The Sun Is Watching Me

His gaze fell on the screaming John, and the expression beneath Zhang Ye’s mask shifted ever so slightly.

There were quite a few speedsters in the Marvel universe. The fact that the other man had instantly called Pietro "Quicksilver" the moment they met meant that, in this universe, Pietro and his counterpart probably looked exactly alike, just like the younger and older Barry Allens from before.

That was not exactly good news. The two Pietros looked alike and possessed the same abilities, which meant Pietro could be exposed at any time. An ordinary person could get by with makeup, but if he happened to come face-to-face with the X-Men, they would definitely recognize Pietro at a glance.

However, now was not the time to think about such things. Zhang Ye turned his attention back to the vampire John.

"You know me?" Pietro grinned. The moment the man shouted the name Quicksilver, Pietro had known that he had mistaken him for this universe’s Pietro. But Pietro had no intention of telling him the truth. Since there was already a misunderstanding, he might as well let it continue.

John was still immersed in shock and confusion, but Pietro’s words jolted him awake. Suddenly remembering something, John turned to Zhang Ye and blurted out, "Are you X-Men? No, that’s not right. You’re human—you’re with the Avengers!?"

John’s tone was filled with disbelief. He stared fixedly at Zhang Ye’s incomparably bizarre mask, his heart full of confusion and despair. He was confused because that outfit did not look like a superhero’s at all, and despairing because the kid had deceived him, yet he had still ended up in the sights of superheroes.

"Don’t get worked up, Mr. John. I really only want you to teach me how to use magic, nothing more. Once you help me, I’ll give you a generous reward. Of course, I won’t expose your identity either." Zhang Ye cleared his throat and spoke calmly.

"Why should I believe you?" John’s face darkened. He cast a wary glance at Pietro before saying, "Let me tell you, I will never help self-righteous people like you. Get out of my way!"

"Ah."

Seeing John’s overreaction, Zhang Ye shook his head helplessly.

Look, this was the price of being a superhero. Clad in the glory of "justice," every action had to be bound by that moral standard. Now even a minor villain who had not reformed, merely washed his hands of the business, could use that against him and squawk in his face.

"First, I had no intention of deceiving you. I really am not a superhero."

Zhang Ye reined in his emotions and slowly raised one finger. Along with the motion, John suddenly felt his left shoulder sink. Then an immense force surged from his shoulder, so powerful that John felt his bones would be crushed to pieces the next moment.

The instant it touched him, John realized it was a hand—a very slender, fair hand. He could tell it belonged to a girl, but the astonishing strength carried in that hand filled him with fear.

What horrified him most was that he had not noticed in the slightest when she had appeared behind him. Like the black figure before him and Quicksilver, every one of these people seemed like ghosts, utterly impossible to perceive.

At that moment, Zhang Ye raised a second finger.

"Second, I’m not negotiating with you."

As soon as the words fell, John suddenly felt a terrifying energy appear behind him, one he had no way to resist.

At that instant, John felt every cell in his body sounding an alarm. Under that energy, even breathing became difficult, and his body trembled uncontrollably. He had only experienced this feeling of impending death when he was completely exposed to sunlight.

With great difficulty, John turned his head, and from the corner of his eye he finally saw the source of it all. It was a girl with short black hair. One of her hands rested on his shoulder, while her cold, emotionless eyes stared at him.

Within the girl’s eyes, that unbearable, terrifying energy was ready to erupt. I’ll die. I’ll definitely die! Under that gaze, John’s scalp went numb, and he could not even move a single finger.

John kept sucking in breaths. There was only one thought in his mind—the sun is watching me!

"I agree! I agree to it!"

At that critical moment between life and death, John finally came to his senses and screamed at the top of his lungs.

"This would’ve been much easier." Seeing this, Zhang Ye signaled that Kara could stop.

The moment the fingers loosened, John’s body collapsed limply to the ground like a ragged piece of clothing. He gasped for breath, still dazed by his narrow escape. He did not dare think about what exactly had grabbed him just now.

That oppressive force and terrifying energy had nearly shattered John’s mind, leaving him unable to forget it for the rest of his life. As a vampire who had been resurrected several times, this was the first time he had understood what it meant to "keep sinking between life and death."

"Are you all right? Do you need me to help you up?" Zhang Ye slowly walked up to John and said in an icy tone. Though his words sounded concerned, the indifference in his voice made John shudder.

He understood now. The other party had not deceived him. This guy really was not a superhero. He was a devil!

Scrambling to his feet, John ignored the filthy water on his body. Keeping his head lowered, he did not dare look at any of the three people around him, much less attempt to escape. The power they had displayed was simply too overwhelming; before them, everything he had was no different from plastic toys.

"I-I’m fine. Didn’t you want to learn about magic? I established a nest in Hell’s Kitchen. There are quite a few things I’ve collected over the years there. They might be able to help you." John spoke with fear written across his face.

"Lead the way." Since he had already forced the man to cooperate with violence, Zhang Ye could not be bothered to keep pretending to be polite. Honestly, he had no desire to show a pleasant face to a villain with the lives of many innocent people on his hands.

Hearing the complete lack of emotion in Zhang Ye’s voice, John’s body trembled slightly. He knew the other man had no patience left for him. If he failed to do as he was told, he would likely be killed instantly—the kind of death he could not revive from.

"Follow me."

From the corner of his eye, John glanced at the bag he had tossed aside and the old, battered lamp sticking out from it. After hesitating for a moment, he ultimately gave up on picking it up and instead led them directly toward his nest.