"The cause wasn't us." The Human Torch immediately shifted the blame, "There were other people fighting, we were worried the staff might get bullied..."
"Tell me the details," Shiller continued.
"We were just eating, drinking, and chatting happily. Suddenly, a table of customers called the waiter over, and for some unknown reason, started arguing, then actually started hitting people. We couldn't stand it and just wanted to stop them, but who knew the situation got too chaotic, and after the fight started, it was hard to tell who was who..." the Human Torch mumbled.
Maybe it was because he hadn't sobered up yet, or maybe because he was facing Shiller, he seemed a bit short of breath. Peter cleared his throat and added, "Someone did cause trouble, and we tried to pull them apart, but we got carried away, and it turned into a brawl."
"Neither of you have superpowers, how did you get carried away?"
The two of them simultaneously turned to look at Deadpool.
"Why are you looking at me?" Deadpool spread his hands and said, "Come on, when someone bullies an ordinary waiter because they have big fists, as superheroes, it's normal for us to intervene."
The other two hadn't said anything yet, but Shiller already looked at him and said, "Are you sure those two are superheroes?"
A question mark appeared above Deadpool's head. Natasha turned her head and sighed, "Your good buddy hasn't been Batman for a long time, did you just find out from the newspapers?"
"Not really, I knew a long time ago. But I also know he's a just and kind person, he wouldn't stand by because he lost his spider powers. Without his superpowers, his body is so fragile, what if he gets beaten up when he charges in? I could only rush in and knock them down first..."
From their various accounts, Shiller roughly pieced together the sequence of events. Basically, they went drinking and saw some customers bullying a waiter. They intended to mediate, but Deadpool was worried that Peter, without his spider powers, would get hurt, so he hit first and knocked the other side down.
"Then how did you two get injured?" Shiller was particularly puzzled, "Even though the Human Torch isn't the Human Torch anymore, Peter at least has magic power, how did he end up getting beaten?"
"That table was full of mutants."
"Peter Parker!!!!" Natasha's roar echoed through several floors.
Peter, as if blown by a hurricane and unable to stand, wiped his face with his eyes closed and said, "Mutants can't bully waiters either."
Natasha took several deep breaths. Shiller went to pour her a glass of water, placed it in front of her, and then said, "Let's first ask the mutants what they have to say."
Before long, Professor X arrived, pushing his wheelchair, followed by a whole group of X-Men including Phoenix and Wolverine, a very familiar lineup, causing everyone in the room to tense up.
"I'm very sorry," Professor X started to say, "This was actually a misunderstanding."
"Misunderstanding?" The hot-tempered Human Torch spoke up, "Your school's students not only stay out all night, but they also ran to mess with ordinary service staff. If we weren't there, they would have hit someone, and you call that a misunderstanding???"
After he finished speaking, the X-Men behind him looked at him in amazement. They recognized him as the Human Torch, but they didn't expect him to grasp the main points so well. He first mentioned the students at the academy, then the all-night stay, while things like fighting were put in the back, clearly indicating that for students, the former points were more important, or rather that fighting was an extension of the mistake of staying out all night, subtly implying that the academy's management was not up to standard.
"This was indeed our fault," Professor X admitted, "We know we are currently hosting Multiverse travelers, and the X-Men never intended to cause trouble, we're sorry for the students sneaking out."
"But they weren't making things hard for the waiter out of nowhere." Professor X said, "A student felt unwell after eating seafood at the bar. He doesn't have allergies or anything, so his companions suspected the seafood might not be fresh, and called the waiter over to ask about it. However, the waiter had a bit of a discriminatory attitude towards mutants, assuming they wanted a free meal, and the argument escalated into a physical conflict."
Professor X's prestige was high, so nobody was worried he might lie about such matters. Additionally, as Peter previously mentioned, the improved security in York City meant that when there were major cases, there were numerous ways to collect evidence, making it impossible for criminals to escape.
Although this brawl didn't result in any casualties, considering the multitude of forces involved as well as visitors from other universes, a thorough investigation could clearly piece together every detail, rendering lies useless.
"How can he prove the seafood wasn't fresh?" The Human Torch asked again, "It might have been something else he ate, and, even if the seafood wasn't fresh, he can't hit people, right?"
Peter pulled on him. Professor X said, "The waiter indeed spoke disrespectfully, but my student was also reckless; I apologize on his behalf."
"What about him?" Peter frowned and said, "Even though they were injured too, it's all just scratches, nothing that would prevent them from coming, right?"
After becoming a teacher, Peter particularly valued such matters. If a student made a mistake, they should apologize and make amends themselves. A teacher could mediate, but shouldn't intervene too strongly, otherwise the student would never learn to take responsibility.
"He's in the hospital," Professor X said, "Not because of the fight, but because of food poisoning. He started vomiting and having diarrhea last night and is now on an IV at the hospital."
