Regret and Remorse

The devil's seduction, as always, was sweet as honey, with unspoken implications. Like arsenic laced with honey.

It's highly poisonous! But no one can resist eating it.

The Black girl looked at the scarred Tinkerer who seemed like a bad guy at first glance, and the devil with a friendly smile. She didn't have enough life experience to understand the consequences behind these two choices.

Or perhaps... she has her own standards.

The Black girl slumped against the wall, her strength fading, and weakly said, "I don't believe in pure kindness. What If...? you only want my soul, then take it."

"But I want to live a happy life. I want to be able to eat my fill, instead of living like this in the sewers, enduring hunger every day. I want a mom and dad, I want someone to love me, I want..."

The great demon Mephisto tilted his head to the side and said defiantly to those around him, "Looks like this deal is mine. You won't try to take it from me or stop me, will you?"

The Tinkerer remained silent, not even moving a step, simply keeping his gaze fixed on the Black girl whose vital signs were gradually fading.

This bored Mephisto. Its involvement in trading this worthless young soul was actually for the man. So it decided to provoke him further.

Suddenly, the Black girl's unfocused eyes lit up as if she had seen something. Her lifeless body seemed to find strength from somewhere, and she raised her hand upwards in a grasping motion, as if trying to hold onto something.

"Dad, Mom, is that you? Oh, is this a turkey dinner? I've never had one before. It's a pity Putz isn't here, otherwise I could brag to him. Dad, Mom, can we let Putz stay? He has nowhere to go, I miss him..."

Finally, the arm raised in mid-air fell limply to the ground, and the head drooped. In the Tinkerer's ears, however, the heartbeat grew faster and faster.

The heart is desperately trying to pump more blood to all parts of the body to meet its needs. Unfortunately, the symptoms of internal bleeding cause a large amount of blood to leave the circulatory system, and no matter how hard the heart beats, it is to no avail.

When even the heart itself runs out of blood, its beating speed begins to slow down until it stops.

Suddenly, a clinking sound caught the Tinkerer's attention. The great demon Mephisto was toying with a coin. The sound just now was the one he had flicked the coin into the air with his finger.

Mephisto put the coin in his pocket, a satisfied expression on his face, and said casually, "Child, I can tell you're not the kind of hypocrite who thinks the devil is some unforgivably evil thing. Interested in making a deal with me?"

But when it sensed something was wrong and looked up, its entire field of vision was filled with a fist!

It was like smashing a watermelon; this punch shattered the head of the Great Demon Mephisto's avatar without the Tinkerer feeling any resistance or resistance whatsoever. Only then did the word escape his lips. "Get lost!"

Actually, the two actions occurred simultaneously, but the Tinkerer's fist was faster than his mouth. Even faster was his other hand, which pulled the coin from Mephisto' pocket.

Although it's unclear whether Marvel's demons turn human souls into coins, stealing them is always the right thing to do. Or perhaps the Tinkerer did it without even thinking.

Mephisto' avatar, now headless, also turned to ash and vanished in an instant.

The great demon in Hell, realizing he had lost a sliver of his consciousness, angrily grabbed a nearby soul, stuffed it into his mouth, and chewed it, muttering gruffly, "That damned bastard!"

As if venting its anger, the gaping, sulfur-smelling maw clenched shut. The soul within its mouth emitted a piercing scream, unable to die, only able to endure the torment.

However, Mephisto noticed that the soul hadn't been brought back by him; it must have been stolen. But souls that have signed a contract with it are bound, and simply stealing it doesn't grant them freedom.

So that man will come looking for him sooner or later, What If...? he cares about that weak soul. Thinking of this, Mephisto laughed happily, then casually picked up another soul next to him and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing it vigorously.

The Tinkerer in the real world has no idea what's going on with the absurd scene before him and his own choices.

The devil's actions, true to his nature, may seem to bring happiness, but it is merely a fleeting illusion before death.

Can we say that Mephisto didn't fulfill the dead girl's wish? She didn't define what constituted a happy life for her. At least she died feeling happy.

A vague sense of regret filled the Tinkerer's chest; this agonizing feeling was terrible. Looking at the coin in his hand, unsure of its significance, the Tinkerer carefully placed it in his pocket, keeping it safe.

This is different from the sense of helplessness I felt when I was locked in an underground research institute before being exposed to the Yellow Sun. Nor is it about making bad decisions and bearing the consequences when I was mentally prepared.

All of this was completely unexpected.

If he had only witnessed the black girl making a deal with the devil, he could have turned away more calmly. But he was too nosy, using the Sparrow Spy Drone to see much more...

Sure enough, Alexei's advice made Reason. To resolve his troubles, he just needed to arrest the person, beat them up, and get the information he wanted to know.

Knowing too much only brings more trouble.

Although this soulless body is merely an organic substance composed of proteins and will eventually return to nature, leaving it here unattended would surely terrify anyone who returns.

If he were to take it away without permission, wouldn't people have to search for it endlessly? Or would his companions feel at ease starting a new life and forgetting about this "friend" who abandoned him?

What is the best choice? Even Super Brain can't find the answer.

This left the Tinkerer standing there, dumbfounded, staring blankly at the lifeless body of the girl before him.

After an unknown amount of time, a strange cry suddenly startled the dazed Kryptonian.

Who are you? What did you do to Skye?

The Black girl's companion, the troublesome kid who had been causing her trouble lately, finally returned. Before the Tinkerer could come up with the best solution, the kid witnessed a heartbreaking scene.

Death is no stranger to those who live in the sewers. So Putz, who was nearby, quickly learned what had happened to his companion.

He cried out in anguish, looking at the only living person present. "Did you kill her? Murderer! Why did you hurt Skye?"

He wiped away the disguise from his face and took off the wig. Although he hadn't changed out of his clothes, Putz recognized him at a glance. He said angrily, "Are you here for revenge? If so, you should have come directly to me. Why hurt innocent people!"

As he spoke, he pulled a sharp knife from his pocket and resolutely stabbed Henry Brown, who had reverted to his original appearance.

Henry neither dodged nor flinched. Even so, the knife failed to pierce him. Instead, the child, using too much force, slipped and grabbed the blade, injuring himself.

Henry grabbed the injured man and said, "I didn't do this. What If...? it were me, why wouldn't I run away? Why would I reveal my true colors in front of you?"

Although the child dropped the knife in pain, he didn't behave himself in Henry's hands and struggled fiercely. "Who knows what you're thinking, you bad man!"

"I may not be a good person, but the trouble you've caused isn't enough to warrant me going to such lengths. Don't think I'm lying to you; you're not in a position to make me do this."

After shaking the person off, Henry stared at the brat and said, "I was thinking about whether to bury her before you get back."

"Now that you've seen it, it means it's time for you two to say goodbye. So, are you coming with me, or are you going to stay here and be angry?"

Despite his dissatisfaction, the child gritted his teeth and said, "I want to go."