"Wait! I'm not losing control! Don't hit me!" Wade knew that Clark's punch wouldn't kill him, but he definitely didn't want to be knocked out cold. After all, it was Clark's punch—a blow that would certainly hurt a lot, as Wade could already imagine.
"Huh?" Clark was momentarily stunned upon hearing Wade's voice. He had never encountered a situation like this before. Although Clark didn't freeze up like the Spider-Men earlier, he hesitated as he looked at Wade.
Clark noticed the wound on Wade's wrist. Although it had almost healed, leaving only a faint mark, Clark could clearly see how quickly Wade's wound had mended.
Quickly, Clark's mind recalled Wade's appearance. Wade had appeared before and had some interactions with Robert, to the extent that Robert instinctively avoided him. Wade was a powerful entity, much stronger than Constantine. Clark remembered that during a previous demon incident, Robert had encountered Wade and had quickly distanced himself, thinking Wade's mind wasn't quite right.
Robert's actions made Clark remember Wade, especially because Wade's face was quite distinctive.
Yes, Wade hadn't had cosmetic surgery yet, or rather, he hadn't successfully undergone surgery. Perhaps his powerful healing ability kept Wade's appearance locked in place, making it impossible for any cosmetic procedure to change his looks. His healing factor would automatically restore his current visage.
"You're not losing control? How is that possible? Your genes are undergoing transformation…" Clark quickly regained his composure. He knew he needed to understand why Wade wasn't losing control. If they could figure it out, it might provide a crucial solution to the disaster caused by the army of Spider-Men.
"No one can control Wade on a mental level! Wade isn't going to become anyone's puppet!" Wade proudly puffed out his chest as he answered Clark's question, exuding an air of a lonely expert.
"Is he really that amazing? Is it strong willpower or a powerful soul? He doesn't seem exceptionally strong…" Clark thought as he observed Wade's demeanor. Despite not seeing any extraordinary power in Wade, the fact that Wade wasn't controlled after being bitten by a Spider-Man suggested that Wade had some unique qualities. Wade's confident words, both in appearance and tone, seemed impressive to Clark, making him wonder if Wade had been hiding his true strength in his interactions with Robert.
"Of course, what I said doesn't include you, the god among men…" Just as Clark's opinion of Wade was beginning to change due to his recent display, Wade smiled obsequiously at Clark and added softly.
"In fact, I admire you. I'm a fan. Although this is our first meeting, I've long admired you from afar. I'd love for us to grow closer. As they say in the Three Kingdoms, 'If you do not despise me, I wish to call you my sworn father!'"
"???" Clark was left completely puzzled by Wade's words. He realized he had definitely misunderstood Wade earlier. This guy was just as unreliable as when he met Robert!
Clark wasn't even aware of Wade's earlier ramblings before he arrived, where Wade kept mentioning Clark's red underwear and called him a battle maniac. Now, seeing Clark, Wade acted as if he had long admired him as a god on earth, even wanting to call him his adoptive father.
Wade was still as shameless and bottomless as when Robert met him. If Robert were here, Wade would probably call him "Dad" without hesitation. Such things were easy for Wade and didn't trouble him at all!
"So, what were they trying to do when they surrounded you?" Clark finally got back on track after pulling himself together and asked Wade.
"Surround me? Maybe they were admiring how handsome I am? After all, they just stood there dumbfounded, staring at me. They must have been mesmerized by my handsome face!" Wade blushed slightly, his expression a mix of shyness and self-satisfaction, though his words were utterly shameless.
"…" Clark was once again rendered speechless. He now understood why Robert wanted to stay far away from Wade and avoid dealing with him. Clark felt the same way.
If Wade didn't seem capable of helping solve the Spider-Men problem, Clark would have already taken the unconscious Spider-Men and left.
"Alright, let's head back first. We'll discuss this further when we return." Clark sighed, tying up the Spider-Men together and grabbing Wade with the other hand as they flew off.
"Wow! Are you taking me to the Justice League? Wait, that doesn't sound right. I've only heard of Batman. Isn't the Justice League not formed yet? Who are you teaming up with? It can't be the Avengers, right? Have you abandoned the dark universe to join our comedic family?" Wade's mouth didn't stop even as Clark flew him through the air. He kept babbling, spouting things that didn't make much sense to Clark.
"Batman? Dark universe? Justice League? What does this mean?" Clark pondered these terms briefly before dismissing them. Wade seemed mentally unstable, and delving into his words might drive Clark to a similar state.
Ignoring Wade was the best solution, and given Clark's speed, they reached the Avengers' base in no time.
