"All set?"
The warm little cabin was filled with the smell of alcohol, and the crackling of the fireplace echoed constantly. The reddened logs slowly turned black, then became white ash.
Black at its extreme appears white to others; that's how top villains are.
Su Ming had already checked every item inside the house, even having Strangulation sneak into Santa Claus's bedroom for a look. However, nothing of significant value was found. There were many small ornaments and toys, and quite a few snacks and candies, but they were all worthless.
So Su Ming returned to the group still in discussion and asked them a question, already knowing the answer.
Wade moved his neck a bit, feeling that his bones and muscles had healed. He used his claw to scratch his nose through the mask and mumbled, "Traded a lifetime of free peppermint candies, could be worth it."
Spider Hero hopped lightly on the floor, moving without making a sound, "We have two hours until midnight here, we need to hurry."
"Alright, let's assign tasks now." Su Ming looked at Santa Claus sitting on the sofa; the old man's expression was peculiar, maybe hiding something. But it didn't matter: "I'll help the old man reclaim the factory, Peter, go find the reindeer, and Wade, go look for Christmas Granny."
"Why split tasks like this?" Deadpool raised his hand like a school kid and asked, "I wanted to find Rudolph; they say its nose is like a light bulb."
"Because you have a strong personal charm, and Christmas Granny is a woman after all, you're more confident dealing with women." Su Ming calmly explained, not sounding like he was making it up in the slightest.
Wade nodded, making a strange noise, "That's true, slurp... "
"Hey, what do you plan to do with my wife? Especially you, Deadpool, don't you dare hit on my wife!" Santa Claus sprang up from the sofa, waving his fists in the air.
"Didn't she run away? First, think about how to persuade her not to divorce you even if I bring her back." Deadpool shrugged, sat sideways on the armrest of the sofa, his leg dangling and swinging: "I tell you, matters of the heart can't be forced. Out with the old, in with the new. How about I find you some young Irish beauties?"
Santa Claus hesitated, seeming a bit tempted. One side was an old gray-haired granny, and the other, Irish golden kittens, this...
"Don't talk nonsense! How could Santa Claus abandon his own wife? He's the kids' role model; a couple growing old together won't break up just because of your meddling." Peter covered Deadpool's mouth, vigorously ruffling his hair while speaking, denying everything Deadpool had said before.
Unexpectedly, Santa Claus stroked his white beard, slowly sat back on the sofa, gently patted Deadpool's thigh, and whispered, "Actually, that's not impossible; I'm fed up with that old hag..."
Spider Hero seemed to lose all his strength, his arms helplessly drooping down. Santa Claus's words were too real, so real that he found it hard to accept.
Deadpool smugly slapped Peter's hand away and tossed Santa Claus a look that all men understand: "Then I'll head to Ireland, okay? How many do you want? Don't worry, I'll check them out for you first."
However, Santa Claus still grabbed onto his clothing, shaking his head with difficulty, "No, I've thought it over, better help me find the old lady first. We've been together since 1846. It's freezing and dark outside, not safe at all."
Wade sighed, "You're not a real man, can't even choose the 'have it all' option. Fine, since you're the employer, we'll do it your way."
"What have it all? Don't listen to his nonsense." Peter immediately jumped in to counter, "Protecting your marriage is what a real man should do, responsible, well done! Santa Claus!"
Santa Claus waved his hand, painfully closed his eyes, quickly drank some alcohol to ease his heartache. He wanted young beauties too, but public image must be considered.
"Stop calling me Santa Claus, just call me Grandpa." He clutched his chest, rolled on the sofa, but after saying this, he immediately said to Su Ming, "That, Supreme Mage can just call me Little Saint, haha."
Wade was used to being treated differently from Deathstroke, just raised a middle finger behind Santa Claus's back, then pushed open the door and left, taking a bottle of cheap liquor.
It was tough finding someone on a snowy night, but Wade was one of the top mercenaries. So far, his cat-finding commission success rate was a hundred percent.
He marched with his head held high, singing the scout song as he ventured into the wind and snow.
"You should also get going, know what to do?" Su Ming didn't engage in the pointless conversation, simply watching Spider Hero and Deadpool bicker and joke. After Deadpool left, he needed to send Peter away too.
Peter scratched his head. He didn't know what Deathstroke was planning, so he said honestly, "My Spider Armor can link to Stark Industries' satellite. If the reindeer flew away pulling the sleigh, the satellite should be able to find them. It's just that I fear I owe Mr. Stark even more..."
"In your view, borrowing a satellite is a big deal, but for Tony, it's as simple as borrowing a nail clipper. For a rich man, it's a trivial matter, so borrow it boldly." Su Ming patted Spider Hero on the head. This Spider Armor is indeed Tony's puppet. Could he be monitoring the situation here?
