Druid in the Marvel Universe Chapter 112: To Woo a Girl, You Must Be Willing to Take a Bullet

By a little creek in Scranton, Alvin scowled at the nasty, polluted water, feeling nothing but disdain for the Assassins' Guild's antics.

"Seriously? A legendary assassin group like yours, setting up shop in a dump like this? Even if you don't care about your own dignity, at least think about the poor pigs getting slaughtered here!"

Alvin, Megan, and Cross stood by the river, eyeing the rundown slaughterhouse.

Jessica, along with Ginny and a freaked-out James, was chilling at a motel off Highway 81, waiting for Alvin and the crew.

Alvin turned to Megan, frowning, "You grew up here? A gorgeous girl like you? This place doesn't suit you at all."

His backhanded compliment made Megan smile and roll her eyes.

Since dinner last night, after seeing a photo Cross had shown her, Megan had been acting kinda weird, like she'd made some big decision and was back to her old self. She looked way better now!

But Alvin was worried. How could someone bounce back so fast from such a huge blow?

Alvin pulled out his phone, glanced at the two, and said, "I'm gonna call this Sloan guy to see if he's here. Just to be clear: you really wanna go in and wipe them all out? No second thoughts? Some of your old buddies might be in there!"

Just as Alvin finished talking, a bullet smacked into his chest. The "reflect damage buff" flickered, and Alvin stood there as a guy on the slaughterhouse wall toppled over.

Alvin shook his head, exasperated. Alright, no more talking!

Megan and Cross took a few steps back, pulled out their pistols, and started sprinting. The river didn't slow them down; they made a graceful leap and cleared it!

Alvin shook his head again. He could jump too, but it wouldn't look as cool, and if he slipped into that stinky river, he wouldn't wanna see anyone for a week. Plus, this wasn't really his fight. There was a small bridge upstream; taking a detour wouldn't waste much time.

By the time Alvin crossed the bridge and got to the slaughterhouse gate, Megan and Cross were still outside, trading shots with the guys inside.

See, running fast doesn't always pay off!

Alvin, arriving just in time, ran in front of Megan to shield her from the bullets. Megan, in a frenzy, stood there firing an automatic rifle. If Alvin hadn't shielded her, she'd be full of holes by now!

Cross? Well, he's a dude; he can fend for himself!

The gunmen on the other side were having a bad day. A guy came out as a live target, but he didn't die, and they lost about ten men.

The gunmen thought there were at least a dozen snipers picking them off from afar. Panicked, they hid behind the high wall, spraying bullets outside, trying to hit the imaginary snipers.

Megan looked at Alvin, shocked. She knew he had some weird powers, but being bulletproof? That was next level.

The girl, still not calm after her earlier outburst, tried to get past Alvin and rush into the slaughterhouse.

Alvin sighed, realizing she was a woman on a death wish. When a lifelong belief is shattered, she was already halfway to dying.

Alvin spread his arms, pulling Megan into a hug to stop her from getting herself killed. Saving a beautiful woman's life is a gentleman's basic duty!

Megan struggled but couldn't break free from Alvin's grip. She looked up at him, a bitter smile on her pretty face. She stopped fighting, resting her forehead on his chest, and whispered with a mix of hope and despair, "Thanks."

Alvin thought his way of wooing women was seriously messed up. What kind of regular guy gets into a gunfight for a girl he just met? Especially one with a death wish!

He wasn't sure if everyone in the slaughterhouse deserved to die, but he figured they probably did. Still, these folks had no beef with him, and the ones who shot at him were already dead. No need to go in and wipe everyone out.

The only reason he was here was the woman in his arms, but her constant urge to rush in and die was giving him a major headache!

Just as Alvin was feeling troubled, Cross seemed to activate some superpower, darting into the slaughterhouse at an inhuman speed, shooting accurately while on the move.

Alvin was taken aback. He didn't expect his random neighbor to be such a badass. Might have to ask Jack to dig into his background. Good to know who you're living next to!

Not daring to let go of Megan, fearing she'd rush in and get herself killed, Alvin half-forcedly held her shoulder and walked into the slaughterhouse with her.

Cross had strong explosive power but seemed to lack endurance. He lasted only about a minute, taking out the gunmen on the wall but then getting pinned down behind an old machine.

Alvin saw a guy who looked like Star-Lord, wielding two fancy revolvers, pinning Cross down.

After taking two more bullets for Megan, Alvin finally lost his patience. Who would believe he took so many bullets just to impress a girl?

A massive Corpse Flower burst from the ground, like a terrifyingly large python, and rushed into the slaughterhouse.

Gunfire erupted inside the factory, and a group of people screamed in fear, shooting at the vine while trying to escape.

"Sloan!" Cross suddenly shouted, rushing out from his hiding spot and shooting desperately at an old black man.

Unfortunately, Cross proved once again that fighting trained enemies in a fit of rage is unwise. He managed to hit the old black man's arm but got shot four or five times himself, falling to the ground!

So, Sloan was found. Alvin directed the Corpse Flower, and its thick body coiled around, trapping a few unlucky souls.

The Corpse Flower, like a giant python, coiled around its prey, its terrifying head with a meat grinder-like mouth waiting for Alvin's command.

Alvin coughed lightly, patted Megan's shoulder, signaling the shocked girl to remove her hand from his chest, as it was distracting him!

Controlling the Corpse Flower, Alvin sent a thin vine to Cross, keeping him alive. After all, this guy was his neighbor, and anyone who could fight for a belief all their life deserved respect, even if Alvin didn't necessarily agree with them.

The Corpse Flower slowly moved, creating a path. The old black man, Sloan, clutching his wounded shoulder, shouted at Alvin, who was walking over with Megan, "Who are you?"

Alvin let go of Megan, straightened his old short-sleeved shirt, and smiled, "Nice to meet you, Mr. Sloan. I'm Phil Coulson, head of the S.H.I.E.L.D. New York branch."