"Speak up, why did you specifically come to find me? As you can see, I'm enjoying my vacation." Su Ming swapped out his lounge chair, lying on it with sunglasses on, his hand resting on a giant sword beside him: "And you're like the excrement after a wild dog ate a moldy Mexican burrito, ruining the vibe. Give me a reason not to chop you into stuffing."
Wade, who stood beside him with a head that looked slightly smaller than the lower part of his body, shrugged and opened his case to find a new pair of sunglasses.
"Me? Of course, I'm here to join you on vacation. You paid me some commission before, but when I got back, I found out that damn US Dollar is depreciating faster than an elephant's diarrhea, so I decided to spend that money in this era to avoid losing value."
As he spoke, Wade patted his teleportation belt.
"But don't you have other things to do? Thanos killed Spider Hero, aren't you going to avenge him?" Su Ming was in no mood to vacation with Deadpool, and Gin, not far away, didn't seem to want to either.
Although vacationing with family is nice, this didn't apply to the Wilson family.
Honestly, rather than sunbathe with the stinky Wade, Su Ming would rather play beach volleyball with the Joker.
"Oh, that purple-skinned Cable? I took care of him. Initially, I planned to gather a team and take him down in the traditional Superhero way, but once everyone gathered, we realized, oh! The Avengers insisted on using quantum technology to go back in time, doing some Infinity Stones and gloves thing, too troublesome. Do you remember my hot 'Chika'?"
Deadpool pulled a blow-up sofa from a small box, pumped it up and placed it on the beach, the colorful and patch-laden thing clashing with the surroundings:
"It's the one you slipped and stabbed me while we were in the Immortal Palace, the one I saw in my dream. When I went back, I found a way to contact her again, and as we chatted during some downtime, I mentioned the problem I was facing, and she helped me solve it. Turns out she's a Goddess."
Indeed, Su Ming had experimented with the Tear of Extinction on Wade, and he did indeed see Death.
"Death helped you take care of Thanos, right?" Su Ming sighed: "In reality, you didn't do anything."
"How can you say that?! I actually did a lot and for a long time!" Wade placed his hands on his hips, rotating slowly in circles: "You and Captain are the same, neither of you knows how much I sacrificed for this world. If not for my efforts, would she have helped Earth? Just thinking about it makes my waist and abdomen hurt."
As he spoke, his expression grew more and more lewd, eventually drooling.
"Alright, cover your face first, then I'll give you some money. Go play somewhere else, don't bother me." Su Ming placed a hand on his forehead and closed his eyes, feeling too lazy to move under the warm sun.
Wade sat on his inflatable sofa, shifting crab-like to get a little closer, with an ingratiating smile: "Hey, can you stab me with your little dagger a few more times? I haven't had a chance to thank her yet."
"Only the dead can meet Death, and conceptually, you just can't die, plus the Tear of Extinction won't work on you a second time because a person can't die twice." Su Ming gestured for Wade to look down, the dagger already stabbed into his belly.
Deadpool looked down, sure enough, that familiar dagger, with a beautiful owl carving that seemed to be smiling at him.
"Wow, your slippery hand is getting even faster, although it hurts a lot, it turns out I truly can't die... sigh..."
Su Ming pulled out the dagger, flinging off the bloodstains, and wiped it clean on the sand, letting the Strangulation bury the toxic blood deep: "Don't you have a Reasonable Gem? Try using that."
Wade's avocado-like face showed a helpless expression as he took out a diamond-shaped transparent crystal: "Yep, it seems to be out of power."
"Infinity Stones can run out of power? Are you kidding me?" Su Ming picked up the transparent crystal, but there was no energy fluctuation at the moment, just like a piece of plastic.
"Last time, I used it to see Chika, then suddenly at home, I thought, using it so often, maybe it'll run out of power like a phone, and once it runs out, it should dim, right?"
Wade shoved his intestines back into his belly, pulling a stapler from his pocket and stapling his belly together several times.
"But you forgot, the gemstone was still in your hand, and it granted your wish, so it ran out of power, everything's so reasonable." Su Ming already guessed the turn of events.
"Yes, it's that reasonable." Wade put the gemstone back in his pants, rubbing his face: "So I'm looking for a way to meet 'Chika' again. My soul needs comfort, Slade, in my heart, you're so great, so omnipotent, that's why I came to find you."
Having said that, he clasped his hands together on his chest like a little girl, swaying and blinking affectionately at Su Ming.
"Bang!"
Su Ming turned aside and retched, while Strangulation fired again, blowing Wade's head apart.
A few minutes later, Deadpool's corpse sat up.
