Nightclub in the Wasteland

The Multiverse was diverse. Even the most similar parallel universes still possessed subtle differences.

That was especially apparent in this world’s sun.

Throughout human history, the sun had always represented hope and glory. Its light bathed the earth, leaving darkness nowhere to hide. In a world of light, everything seemed so beautiful; people lived carefree, happy, and peaceful lives.

But in this world, perhaps reflecting the wasteland of Earth below, even the sun in the sky appeared to be in its twilight years. It was unlike any sun Zhang Ye remembered. As he watched the rising dawn, an idiom surfaced in his mind without warning—like a candle flickering in the wind.

Looking at that sun, which had once represented hope, Zhang Ye felt conflicted. At that moment, it was like a match desperately burning itself, trying to illuminate the land before it went out, struggling to bring even a little warmth and light to this place.

"My earlier guess was right. In this world, it seems I can no longer use my full combat strength." Kara frowned at the rising sun. For some reason, it made her deeply uncomfortable, both physically and mentally.

"How much have you been weakened?" Zhang Ye asked calmly.

"About half of what I had before, I think." Kara pondered for a moment before answering. "I can use Heat Vision, but its destructive power is limited. I can use Bio-Field, but I can’t fly anymore. As for the rest, I’m not sure yet."

"That is still acceptable. At least you retain some ability to protect yourself. This world’s sun is even more ‘aged’ than I imagined. Clearly, that isn’t normal." Zhang Ye withdrew his gaze and turned to Kara and Pietro.

"For safety’s sake, I hope the two of you use your abilities as little as possible. We don’t understand this world well enough yet. Recklessly exposing ourselves could bring unprecedented danger."

Kara immediately nodded. Having lost half her power, she was beginning to feel a sense of crisis.

"Understood. I’ll act according to the plan as well." Pietro spoke up from the side. Having experienced the despair of the Ruined Universe, Pietro naturally understood how crucial it was to follow orders. "Honestly, Zhang, being here really gives me the feeling of coming home."

After briefly packing up, the three set off.

Nothing useful could be found in these ruins filled with yellow sand. Next, they had to search for clues about this world and figure out why this universe’s Earth had become what it was now.

As for Zhang Ye, having read quite a few superhero comics, he was naturally no stranger to this sort of wasteland setting. Whether Marvel or DC, such distinctive scenes often appeared.

One particularly famous comic scene depicted Batman carrying a lantern made from Joker’s head, wandering through the yellow sands in search of whatever hope remained in the wasteland. But since this universe belonged to Marvel, Zhang Ye could basically rule out half the plots in his mind.

In fact, Zhang Ye did have a guess about this universe, because the original work was simply too famous. But before encountering anyone from this world, he truly had no way of knowing whether his guess was right.

As they walked through the desert, all three wore long robes, both to shield themselves from the sand and to conceal their identities.

Zhang Ye and Kara were fine. Neither of them belonged to the Marvel Multiverse. But Pietro was different. He was Quicksilver, a member of the Avengers, a mighty superhero. His presence would draw the attention of many interested parties, if anyone truly recognized him.

The three moved quickly. In just one morning, Zhang Ye and the others crossed an entire desert and arrived at a shabby little town with a distinctly Western style.

On the surface, it looked like an abandoned village. It stood in the middle of nowhere, its buildings dilapidated, with some windows and doors broken beyond repair. It was utterly desolate.

If not for several drunks sleeping on the filthy road, Zhang Ye would have found it difficult to call this place a "shelter."

"Finally, there are at least some people here. I was starting to wonder whether this world had no survivors left at all." Pietro pulled his hood lower and muttered quietly.

As they crossed the desert, the three had not seen the slightest sign of life. It had been like a forbidden land of death.

"This place may be even worse than we imagined." Kara could not help frowning as she looked at the broken town before them, a place with no semblance of law or order.

Just then, a gust of sand swept past, carrying a promotional poster that fluttered through the air and whistled over the heads of Zhang Ye and the others.

Zhang Ye slightly raised his head and extended a hand. The next instant, the poster in midair seemed to be pulled by some invisible force. It circled once in the sky before landing steadily in Zhang Ye’s hand.

The poster depicted all sorts of scantily clad women. It appeared to be advertising a nightclub. At the center of the flyer was a huge eyeball, apparently the nightclub’s logo.

It was hard to imagine that someone would build a nightclub solely for "pleasure" in such a desolate, barren place. After all, every kind of resource was extremely scarce in the wasteland. Ordinary people could barely survive here as it was.

Zhang Ye stared deeply at the poster in his hand as sealed memories gradually awakened. After cultivating magic, his mental power had made it easy for him to improve his memory.

Just as I guessed. How should I put this? As expected of a wasteland, I suppose?

Slowly exhaling, Zhang Ye smiled. Yet that smile was filled with mockery.

"Zhang, you aren’t planning to go there, are you?" Pietro watched Zhang Ye stare at the nightclub poster while wearing an indecipherable smile, and for a moment, he was speechless.

"I am planning to take a look." Zhang Ye did not deny it and answered frankly.

"You…" Even Kara could not stop herself from rolling her eyes this time.

"What?" Zhang Ye emerged from his thoughts. After pausing in confusion, he did not understand why Pietro and Kara were reacting so strongly.

"We’re in a wasteland, surrounded by danger everywhere. We finally reached a place with some people, and the first thing you think of is going to find ‘that.’ I’m too embarrassed to even say it out loud!" Pietro said.

Zhang Ye responded by lightly smacking the back of his head.

"Don’t ruin my image in front of Kara. Places like this are usually good for gathering intelligence. It’s not like you’ve never gone with me before. Have you forgotten Nick Fury? Don’t play dumb."