Chapter 23: A Pair of Very Good Friends
Li Yue didn't stay unconscious for too long this time. He almost immediately began to wake up and look around in confusion. He couldn't recall what he was doing—did he transmigrate again?
Li Yue looked at his body. He found that he wasn't naked on the street this time; the immense energy wave from the Tesseract hadn't destroyed much of his clothes other than the sleeve on his right arm; it was the arm closest to the Tesseract. His clothes didn't look all that bad, even with one sleeve missing.
Just like when he first arrived in Marvel's world, Li Yue felt a bit depressed. He raised his head, finding the pub in front of him. He walked in.
The pub was ancient, but there were some customers inside. They were probably all regulars, so Li Yue's unfamiliar face attracted attention. However, they stopped paying attention to Li Yue after noticing his thin Asian face and returned to their drink.
Li Yue also ignored them and walked straight to the bar, ordering a few glasses of relatively mild alcohol. Luckily, they accepted the money that Li Yue brought from the Marvel universe. Li Yue tried ordering some other drinks, but the place didn't serve them.
Li Yue sat down in a corner and began reviewing today's events. He was almost sure that he was no longer in the Marvel universe; he had tried teleporting to Tony's villa, but there were no reactions even after several tries.
After knowing that he was no longer in the Marvel universe, he wanted to determine what universe he had arrived in, but he had no clue where to even start.
The first person that Li Yue missed after coming to this world was not Tony but Louise. Does that mean he was a person who valued women more than friends?
(Author: Yes!)
...Whose voice was that? Oh well, forget it. More importantly, he needed to figure out whether he was in a familiar universe and how he could return to the Marvel universe.
...
Li Yue was lost in thought, so he didn't realize that a man had entered the pub after he left the bar counter. The man had a big beard and a fierce look on his face, framed by spiky hair that stood up like porcupine quills. The man's muscles bulged under his clothes, obviously displaying his strength.
The man sat on a stool in front of the bar counter, slammed his money on the countertop, and ordered the strongest alcohol the pub had to offer.
After a while, two more men entered through the door. The handsome men were dressed in expensive clothes that contrasted the pub's atmosphere, and one of them had a receding hairline.
The two men went straight to the big man that was drinking at the bar.
"Hello, I am Charles!" The man on the right introduced himself.
"Hello, I am Erik." The man on the left also introduced himself.
"We wanted to talk to you—" the two of them began to speak, but they never got to finish their sentences.
"Fuck off!" The big man interrupted bluntly.
...
The two good friends, Charles and Erik could only walk away helplessly after such a ruthless rejection. However, Charles suddenly paused when he reached the pub's door.
Erik followed suit when he saw Charles pause, quietly waiting for his friend.
"No. I sensed another companion here. Let's go back!" Charles said after expanding his senses once more. He called to Erik and returned to the bar.
...
Li Yue was still dazed, but after resting for a while, his head was feeling much better. Out of habit, he focused on his spiritual senses and reached out to find any changes. He had almost died crossing into this universe, so he better has something to gain from it.
Li Yue couldn't prepare himself for what he found.
Boom!!!
A roaring explosion came from within his head, shocking Li Yue and almost making him faint.
When he opened his eyes again, Li Yue found himself inexplicably looking at the starry sky. He then realized something very wrong: he no longer had a body!
"What is going on?" Li Yue was a little scared. What is going on with him? Why did he suddenly appear here? How did he lose his body?
Suddenly, a strange force pulled on Li Yue. He no longer had a body, but somehow he still felt it. Unable to resist, he was helplessly pulled by the force.
The sky gradually became closer to Li Yue—the force had pulled him "upwards" towards the middle of the star-filled firmament.
A spherical object floating in the air entered Li Yue's vision. Countless rays of blue light flowed into the sphere—it looked chaotic at first glance, but there seemed to be certain rules to it. It was rather mesmerizing.
Countless light spots were projected around him. Two of them were especially clear and bright, attracting Li Yue's attention. One of the two gradually became brighter and brighter...
Li Yue suddenly found himself returning to his own body. His forehead was covered by beads of cold sweat.
Li Yue wiped his forehead with his hand. He wondered if what he had just experienced really happened. More than that, why would it happen to him?
...
Li Yue finally noticed the two handsome men that sat opposite him. He felt that the faces were familiar—could they be...?
"Hello, I am Charles."
"I am Erik. We have something to tell you."
Sure enough, their words confirmed Li Yue's guess!
"Hello, I am Li Yue. What might your business with me be?" Li Yue shook away his thoughts and focused on the two people in front of him, feigning confusion.
"Li Yue, is it? We have come to tell you that you are not alone. We are the same as you!" Erik answered Li Yue and opened his right hand. There was a coin in the center of his palm. The coin slowly floated in the air as if tugged by invisible strings.
"So, do you want to join us?" Charles asked proudly while looking at Li Yue's (feigned) shock.
...
In the end, Li Yue agreed to Charles and Erik's invitation. He also learned that he had been transported to the universe of "X-Men: First Class."