"I also really want a Symbiote." Wade's head looked even smaller, as he put on a new pair of sunglasses enviously.
Su Ming pinched the bridge of his nose, already exasperated that this persistent dog wouldn't leave until he got what he wanted: "Do your other girlfriends know you're out looking for Death?"
"Each of them is different, but they are all my wings..." Wade displayed his typical scumbag smile.
"I suspect you've been hanging around with Negative Sound Wave Teenage Bullet for too long, and her Japanese girlfriend Xue Xu made you fall in love with Japanese?" Su Ming closed his eyes and slowly ran his fingers through his hair. "Here's the deal, I'll give you two suggestions: either you go find Dracula to have him turn you into a Vampire, a conceptually soulless Dead, or you go to Selene and let her drain your Soul."
"Great idea, I'll give it a try." Wade cheerfully patted his belt and disappeared from the beach.
Su Ming immediately stood up from the lounge chair and walked toward Gin. "Pack up, we should leave quickly; that guy definitely won't die, we have to find a new place."
Gin, also wearing a swimsuit with a long silk scarf wrapped around her waist, looked somewhat helpless. "Where can we go? Your cousin seems to always find you."
Su Ming pinched his chin, frowning. "You're right, we have to split up; that guy can still track me across the Multiverse. I at least have to jump out of the Super Universe..."
"Can't you take me with you?" Gin smiled a bit, a hint of expectation in her eyes.
But Su Ming shook his head. "Unless the research on the Magic Ship or Elder's Blood makes a breakthrough and can be compatible with Cybertron's space technology, I can't take a living being on a trip through the All-Powerful Universe. The Celestial Convergence can only get you to Ciri's hometown, and that's too unreliable. I don't want to lose you mid-journey, so I'll look for another method this time."
"Then what about the Symbiote? It can follow you." Gin pointed at Su Ming's floral shirt.
"It's different; it was forged. Until we capture Nar, the God of Symbiotes, none of us know how he created this species." Su Ming grabbed Gin's hand, gently squeezing it reassuringly.
"Alright then, I'll stay here to supervise the research progress, but you'd better not make me wait too long. If the Twilight of the Gods arrives, I'll die too." Gin sighed.
"I'm clear on that, so I already have a plan." Su Ming hugged her, then also disappeared instantly.
Gin slowly walked toward the lounge chair on the beach, lay back, and gazed at the calm blue sea, lost in thought.
.............
"Please sit."
The girl still looked the same as the last meeting; only her long black hair, once in pigtails, was now styled into a high updo.
With the black sheer evening dress accentuating her, her snow-white skin seemed like the cleanest white paper, while the small Anka Cross on her neck indicated her identity.
"I just came from a family gathering; everyone is well, but they still think I'm dressed like I'm attending a funeral."
She said this with a sweet smile, a smile that seemed to wash away all human troubles.
"A funeral is just one human ritual; some people dislike ceremonial things, but it's inevitable." The man opposite her said, the black leather eyepatch on his face shifting slightly.
"So, you've come to the realm of the Dead once again. Surely it's not just for a chat?"
She had no red tea, nor anything typical; aside from the white bones of Skeletons, her domain was shrouded in dark gray, but she still pushed an empty cup in front of the Mercenary, inviting him to pretend he was drinking tea, like playing house.
Su Ming gently leaned on the sofa, his hand tapping his knee, and he truly picked up the empty teacup, bringing it to his lips. "Delicious, but I really came to chat this time."
"Did you complete my task?" the girl asked.
"The Sleep Demon and Lucifer are currently trying to create the Sleep Demon Universe. If I'm not mistaken, they're preparing to connect it with the All-Powerful Universe. If you have a way, you can find them beyond our Multiverse; where there's Dream, there's them." Su Ming replied indifferently, having realized this a long time ago.
"That's great, we can chat then. Dreams eventually break free from Destiny, while Death is fated." The girl smiled even happier.
"Seems like you like the answer. So, I'd like to ask you, what exactly is Death?" Su Ming also smiled, placing the teacup on the bone-inlaid coffee table.
The Goth-styled girl took off her little hat from her head and hugged the teddy bear on the sofa. "Death is me; I am Death."
"No, not just that. Outside this Universe, what is Death?" Su Ming shook his head, asking about something beyond the superficial.
Death gazed at him gently, extending her cold hand to rest on his. "If there's just one day of Life, then the end of today is Death; if there's only a second of Life, then the movement of the second hand is Death. That's the level humans see. But in reality, the world has another day, another second. So, in words you can understand, Death is a gift, and also a miracle."
"A miracle..." Su Ming squinted his eyes.