Pietro with interest.

Pietro stared solemnly back at him. "I think our journey has meaning. It’s not that we came to these worlds—it’s that these worlds need us!"

Zhang Ye froze.

It was the first time he had seen Pietro so serious. It seemed the kid had grown somewhat after going through so much.

Thinking back to when they had first met, Pietro had still been fighting stray dogs for food. Zhang Ye could not help feeling a touch of bitterness. Perhaps only those who had experienced despair could better empathize with others who had tasted suffering.

Is this what they mean when they say those who have been caught in the rain are the ones who hold umbrellas for others?

Zhang Ye laughed silently. "You brat, seeing you suddenly get serious really isn’t something I’m used to."

Pietro did not know what Zhang Ye was thinking. He only felt that his conclusion had made Zhang Ye laugh, which obviously meant Zhang Ye had not taken his words seriously. Zhang Ye might even have thought he was joking.

"Zhang, I’m serious. We’ve already gone through three universes together, and this is the fourth. Have you really never seriously considered what lies behind these events—"

"Pietro."

Zhang Ye spoke, cutting Pietro off. Smiling at Pietro, who was anxiously trying to explain his thoughts, he said slowly, word by word,

"You’re kindhearted. That’s a good thing. It’s also good that you can stay optimistic after experiencing and witnessing so much pain. I hope you can keep it that way forever."

The atmosphere froze for several seconds.

"Why do you sound like you’re giving your last words?" The way Pietro looked at Zhang Ye changed.

Zhang Ye’s mouth twitched.

"Get lost."