Chapter 269: Ch.268 Embarrassing Observation
Chapter 269: Ch.268 Embarrassing Observation
For someone like Halloway, a skilled surgeon, this was child\'s play.
Anesthesia, incisions, bullet removal, stitching, and bandaging—he did it all in one smooth motion, like a medical warrior in his prime.
"Ahem." Su Ming cleared his throat to draw the attention of the younger X-Men. "A few fools will be coming by soon. From now on, refer to each other by code names only. Do not expose your real identities. Got it?"
The X-Men immediately agreed, as they were already used to calling each other by their code names during missions. Using their real names would actually feel strange to them. For instance, Colossus\'s full name was Piotr Nikolaievitch Rasputin, but probably only his sister, Magik, ever called him that.
Rogue\'s real name was Marie, and her code name was She-Devil, but everyone preferred calling her by her nickname, Rogue.
Monarch wasn\'t doing so well mentally—he seemed a bit dazed, but since he wasn\'t coughing up blood or going berserk, it wasn\'t anything too serious.
As for Halloway, he was always cautious about keeping his identity secret, so that wasn\'t an issue either.
With all the skeletons surrounding them, Halloway, operating in such a grim environment, was living a surgeon\'s ultimate dream. He had entered a frenzied state, and his work efficiency had skyrocketed.
Saving lives in a place surrounded by death? Thrilling!
Su Ming flicked his Cloak of Levitation toward Monarch. Perhaps the mage could communicate with the cloak, he thought.
Moments later, the X-Men witnessed the arrival of the "fools" Su Ming had mentioned.
The first to crawl through the hole was an awkward-looking Peggy Carter. She had initially refused Su Ming\'s help but now had no choice but to follow them, making her feel somewhat embarrassed.
"Look, it\'s a woman. And she\'s an officer, too."
"Her lipstick is too red—definitely not someone serious."
"She looks kinda familiar."
The young girls immediately gathered together, whispering to each other while sneaking glances at Peggy standing near the entrance.
Rogue cleared her throat softly, signaling them to stop gossiping. "That\'s Agent Carter and Nick Fury. Be careful. You don\'t want S.H.I.E.L.D. targeting us when we get back."
Next through the hole was Nick Fury, dragging Captain America with him. With great effort, Nick finally dropped Steve onto a pile of bones.
The bones cracked and rattled, drawing angry glares from the resistance fighters. These Americans had no respect, carelessly disturbing the remains of their ancestors! Goodwill -100.
In the Parisian catacombs, you could sing, dance, and drink, but you couldn\'t disrespect the bones. This was a deal-breaker. What kind of people did de Gaulle send us?
The girls, however, quickly recognized the iconic uniform. Although the shield was missing, only Steve Rogers would wear the Stars and Stripes during World War II.
"That\'s Captain America?"
"Wow, he\'s been beaten up pretty badly. That\'s terrifying."
"The professor once showed us his public service announcement. You know, the one where he told kids to mind their language."
"And the one where he told them not to skip school. Honestly, where could we even go if we skipped class? We\'re stuck at the academy."
"Captain America\'s a good guy, just a bit... slow."
"Yeah, true."
The girls exchanged more whispers but efficiently moved Captain America off the pile of bones and placed him further inside the main passageway.
Nick\'s dark face turned even darker with embarrassment. He hadn\'t noticed the surroundings earlier, but now, under the light, he realized they were completely surrounded by human skeletons.
"Deathstroke, we\'ve reconsidered. We still need your help. Please assist us," Peggy said, walking over to Su Ming, who was reloading his gun. Despite feeling awkward, she forced a smile—an essential skill for any spy.
Even if it was for Steve\'s sake, Peggy would endure the embarrassment for his recovery. A pang of frustration hit her, but she quickly regained her composure.
Su Ming wasn\'t doing this for the sake of SSR; he only wanted to ensure Steve survived. If Captain America died here, who would go on to be Red Skull\'s long-time nemesis? Without Steve to keep him occupied, Su Ming\'s plans would be affected.
He felt like he was arm-wrestling with the world itself, trying to keep Captain America\'s storyline aligned with the movie\'s plot. After all, the movie\'s plot was simple and familiar to him.
But the world seemed to have its own momentum. Things were veering off course, especially with Germany\'s overwhelming power. The world\'s timeline was swerving into disaster, and Su Ming couldn\'t stop it.
"Angel of Vengeance, prioritize stitching up Captain America. Skip the anesthesia—he\'s already unconscious," Su Ming said, tapping his helmet and giving Halloway a directive.
Peggy opened her mouth to speak, but the crimson gaze of Su Ming\'s single eye turned toward her, making her instinctively close it.
Actually, even if Steve were awake, stitching him up without anesthesia would be a minor inconvenience.
Look at how Peggy had spoiled him lately. He had become far too delicate. He really should be with Bucky to develop some real masculine energy.
Halloway, unfazed, continued his work. It was just basic medical knowledge—Steve needed blood clotting more than anesthesia right now.
But the energy rifle wounds were unlike anything Halloway had seen before. There were large chunks of flesh missing, and in some areas, the wounds were just gaping holes. How could he stitch this up?
Halloway furrowed his brow in thought before having the Howling Commandos tear up some clothes, roll them into makeshift plugs, and stuff them into the wounds. Then, he roughly stitched Steve back together.
From a distance, Steve now looked like a rag doll with its belly torn open, and the stuffing was spilling out.
There was no other option but to wait for him to heal on his own.
Su Ming noticed Peggy visibly relaxing as Steve was being stitched up and quietly sighed.
As Steve winced unconsciously during the procedure, Peggy would wince too. When Steve relaxed, she relaxed. It was as if the two shared a telepathic connection.
"Alright, I\'ve helped as much as I can. Now, let\'s talk about the price," Su Ming said seriously, crossing his arms behind his back as Halloway finished the surgery and began treating others.
"Uh..." Peggy\'s face froze. They had, after all, sought his help first, and he never said he\'d do it for free.
And now, surrounded by Deathstroke\'s people, it felt like she had no choice but to accept whatever he demanded.
Especially when she noticed a girl with a white sword slung over her shoulder staring at her with an unsettlingly cold, hollow gaze, as if selecting where to strike.
"What do you want?" Peggy tried to keep her composure, though the eerie environment and the snickering girls around her made her feel uneasy.
These girls all wore the same uniform—tight leather outfits that revealed every curve. Their makeup was light, yet somehow provocative. They definitely weren\'t good people.
"In a few days, I\'ll need to borrow someone from SSR for a few days," Su Ming said, tapping his helmet, already preparing for his next move.
"No way!" Peggy instantly rejected the offer, her face flushing red. Was Deathstroke really going to set his sights on little Rose?