They hadn't even stepped out of the doors of the London Temple before they heard what sounded like a beast's howl.
Deadpool tilted his head, placing his palm next to his ear while listening. He asked Monac, "Do they keep wolves here?"
"There are werewolves, but not ordinary wolves," Monac replied naturally. The people of Kama Taiji are more inclined to research, so it's not surprising that there are some magic creatures in the temple.
"Werewolves, I'd like to see them..."
Deadpool was intrigued. He knew there were werewolves in Midnight's Children and the Howling Commandos, maybe this one was a relative of theirs.
Su Ming hooked his arm around his neck and pulled him back. After the battle, fatigue and hunger washed over him like a tide; he just wanted to eat something right now, rather than see some furry magic creatures.
"Let's come back next time. I have a Yeti corpse stored at Kama Taiji; I'll show it to you later."
So the group ignored the screams coming from behind and walked out of the Holy of Holies.
The typhoon had passed a few days ago, and now London was undergoing limited post-disaster reconstruction.
The United Kingdom is lacking in everything now. With Germany's blockade and bombing, even if there are firefighters available, they are mostly old men with long beards.
After each bombing, they could only see if they could rescue some wounded from the rubble, but more often, they played the role of corpse carriers.
Important facilities and buildings, like munitions factories or radar stations, needed repairing, so residential areas were naturally postponed.
The public shelters in London are currently full, crowded with homeless people who can only drink a bit of potato soup every day, while bread is prioritized for the military; it's difficult for ordinary people to get flour.
The damages caused by the typhoon are already considered good since storms don't cause fires. The streets are littered with rubbish and debris, but at least there are no charred corpses.
Some leaves float in the puddles on the road, sinking and resurfacing, much like the current state of the United Kingdom itself.
Monac's residence was right in front, but no one except him had the intention of eating there, as the smell was unbearable.
So they changed into casual clothes, and Gin contacted a hotel, planning to have a good meal there as a way to celebrate finding the first piece of 'Namor.'
Everyone else was easygoing; changing into outfits was enough. Even Monac was already wearing a suit, but Deadpool's face, which looked like a puckered rose, needed a good cover-up.
Su Ming thought for a moment, got some bandages from Dr. Holloway, wrapped Deadpool's entire face, put him in a high-neck coat, and topped it with a felt hat.
"Okay, if this still gets exposed, just say you're a burn victim." Holloway swiftly finished Wade's disguise and nodded in satisfaction.
"What burn? Have you ever seen such a handsome and dashing burn victim like me? You're slandering my looks!"
Wade stubbornly shook the collar of his coat, looking down at his reflection in the puddle; this disguise completely covered his face. Isn't this the bandaged monster he saw in comics as a kid?
"Alright, just eat, rest, and then continue with the next step," Su Ming instructed Deadpool wearily; he had no energy to bicker with him.
The group dined on the hotel's top floor, where business was quite dismal; the large hall only housed them and even the serving staff couldn't be cheered up by tips.
The atmosphere seemed to convey 'The war will be lost, will be lost, will be lost...' which irritated Su Ming.
If Deathstroke is already on the move, how could they lose? All the Londoners could do was stay home and wait for entertainment.
These Londoners really lacked any fighting spirit. Even when the French lost their capital, they still organized guerrilla teams, but these island countries really couldn't compare with mainland countries in bravery.
Deadpool opened a small hole in his bandages, stuffing cooked potatoes through as he chewed, when suddenly, three beams of light appeared beside him.
It was as if columns of light descended from the sky, and three figures appeared next to him.
Deadpool was stunned, even dropping the potatoes from his mouth.
There was some commotion from the people in the distillery, but Gin raised a hand to stop their discussions. Su Ming instinctively reached for the Godslayer, but quickly put the weapon away and continued eating.
Emerging from the light pillars were two women and a man. The man looked around timidly upon arrival, while the two women immediately sat on Deadpool's lap, with one wrapping an arm around his neck and giving him a kiss.
Su Ming felt a bit nauseated, knowing Deadpool hadn't showered since coming from the sewers. This one's taste is quite heavy, huh.
The critical thing is that neither of these women was Vanessa...
The woman who kissed Deadpool wore a tight vest, shorts, and cowboy boots, topped with a brown cowboy hat.
She had a voluptuous figure, long, wavy blonde hair, pale skin, red lips like fire, and her brows exuded both heroic spirit and a hint of old Western charm.
The other brunette beauty had short hair, clad in a women's suit. Though sitting on Deadpool's lap, her expression was blank, with deep thought etched on her pretty face.
Wade chewed his potatoes quickly, mumbling, "Uh, how did you guys get here too?"
"We noticed you went missing, so we came looking. We thought you'd time-traveled to World War II to battle with the German mustache, but here you are, eating... boiled potatoes with salt? Last time I made you tomato-sauce beans, you said you didn't love them?"
The blonde woman grabbed Wade's neck, swinging him like a swing. The spectacled man with them walked aside, finding a seat for himself.
In past occasions, these two would soon start making out, which was a nauseating scene, so he decided to avoid it.
"Ahem, ahem!"
Su Ming saw the woman removing the bandages on Wade's face, their faces getting closer as if something inappropriate was about to happen. He hastily cleared his throat to remind Wade of the presence of his cousin, a doctor, a mage, and the dozen or so distillery employees.
"Wade, aren't you going to introduce us?"
"Uh, it's a little complicated to explain..." Deadpool brushed aside the woman's hand and gave a dry laugh.
"I'll introduce myself then." The woman stood up from Wade's lap, offering her hand to the others, "Inez Temple, code name 'Outlaw,' and this short-haired beauty is Sandy, our tech liaison. The guy over there is the utterly useless 'Weasel.' We are Wade's colleagues from X Organization."
When saying 'colleagues,' Inez winked at Su Ming, suggesting 'although they are colleagues, I'm more than just a colleague.'...
Su Ming nodded in understanding; so Wade had something hidden on the side. "I know you, your grandfather was Lance Temple, the 'Lawless Lad.' He was friends with Matt Hawke, the 'Dual Gun Hero,' and our Dr. Holloway here is the disciple of that Dual Gun Hero, the Avenging Angel."
Inez tossed her golden hair, smiling widely while shaking hands with Holloway, "Certainly, the First Generation Avenging Angel. Thank you for your future assistance to the mutants. We're quite familiar with your grandson."
Holloway was baffled, 'Thank me for what I haven't done yet? What grandson? I'm not even married yet...'
"This is the 'Magic Prince,' Monac."
Su Ming gestured to the mage, but Outlaw wasn't as enthusiastic; she didn't seem to care much for mages.
"I'm Wade's cousin, code name 'Deathstroke,' Slade. This is my right-hand, Gin. Sorry, I haven't been able to pronounce his original name for decades."
Inez evidently knew who they were, though it was a future matter, "I know, Wade mentions you guys often, his wealthy cousin and V..."
"Ahem! Pleased to meet you." Gin cleared his throat and stood up to shake hands with Outlaw, his expression deadly serious and on high alert.
"Uh... oh... hahaha, pleased to meet you." Outlaw seemed to understand something, covering her mouth to giggle softly, then warmly greeted the rest of the distillery staff.
Su Ming narrowed his eyes; he realized something: Outlaw and her crew were from the future and knew Gin, but what was that word starting with V? Was it Gin's future codename? Could it be V for Vendetta?
He glanced at Wade, who avoided his gaze guiltily, gulping down a cup of plain water.