"Wow! It really is the Avengers' base! I never thought I'd get to work with the Avengers someday. Too bad there's no Wolverine in this world…" Wade was both excited and slightly disappointed as he arrived at the Avengers' base with Clark, his emotions swinging wildly.
"What's going on?" Tony Stark's voice soon came through. He had just returned to check on the Spider-Men's condition to ensure they didn't act up again. Tony hadn't figured out why the previous outbreak happened.
Seeing Clark bring in a conscious, curious Wade, Tony was puzzled and asked.
"He got bitten by a Spider-Man and developed their powers, but he didn't lose control. I brought him back for examination…" Clark explained the situation to Tony, making Tony's eyes light up.
"You mean, when the Spider-Men saw him, they didn't know what to do and just stood there around him?" Tony looked at Wade and asked Clark.
"The way you're looking at me is a bit creepy. Just to clarify, while Wade can entertain the idea of being with a guy, you're too old. Wade prefers someone younger, like the little Spider-Man. You're just not his type…" Wade muttered discontentedly as he noticed Tony's gaze.
"Ten million dollars. From now on, you'll do whatever I say. Deal?" Tony Stark's words made Wade's breath quicken.
Previously, Wade and Slade had caught many demons and handed them over to official agencies, even robbing one of them. But after splitting the loot, they didn't get nearly as much cash, as official agencies don't keep large sums of money on hand, and Wade and Slade didn't trust them enough to accept bank transfers.
After some time spent splurging and several attempts at high-end cosmetic surgery, Wade's wallet was looking thin again. Hearing Tony's offer made Wade's eyes light up—no, his whole face lit up. Wade looked at Tony with such longing that it seemed he wanted to devour him!
"Don't look at me like that. Every extra word you say will cost you ten grand. Behave, and you might even get a raise." Tony frowned, suspecting that if Clark wasn't there and he wasn't wearing his armor, Wade might have tried to rob him. Tony quickly added another condition.
"Don't worry, just leave it to me! For the right price, you don't even have to treat me like a person! Do whatever you want with me!" Wade proudly proclaimed.
"…" Clark was momentarily speechless at Wade's words. He glanced at Tony Stark and said, "I'll leave him with you for now. I'll continue dealing with the Spider-Men."
As soon as Clark finished speaking, he vanished. Honestly, Clark didn't want to stay in the same space as Wade any longer, even with Tony Stark's financial constraints.
"So, how did you guys manage to recruit Superman? What about Batman and the Justice League? Are they still going to happen?" Once Clark left, Wade couldn't help but look at Tony Stark and grinned.
"Ten thousand dollars deducted," Jarvis's voice chimed in, causing Wade's expression to change drastically. He quickly clamped his mouth shut, afraid of missing his chance to become a millionaire.
During Tony Stark's comprehensive examination, he found that Wade wasn't significantly different from the normal Spider-Men. If there was any difference, it was that Wade's body was much stronger, nearly on par with Peter Parker's.
Additionally, Tony discovered Wade had cancer, and his strong healing factor made him almost immortal. This paradoxical condition puzzled Tony.
Tony didn't believe this explained why Wade wasn't controlled like the other Spider-Men. However, he couldn't find any other anomalies except for Wade's seeming insanity.
It couldn't be that only mentally unstable people were immune to the spider infection, could it? Logically, broken minds should be more susceptible to becoming puppets.
Unable to find a clear answer, Tony took Wade to interact with the awakened Spider-Men. To his surprise, the Spider-Men would freeze upon seeing Wade, then approach him and stand motionless, as if their programming had crashed.
"Does your presence really cause this effect? Are you a bug that disrupts their programming?" Tony's eyes gleamed with excitement. Wade's presence seemed useful, but soon Tony frowned again.
"It's not very practical, though. There's only one of you, and you can't be everywhere to freeze all the Spider-Men. Even keeping them sedated would achieve the same effect…"
"Can I request a raise?" Wade eagerly raised his hand and asked Tony
.
"Ten thousand dollars deducted," Jarvis's voice sounded again, marking the comment as unnecessary.
"Explain your idea. If it's good, a raise is possible," Tony looked at Wade and nodded.
"My healing factor is strong. If you pay me enough, I wouldn't mind cutting off some flesh. Of course, assuming my flesh also contains spider genes and can affect them…" Wade was willing to go to great lengths for money. For him, this was easier than donating blood.
"Uh…" Even Tony Stark was momentarily stunned by Wade's offer. Today, he had encountered a truly fearless—or perhaps clueless—person.
But since Wade offered, Tony wasn't one to shy away from the experiment. Soon, a new test involving Wade's flesh began. When a piece of Wade's tissue was placed in front of the Spider-Men, they once again froze, falling into a standby mode…
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