บท 289: Dragons
Charlie Cooper watched through his visor as the lizard monster's expression shifted from fierce hunger to utter horror. Seeing the monster react this way to Deadpool's flesh was both amusing and, frankly, a little satisfying.
This creature is definitely inexperienced, Charlie thought. Pretty gutsy to actually try and eat Deadpool.
Deadpool's powers—the ability to heal from almost any injury and a type of immortality—were legendary. Across the Marvel universe, villains and scientists had spent countless resources trying to unlock the secret of Deadpool's self-healing ability. Like Wolverine, another hero with a famous healing factor, Deadpool's powers were the target of countless experiments and ambitious villains.
But what these would-be masterminds didn't realize was that Deadpool's healing factor came with a terrible downside. His body wasn't just full of regenerative cells—it was also full of cancer. Every inch of him carried the disease, a dark price that not even his powerful healing factor could completely erase.
In the Marvel universe, cancer was an especially stubborn and relentless disease. Not even godlike powers could cure it. For example, Jane Foster, who once wielded the power of Thor, suffered from cancer. Even with the power of a god, her condition only worsened. In this world, cancer cells were almost impossible to eliminate, unaffected by both magic and science.
Deadpool's case was unique. His healing factor was extremely powerful, even stronger than Wolverine's, but it worked too well. It caused his cells to regenerate at an uncontrollable rate, essentially turning him into a walking factory of rapidly dividing cells. Since Deadpool wasn't born with his healing power, his body naturally rejected it. In fact, if he'd been a regular human, his healing ability would've destroyed him from the inside out.
But Deadpool's terminal cancer provided an unexpected "balance." When he received his healing powers, the cancer was already spread throughout his body, and this forced his powers into a kind of truce. His healing ability and the cancer cells kept each other in check. While the cancer spread, his healing powers fought it constantly, making him both immortal and a "walking disease." Every cell in his body was part cancer and part invincible regeneration.
"So, you decided to take a bite out of me, huh?" Deadpool muttered, glaring at the lizard creature.
Without waiting, Deadpool raised his sword and brought it down on the lizard's head, slashing it over and over until the monster's scaly skull was a broken, bloody mess. As if that wasn't enough, he pulled out his gun and smashed the monster's forehead several times for good measure.
Nearby, the bear monster with the severed arm was clutching its bloody stump, howling in pain. But instead of retreating, the agony only seemed to make it angrier. Its eyes locked onto Deadpool, noticing him focused on the lizard, and with a furious roar, it charged forward, aiming to attack him.
But Charlie, controlling Batman, had already moved to intercept it. The bear, now in a blind rage, didn't care who was in its path. It roared and swung a huge fist at Batman with all its strength.
Batman didn't meet the bear's strength head-on. Instead, Charlie maneuvered Batman with quick, precise movements, dodging the bear's powerful swings as red warning signs on his visor highlighted the incoming attacks.
The bear was strong, each swipe of its enormous paw creating a whistling sound in the air as it sliced through empty space. But the bear wasn't agile, and with one arm injured and bleeding heavily, it wasn't as fast as it had been. Batman dodged around it easily, slipping past its strikes and moving in close. In one swift move, Batman circled around the bear, pressed a hand against the back of its neck, and injected a special serum.
The bear howled in pain, spinning around and throwing another punch, but Batman had already stepped back to safety. The empty syringe lay on the ground, crushed under the bear's massive foot.
Batman's serum was a powerful muscle relaxant mixed with a narcotic compound. It was specifically designed for enemies with superhuman strength, like Bane. Even one shot was enough to weaken a powerhouse. For the bear monster, already weakened by blood loss, the serum worked quickly. Its vision blurred almost immediately, and it swayed, struggling to keep its balance.
Batman stepped back, waiting as the bear tried to get its footing. Then, he moved in, throwing a punch directly into the creature's face. The electric shock from his glove spread through the creature's body, causing its fur to stand on end as blue sparks danced across its skin. With a final, pained groan, the bear collapsed to the ground, defeated.
Meanwhile, Deadpool had finished hacking away at the lizard monster's head. He finally sheathed his sword, letting out a dramatic sigh as he wiped imaginary sweat from his masked brow. "Whew, that was exhausting. Almost killed me."
"Friday, make an anonymous call to the Ninth Division," Charlie said, speaking through Batman. "Tell them there's a mess to clean up here and that we'll need a lab for research."
These creatures weren't infected humans, but they had similarities. They looked like animals, but twisted into monstrous versions of their natural forms. If the infection could affect animals too, the entire prevention system would need to be overhauled. The risk of transmission would mean including all animals on Earth, not just humans, in the prevention measures.
For now, they needed to study these creatures to figure out exactly what they were. Although Charlie's tech module had some powerful gadgets, it didn't have advanced research tools. His equipment could only create and use existing technology; analyzing unknown threats was beyond its capabilities. This job was more suited for Miyazaki and his research team.
"Already dialing, sir," Friday replied efficiently.
She was handling the call while Charlie reopened detective mode to scan the ground beneath him.
"I didn't have a chance to alert you during the fight, but the detective mode scan picked up something unusual," Friday reported. "There may be a hollow space beneath us."
"What?" Charlie asked, frowning.
"The scan shows an underground structure. There are magnetic signatures and infection traces coming from below."
"So we're standing over a source of infection?" Charlie wondered aloud. "Is this thing affecting animals and turning them into monsters?"
"It's possible," Friday answered. "Detective mode can't scan deeply enough for complete data, but based on the results we have so far…" Friday paused.
"…it's possible we're standing on top of some kind of ancient relic."
The Ninth Division arrived soon after, their response swift and organized. This was one of the advantages of having allies; Charlie didn't have to handle everything on his own. Working with groups like the Ninth Division gave him extra manpower and resources for tasks like cleanup and research.
The Division's team was specially trained for scientific research, combat logistics, and hazardous cleanup. They quickly set up a small base camp, unloading scanners and specialized equipment for analyzing the area. Meanwhile, the bodies of the fallen monsters were carefully loaded onto a transport plane bound for the main lab, where Miyazaki and his research team would investigate them in detail.
The first team from the Ninth Division was led by Ivan Petrov and included Leila, an ancient Old One. Although Leila was technically a "model prisoner," she was always cooperative with the Division, assisting with research and even going on field missions when needed.
Leila's presence here was especially relevant. Batman had received intelligence suggesting there might be an ancient relic buried outside Riverton City. As one of the few surviving Old Ones, Leila had vast knowledge about ancient ruins and artifacts. She had encountered countless relics over her long life, and if anyone could recognize the signs of an ancient site, it was her.
The Division's research team worked quickly, setting up sonar devices to map the underground space, while expert teams used handheld scanners to detect more details.
As the last of the monster bodies was loaded onto the transport, Leila's gaze followed the carcasses being taken away, her expression thoughtful and a bit uneasy.
"You know something," Batman said, watching her closely.
"I do," Leila replied, a slight frown on her face. "But if you think this is the work of the Ancients, you're mistaken. This wasn't done by them."
"But you still know what it is," Batman pressed.
Leila hesitated, then looked at him with a strange, almost cautious expression.
"I suppose you've heard of dragons, right?"
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