Peter gave a wry smile. His family had always been very poor, and he really couldn't understand the mindset of the rich. But since Mr. Wilson said so, he shouldn't be wrong.
So he quickly left the room to try to find a place with a better signal to link to the satellite.
When the two of them were gone, only Su Ming and Santa Claus remained in the cabin, and the atmosphere grew a bit tense.
Both sides were sizing each other up. Facing the fully armed Supreme Mage, it was impossible for Santa Claus not to feel some panic.
But Su Ming didn't give him too much time for wild thoughts and gently clapped his hands, as if applauding him: "Well done, Little Saint. You might be able to fool those two, but you can't fool me."
"What are you saying, hehe... How dare I try to deceive the Supreme Mage?" Santa Claus chuckled and tugged at the greasy vest on his body.
"Oh? Is that so? You only said that your factory was seized, your wife ran off, and the reindeer escaped. How did it start?" Su Ming drew out the Godslayer, the platinum-colored weapon shining with a dazzling glow: "Let me guess, in fact, you arranged for your wife and reindeer to take refuge, the factory you willingly abandoned. Your sofa faces the door, the shotgun at hand, you've had quite a bit to drink, taking vitamins and a handful of antacids, you're nervous, waiting for someone? Who is coming after you?"
Santa Claus opened his mouth, the white beard twitched a couple of times, and finally, he closed his eyes and let out a long sigh: "Indeed, I can't hide anything from you. As expected of Deathstroke, your cousin is far inferior to you."
Su Ming shook his head, his palm gently brushing the sword's blade, the lightning brought a tingling sensation: "No, Wade already knows. He just wants to play along and see what tricks you plan to pull. Some people may talk nonsense, but are very clear in their hearts. My cousin is such a person. He acts foolish, but you're truly clueless."
"Is that so... But they are destined not to find my wife and the reindeer, I've hidden them in an absolutely secret and safe place." Santa Claus reached under the sofa cushion, finally taking out some good wine, reluctantly pouring Su Ming a glass, while only pouring himself a little.
Su Ming accepted the glass without hesitation: "Don't speak in absolutes, Little Saint. Wade is the most unpredictable mercenary. There's nothing he sets his mind to that he can't accomplish. And Spider Hero has extraordinarily good interpersonal relationships, someone will help him find them."
"I didn't think you would come, I thought..." Santa Claus drank the wine bitterly.
"Thought vampires were coming for you?" Su Ming transformed the Godslayer into the shape of a giant cross, which could be seen as an exotic weapon.
"How do you know that?" Santa Claus was truly shocked this time, for he had said nothing about it.
Su Ming stood the cross beside his foot, extending a finger to wave gently: "There were too many clues, making it bothersome to list them all. Here's the simplest. Based on the known circumstances, you judge someone is coming after you, and you sit here guarding the door. But your house has five other windows, you didn't even board them up or look in their direction. This indicates you firmly believe the enemy will enter through the door. What kind of monster has such a peculiar compulsion to enter someone else's home through the front door? The answer is obvious, only the Blood Race have such quirks. 'Enter by invitation only' is a rule set by their ancestors."
"..."
Santa Claus was speechless. It was indeed the seemingly ordinary things that Deathstroke perceived to uncover the truth.
Su Ming ignored the complex expression on his face and continued:
"It is now Christmas, winter in the Northern Hemisphere, a period of polar night within the Arctic Circle. Vampires fear neither cold nor heat, and the long polar night is a perfect opportunity for their rampant expansion... Let me think, what could be faster than spreading blood parasites through Christmas gifts? Wouldn't you agree? When children open their gifts and a parasite suddenly flies into their laughing mouths, the plan seems quite appealing just thinking about it."
Santa Claus took a deep breath and nodded powerlessly: "Yes, those guys approached me before, wanting me to assist their plan, but how could I allow them to harm those children? But as you know, they only become more aggressive, threatening, and terrifying me. So I hid all the presents, preventing any chance for them to act strategically. However, today, in a few hours, I must deliver the gifts. This is their last chance."
Su Ming nodded, as if all of this was expected:
"If it's parasites, then it's part of the Blood Race's 'Steam' series plan. Speaking of which, didn't I eradicate those parasites back then? It should've developed to the V3 Steam digestive vampire species by now. But it could also be from the 'gangrene' series of vampire virus weapons or the 'blood sore' series of chemical hallucinogens—many possibilities exist, but it's alright. You let me send Deadpool and the others away but didn't stop me, presumably because you have great confidence in me as the Supreme Mage. So, you should know what I plan to do next, right?"
Santa Claus covered his face and slowly nodded: "I know, you want to negotiate a condition with me."
"Smart, I like smart people..." A low chuckle echoed through the room.