The Human Torch opened his mouth slightly but didn't know what to say. In his stereotypical view, aside from unfresh seafood, there wouldn't be other foods that would cause such severe food poisoning, suggesting the bar might indeed be at fault.
He turned to look at Peter and asked, "Aren't you a regular at that place?"
"No, I've already told you, the place I usually go to was closed," Peter said in a low voice, "These two places are on the same street, so I figured they'd be similar..."
Shiller thought of a crucial question: "Which world's shop is this?"
Peter was taken aback, then said, "Is there a difference in bars depending on the world? Is there something different about the bars over there?"
"I'll investigate this matter." Carter came over and said, "Whether it's that the bar's food isn't fresh, or that there's a misunderstanding with the mutants, neither is a reason for you to be involved in this brawl."
The Human Torch wiped his mouth with the back of his hand: "I need to find my sister."
Carter's heart tightened, then he said, "Wait a moment."
"Don't worry, I won't say much." The Human Torch said, "It's just that my nephew can travel through time, and I need to ask him what's going on."
After speaking, he pushed through the people blocking the door and left. The agents wanted to stop him, but Carter signaled them not to, knowing that guy had connections now—should've denied visa to the other Reed Richards earlier.
Peter sighed and said, "I'm sorry things turned out like this, I'll compensate for the bar's losses. Is there anything else?"
Carter also knew that there was no way to keep pursuing this matter, so he just shook his head and said, "Nothing else, just remember not to drink anymore."
Peter nodded and looked at Shiller. Shiller walked out with him. Peter sighed deeply and said, "I should have listened to you, Professor, I shouldn't have drunk last night."
"You're all adults, a little drinking is nothing, I just think things are a bit coincidental."
"Are you suggesting this might be a trap for us? If it were someone else, I might think so, but with mutants... they're too unpredictable to be used, it's probably just a misunderstanding."
"Hopefully." Shiller replied.
They went back to the hotel, Peter was hungover and went back to rest, while Shiller went to the breakfast room, where he saw Selina holding a wine glass and talking to Captain America.
A while later, Captain America left, and Selina sat down across from Shiller with a glass and a plate: "Good morning, Professor."
Shiller laughed: "It seems you're adapting well."
"What do you mean?" Selina blinked her big eyes, trying to evade the question.
"Yesterday, when I first saw you, I thought you were a lady of nobility."
"Maybe I've just excelled in etiquette lessons," Selina said stubbornly.
"No, before, your etiquette looked like a cat being stuffed into a plastic bag, but now it's different, you're exuding elegance from the inside out, madame."
Selina's mouth dropped open, then she thought about her words for a moment, and said candidly, "Okay, I have to admit, having money is really great."
"I don't like constraints, I don't like those pointless etiquettes, I believe people don't need to live so tiredly. However, I must admit, I am willing to compromise a bit for the comfortable life I have now."
Selina made a small gesture with her fingers: "Of course, it might also be that I'm getting older and becoming more mature. I'm starting to realize that different classes have different limitations."
"When living at the bottom, I could slouch and sit badly, I didn't have to wear those dresses, or be courteous, but when I wanted to eat something nice, I had to scrimp and save, even buying a pack of cookies required counting the coins I had."
"In high society, I need to attend parties, social events, and deal with people I don't like, but similarly, I live in a manor, eat delicious food every day, shop without worrying about money, and spend a lot of time doing what I want to do, instead of figuring out how to fill my stomach."
"Don't you think..." Selina hesitated before saying, "Do you think I'm spineless, or lacking loyalty or something?"
Shiller shook his head and said, "Would you like everyone to live this lifestyle?"
"Of course! My goodness, if only all my old friends could live this life." Selina clasped her hands together dreamily, "Unfortunately, I don't believe in God, otherwise, I would pray for it every day."
"That's a good thing, madame." Shiller said, "You must have wondered why someone like Bruce, a wealthy young man, would genuinely invest himself in activities to help the poor, right?"
Selina nodded, then looked at him. Shiller continued, "Their actions are based on understanding how good they have it, and how bad you all have it. They can see the vast disparity between wealth and poverty."
Selina was thoughtful, and after a long while, she spoke: "When I was young, passing by a bakery window, I used to think that those rich people must be able to enjoy a whole loaf of bread by themselves during Christmas, instead of having to share."
After she finished speaking, she laughed at herself: "I didn't even know back then that there were such lavish meals in the world, I just thought being able to enjoy a whole bread by myself was the happiest thing."
"I couldn't comprehend how well they lived or how poorly I lived, so I never thought about changing."
Selina showed a reminiscent expression: "Now, sitting at the table, I sometimes become dazed, realizing how big the difference is between what I once dreamed of and the real life of rich people. In that moment, I don't feel happiness but an indescribable... sadness."