"Calm down, Pietro. It's not what you think. He wasn't the one who killed your adoptive parents."
"If you really want the truth, go find him and get to know him yourself," Alex Ray said calmly.
"Hmph. Then let me take this mission," Pietro said thoughtfully.
"No problem. Let the client come drop the deposit. Call Wanda—let's all head out together." Alex raised the remote and shut off the TV.
"Clean up the table, Wade. It's time to open shop, you bastard. Don't interrupt my money-making. And make sure to give the leftovers to Wilson."
"I don't get it! Why the hell does that mutt outside have the same name as me and wear the same damn eye patch?"
"This is a disgrace to the great Lord Deadpool! I swear, I'm two seconds away from tossing that dog into a hotpot! Damn it!" Deadpool flailed dramatically, ranting in his usual, chaotic fashion.
Alex rolled his eyes. "Sure, sure, mighty Lord Deadpool. Maybe that dog outside is another version of you from a parallel timeline. Anything's possible."
"If you don't shut up, I'll chop you into pieces and toss you to the homeless outside. You know how folks in Hell's Kitchen don't ask where the meat comes from."
Silently, Alex activated his internal system. Open the All-Seeing Eye. Begin scan.
Ding.
All-Seeing Eye activated. Target profile available.
Next to Deadpool, a glowing blue data box appeared:
Basic Information:
Name: Wade Winston Wilson
Alias: Deadpool
Race: Human? (Superhuman)
Favorability: ★★★☆☆
Skills: Combat Skills Lv10, Swordsmanship Lv9, Self-Healing Factor, Chatterbox LvMAX, Taunt LvMAX, Money-Making Lv6, Close Combat Lv9, Endurance LvMAX, Immortality, Psychic Immunity, Fourth Wall Awareness (Locked)...
Looking at the extravagant skill panel, Alex couldn't help but feel jealous.
At least the system gave him the self-healing factor this time—better than being stuck with Chatterbox again.
If that had happened, Alex would have slammed his head against the wall and restarted life altogether.
Yeah, the system's rewards were completely random. And sure, Chatterbox was manageable—he'd gotten weirder ones before.
He once picked up bizarre abilities from some of his black market contacts: seduction, coercion, and even something called "homo-aggression"—whatever the hell that meant.
Thankfully, the system had a Decompose function. It let him break down and enhance existing skills rather than hoard useless ones.
Every time random stats popped up, it felt like being strapped into a roller coaster blindfolded.
Alex's eyes drifted toward the dog lying just outside the door. The damn thing really was a Deadpool dog.
Basic Information:
Name: Wade Wilson
Alias: Deadpool Dog
Race: Canine
Favorability: ★★★★☆
Skills: Animal Language LvMAX, Self-Healing Factor, Acrobatics Lv8, Endurance LvMAX, Catch Lv10, Roll Lv10, Keen Smell, Hearing Lv10, Time-Space Factor...
Yep. Alex had maxed the favorability rating with the Deadpool Dog, but every upgrade gave him silly skills like "Roll" or "Animal Language."
What the hell was he supposed to do with Roll as a human?
In the end, he kept only Animal Language—somewhat useful, at least.
But Time-Space Factor? That's the one he really wanted. Maybe that's how Deadpool ended up in this timeline to begin with.
Normally, there's only one Deadpool per timeline.
Alex shuddered at the thought that this could be the Fourth Wall-Aware Deadpool—the one who knows he's in a comic.
But according to the current news, Iron Man in this universe still resembled the MCU version of Tony Stark.
The top priority now was to get Stark out of Afghanistan. From there, he could build a friendship.
God, he really was becoming one of those people cursed with knowledge.
With a half-smile, Alex said, "Wade, I've got a guaranteed money-making job. Want in?"
"What about me? What about me?" Pietro teleported right in front of him, shaking Alex's shoulders excitedly. "Call me if you're going! I want in!"
Alex swatted Pietro's hands away, annoyed. "Can you stop flashing around like that? You want the whole damn city to know you're a mutant? Thank God this is Hell's Kitchen."
Name: Pietro Maximoff
Alias: Quicksilver
Race: Mutant
Favorability: ★★★★★
Skills: Super Speed, Strength Lv10, High-Speed Particle Vibration, Endurance Lv10, Combat Lv3, Spearmanship Lv2...
He really did have excellent potential. Alex had saved both Pietro and Wanda once, and clearly, the bond had stuck—five stars' worth.
Still, Pietro's combat stats were garbage. He needed training—badly.
Alex wasn't about to let him die like in the movies. Shot by a stray bullet? Come on. Probably because the VFX budget ran out.
Regardless, Pietro had to stop relying on speed alone. It'd get him killed one day.
"What kind of business?" Deadpool yawned, lounging on the couch with one leg on the table.
Alex's eyes twinkled. "I'm going all in this time. I once heard that going all in is a form of wisdom."
"I plan to invest all my liquid assets—after daily expenses—into the stock market. I'm shorting Stark Industries."
"You with me? Let's go crazy."
Pietro's face immediately dropped. "You've lost your mind. Even if Stark Industries' stock drops, it's only temporary. When Tony Stark returns, it'll bounce right back. You're playing with fire!"
Deadpool turned his back and waved him off. "Nah, you go ahead. I'm not touching that dumpster fire."
Alex scoffed, "You guys are so shortsighted. When I make bank, don't come begging."
If they knew that Stark was going to shut down his weapons division, and the stock price would tank...
Well, Alex planned to be on the right side of history—armed with a portfolio and a smirk.
Deadpool Dog --->
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