Gulp.
Peyton swallowed hard.
His eyes were locked on Deadpool's back.
The street was still smoking from the heavy machine gun barrage. Bullet casings littered the asphalt. The air smelled of hot metal and burned rubber.
And somehow—
Not a single round had passed him.
"How… how did he do that?" Peyton muttered.
Alice stared just as intensely.
"I don't know."
Jill didn't take her eyes off Deadpool.
"Can you do it?" she asked Alice quietly.
If Deadpool could block a rotary heavy machine gun with swords—
And if both of them carried the T-virus—
Then maybe…
Maybe she could learn it too.
Maybe this virus wasn't just horror.
Maybe it was power.
Alice didn't hesitate.
"No. Absolutely not."
She could dodge bullets.
That much she knew.
But stand there and block them?
Impossible.
Which meant one thing—
Deadpool had gone far deeper into the virus than she had.
---
The rotary barrel of Nemesis's heavy machine gun glowed red.
It hissed.
Then slowly stopped spinning.
Deadpool's swords also stopped moving.
For a second—
Everything was quiet.
Peyton, ignoring the danger completely, ran forward and grabbed Deadpool by the shoulder.
"Dude, that was insane!"
Deadpool leaned heavily on one sword stuck into the asphalt.
He took a slow breath.
Then turned around.
He spat out a mouthful of blood that soaked through his mask.
"Really?" he asked weakly.
There were holes.
Everywhere.
Dozens.
Small ones.
Large ones.
Bullet wounds riddled his torso and limbs like someone had used him for target practice.
Jill stared.
Alice stared.
Peyton blinked.
…Well.
In that case—
Sure, they could all "do it."
It was just getting shot.
Right?
Deadpool rolled his shoulders painfully.
"You see," he coughed, voice gurgling, "if you get shot twelve times, you'll have twelve holes."
He raised a finger.
"I get shot twelve times—I might have twenty-four."
Peyton: …
Jill: …
Alice didn't argue.
She stepped forward decisively.
"I'll distract the Pursuer. You get to the school."
She snatched one of Deadpool's swords before he could react.
Then she sprinted toward Nemesis.
Deadpool watched her go.
His eyes widened.
"My sword!"
Too late.
Alice had already engaged.
Jill didn't waste time.
"Move!"
They retreated down the street.
Peyton half-supported Deadpool as they ran.
Looking at all the wounds, Peyton said sincerely:
"You're a real man."
Deadpool nodded proudly.
"I've always been this manly."
---
They turned the corner.
Jill scanned quickly and picked a car that wasn't completely destroyed.
She broke open the ignition panel with practiced efficiency.
Deadpool, meanwhile, looked back down the street where Alice and Nemesis were fighting.
And he did something unexpected.
He prayed.
Not for Alice.
For Nemesis.
"Please," Deadpool muttered internally, "don't let her get too close."
Because she was holding his sword.
And his swords were not ordinary.
Different versions of him used different metals.
Vibranium.
Adamantium.
Even Uru.
But his?
Carbonadium.
A Soviet imitation of Adamantium.
It wasn't quite as hard.
It didn't absorb kinetic energy like Vibranium.
But it had one horrifying trait—
It carried a toxin.
A subtle radioactive corruption that interfered with healing.
No matter how strong your regeneration—
If you were cut by Carbonadium—
Your wound would refuse to close.
It would rot.
Even Wolverine—one of the strongest healers in existence—had once been decapitated by such a blade in another timeline.
Deadpool clutched his chest dramatically.
"Oh no. My Logan."
If his Golden Finger hadn't bound these swords to his equipment—
He would have sealed them away long ago.
Now Alice had one.
If she closed distance with Nemesis—
There was a real chance she could sever his head.
And if Nemesis died too early—
Cain would get bored.
Umbrella might accelerate the nuclear strike.
Everyone would become ash before dawn.
Deadpool might revive.
But the others?
Gone.
So yes—
He was genuinely praying for Nemesis's survival.
---
"Dude… can you still heal from this?" Peyton asked.
Deadpool was leaning against a car now, eating an ice cream cone someone had left melted on a sidewalk cart.
"No problem," he said. "Just need a little ti—"
He paused.
He looked down at his wounds.
The smaller bullet holes had closed.
The rounds had been pushed out.
But the larger wounds—
Something was wrong.
Instead of burned, scarred skin forming—
Pink muscle and sinew were exposed.
No new skin.
No clean healing.
Just raw flesh.
Peyton frowned.
"What's wrong?"
Deadpool forced a grin.
"Nothing."
Internally, his thoughts were less cheerful.
Oh no.
That didn't look like normal regeneration.
That looked like mutation.
He wasn't losing consciousness.
He wasn't mindless.
But if this kept going—
He might start looking like a Licker.
And that would be awkward.
---
Footsteps echoed nearby.
Fast.
Urgent.
Peyton snapped around instantly and drew his pistol.
"Who's there?"
"Hey! Don't shoot! I'm human!"
From the alley—
Two eyes and a mouth appeared in the darkness.
Then a tall Black man stepped into view, hands raised.
"Relax! I haven't been bitten!"
Jill recognized him instantly.
"It's you."
"Yeah!" he said quickly. "You saved me at the police station earlier!"
He looked between them desperately.
"Can I roll with you? I can fight. I won't slow you down."
He reached to his waist—
And pulled out two gleaming pistols.
Gold.
Heavy.
Polished.
Deadpool froze.
Jill hesitated.
Her instincts screamed no.
But her badge—her sense of duty—wouldn't let her leave someone behind.
They needed manpower for the school mission anyway.
"Get in the back," she ordered.
"Yes, ma'am!"
He dove into the back seat with surprising speed.
Deadpool immediately slid in next to him.
Peyton followed.
Three large men crammed into the back seat.
Tali took the passenger seat.
The car engine roared to life.
As they drove, the new guy grinned and extended a hand.
"Lloyd Jefferson Wade. Call me L.J."
"Peyton."
Deadpool leaned in slowly.
His eyes were not on L.J.'s face.
They were glued to his waist.
His voice dropped into reverent awe.
"What a coincidence," Deadpool said softly. "My name is Wade too. Wade Wilson."
Then he swallowed.
"Are those two .50 caliber gold-plated Desert Eagle pistols?"
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